Listen:  142.1

Let’s read those very important verses.  Let’s start with Joshua 24:14which says, “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.”  We learn from Joshua 24:1that Joshua is speaking to “all the tribes of Israel.”  So, the instruction to the Lord’s people was to fear the Lord.  Why does the Lord want us to be afraid of Him?  The Hebrew word for fear in this verse is ‘yare’, which means to revere or to reverence.  The Lord doesn’t want His people to be afraid of Him, but He does expect His people to reverence Him.  After all, He certainly deserves that!

Notice how verse 14 starts off by saying, “Now therefore…”  That should draw our attention to what has been previously said.  I encourage you to read this chapter and see all the wonderful benefits of the Lord towards His people.  In all these things, the Lord’s love, mercy, grace, and power is manifested.  He is worthy of our reverence or deep respect.

Following that, we are to serve the Lord in sincerity and truth.  When we are occupied with our blessed savior; when we spend time in study and meditation upon His glorious person and work, we will act according to Psalms 100:2which tells us to, “Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”  To serve the Lord in sincerity is to have an undivided heart for the Lord.  We read of this  in Acts 2:46, “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.”  These saints had undivided hearts to serve and worship the Lord.  To serve the Lord in truth is to labor for Him in the truth of who and what He is.  Who is He?  He is God, the omnipotent one, the creator of the universe.  What is He?  He is our blessed savior who loved us and have Himself for us.  It is vital that we go to God’s Word every day to learn more about Him so that we can genuinely serve Him according to the truth of the scriptures.

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 dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”  Joshua calls upon the Lord’s people to make a decision.  He had said back in Joshua 24:2, “…Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.”  These people had a history of falling away from the Lord and following after other gods.  This was a call to decide.  Joshua was literally saying, “If it seems like serving the Lord is the wrong thing to do, then choose whom you will serve.”  He then makes that bold statement that he and his house, or family, would serve the Lord.  Make no mistake, Joshua declared that he and his family would serve the one true God…Jehovah.  I am so impressed that Joshua, as the head of his family, declared that his family would serve the Lord.  He rightfully took upon Himself to lead his wife and children in obedience to God’s Word.

Let me ask you, fellow believer, do you fear the Lord?  Do you reverence Him above all?  Do you desire to serve Him in sincerity and truth?  Do you desire to have the Lord as your ‘all in all’?  It’s to the believer that the Lord says in Proverbs 23:26, “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.”  As a child of God, give the Lord your whole heart.  Fix your eyes upon Him and learn of Him and His ways.  Make that choice today.  “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.”   Romans 12:1tells us, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”  (142.1)