“Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” Joshua 24:23
These words follow what are, undoubtedly, the most well-known words in the book of Joshua, “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.... But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Josh. 24:15). The question is, how? How is this accomplished? Serving Yahweh sounds like a noble pursuit, but what does it look like practically? Joshua’s answer: chuck your idols, yield your heart. I remember attending pep rallies at high school. Pep rallies sure are a funny thing. I confess, I never really got the reasoning behind them. All I knew is that we’d get let out of third period early. What kid doesn’t like it when class lets out early? So, we’d make our way to the gym, fill up the bleachers, then watch as cheerleaders and jocks tried to get everyone excited about the big game. Honestly, though, I never really walked away enthused for Friday night’s lights. I didn’t get the point. Sometimes, we are tempted to let church be like this, like a pep rally. Who doesn’t enjoy joining in cheers with the worship team? Who doesn’t like a hip speaker getting us pumped up for God? Cue the fog machine! Don’t get me wrong, I like a pep rally as much as the next guy. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with enthusiasm in worship. In fact, enthusiasm for God and His people and His purposes is appropriate! But if we don’t get beyond the enthusiasm, beyond the rah rah rah, beyond the cheers, then there is a problem. So, what separates pep rally church from one reflective of the church Jesus instituted? Honestly, I believe the last chapter of the book of Joshua, written more than 1200 years before the church began, provides excellent principles on how to make church more than a pep rally! First, the focus of the chapter is on Yahweh God. It begins with a lengthy review of God’s redemptive acts on behalf of Israel, from the call of Abraham in Genesis 12 to the driving out of the Amorites in Joshua 10. How did Israel defeat the Amorites? By God delivering some well-placed hail stones and causing the sun to stand still! It is God who is the source of Israel’s victory, as seen in words like, “I sent, I brought, I delivered, I gave.” The focus is on God. Second, the chapter reminds Israel that they are part of a larger story. How easy it would have been for the people to think that it’s just about them—their time, their needs, their designs. But by recounting God’s redemptive work among His people covering a span of some 800 years, Joshua reveals that it’s not just about them, it’s about the bigger story of God. They are not the main characters of their own little stories. They are part players in the grand narrative of God’s redemption story. Third, the chapter includes not only a noble exhortation, serve Yahweh, but specific, realistic and convicting instruction. Serve God, worship God, love God…these are all wonderful exhortations. But because of human sinfulness, we must go further, deeper. What does serving God look like? It looks like getting rid of idols—the things that cause you to marginalize God, veer off course, lose your footing. Get rid of them. Chuck ‘em. They don’t belong among God’s people. Notice, God doesn’t say, “if you come upon foreign gods….” He says, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you.” This is in addition to some pretty honest language throughout this chapter about the people’s proclivity to flake, renege, rebel, along with some pretty tough words about the consequences. Yet the means to serving Yahweh doesn’t end with a negative, but with a positive. What is the positive? Yield your hearts to Yahweh, the God of Israel. This Hebrew word for yield occurs more than 200 times in the Old Testament, and is translated 100 different ways. But when attached to the word heart, it conveys a deference toward, a submission to. It isn’t about an external conformity, but an interior allegiance…to yield, bow, bend your heart to God. So, what is the model that Joshua 24 provides for our worship? First, our services are not about us, but about God…about His purposes, His redemption, His glory. Second, our services must be grounded in God’s Word, helping us to see that we are part of a grand narrative, a larger story, the Story of God. Third, our services must be gritty. It’s not enough to offer eloquent and cheery thoughts about God, we must get down and dirty, letting the light of God’s Word shine on every crack and crevice for Holy Spirit transformation! There should be some pep in our worship service, but if we don’t get into the raw, messy reality that is life on planet earth, we may walk away pumped up, yet unchanged. How about you? What idols do you need to chuck? What is causing you to stray from the path, take your eyes off God, displease a holy and jealous God? And how’s your heart? Is it becoming increasingly yielded to the lover of your soul, your God, your Redeemer? May we bend our hearts to God. May we clear out junk in our lives that doesn’t do us, or anyone else, any good. And may we join with the people in responding to Joshua, “We will serve Yahweh our God and obey Him.”
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Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
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