Put Away Foreign Gods

If you were the leader of a nation, what would you tell your people shortly before your death? The Israelite leader Joshua had such an opportunity, and is recorded for us in Joshua 24. Joshua brought the people to the city of Shechem and renewed their covenant with God by making them consciously choose whom they would serve. Joshua declared his personal resolution to serve God with his family and the people also responded the same way, saying "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods...." (vs. 16). Surely this answer was cause for great rejoicing! But, no doubt to the surprise of the people, Joshua replied, "You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God" (vs. 19). Why would Joshua discourage obedience to the Lord? He revealed his thoughts in vs. 23: "Then put away the foreign gods that are among you..." Apparently, the Israelites had never fully rid themselves of their idols throughout the long years of Moses' and Joshua's leadership! The Israelites outwardly declared their desire to do the right thing yet they had not made necessary life corrections.

Do we assemble weekly with other Christians to renew our covenant with the Lord and yet secretly serve idols like the Israelites did? Are there character flaws that we have allowed to grow into an unmanageable mess - like harboring anger and bitterness towards a spouse, a friend, or a fellow Christian? Do we possess objects that have utterly consumed our lives, robbing us of valuable time and focused devotion to God - objects like our smartphone, tablet, TV, or laptop? Has the god of sexuality taken control of our lives in the form of pornography or illicit relationships? Do our conversations, thinking, and Internet browsing revolve around the drive to spend money to accumulate new possessions that we don't actually need? Or do we desire to save money to such a degree that it becomes an obsessive force in our lives?

There are many ways to be idolatrous and wrapped up in this temporary world. Can we honestly sing the song, "The Lily of the Valley," and declare - "I have all for him forsaken, and all my idols torn from my heart and now He keeps me by His power"? Passionate commitments to serve the Lord are good and encouraging, as long as they are backed up by godly actions. Joshua was not discouraging the people from obeying God; he was declaring their dual allegiance impossible. As Jesus said in Matthew 6.24 - "No one can serve two masters." Fortunately for the Israelites, their dramatic, scene with Joshua had a good conclusion: Judges 2.7-10 tells us that the generation of Israelites who were confronted at Shechem decided to serve the Lord. Will we follow their example? Nathan