Joshua 24:19 "You are not able to serve the Lord, He is a holy God; He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins."
No, Joshua isn't saying that God won't forgive rebellion, or won't forgive sins. What he is doing is a precursor to what the Ultimate Joshua always did - he is forcing the people to count the cost, to shut up and sit down and think about the decision they are making.
What was happening in this passage is that Joshua is dying and he knows it. He calls everyone together and gives an unbelievable charge, an emotional call to stay true to the Lord. It's such an awesome message that we still put it in our houses today. I mean, what Christian home doesn't have some form of Joshua 24:15 on their walls? "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served 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."
Think about it - if we still get chills hearing those words, imagine what it must have been like when he was speaking them! So the people did what we do, they immediately shout out: ME TOO! (Joshua 24: 18 "We too will serve the Lord, because He is our God!")
Then Joshua throws verse 19 at them. He tells them that they better stop and think about what they're saying, because God is holy and He doesn't tolerate sin and rebellion. It can't simply be an emotional response, it has to be a well-considered, well-reasoned response because the consequences are immense. "Count the cost!" he says to them.
Jesus, the True Joshua, continually did the same thing. To everyone who came to Him, He would throw a "Stop and think" at them. A difficult parable, a hard teaching, a high calling. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor. I only have a rock for a pillow. Let your father die without you. Throw away your livelihood. You must eat My flesh. In other words, shut up and sit down and think about this decision, because it will affect and invade every area of your life.
Side thought: Sometimes I wish pastors today would do that. Instead of altar calls, they should shout out: Sit back down! I don't want you coming up here. Think before you take one more step! Imagine if they did that? Maybe the church would be a little more serious about their decisions. Maybe it would eliminate some of the casual, cultural, convenient, compromising Christianity that has infected the church.
Back to the story: When the Israelites say again to Joshua that they will do it, he replies, "Then throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel." (v.23)
That's the challenge. It can't simply be an emotional response to a great sermon (or blog!) or even "life verse." You have to sit down, count the cost, and then when you make the decision it means you have to get rid of all the garbage you've been tolerating in your life, all of the gods, and yield your heart to God. You have to clean house. It's kind of contradictory to say to God that you want Him to rule out the garbage in your life, the IT, and then cling to it at the same time and allow other rulers to remain.
Step one: pray for the will, the desire to want it. Without that nothing else matters.
Step two: Shut your mouth, sit down and count the cost. See how badly you really do want it.
2 comments:
why can't i just do this?
here is something i was thinking about last night...let me preface by saying that i completely understand our responsibility as free beings to make decisions ,whether they be for the better or worse, that will dictate how we live our lives.
BUT i am really struggling with thinking about those issues that are sometimes seen as lifelong problems. why doesn't God just miraculously remove them more often? i know many people with a willing heart to be healed who struggle with a major sin or sins for their whole life...it's hard for me to understand why God wouldn't rip that "besetting" sin out of their system. i don't know...
but still, for many of us, this is a very real and applicable message. sometimes we just need to sit down and shut up.
good stuff.
i want to sit down and shut up. but i feel that i will need to sit down for awhile and think about it for a long time. even though it is a no brainer and there is nothing really to think about because obviously God is an easy choice over anything and everything. thats what frustrates me i know what i want and that is to do exactly what they did in the story and just go for it. but i don't want to be stupid and think that just because i say i am going to say and try to make this stance that doesn't mean that everything is going to be easy. and i know that is not what you are saying tom. so i guess i understand the shutting up part and even the sitting down part and even the really thinking before doing. its the putting into action and letting God take care of the rest part because i hate trying and then failing time and time again. but this is an awesome blog that is going to give me a lot to think about.
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