Choose

24 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. 3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. 4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. 5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out. 6 And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea. 7 And when they cried unto the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season. 8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you. 9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you: 10 But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand. 11 And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand. 12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. 13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat. 14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Jos 24.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole BibleCommentary

CHAPTER 24

Jos 24:1. Joshua Assembling the Tribes.

1. Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem—Another and final opportunity of dissuading the people against idolatry is here described as taken by the aged leader, whose solicitude on this account arose from his knowledge of the extreme readiness of the people to conform to the manners of the surrounding nations.

24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. 25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. 26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. 27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. 28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. 29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. 30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. 31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. 32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee. The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ex 23:24–33.

What did Joshua tell the Israelites to do in Joshua 24:14?

Joshua commanded the Israelites to fear the Lord and serve him with sincerity and truth, while abandoning the gods their ancestors had worshiped on the other side of the Euphrates and in Egypt (Josh 24:14).

This directive carried significant weight because it demanded exclusive allegiance. Joshua first told the people to revere the Lord, and instructed them to serve him “honestly and faithfully”[1]. The call went beyond mere religious observance—it required service “without hypocrisy, or the show of piety, in simplicity and truth of heart”[2].

Critically, Joshua commanded the people to “put aside the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt,” implying these were false gods or idols[1]. This wasn’t a casual suggestion. Joshua wanted the people to understand the demanding nature of following the Lord alone, bringing them to a point of decision where they could not have the Lord and other gods simultaneously[3].

The context made this challenge urgent. God’s overwhelming manifestations of grace laid Israel under obligations to serve the Lord with gratitude and sincerity[2]. Joshua understood that true worship of the living God must spring from the heart and cannot be forced by prohibitions alone[2], so he concluded by calling the people to make a deliberate choice about whom they would serve.

[1] David N. Mosser, Adult Bible Studies Fall 2020 Teacher: Encounter (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2020). [See here, here, here.] [2] Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 2:168–169. [3] NIV Bible Speaks Today: Notes (London: IVP, 2020), 305.

What choice did Joshua present to the Israelites?

Joshua presented the Israelites with a fundamental choice: to serve the LORD or to serve the gods their ancestors had worshipped—either the deities from beyond the Jordan River or the Amorite gods of the land where they now lived. (Josh 24:14–24) This was framed as an urgent decision: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”[1]

Joshua called for this decision as a renewal of the covenant relationship between Israel and God, wanting the people to understand the demanding nature of following the Lord alone.[1] Joshua made his own position unambiguous, declaring: “but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Josh 24:14–24)

The choice carried serious weight. Joshua emphasized that God is both holy and jealous—attributes expressing God’s desire for their absolute devotion.[1] While Joshua’s challenge functioned rhetorically to heighten the urgency of the decision, he posed the alternative of rejecting God’s service to make the stakes unmistakably clear.[2]

Significantly, the people’s initial affirmation fell short because they had not yet removed their foreign gods—a practical step essential to serving the LORD in sincerity and truth.[2] Only after Joshua made clear that God’s holiness and jealousy demanded complete commitment did he summon the people again to discard their foreign gods and become witnesses against themselves.[1] The decisive shift came when the people confessed not only that they would worship the Lord but also obey him—a commitment that integrated both worship and obedience as the defining mark of God’s people.[1]

[1] NIV Bible Speaks Today: Notes (London: IVP, 2020), 305. [2] David G. Firth, Joshua, ed. T. Desmond Alexander, Thomas R. Schreiner, and Andreas J. Köstenberger, Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2021), 394–395. How can believers choose to serve God daily?

Believers can serve God daily by recognizing that service encompasses everything they do, since all activities can constitute service to God and reflect His glory[1]. This transforms ordinary life into worship rather than limiting service to formal religious activities.

The foundation for daily service rests on intentional commitment. Understanding Jesus’s life and the love that motivated His service enables believers to live meaningfully in ways that reflect Christ’s lordship and inspire others[2]. Serving God becomes an expression of gratitude for salvation[2], shifting motivation from obligation to joy.

Practically, daily service requires both dedication and spiritual growth. Believers who develop a lifetime plan for spiritual development and implement it become better equipped for service, which itself expresses their spiritual growth and keeps their faith vibrant[1]. Additionally, the demands of daily service reveal believers’ need for God’s enabling grace—the same grace through which they grow more deeply in Christ[1].

The character of this service matters significantly. Service must be exclusive to God, rendered with reverence and godly fear, and motivated by love[3]. Rather than external pressure to serve, believers grow in understanding why service is necessary and discover the joy it brings[2].

Biblical passages reinforcing daily service include: Colossians 3:23–24 instructs believers to work wholeheartedly as serving the Lord rather than merely people, knowing their reward comes from Him. Luke 9:23 calls followers to deny themselves and take up their cross daily in following Christ. First Thessalonians 5:17–18 exhorts continuous prayer and thanksgiving in all circumstances as God’s will.

[1] Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 1074. [2] Judy J. Stamey, “Equipping the Saints to Serve,” in Church Administration Handbook, ed. Bruce P. Powers (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2008), 261–262. [3] William Evans, The Great Doctrines of the Bible (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1974), 316.

Prov 3:5–6Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.