14. Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
15. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
16. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;
17. For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed;
18. And the Lord drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land; therefore will we also serve the Lord; for he is our God.
19. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye can not serve the Lord; for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
20. If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
21. And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord.
22. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
23. Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.
24. And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
25. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
Golden Text: “The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.” Verse 24.
NOTE.—The occasion is the renewal of the covenant, at a great gathering of the people called by Joshua just before his death, which occurred when he was 110 years old, and after he had ruled Israel twenty-five years. The land had been divided, the warriors of the two and one-half tribes east of Jordan, who had assisted in the conquest west of Jordan, had been given honorable discharge, and returned to their homes laden with spoils, and for eighteen years the land had been at rest, and the people were enjoying the good things that the Lord had given them. The place of assemblage was Shechem, probably between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, the scene of the renewal of the covenant near the beginning of the conquest. The section included in the lesson is Joshua 21:43 to 24:33.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What exhortation does Joshua make in verse 15? Note 1. (2) What choice does he tell the people to make? Verse 15. (3) Upon whose side did Joshua stand? Verse 15. Note 2. (4) What answer did the people make? Verse 16. (5) What reasons and how many did they set forth for this decision? Verses 17, 18. (6) What reply did Joshua make? Verse 19. Note 3. (7) What only could prevent the Lord working for them? Verse 20. (8) How did the people reiterate their resolve? Verse 21. (9) Who were the witnesses to this decision? Verse 22. Note 4. (10) What did Joshua then tell them to do? Verse 23. (11) How was this command responded to? Golden text. Note 5. (12) How were the proceedings sealed? Verse 25.
NOTES.
1. Now therefore.—The reasons set forth, which give rise to the conclusion here introduced, are brought out in Joshua’s address up to this point. In this are recounted the striking features, the landmarks, of the history of that people from ancient times. Through it all he exalts the Lord in his great acts of deliverance from bondage, and constant leading. “Now, therefore”—is not all this stirring? is it not sufficient?—“serve him in sincerity,”—absolute purity and singleness of purpose. Evidently they still had among them images and idols, as had Terah “beyond the flood,” that is, beyond the Euphrates, or great river.
2. Choose you.—The call was for a positive decision, one way or the other. There is nothing but evil in a prolonged halting “between two opinions,” especially if the truth and error are plainly revealed. Dallying with sin is the surest way to sear the conscience and remain in slavery.14“To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” James 4:17. For that time, there came a crisis to the people of Israel. So there comes a crisis to every soul, when a decision must be made either for the Lord or for the idols of the world. Then is the time to consider seriously, in the light of eternity, the future course. Consider what the Lord has done, and what he will do for you, and what the world, with all its hollow pleasures, will do for you. The one is life, the other is death. Which will you choose?
3. Ye can not serve the Lord.—Two reasons are given why they could not serve the Lord,—because he is holy, and because he is a jealous God. The full idea is more accurately shown by reading with this verse 20. So long as they were in sin, serving strange gods, they could not serve Jehovah. His character is holy, and they who serve him must be willing to receive his character. He is jealous, because the setting up of false gods works evil in the world, and he will certainly punish those who persist in sin.
4. Ye are witnesses.—It may be said that there were three witnesses: (1) Their own public testimony, the promise made before God in the presence of friends and neighbors. If at any time they should turn away from God, there were the witnesses on every side. (2) All the words of the meeting, the renewal of the covenant, were written in the book of the law of God. Verse 26. (3) A great stone was set up under an oak, as a silent but constant witness of their words. Verses 26, 27.
5. The Lord our God will we serve.—The covenant made on this solemn occasion was not cast lightly aside, but was observed faithfully by all that generation that was party to it. See verse 31. So in the decisions of to-day, we should follow, not men or churches or traditions or custom, but God as he has revealed himself in his word. If we hold aught which is contrary to his word, let us put it away, even as Israel did their idols.
