How Did We Get Here?

Have you ever had the opportunity to experience someone who loves to talk about all their accomplishments they have made in their life up to the point you were chatting with them? I have had that opportunity too and it usually comes when I am standing in line or sitting on an airplane and I meet a random person that I will never meet again. I am not sure if it is that random encounter that is the reason why certain people choose to talk this way or if it is just that person’s personality, but I am always floored when people like to talk about all the wonderful things about their life and how they made them happen.

It’s not just random encounters either, I watch the news and other shows where people just love to talk about how incredible they are and how they, usually all by themselves were able to become so famous, popular, or wealthy. There are a number of people who star in their own reality tv shows that come off across as these type of people. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe we should be proud of the accomplishments that we achieve and that we can certainly tell people about them, but there are certain people who need to share this all the time and who fail to recognize that it probably wasn’t just them the entire time. Do you see what I am trying to say?

Because on the other hand there are those people who have accomplished a lot and done good things, and are even wealthy, but they also recognize that there were many people along the way who helped them get to where they are now, and that those people were important parts of their lives. I can tell you that I would not be here today if it were for the support and guidance of other people. I bet if we had the chance we could go around the room and each of you could share someone who helped you be successful or accomplish something that ended up being an important milestone in your life.

I believe it is this way of thinking that is the key to understanding this passage today and what is at the heart of what Joshua is saying to the whole people of Israel. Joshua presents what I would call a faith history of the people of Israel from the very first promise and blessing with Abraham all the way to the people whom Joshua is addressing. He does it in a very telling way though. These are the things we hear God say, and see if you can catch what is consistent throughout: I took Abraham your ancestor. I led him through Canaan. I added to his descendants and gave him Isaac. I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Mount Seir to Esau. I sent Moses and Aaron. I plagued Egypt.

So what do you notice about all of these statements from God? In all these things that happened to, for, or with the Israelites, it has God as the actor and the people as the recipients. And the list I gave you only goes until verse 5. There are actually 21 references to either the word “I” or “he” referring to God in the opening 13 verses. Also if you pay close attention this is just an overview of some of the events that God did for the people and by no means covers all of the things that God did for humanity from the time he called Abraham into covenant with him until now.

Joshua understood that everything that has happened from before they were even really a people was all because of God. In fact, they became a people because of God. It was God who called them and claimed them. That is what we talked about last week. God set them apart to be a priestly people and a holy nation, which we saw how that extends to us and the whole world today too. I believe this even applies to the statement God makes in verse 13 about the cities and the vineyards they get to enjoy. While it does remind us of the bloodshed that occurred during the settling of the land, I believe it was more meant to understand that once again, everything they have has been provided by God. It was not their own labor that did this but by the love of God for them.

Now that this idea that everything that they are, everything that they have comes from God and not their own doing, Joshua then tells them that they have a choice to either follow the gods of the past, the gods of the land they now live in, or the God who has done all of this for them and that Joshua and his family have already chosen to serve the LORD.

The people quickly respond that they will never leave the LORD. But as you heard there is a back and forth between them and Joshua. At first, Joshua rejects their willingness to follow God. Joshua, you just gave a very compelling speech to the people and the agree with you and then you tell them they can’t do it? Joshua is testing their commitment and their understanding of what it means to serve God. The choice to serve God isn’t just a statement you make one day and then shrug off the next day when you start praying to another god for the rain, or you still have the idols set up in your home hoping they will bless your family during the harvest season. Loving, serving, and being faithful to God means putting aside everything else and committing yourself to God completely. And as I alluded to before, it is a choice that isn’t just made one day, but it is a living into the relationship and the covenant each and every day.

Each day we look around our lives and we remember everything God has done for the world, for our ancestors, for us, and those around us and we daily choose to live into that relationship with God. We come together on Sunday’s to celebrate that covenantal relationship that we have with God and one another. We lift each other up and find ways to be that priestly nation that goes out into the world to share God’s love with others. We remind ourselves and others that God loved us first and will always be there before us, beside us, and behind us.

So today, I want you to think about a couple of things. Think about all that God has done for you in your life. Think about all the things God has done for this church over the years it has been here to serve one another and the world around it. Think about how God is in this place now, and how we can continue to celebrate all that God does in the world and how we can also boldly proclaim as the Israelites did all those years ago: My family and I will serve the LORD. Amen.