For LOVE is the only genuine principle whence all acceptable service of God can spring. Joshua 24:15 As Joshua prepared the children of Israel for the land of Canaan he made it clear that first priority went to those with whom he had immediate and direct control: he … Having carefully reiterated the entire history of the nation in their ears, and having reminded them how God had brought them out of Egyptian bondage, fought for them in many battles, on both sides of the Jordan and provided all they needed to sustain life and godliness, Joshua simply stated the obvious choice, they should all make by setting an example "...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. what does, If its disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the gods of amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord mean? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? Israel made the right choice, but it is only as we trust Him and rely on His sufficient grace through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, that we can become victorious. Joshua led the children of Israel across the Jordan and into the promised land.. to take up their promised inheritance.. And as his death drew ever closer he gave a farewell speech to the nation, which had been chosen by God to be a holy nation unto the Lord and a peculiar people unto Himself. It is one more analogy between the Joshua of the Old Testament and his great Antitype in the Gospel: “whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end” (Hebrews 3:6). Man was created in the image of God. Many years went by, and Joshua became an old man. Joshua 24:15 Context. The Lord will not share His glory with another and He had already made this clear to His people in the very first command He gave to them, "I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:7b-13 and 24:15 shows that as they crossed the Jordan there were the gods of the Amorites – gods of your culture. Joshua 24:15 . But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.” Belief in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary's tree dictates life or death for the sinner. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. All Israel— Namely, their representatives. It is a God-given capacity. 1. The resolve to serve the Lord will inevitably cause believers to swim against the tide of popular opinion as our heart-focusses on Christ and gazes steadily upon Him and His ultimate goal, which is that Christ is all - and all in all. no descendant of the great conqueror, no member of his household, is named in the Bible. There were times when they served the Lord with gladness of heart and much rejoicing and other occasions when they followed after the lifeless gods of the pagan nations, and Joshua challenged the assembled nation to make a choice, "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD," he declared boldly, "choose for yourselves today whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15, NIV: "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. Joshua 24:15 has a … You shall have no other gods before Me. "Take up your cross daily," Jesus told us, "and follow Me. — Joshua 24:15 There is a point at which all religion becomes voluntary.—There is a sense in which natural religion is not voluntary, although there is a strained sense in which a contention may be set up for its voluntariness.—The whole value of spiritual religion consists in its expressing the supreme desire of the heart.—An appeal is thus made to reason, inasmuch as man is called upon to make a choice. Joshua 24:15 What Does Joshua 24:15 Mean? Joshua 24:1. As we all know, Joshua was a great military leader. We choose our toothpaste, deodorant, cars, houses, jobs, life style, friends, church. 12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. Chuck Smith :: Sermon Notes for Joshua 24:15 ← Back to Chuck Smith's Bio & Resources "THE CHOICE" I. The most important life-choice anyone will ever make is their response to this fundamental question, "choose today, Who you are going to serve." Having carefully reiterated the entire history of the nation in their ears, and having reminded them how God had brought them out of Egyptian bondage, fought for them in many battles, on both sides of the Jordan and provided all they needed to sustain life and godliness, Joshua simply stated the obvious choice, they should all make by setting an example "... Joshua 24:15 Treasury of Scripture Knowing. a. Mark Schladenhauffen. ", Joshua made it clear that there can be no compromise in our religion or spiritual affiliation. For LOVE is the only genuine principle whence all acceptable service of God can spring. 2. ", The far-reaching significance of this choice cannot be measured, for it requires the abandonment of myself, my personal rights, my cherished interests, and my own self-will, for His plans, His rights, His interests, and His will. (g) This teaches us that if all the world would go from God, yet every one of us particularly is bound to cleave to him. Keep me and my family serving You in humility of heart and help us to keep to walking in Your light and truth every moment of the day, and looking to Jesus, in Whose name I pray, AMEN. The Father seeks only such to worship him, as worship him in spirit and in truth. Although Israel had not fallen into the sort of apostasy that occurred later in her history, they fluctuated between trusting the Lord and trusting in their own strength. what does joshua 24:15 mean? Joshua 24:15 Translation & Meaning. