Joshua 24:1 Y’hoshua gathered all the tribes of Isra’el to Sh’khem; he summoned the leaders, heads, judges and officials of Isra’el; and they presented themselves before God. 2 Y’hoshua said to all the people, “This is what Adonai the God of Isra’el says: ‘In antiquity your ancestors lived on the other side of the [Euphrates] River — Terach the father of Avraham and Nachor — and they served other gods.
14 “Therefore fear Adonai, and serve him truly and sincerely. Put away the gods your ancestors served beyond the [Euphrates]River and in Egypt, and serve Adonai! 15 If it seems bad to you to serve Adonai, then choose today whom you are going to serve! Will it be the gods your ancestors served beyond the River? or the gods of the Emori, in whose land you are living? As for me and my household, we will serve Adonai!”
16 The people answered, “Far be it from us that we would abandon Adonai to serve other gods; 17 because it is Adonai our God who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from a life of slavery, and did those great signs before our eyes, and preserved us all along the way we traveled and among all the peoples we passed through; 18 and it was Adonai who drove out from ahead of us all the peoples, the Emori living in the land. Therefore we too will serve Adonai, for he is our God.” (Complete Jewish Bible).
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One of the issues of "dealing with life" is our need to choose a god. We always depend on something to make our day a good day. Our god can be many things: "I got a lot done today"; "I had a good time with my family today"; "I stood up for what was right today"; "My team won today"; or "Look at what I bought today!" Whatever god we choose, we use that god to deal with life.
The people of Israel chose the Lord as their God because God brought them out of the house of slavery. God helped them deal with life by giving them a new life under God's rule, not that of the Egyptians. In Jesus, God has chosen us and rules over us with forgiveness and mercy, so we can deal with life and depend on God for the goodness of our days.
Merciful Father, give us Jesus' death and rising, his forgiveness and mercy, to make each day a good day. Help us to rely on him to deal with our life each day. Amen.
Timothy Hoyer, '09
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Lakewood, N.Y., and Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Falconer, N.Y.
Joshua 24:1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God.2 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ...
14 "Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods;
17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed;
18 and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God." (New Revised Standard Version).
The Luther Seminary
2481 Como Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
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