CHOOSE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE

Messianic Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Moshe- Ereb Shabbat: March 23, 2007

Shabbat Shalom

Yehoshua/Joshua 24:13 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.

Jos 24:14 Now therefore fear G-D, 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 G-D.

Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve G-D, 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 G-D.

Jos 24:16 And the people answered and said, Elohim (LORD) forbid that we should forsake G-D, to serve other gods;

Jos 24:17 For G-D our ELohim, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:

Jos 24:18 And G-D drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve G-D; for he is our Elohim.

Jos 24:19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve G-D: for he is an holy Elohim; he is a jealous Elohim; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

Jos 24:20 If ye forsake G-D, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

Jos 24:21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve G-D.

Jos 24:22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you G-D, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.

Jos 24:23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto G-D the Elohim of Israel.

Jos 24:24 And the people said unto Joshua, G-D our Elohim will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

Jos 24:25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

Jos 24:26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of Elohim, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of G-D.

Introduction:

To use an illustration: My good car had an unfortunate meeting with the back end of a truck. The insurance company says it is totaled. To them, it is not worth fixing. But to me it is! It is my car! So I had the choice of getting rid of it or fixing it. I chose to fix it, because I expect to get years of service out of it. They will have to get rid of the damaged hood, grill, bumper, headlights and fender, if the car is to be useful again. When I next see the car, it will be like new. And, under current state law, even its title will have to be renewed.

I was thinking about things like this when I felt led of the Ruach (Hebrew for ‘spirit’) to speak on this subject of renewal and just how important renewal is to continued service. Contracts are renewed; as are subscriptions, prescriptions, agreements, wills, and covenants. New circumstances invariably lead to changes in many cases.

In Joshua 24 we have the account of a ‘covenant renewal’ ceremony. Because the passage has so frequently been misapplied, let me place it in its proper context for you. This is a covenant renewal made by believers in G-D, Israel (including both those who joined as foreigners, or strangers), the people of G-D. The people of G-D had come far from Egypt, both physically and spiritually. And after so many victories and defeats, both physically and spiritually, they found themselves gathered together by Joshua at Shechem. They had just finished conquering the strategic points in the land, taking all the important cities from the southern and northern coalitions of Canaanite kings; and each of the Israelite tribes had now been given its inheritance in the land. So at this convocation they could reflect on their success under G-D’s good hand of blessing.

But no easy time lay ahead for them. As a military man Joshua knew that the opposition would stiffen. Conflicts with the Canaanites on the battlefields as well as in the centers of worship were just beginning. Knowing that, and knowing Israel’s weaknesses, Joshua had gathered the people to Shechem to renew the covenant. The chapter records how he rehearsed all that G-D had done for them (vv. 2-13) — but then called for a new commitment to serve the ELOHIM.

Again and again G-D has called His people to renew their commitment to Him through this and other passages like it. In many ways like Israel of Old you now stand on the threshold of a new beginning with many unforeseen challenges and conflicts that the end times is surely to bring. You can look back and attest to many spiritual victories as G-D has led you in the way. You have seen His wonders; you have enjoyed His blessings. But you dare not assume that the level of your commitment in the past that got you here today will see you through the challenges of the future. You have to be much stronger than you are now if you plan on being an over-comer. New circumstances require a renewed resolve; and your continued usefulness to G-D calls for increased commitment to Him. I believe that G-D is calling for that now. I feel deep within my soul that G-D is crying out to us to draw even closer to him. To toss out the world, its wealth and riches, and let HIM reign in our lives. You see, HE has to be number one in our lives. HE cannot be second to a wife, or to a husband, or to a child, or to a sister or brother, mother or father. He must be first and foremost, number one. Numeral uno.

There is so much we can learn from this chapter as the renewal of the covenant unfolds. The passage falls neatly into three parts--the call for commitment (14-15), the response of the people (16-21), and the implementation of the covenant (22-25). But there is one central theme that is obvious to even the casual reader, the call to serve G-D and He Alone; and it builds, section by section.

Exposition

I. The Call: Give your allegiance to the ELOHIM (14, 15).

The basic message of the passage, and the important lesson for us today, is the call to give our total allegiance to G-D. Joshua's call is presented first in its positive form, and then in the negative. This he follows with an “escape clause.”

