The account of the Israelites taking the land of Canaan, is some of the most action-packed parts of the Old Testament. The book of Joshua tells of the taking of the land after the death of Moses.
It begins with the announcement of Moses death, and God speaking to Joshua about the future. “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Joshua 1:1-5) The rest of the book deals mainly with the taking of the land and its division among the people.
In the last chapter of this great book, it is recorded that Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together to remind them of the things God had done for them and to tell them of the choice they have before them. Verse fifteen is probably remembered more than any other passage in the entire book of Joshua. “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. 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.” (Josh 24:14,15) Joshua told the people to do something that we today must also do, and that is to make a choice in our lives as to whom we will serve. Often, we wonder at how the Israelites could turn their back on God when He had done so much for them. How soon we forget just how much He has done for us.
Most individuals when asked, “Who do you serve?” will say, “God”. Yet the fruits displayed by many shows otherwise. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them”. (Mat 7:20) When a person has really chosen God above all else, it is God that will ALWAYS come first in their lives. Not just on certain occasions but ALWAYS!
Make the right choice.
