“Choose Wisely!”
Text: Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18
8-18-2024
In the name of Him who alone has the words of eternal life, dear friends in Christ. It must have been quite a dramatic and emotional scene in our Old Testament reading for today. Joshua, the army general and leader of Israel, is about to step down and retire. He was held in very high esteem by all the Jews. He had been hand-picked by Moses to take over for him when he died. Joshua was honored and respected as a mighty man of God. He’s the commander who personally led the Israelites into battle as they took over the land of Canaan. They won victory after victory under his leadership, taking control of the strategic areas of their new homeland. Yes, there were still some enemies left to drive out, but the major battles were over. Now the Israelites could work on building homes, towns, and businesses. And Joshua was credited with bringing them to this point in their history.
But Joshua wasn’t just retiring from an illustrious career. In the chapter prior to our text, he told the people of Israel that he was old and about to die. Like a father who loves his children dearly, he wanted to leave them with some final words of wisdom to guide them into the future. No doubt, it was a very emotional speech he made. He was 110 years old and he had seen it all. As a young man, he had experienced the cruel slavery of Egypt. He witnessed the mighty miracles that God performed through his respected mentor, Moses. He saw firsthand how the Egyptians were brought to their knees by the 10 plagues God sent, forcing them to let Israel go free. Along with the rest of the Israelites, he crossed the Red Sea on dry ground and then watched how the Lord drowned the pursuing Egyptian army. And you can be certain that he rejoiced with his countrymen at finally being free.
Early on, Joshua had distinguished himself as a brave warrior. But more than that, he proved that he had a heart that was dedicated to the Lord. When Moses sent the 12 spies into the land of Canaan to scout it out, Joshua was one of them. When they returned, ten of the men gave a bad report saying there was no way the Israelites could conquer the people there. Joshua, however, along with his good buddy Caleb, had a different perspective. They said, “It’s a great land and if God says He’s giving it to us then we should trust His word and go confidently in to take it!” To Joshua, it was a matter of faith, not military strength. But the Israelites listened to the majority report and refused to go. The end result of their rebellion was that God punished Israel with 40 years of wandering in the desert. All the men 20 years and older had to die there rather than enter the Promise Land. Joshua and Caleb were the exceptions because of their faithfulness. Is it any wonder that Joshua was Moses’ right-hand-man? He had a very close, personal relationship with God. And his tenure at the helm of leading Israel was blessed. Under his leadership and influence, Israel remained true to their God.
But Joshua wasn’t naïve. He had seen how their ancestors had wavered in their total dedication to God. And he knew how easily this new generation of Israelites might fall into those old, idolatrous habits. So, in his going-away speech he warns them about it and challenges them to be faithful. Joshua witnessed firsthand how the Israelites had adopted the worship of the false gods of their neighbors. He also witnessed the disastrous results of their forefathers when they blended this together with their worship of the true God. Now, in the land of Canaan, they had new neighbors around them and the temptation would be strong to go down that path again. Joshua knew that once he was gone this would be their tendency. So, he spoke bluntly and forcefully, urging them to be firmly committed to the 1st Commandment, worshiping only Yahweh because God won’t tolerate a divided devotion.
When Joshua laid this out to the people, he couldn’t have been clearer. He describes it like a fork in the road. In verse 15 he says, “Choose this day whom you will serve.” They can stay on the path of obeying the God who had rescued them, fought for them, and led them thus far, OR they could go down the path of worshiping other gods—who had done absolutely nothing for them. It’s one or the other, but they can’t do both. He’s telling them to choose wisely. Considering the history of bad choices by their ancestors and the suffering that it brought, it should be a no-brainer. But Joshua had witnessed his countrymen make these dumb decisions repeatedly. And this next generation was no different. Regardless of which path they chose, he wanted them to know that he and his family would continue down the path of serving the Lord. Even if they have to go it alone, this will be their choice.
The people were moved by this. They responded with a resounding, “We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God!” But Joshua didn’t want an emotional, knee-jerk response. In the verses that follow he challenged their sincerity. I’ll paraphrase what he said: “Don’t be so quick to answer. You are weak, frail sinners. Keeping your word is harder than you think. Ponder all this and then choose wisely. Because I promise you, God will not take it lightly if you go back on your word. He will become your enemy rather than your gracious Lord.” Again, the people repeated their commitment to remain true to their promise. So, Joshua wrote down the covenant they were vowing to keep and set up a stone to remind them of it.
Sadly, what Joshua had warned them against eventually happened about a generation later. God’s will and His commands became burdensome and offensive to the people of Israel. So they disregarded it, going back to the sinful, idolatrous errors of the past. And Israel suffered for their bad choices.
You see, God has always been pro-choice. Yes, you heard me right. God has placed serious, life-changing choices before His people all throughout history. He gave mankind a free will so that we wouldn’t be a bunch of robots. Rather, we could show our love for Him by using that free will to choose wisely, obeying His will and commands. Oh, I can hear it now. “Aha, Pastor! You always say that we Lutherans reject ‘decision theology.’ But aren’t you admitting that we must choose to believe in God and choose to follow Jesus?” Not at all! Go back through the Bible and look at every instance where such a choice was being made and you’ll find that it was always dealing with people who were ALREADY believers.
By grace, God chose us to receive His mercy and the gift of faith. By that faith and guided by the Holy Spirit, believers are able to make the right choices. That’s because our eyes are opened to the truth of the options before us. When we look at these “forks in the road” we can see that the choice is really a no-brainer. When Moses gave his going-away speech he laid things out in a simple but stark contrast. He said, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life.” (Deut. 30:19) Seriously now, who in their right mind would say, “Hmm…Life or death, blessing or curse. Gee, Monty, that’s a difficult choice. I think I’ll choose door number 3 with the death and curses.” Ridiculous, right? And yet that’s what we do each time that we choose to disobey and disregard God’s will and command.
And you know what’s really sad and scary? We act and sound an awful lot like those Israelites that Joshua was addressing. Vows and promises are made before God and the world that we will serve the Lord. Like when we stand at the altar on our Confirmation Day. We swear that NOTHING will turn us away from our total dedication to God. Not even the threat of death! You’d be surprised at the angry responses I get if I dare to bring up that promise to a member who has neglected coming to God’s House for worship. And it’s even worse when there are children involved. Like Israel, they’re learning from their ancestors to make terrible, spiritual choices. But the rest of us are no better. There is a long list of sins in our lives that we’ve grown comfortable with. We come to Church and hear God say that these will lead to death and destruction, so stop it! And what do we do? We nod in agreement… then head out the door and go right back to doing whatever we want. That’s idolatry because you’ve chosen yourself over and above God and His commands. And frankly, He won’t tolerate this divided devotion.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as Joshua said, the choice is before you. You have to make a decision. Choose this day whom you will serve. Will it be the true God who rescued you from sin by the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus? Or will it be the other gods in your life, like your sinful cravings and selfish desires? Which will it be? Don’t answer hastily because God doesn’t take it lightly when we turn our back on Him. It’s a matter of eternal life or death, so consider the alternatives and choose wisely. God is urging you to make the good and right choice. Choose to receive the forgiveness He’s offering you. By His Word and Sacrament He will guide and strengthen you to continually choose to serve the Lord. With your soul fed and nourished by Him, you will be able to say no when faced with all the other choices offered by the devil and our sinful world. May God grant us the spiritual fortitude and wisdom to confidently say, “Let the rest of the world choose its own way. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!