Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 (NRSV)
Read Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 24Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. Verse 2And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors-Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor-lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. Verse 14"Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
Verse 15Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Verse 16Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; Verse 17for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; Verse 18and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God."
Devotion
The Covenant Renewal at Shechem is often portrayed as a “pinnacle moment” when all the tribes agreed to “serve the LORD” along with Joshua. It is tempting to assume that here they “get their act together” and put away those old gods for good! Yet the Old Testament story Shows that evidently other “choices” persisted long after this renewal at Shechem! Joshua does not tell folks there aren’t other options out there. He simply lays out his choice, and the reason for it.
I wonder if we could learn something from Joshua as we live into our own pluralistic world? Far too often we proclaim the gospel from a position of hubris. “Jesus is the only way!” What if instead we took a page from Joshua’s book.
“I’m not saying there aren’t other gods you can go after if you want, I’m just saying this is the one I have found meaningful, faithful, and reliable.”
Prayer
Lord, give us a humble heart, to not insist on our belief as the only way, but to be open to entertaining possibilities, and then faithfully proclaiming what we have found to be true for ourselves. Amen.
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