Joshua, having led Israel into the Promised Land, declared his and his household’s unwavering commitment to serving the Lord, urging the nation of Israel to make the same choice, with the understanding that this was a continuous and enduring decision.

“As for me and my house ...” This was a statement of faith based upon the renewal of covenant regarding a completed task and journey.

Joshua, after leading Israel into the Promised Land, had come to the end of a forty years journey from the wilderness into Canaan after Moses led them from Egypt into the wilderness. Through the influence of Yahweh, Joshua led Israel to victory through the many battles fought and the allotment of lands for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Joshua, nearing the end of his leadership urged Israel to be faithful and serve the Lord wholeheartedly. His declaration of faith united the nation of Israel with these words: “As for me and my house, I will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Joshua reviews the history of Israel, highlighting God’s miraculous interventions, even prior to their entry into the Promised Land.

It was also a call to remembrance as a constant reminder to Israel as they begin to embark on a new journey of faith.

Israel had experienced suffering in Egypt for four hundred years and also the sojourn of forty years, with the old generation fading out and the new generation born in the wilderness. All except Joshua and Caleb were the remaining ones from the older generation that came out of Egypt, because of their faithfulness and honesty.

Now that they had entered the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, which was conquered by faith and trusting God in everything. The battle is always the Lord’s.

Joshua is now in his early eighties, and he wants to remind Israel of God’s faithfulness to them. Each tribe received the allotment of their portions of the land except the Tribe of Levi, for the Lord is their portion and their duties are mainly for the Tabernacle and later on the Temple.

Israel is called to commitment, and therefore, to fear the Lord and to serve him in sincerity and faithfulness.

Joshua reviews the history of Israel, highlighting God’s miraculous interventions, redeeming, to the wilderness of Sinai and eventually into the Promised Land. Joshua reminded Israel to continue the legacy of service to walk in the ways of the Lord.

As a nation being rooted in a covenantal relationship with God, they know that they have to be serious about the commitment they have to consider. Joshua sets the example and challenged the people to choose for themselves whom they will serve. If they chose not to serve the LORD, they were then responsible for choosing which deity they will serve. They might choose to serve the gods of their heritage, the gods which their fathers served that were on the other side of the river. They might choose to serve the gods of Canaan, the gods of the Amorites, in whose land they dwell. A choice for God is all it takes and should be made with a clear view of the alternatives.

Joshua applied the principle that the LORD God of Israel is greater than all other gods and they are to serve Him in sincerity and truth.

The passage concludes when Joshua offered an alternative for those who did not want to serve the Lord, yet his course was clear and sensible, for he chose the serve the Lord.

The English uses a future tense here, but the Hebrew tense has a fuller meaning. It expresses continuous action which involves the future, but it can also point to the past. Joshua was undoubtedly affirming Israel that, for he had chosen, and he will choose to serve the Lord forever.

‘As for me and my house’, shows that Joshua also understood that he, as the priest of his family, was charged with the responsibility to see that his whole house served the LORD. He had the job of representing his whole house before God.

We also have that great responsibility of presenting our own houses and families to serve the Lord.

Be blessed.

• Reverend Vakaroto Ngaro, lecturer at Takamoa Theological College