And now fear Jehovah and serve him in perfectness and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river, and in Egypt; and serve Jehovah.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods whom your fathers that were on the other side of the river served, or the gods of the Amorite, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.
In his last words to Israel, spoken at the town of Shechem, Joshua retold all God had done for them — He called Abraham out of an idol-worshipping family, and He gave them a land they never built. Only then does he tell them to settle whom they will serve — and the question is whether they knew what they were agreeing to.
The call to choose does not stand on its own. It comes after a long account in which God is the only one acting. One writer sums up that account:
So these last words from God to Israel, spoken through Joshua, deserve our closest attention. From first to last (verses 2-13) they recount God's sovereignty, power, and grace. He showed His sovereignty by bringing their fathers out of idolatry. He showed His power by rescuing the people from their enemies. He showed His grace by settling them in the land He gave them. As we think about the sovereign favour, power, and grace of our God and Father, we should clear out of our lives the evil thing He hates.
Joshua names two rival options. One is the gods their ancestors served across the river. The other is the gods of the Amorites, the people whose land Israel now lived in. The pull of those older, ancestral idols is not a thing of the past:
God had blessed them so richly. So it was only right that Israel should serve the Lord with a whole heart, in sincerity and truth. That meant putting away the idols Abraham had served long before (v.14) and left behind when he came to Canaan. People often go back to idols that were popular many years before. Today many people in western nations are turning to idol-like mysticism. It had no place when Christianity had a strong voice in these nations.
Commentators differ over how the offer works. Some read it as a straight summons to decide for God. Another says the choice Joshua offers is between one set of idols and another, not between God and idols:
The fact is, he does not call on them to choose between the Lord and idols. He says, "If it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose which set of idols you will serve — these or those." By God's grace, as we know, he had settled it: he would serve the Lord. Then the people declare that they too will serve the Lord. They may mean well, but they speak as if they can do it in their own strength. How does Joshua take their promise? He answers, "You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God."
Read as an appeal, the call leaves no room for a divided heart. God had already proved that He was for them, so the demand was a fair one:
He presses on them that they must decide with their whole heart. "Choose this day whom you will serve." There is nothing like plain, out-and-out decision for God. It is due to Him always. He had proved beyond doubt that He was for them. He rescued them from slavery in Egypt. He brought them through the desert. He planted them in the land of Canaan. So it was only reasonable that they should be wholly His.
Joshua does not answer for himself alone. He pledges a household, and one writer presses why the two cannot be separated:
Notice, "me and my house." He felt it was not enough to keep himself clear of idolatry. He also had to watch the character and daily life of his house. Joshua might not worship idols. But if his children did, would he be free of blame? No. What is more, idolatry in Joshua's house would ruin the witness to the truth just as much as idolatry in Joshua himself.
Joshua answers for his own house and no further. He could not answer for anyone else:
He was the leader, but he could only ask others to follow his example and be sincere, true, and thorough for God. Every person and every household must deal with God on their own. Joshua could only answer for himself and his own house, and this he did. Let us test ourselves, and measure our ways by his words.
That limit is also a comfort. Another writer applies it to the whole nation:
The nation's religion might fall into ruin, and it did. But by the grace of God, one person and one family could hold on anywhere, at any time.
The people answer Joshua at once with a promise. But a promise is not the same as clearing out the idols:
It is always easier to say "We will serve the Lord" than to clear the idols out of our lives. It is easier to decide to serve the Lord than to bury our household gods under an oak at Shechem. But God tells us first to bury our idols, and then to serve Him. That is the order of His appeal to us, when He says, "cease to do evil, learn to do good" (Isaiah 1:16-17).
- Grace first. The call to choose comes only after a long account of God's sovereignty, power and grace. Whole-hearted service is a response to what He has already done.
- Grace's rivals. Joshua names two sets of idols: the gods of their ancestors and the gods of the land. Old idols come back once faith loses its voice.
- Grace's verdict. Commentators differ on whether Joshua offers a real choice or only a choice among idols. All agree that a divided heart will not do.