A. The positive instruction: Serve G-D.

G-D’s people must reverently serve Him in sincerity and truth, in spirit and truth. The idea of serving in this context is very different from some of the modern concepts, either in the Congregation or in domestic service. I have known rich people who have had hired servants; but those servants often demand higher wages, or fail to show up, or even quit if they find something better. Not so in the ancient world. Servants were owned by the master; they submitted their lives to the master; they lived to do the will of the master. And as required by the Torah law, the master took care of them. Our carnal nature does not like the words yield, surrender, submit, or serve. And this is why we are to battle against our carnality, flesh versus spirit. The idea of “serving” has never been a popular one and to this day, many cannot bring themselves to serve as they would rather BE served. But it is what G-D calls us to do. There is no higher title for us than to be called “a faithful servant of the ELOHIM (LORD) G-D.”

Here is the essence of the biblical covenant and it is very simple: G-D has promised to give His people everything (Ps: 84:11: no good thing will He withhold from then that walk uprightly-the righteous), and in return He expects that likewise we will hold nothing back in our servitude to Him.

Of course, our pattern for such service is our ELOHIM YESHUA MESHIKHA (Lord Jesus Christ). He demonstrated that service to the Father called for humility, willful submission, and obedience. And His service to the Father found expression in service for others.

Two qualifications are made for serving the ELOHIM in our passage in Joshua. The command to serve the ELOHIM, twice given, is joined by the command to fear the ELOHIM. This term signals the double aspect of drawing near in devotion and adoration, and shrinking back in fear, awe, and respect. The people were to love and worship the ELOHIM, but they were never to forget that He was the sovereign G-D. Without this adoration and fear, true spiritual service to Him is impossible.

The other qualification is that the service must be in sincerity and truth. The term translated “sincerity” is literally blamelessness or perfection; and the word “truth” basically means reliability, dependability, stability. The two words form one idea (a hendiadys): “perfect stability.” Spiritual service cannot be erratic; it cannot be half-hearted. G-D wants service that He can count on; He wants good and faithful servants.

B. The negative instruction: G-D allows no rival allegiances.

G-D allows no rivals for His people’s devotion. The service of G-D is exclusive. It does not permit interference, or competition, or divided loyalty. So Joshua commanded the people to put away the gods of Chaldea and of Egypt. Hosea tells us that many of the people harbored such deities, probably as an extra precaution just in case things with the ELOHIM did not work out. It is something like what Mark Twain describes when he writes of the cool confidence of a believer — with two aces up his sleeve! No, what Joshua is saying is that you cannot serve two masters, just as YESHUA (Jesus) says in Matthew 6:24. You cannot reconcile the claims of the world and the claims of MESHIKHA (Messiah). If you try to join both, the world will win, for it has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Serving false gods may seem easy; it demands no integrity and allows you to go with your baser instincts. But, of course, it is the way that leadeth to misery and destruction.

Today we do not have idols in the sense they did (although there are some people in the world part of a new age enlightenment rushing headlong to embrace ancient deities). But there are things that can become idols for us. There are things of our choosing that we depend on, things we cannot do without, things that occupy our attention and interest and thereby rob us of our full devotion and service to G-D. Oh Friends, these idols have to be removed if we are to step forward into greater commitment to our G-D and Saviour.

I have found in my spiritual life, and I suspect you have too, that it is not a question of what I am willing to give to G-D; it is rather a question of what I hold back from Him that is rightfully His. Until He has the pre-eminence in my life, in your life, then we are not really a servant. Oh sure, we can play the part, and some do it very well, and they fool everyone. That is, they fool everyone but the Almighty G-D.

We must not underestimate the level of commitment that the Scripture lays out for us. Note it well friends: We become useful servants of the ELOHIM only when we are totally committed to the person of YESHUA MESHIKHA and to His Word. Apart from that, we cannot claim the right to call ourselves His servants.

