In the very first part of this chapter, Joshua assembles all the tribes of Israel and gives them a historical recap about God has led Israel all these years. From the patriarchs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to their journey in Egypt and how he delivered them from the wilderness into the Promised land. Our God, who we worship and pray to each and every day, is the same God of these incredible figures in the Bible. He is not just the God of today, but also the God of the past, and also the future. Consider the many miracles that we experience these days, be it through unexpected blessings, how he provides for us, or answered prayers, God still works in our lives today just like how he worked in the Israelites lives in the past. We often forget how grand and almighty our God is, whenever we pray or worship Him, but it’s important that we always remember and keep in perspective of how grand he is whenever we come to him.

Joshua then challenges the people of Israel in verses 14, 15, asking them to choose between this grand and almighty God who has delivered and provided for them through all these years, or the gods that their fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt. While these may seem like a very simple question, I think it touches on something that goes much deeper than these 2 options. It is a choice between living a life consumed by the world, worshipping idols such as money and fame, or living a life consumed by God, choosing to walk closely with him and follow his ways. This is a question that is extremely relevant to us in our lives, in choosing which master we want to serve, with so many people in our society consumed by materialistic and worldly desires it is easy for us to “fit in” and be influenced by these worldly idols, but we need to stand firm in our belief in God, the same God who delivered the people of Israel, and walk in his ways.

The people of Israel then respond with a declaration of commitment that they will serve the Lord and obey his commands, reaffirming their commitment to God and His covenant.

Just like how the Israelites made this commitment to serve God, to obey God, and to trust in him, are we willing to make this same declaration today? To put down our worldly goals and needs in order to serve the grand and almighty God.

In the prayer below, let us take a moment to fully appreciate and fear (in reverence) how deeply grand our God is, the God is Israel, the God of Abraham, and the God of everyone we know in the bible. Let us also appreciate the works that he has done in the past and is still continuing to perform today, before we start praying.

Prayer: Dear God, You are truly the God of the past, present, and the future. I will serve you, O, Lord my God, and obey you. As I walk with you, let me continue to draw closer to you and grow in reverence of you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.