As for me and my house we will serve the Lord…

• Not unfamiliar saying… One that we have all heard many times before.
• It’s on posters and wall hangings and artwork…

Joshua 24:15b

“…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

It feels good to say it in your house or to your kids or in your Church or to your friends… that are Christian…

Joshua is speaking to the children of Israel… the ones that were delivered from Egypt…
This was a church service of sorts…
With active participation

15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites,in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua is giving the people a choice and he is forcing them to make a decision that will alter the course of their lives forever… they had made other decisions that altered their lives (and his) and he wanted to know where they stood.

When he was originally supposed to go into the Promised land he was a young man.
When he went into the Promised land he was one of the oldest men in their nation.
He then led them in the land for 30-40 years.

In every one of these phases of life he committed himself to follow God and His commands no matter what others around him said or did.

Numbers 13:16

16 These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.)
Hoshea means “Salvation”
Joshua means “God is Salvation” “YWHW is Salvation”

Moses took the opportunity to rename Hoshea – from the Tribe of Ephraim (fruitful) ~ he changed his name from “Salvation” to “God is Salvation”

Joshua and Caleb (Whole Hearted) from the Tribe of Judah (Praise) were the only men that spied out the land that believed that God had given them the land and he would be Faithful to give it to them.

Numbers 13:30

30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

The people rebelled and were afraid and plotted against Moses to overthrow his leadership.

Numbers 14:6-9

6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

What was their response?

10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.

Joshua and Caleb asked the people to not rebel against God, to remember that the Lord was with them and to not be afraid… and the response from the people was a desire to kill them.

20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked.21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

Because of the unbelief of the others they died of a plague and their entire generation ~ age 20 and up ~ was not allowed to go into the Land of Promise. They were forced to wander for 40 yrs ~ one year for every day they spent in the Promised Land ~ until they all died.

40 years later…

Deuteronomy 34:9

9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit[a] of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.

Joshua 1

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

No one will be able to stand against you.
I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Be strong and courageous.

Joshua then led the children of Israel into the Land of Promise and God gave them all of the land that He had promised to them.

Joshua 11:23

23 So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.

Joshua 12:7-24

31 kings were conquered…
Joshua was very busy carrying out the command of the Lord and everywhere that they went the Lord supplied the victory. God was their Salvation.

Joshua 13

13 When Joshua had grown old, the Lord said to him, “You are now very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.
2 “This is the land that remains: …God tells Joshua the rest of the area to take…
6 “As for all the inhabitants of the mountain regions from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, that is, all the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out before the Israelites.
Joshua did all that he was instructed to do and God made allowances for him and his faithfulness by taking care of the rest of it without any of his help…
When we are faithful that is what God does… He asks us to do what He wants and then rewards us for our faithfulness.
They were in the Promised Land for 5 years of War before they ever really got to enjoy any of the land that they had been promised.
Many times we expect that once we get our promises that they will be instant and all resistance will end and everything will be at peace.
The went into the Land they were promised and it took them 5 years just to drive out the enemy so that they could have peace.

Joshua 23:14

14 “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lordyour God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. 15 But just as all the good things the Lord your God has promised you have come to you, so he will bring on you all the evil things he has threatened, until the Lord your God has destroyed youfrom this good land he has given you. 16 If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.”

Joshua 24:14

14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

This was not something that was new for Joshua… he had been serving the Lord for many years. He had been proclaiming the promises of God and the Salvation of the Lord for many years. He was now the embodiment of the name that he had received from Moses.
God was his Salvation.
He was a young man when they left Egypt. 30-40 years old.
He was an older man when they went into the Land of Promise. 70-80 years old
And now he was about to die at 110 years old.
He wanted Israel to be committed to their God and the promises of their God.

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
19 Joshua said to the people, “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. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”
21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.
23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. 26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord.
27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”
28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.

We tend to like things that are simple and easy. Nothing that Joshua did was simple and easy.
He followed God when the people were disobedient.
He followed God when the people threatened to stone him.
He followed God when he led the people to fight for the Promised Land.
He lived a life of obedience and now he was about to die and didn’t want the people to forget why they had their Land of Promise.
Every tribe and household had been given a different inheritance and a different blessing ~ a different promise that was held within the promise God had given them.
They vowed that day not only to follow God, but that their own word would be a testimony against them if they refused to follow God and followed other gods.
They then left to their own inheritance.