Joshua: Choose This Day

You remember the story, though, right? Joshua is leading God’s people and they come to the city of Jericho. And this city was surrounded by HUGE walls that were insurmountable and impenetrable without God’s help. But Jesus shows up to Joshua with sword in hand and gives him instructions on how to conquer Jericho. And to their credit, Joshua and the people obey. They march around the city for 7 days and miraculously God knocks the walls down!

For most people, that’s all they know about Joshua the person or Joshua the Old Testament book. But there’s a whole lot more to Joshua than the battle of Jericho. That’s just one of many battles fought in the book. Some that were successful and some that failed miserably.

The core issue in the book of Joshua isn’t the battle of Jericho, nor is it about winning or losing battles in general. It’s not about God’s people, nor is it even about Joshua. Sure these themes and people are all major parts of the book, but the reality is that the book of Joshua is about Jesus.

Joshua is a book about Jesus. It’s about being faced with a choice to either honor him or ignore him. To obey him or to sin against him. To follow his lead or to turn our backs.

Continually in the book of Joshua you see Jesus’ clear leading and instruction, and then you see God’s people wrestling with whether or not they want to or will obey him. These choices present themselves over and over to God’s people in Joshua. Sometimes they obey, other times they’re foolish and go their own way. But it all culminates in Joshua’s words of challenge at the very end of the book (and also near the end of his life). His words ring as true and timely to us as they did to the people of Israel in his day. Joshua says,

“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.“

As we study Joshua we’ll be faced continually with a choice… love and honor Jesus, or love and honor myself. Worship and serve Jesus, or worship and serve my idols. Follow and obey Jesus, or turn my back to him.

Choose this day. Make a choice. Will Jesus be First or will you?

You are loved!

Pastor Josh