C. The escape clause: You must choose whom you will serve.

Joshua said to the people, “Now, if this sounds like a bad deal to you, or too demanding, choose some other gods to serve. There are plenty of them around in Chaldea, or Canaan. But choose today!” Of course these words were rhetorically designed. Joshua did not want them to choose to serve other deities. And by referring to these other deities he knew that the people had seen how impotent and immoral they really were. These false gods may have had the appeal of antiquity; and they might have made the people more acceptable to the world around them. But if they followed them they would be following gods who could not save; gods who could not heal, gods who could not and cannot deliver, if they lived under the wrong moral masters they would be ruined morally.

But decide they must. And if it is G-D the ELOHIM of their forefathers they would serve, then they had to be rid of every idol.

There are many in the Messianic community today who (1 Kings 18:21 Eliyahu (Elijah) says “halt between two opinions).” If you call G-D “ELOHIM,” then there is no room for Baal, or Sophia, or tribal deities. If you try to embrace them both, you will worship the false deities. They are all inclusive; but we must be exclusive. But it is with the ELOHIM alone that there is salvation. This is what the disciples realized. Those who were only curious or mildly interested left YESHUA when His sayings troubled them. So YESHUA asked the twelve, “Will you also go away?” But they were committed. Peter said, “Where will we go. You have the words of eternal life.”

So Joshua said in Joshua 24:15, “Choose you this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my household, we will serve G-D.” How marvelous to see a true spiritual leader, a man of conviction and resolve. The Bible says that as long as Joshua lived, the people served the ELOHIM. But after him there was a dearth of consistent spiritual leaders, and so chaos prevailed. G-D is looking for such leaders today, those who in the face of opposition, with or without support, will stand and say, “You choose whom you will serve, but I will serve the ELOHIM.”

When I entered my training I recall one of the professors saying that if there was anything else that we would rather do than enter the ministry we had better go and do it. It is important to think through this commitment to service G-D very carefully, to make sure you know this is the right thing ‘for you’ to do.

II. The Motivation: Give your allegiance to G-D because you owe Him everything (16-21).

A. The only reasonable response is to serve the Savior.

The idea of choosing other deities was rejected by the people with the deepest aversion. They immediately responded to Joshua with “G-D forbid that we should forsake the ELOHIM!” Abandon the ELOHIM for inferior gods? Never!

There reasoning was sound. It was the ELOHIM who redeemed them from Egypt, who brought them up to this land, who preserved them along the way, who defeated all their enemies. They saw the miracles. They enjoyed the provisions. They now received their inheritances in the land. So they acknowledged, “He is our G-D!” They knew that there was no other G-D that they should serve. But they were also now realizing that the greater the blessings the greater the commitment that G-D requires. So in response to Joshua’s call, they responded, “We will serve the ELOHIM.”

B. It must be a carefully thought out decision.

But Joshua answered their response in a rather surprising way: “You cannot do this. You will fail. And the ELOHIM will destroy you without any regard that He has done you good in the past!” This is hardly the way we would draw people into our Churches today. Some denominations make it as easy as possible. Any nod of the head and they eagerly add them to the member rolls even if the person continues the unholy lifestyle of living he/she had previously. What Joshua was saying to them is that they needed to consider seriously what they are doing. A commitment to the ELOHIM is a serious matter; it cannot be trifled with.

The reason for Joshua’s warning is that G-D is a holy and jealous G-D. What His holiness demands His jealousy, His burning passion, will safeguard. When you step into G-D’s holiness in some commitment like this, you must know that G-D will make sure that His holy name will not be tarnished. And so Joshua tells them that a hollow commitment will bring divine judgment. He was testing their faith to see what it would take to stop them.

