Throw away the foreign gods
Joshua 24:23 - As Christians we can continue to serve the Lord each day, committing our lives and hearts to Jesus.
The people of Israel destroying idols of the foreign gods. Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
““Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.””
Joshua 24:23 NIV
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book of the Bible, telling the story of the Israelites in Canaan, the destruction of their enemies, and dividing the land between the Twelve Tribes. It is thought that it takes place about 3,300 years ago, and begins with God commanding His people to take the land. At the end, Joshua — who spent much of his storied lifetime as the assistant and then successor to Moses — dies at the ripe old age of 110. Prior to his death, Joshua speaks to the people of the need for them to faithfully follow the Law. He gathers the tribes in the town of Shechem.
Why Shechem (now Tel Balata near Nablus, Israel) as the gathering place? The town had a rich history for God’s people. It was where Abraham first camped in the Promised Land, and God appeared to him there. Abraham built an altar to God at this location. When Jacob returned to the Promised Land, he first camped at Shechem and then bought land where he built an altar to God. In those cases, the town was a place of calling and commitment to God.
Shechem also had a shameful side. It is where Jacob’s sons (Simeon and Levi) lured the men of the town into a massacre and murdered them all. Jacob later asked all in his household (many of whom had strayed from God) to recommit to God and buried a number of idols near a tree in the town.
In this verse, Joshua is asking for one final promise from the people; that they dispose of the idols and worship practices for the many false gods that they had picked up along their way to the Promised Land. Some of the gods they were still clinging to were from as far back as their time with Moses in Egypt, while others were from Sumeria and Babylon on the other side of the Euphrates River. The Israelites had even picked up some of the native religions of the Amorites, a regional people who had a large pantheon of false gods they worshipped.
As the political and spiritual leader of the people of Israel, Joshua was calling for the people to return to God’s commandment to worship Him alone. The people had been influenced by just about every culture in the region and were worshipping every possible deity they could. Joshua’s call to “throw away the foreign gods” is not just a command, but a call to repentance and purification.
He wants more than the literal destruction of the idols. Joshua asks the people to “yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel”. Joshua is asking for more than physical action; he also wants the people to display sincerity in their commitment to God and love for Him.
Joshua and the people of Israel gathered at Shechem reaffirming their covenant relationship to God. Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
Even today God wishes for His people to reaffirm their relationship with Him. Joshua spent his life serving the Lord, beginning as a child in Egypt and ending in the Promised Land. Here at the end of his life, Joshua asked for the people of Israel to serve God faithfully. As Christians we can continue to serve the Lord each day, committing our lives and hearts to Jesus. Throwing away the contemporary idols of identity, materialism, status, physical appearance, sex, entertainment, and fame can reaffirm that commitment.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord, help me to realize that my faith in You is not an option, but the correct loving response to Your saving work. Since antiquity, clinging to idols has invited destruction and despair. Help me to show my undivided devotion to You, now and forever. AMEN.