- Grace's house. Keeping himself clean was not enough for Joshua. His children's idolatry would ruin his witness just as much as his own.
- Grace lasts. Each household deals with God on its own. When public religion collapses, one family can still stand — if it buries the idols instead of just talking about them.
And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods;
Joshua's farewell challenge at Shechem puts Israel on the spot. They answer with a firm refusal to abandon the Lord for other gods. The rest of the chapter tests that answer. Commentators read it as sincere, well argued, and still built on the wrong foundation.
Their reply is not bare enthusiasm. They back it with what God had done: rescue from Egypt, signs, protection on the road, victory over the nations.
The people understood well that they were in Canaan only by the will and work of Jehovah. He had brought them up out of the land of Egypt. He had done His great signs before their eyes. He had kept them safe all the way they had gone in the wilderness. He had driven out their enemies in Canaan. That is why they said, "We will serve Jehovah, for He is our God."
One writer turns this on the reader: God has shown us a richer grace still.
Surely grace like this might have drawn the nation after Jehovah. And we — have we not received a grace still richer? "God made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the children of Israel." Did He reveal His counsels to them? No, that was kept for us. God has let us share His most hidden purposes, His eternal counsels concerning Christ. He has made us His confidants. What grace!
One writer allows every part of it — their grasp of God's claim, their earnestness, their sincerity.
All this sounded very good and looked very hopeful. They seemed to have a clear sense of the moral basis of Jehovah's claim on them for full obedience. They could accurately recount all His mighty deeds on their behalf. Their protests against idolatry and their promises of obedience to Jehovah their God were very earnest and, no doubt, sincere.
Joshua answers that they are not able to serve the Lord. Their promise rested on their own strength.
Joshua knew that Israel was only expressing their confidence in the flesh. Peter did the same when the Lord told him he would deny Him (Matt. 26:31-35). It is impossible for the energy of the flesh to please God (Rom. 8:8).
Joshua had told them to put away the foreign gods among them. So idols were already in the camp while they declared their loyalty.
Yet they said not one word about the foreign gods they had been told to put away from among them. It is always easier to say "We will serve the Lord" than to purge ourselves from idols. It is easier to resolve to serve the Lord than to bury our household gods under some oak of Shechem. But God tells us first to bury our idols, and then to serve Him. That is the order of His call to us, when He says, "Cease to do evil, learn to do good" (Isa. 1:16-17).
The exchange ends in a covenant. One writer sets that promise beside everything God had already given them.
In Joshua 24 he recites all that God had done for them — all His favours and all His goodness. Then the people answer, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD." Joshua says to them, "You cannot serve the Lord." The people say, "No, but we will serve the Lord." … "So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day." This captain of their salvation led them into the land of promise; they enjoy the fruits of grace, and they undertake again to obey the Lord.
Another writer traces what came of it.
Their history is a record of idolatry from cover to cover… Grace was their only resource, and they would not have it.
The promise did hold — as long as Joshua and his generation were alive.
As long as Joshua and the elders lived, their presence and influence kept Israel from openly abandoning God. But once those moral walls were gone, the dark tide of idolatry rolled in. It swept away the very foundations of the national faith… Human influence is a poor prop, a feeble barrier. The power of God must hold us up, or sooner or later we will give way.
- Grace first. Their answer traces everything to God's work: rescue from Egypt, signs, protection, victory. Grace like that was meant to draw the whole nation after Him.
- Grace answered wrongly. Instead of leaning on that grace, they pledged their own strength. Joshua heard confidence in the flesh — the same confidence Peter showed before he denied the Lord.
- Grace and hidden idols. Foreign gods were still among them as they spoke. Saying "we will serve the Lord" costs less than burying the household gods.
- Grace exchanged for covenant. They enjoyed the fruits of grace, then took up obligation again. The idolatry that followed proved grace was their only resource.
- Grace, not props. Their loyalty lasted while Joshua lived. Human influence is a feeble barrier; only the power of God sustains.