Joshua 23-Judges 2
Choose This Day

As Joshua came to the end of his life, he sought to encourage the people of God to be just that-people of God. He knew them well, and probably had reason to be concerned about their faithfulness. Few statements are better known from God's word than the ones he gave to them: "Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 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. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

These were people who had recommitted themselves after crossing the Jordan River (Joshua 5), observing the rites of circumcision and the Passover celebration. There was a sense in which they had already declared themselves dedicated to God. Yet, Joshua was still calling on the people to make a choice. They answered they would indeed serve the Lord (v. 16-22). Unfortunately, we know the choice they made, and it didn't take long for them to make it. The next book, Judges, begins with a description of their failures to trust in the Lord and fully take the land. As a result, they entered several cycles of oppression from enemy forces-God's attempt to bring them back to Him.

There is a sense in which God's people should not choose every day whom they will serve. Ideally, if you are a child of God, then the choice as to whom you will serve has been made. This is the thrust of Paul's argument in Romans 6:1-4. A Christian doesn't live for sin any longer because he was baptized. That settles the matter-it was a defining moment. We should not live moment-by-moment deciding whether we will be faithful to God or not.

However, the reality is while that one moment of baptism was a defining moment for us, just like crossing the Jordan was to the Jews of old, we, too, must choose every day if we will honor our commitment to God. We face new situations that challenge our dedication almost every day-if not every day. The faithful Christian must choose to serve God when tempted by greed or lust. The unfaithful child of God must choose to continue down the road of sin or to take the path of salvation. Poor choices can be undone by proper choices, and poor ones can nullify proper choices. We are still called upon to "choose this day whom you will serve."

Perhaps a good comparison is in marriage. In the ceremony, two people commit themselves to one another. Yet, as the years go by, they love because they continue to honor that commitment that made to one another and to God. Their daily commitment is defined by their first commitment.

That is the trust of Joshua's words of admonishment to the Israelites, and it is a needed warning today. It is true that in baptism the decision was made, yet we choose every day to honor that decision or not. As we face the various hills and mountains we must, we need to remember the commitment we made when buried with Christ in baptism, then choose to press on as people committed to serving Him.