The Story

Joshua was now a very old man, about a hundred and ten years old, and he knew his time on earth was nearly done. He called all the tribes of Israel together to a place called Shechem — the leaders, the judges, the officers, and all the people — and he gave them one last message from God. It was like a story of everything God had ever done for them.

Joshua reminded them how God had taken their father Abraham from far away across the river, and given him Isaac, and Isaac's son Jacob. He reminded them how God sent Moses and Aaron, and brought their fathers out of Egypt, and drowned the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. He reminded them of the long years in the wilderness, of the crossing of Jordan, of Jericho's fallen walls, and of every battle God had won for them. Then Joshua said something wonderful about the land they were living in: "I have given you a land for which ye did not labour" — houses they had not built, cities they had not raised, vineyards and olive groves they had not planted. Every good thing they had was a gift from God.

Then Joshua spoke the most important words of all. "Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth" — serve God truly, with all your hearts, he said, and put away the idols that people around you worship. And Joshua set the choice plainly before them, in the words of our memory verse: choose you this day whom ye will serve. Other people might serve their idols, but Joshua declared before them all that as for him and his house, they would serve the LORD — whatever anyone else decided.

The people answered loudly: "God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods". They remembered all that God had done too: "therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God". Joshua warned them seriously that serving God was no light promise — God is holy, and the choice must be real. Still the people answered: "The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey".

So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day. He wrote the words in God's book, and he took a great big stone and set it up under an oak tree as a witness — a stone to stand there and remind them of the promise they had made. Then he sent everyone home. Soon after, Joshua died, and Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua — because one old man had stood up and chosen God, out loud, in front of everybody.