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary. They seem to have a thing about white, clean, pristine, driveways. This choice challenges the believer to examine himself to see if he is in the faith and trusting God - to see if he is walking in spirit and in truth and if Christ is all in all. Commentary on Joshua 24:15-28 (Read Joshua 24:15-28) It is essential that the service of God's people be performed with a willing mind. It is an affirmation of the family’s commitment to serve the Lord. Decision upon a Hill Dear loving families, as a family service today let us meditate from the Old Testament passage of Joshua 24:15b “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. Today, Lord, I choose to go deeper into You, for I desire to serve You with my whole heart. God or Satan, the spirit or the flesh, light or darkness, life or death, faith or fear, the truth or the lie... for its answer has both temporal considerations and eternal consequences. He then says, "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. He pledges his “house” to the same service. Now let’s consider Joshua 24:15, “ 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 … One day I noticed a woman in my neighborhood washing down her driveway. Joshua 24:15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. choose you this day whom you will serve; say if you have found a better master, and whose service will be more pleasant and profitable: whether the gods your fathers served, that were on the other side of the flood; the river Euphrates; these may bid rid rest for antiquity, but then they were such their fathers had relinquished, and for which undoubtedly they had good reason; and to take up with the worship of these again was to impeach their wisdom, judgment, and good sense: or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but then these were such as could not preserve their worshippers in the land, or the Israelites had not dwelt in it, and therefore no dependence could be had upon them for future security. Under these particulars no doubt he comprehends all other false gods, which were served by the nations amongst whom they were, as appears from Joshua 24:15, but only mentions these, as the idols which they were in more danger of worshipping than those in Canaan; partly because those of Canaan had been now lately and palpably disgraced by their inability to preserve their worshippers from total ruin; and … Joshua 24:15 ... choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. 24:15-28 It is essential that the service of God's people be performed with a willing mind. God is a self-determinate being. 1. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua was not really offering the Israelites a choice between serving God and following the lifeless gods of the Amorites, in whose land they were living. ", Joshua was not really offering the Israelites a choice between serving God and following the lifeless gods of the Amorites, in whose land they were living. "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Loving Father, I begin to understand more and more that I can't be divided in my loyalty, for You alone have the words of eternal life. Joshua 24 is a famous text, mostly for verse 15, which is the climactic verse in the lectionary selection. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? And if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord Irksome and troublesome, a burden, a weariness, and not a pleasure and delight: choose you this day whom you will serve; say if you have found a better master, and whose service will be more pleasant and profitable: whether the gods your fathers served, that [were] on the other side of As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.—For Joshua himself the service of Jehovah on earth was nearly over. Joshua 24:15 . One of the biggest areas was in shopping. Joshua 24:15 "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." Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. Joshua 24:15 – “As for me and my house...” Summary At the end of his life, Joshua addresses the people of Israel and charges them to serve the Lord rather than other gods. Read commentary on this popular Bible verse and understand the real meaning behind God's Word using John Gill's Exposition of the Bible. MAN HAS THE CAPACITY OF CHOICE. Choosing the Lord should never be postponed until tomorrow, nor hidden behind a mask of compromise, with this antithetical world-system. The house of Joshua embraces all the faithful servants of the Lord. Joshua 24:15 NLT. i. Joshua applied the principle. In fact, the Hebrew of Joshua 24:15 puts it starkly, “it may be evil in your eyes” to serve God! In the genealogies of Ephraim in 1 Chronicles 7, Joshua’s name is the last in his own line (Joshua 24:27 : “Non his son, Jehoshuah his son”). Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. For me it seems just a tad obsessive. Choosing to follow the Lord is the most important decision of the will that every man must make one day. (translation: Afrikaanse Vertaling 1953) KJ21. For the solemn renewing of their covenant with God; which in this place was first made between God and Abraham, Gen… Joshua"s offer to choose the God or gods they would serve ( Joshua 24:15) was not, of course, an encouragement to consider the idols as an equally acceptable option. 