YESHUA often did the same thing. People came to Him for the answer to eternal life, or for healing, and He would test their faith with harsh responses or amazing demands. In one passage when YESHUA was on the northern borders, a Syro-Phoenician woman, a distant relative of these very Canaanites that Joshua fought, came to Him asking for healing for her daughter. She addressed Him as the Son of David, for she was well aware of the ancient conflicts between their countries. At first YESHUA seemed to ignore her, and so the disciples tried to get rid of her. But when she persisted, YESHUA said to her in Matthew 15:24, “I have not come but to the lost sheep of Israel.” He was seeing if she would be put off by the old racial barrier between Israelite and Canaanite. But this woman was not to be put off by ancient prejudices. In her desperation she pleaded, “ELOHIM, have mercy.” So YESHUA pursued it further: “It is not right to take the children’s food from the table and give it to the dogs.” But in humility and with perseverance the woman said, “Yes, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the masters table.” Oh G-D, give us some crumbs, give us some crumbs, HalleluYAH! In the Gospel narrative the people of Israel had begun to reject YESHUA; this woman was willing to take whatever scraps of the Gospel fell from their table. John later would write John 1:11, “He came to His own, but His own received Him not; but as many as received Him, to them gave He the authority to be the children of G-D.” YESHUA said to the woman: “Great is your faith!” Her daughter was healed. YESHUA had responded to her in such a way that she had to persevere in her request, and in so doing she revealed her faith was strong.

When Paul considered the demands of serving the ELOHIM, he could only cry out, “Who is sufficient for these things?” The meaning was that no one is sufficient. If we are to serve the ELOHIM successfully, it will take the sustaining grace of the ELOHIM and the power of His enabling Spirit. But it begins with our presenting ourselves HOLY to Him, ready and willing to serve no matter the cost, even unto persecution, imprisonment, and yes, death.

And so Israel, cautioned by Joshua over rash or half-hearted decisions, made their decision: “We will serve the ELOHIM.” We will serve Him. We will lift up His name on High. We will praise Him. We will walk in His law.

III. The Implementation: Give your allegiance to the ELOHIM by submitting to His will, and His alone (22-25).

There are two parts to the implementation of this covenant renewal. First, the people were to clean out all strange gods. I am impressed by some of the websites that I receive newsletters from those who minister in openly idolatrous countries, such as in the Far East. Whenever someone commits his or her life to YESHUA MESHIKHA, they have an idol-removing service. The congregation goes to the house to destroy the idols and consecrate the place to the ELOHIM. I think we need to give more attention to the removal of our idols, these hindrances and distractions from service, which will then put more of an emphasis on whole-hearted commitment. There can be nothing standing in the way of our service to the ELOHIM.

The second part of the implementation is submission: “Incline your hearts” is the instruction. This is a call for willing submission to obey the ELOHIM. We must have the predisposition to obey. Thus, when we go to the Word of G-D, we go as we go to our clothes’ closet, not only to take inventory, but to find something to wear.

It comes down to this: I must determine that I will obey the Word of G-D, even if it is unpopular or inconvenient. My commitment to serve the ELOHIM begins with the decision to obey His will and do what is right. Paul words it this way to the Congregation at Rome in Romans 6:19: “Yield your members as servants of righteousness unto holiness.” It is as Samuel reminded King Saul, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” But as long as I debate and decide whether or not to do His will, I am not a servant.

Conclusion

And so all the days of Joshua the people served the ELOHIM. But when he and his generation died, new leaders arose who did not have such a commitment. And the result was the chaotic period of the judges when everyone did that which was right in his own eyes. Much like today! How important it is for people to make commitments to serve the ELOHIM! And how important it is to have spiritual leaders with the courage to do just that!

At the outset of any new venture in your spiritual journey, at the beginning of a school year spent training for future service, or a new Congregation association, or a new life in a new job, you need to examine your hearts to determine how committed you are and how you are going to serve G-D. Right away, perhaps today, you must sit down with your family (for they too will be drawn into the battle) and consider what it will take spiritually to serve G-D in the chaotic years to come.

You cannot rest on past victories to see you through. You cannot ride the crest of past blessings. New challenges demand a new commitment to serve the ELOHIM. For G-D demands total allegiance for success in His service.

And those who commit themselves to serve the ELOHIM will enjoy even greater blessing from Him. The service of G-D is the highest glory of nature, the most perfect freedom of rational human beings; the surest and most abundant source of comfort and outward prosperity. It exalts those who are devoted to it to an alliance with the purest and noblest beings in the universe, with prophets and apostles, with ministering angels on high, and with the ELOHIM YESHUA MESHIKHA Himself. It sets the soul upon an endless career of improvement in all that is good and right, opens before it bright visions of glory, and secures G-D’s presence and favor for its support and guidance while passing through this world. And in the world to come, we shall hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” AMEIN!