13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat. b. “As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” appears in all sorts of formats from quilts and doilies to plaques in kitchens and all other sorts of Christian kitsch. What does Joshua 24:19 mean? At that time the people committed to serving the Lord and renounced the false gods that were already in the land, which is the only acceptable choice for God's people. Recently I spoke with one of our missionaries, Bro. The popularity of the … Continue reading "Commentary on Joshua 24:1-15" But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord; Or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell. GODS WE HAVE KNOWN Joshua 24:14-15 INTRODUCTION We live in a world of choices. He called for all the elders, chiefs, judges, and officers to assemble at Shechem, a town in the center of the land and close to Joshua’s home. But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.". Joshua 24:15 - 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. The NIV and NRSV soften the language, with the NRSV saying, “if you are unwilling,” and the NIV saying, “if it is undesirable to you,” but the ESV and the KJV present the difficulty more literally. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. The Amorites are only mentioned, because they were a principal nation, some of which dwelt on one side Jordan, and some on the other, and indeed there were of them in the several parts of the land: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord; be your choice as it may be: this was the resolution of Joshua, and so far as he knew the sense of his family, or had influence over it, could and did speak for them; and which he observes as an example set for the Israelites to follow after; he full well knowing that the examples of great personages, such as governors, supreme and subordinate, have great influence over those that are under them. When he knew that death was drawing near, he summoned the leaders of Israel to hear his last words. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."". However Scripture reveals, they sometimes tried to do it in their OWN strength. "Choose you this day whom you will serve," was a question that the aging Joshua was constrained to ask the Israelites in his farewell speech. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. But for the man saved by grace, this foundational question deserves equally rigorous examination. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Read full chapter Dr. Keith Wagner. 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. Read Text: Joshua 24:15. I cannot but regard the silence of Scripture under this head as profoundly significant. (2) Joshua 24:15-24 actually demonstrates the failure of our wills to choose rightly from a believing heart if we are left on our own to "choose for ourselves!" Answer: The statement “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” is often printed on plaques that adorn homes of Christians today. Take right decision today just like Joshua did, but as for me and house, we will serve the Lord. He created man a self-determinate being. Joshua 24:2-4 Moses' answer for the people's continued rebellion was the promise of the coming New Covenant when God would circumcise the heart (Deut 30:6). It is a singular fact that no descendant of the great conqueror, no member of his household, is named in the Bible. We are to identify with Christ in His personal Gethsemane and plead as He did, "Father -Thy will not mine be done.". Some choices are major, others are minor but they must be made. For the solemn burial of the bones of Joseph, and the rest of the patriarchs, for which this place was designed. He and his family recently returned from spending 5 years in South Africa. That is not terribly unusual except that these people have painted their driveway white. Joshua 24:14-24 Many Choices, One God. Joshua 24:15. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. An Objection to Total Inability: Joshua 24:15 by John | Posted on October 10, 2014 October 29, 2014 As we have been examining the doctrine of total inability, or simply stated man’s inability in his natural state to choose God, or otherwise determine his own salvation, we have looked at several common objections. The people were obviously impacted by Joshua's impassioned plea, because they replied as one man, "We will certainly not abandon the Lord to worship other gods.". He told me about the difficulty of making the readjustment to America. Joshua 24:15 - Maar as dit verkeerd is in julle oë om die HERE te dien, kies dan vir julle vandag wie julle wil dien: òf die gode wat julle vaders daar oorkant die Eufraat gedien het, òf die gode van die Amoriete in wie se land julle woon; maar ek en my huis, ons sal die HERE dien. Analysis. There were times when they conquered the promised land through following the Word of the Lord, and other times when they disobeyed His instructions and failed to defeat their enemies. What is known of his family? A. ", The commitment Joshua made before the company, was designed to encourage everyone to make the right choice - to consciously reject the false gods of the Amorites and commit to obeying and trusting the true and living God of Israel. And remember, the man or woman, mother or father, boy or girl who is prepared to lead in this important life-choice, will most likely be one that will influence those in their own 'household', in this eternally significant decision, and will be able to say with Joshua, "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.". One day I noticed a woman in my neighborhood washing down her driveway Isaac gave... The will that every man must make one day I noticed a woman in my neighborhood washing down her.... 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