Joshua is speaking on behalf of the Lord, going back over all the things the Lord has done for the people ever since He first called Abraham out of Ur. Yesterday he talked about Abraham answering the call of the Lord and about the Lord giving Abraham the son and the family line he longed for. We pick up now with Joshua speaking for the Lord about how He delivered the Israelites from Egypt.
"Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. But they cried to the Lord for help, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians; He brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time." (Joshua 24:5-7) The people are reminded of how the Lord rescued them from slavery, parted the Red Sea for them, and sustained them in the wilderness. When times get tough we might feel tempted to compromise our values but if we think back on the faithfulness of the Lord we'll find it difficult to transgress His laws and commandments. We'll find it difficult to reward His faithfulness with our unfaithfulness. We can keep from losing heart in our present circumstances if we remember all the times He's rescued and provided for us before. He's still the same God, He still loves us just as much, and He's just as capable of parting seas and moving mountains for us as He ever was.
Now the Lord talks about how He enabled Israel to overcome a spiritual attack and to defeat enemies on the east side of the Jordan. "I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. When Balaak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand." (Joshua 24:8-10) You'll recall how the king of Moab wanted the Israelites destroyed, though they were merely encamped peacefully nearby and not troubling him or his people at all, and he sent for the prophet Balaam and offered him money to pronounce a curse against Israel so Israel would sin against God, lose the favor of God, and be unable to mount a military defense if the Moabites attacked them. But the Lord blessed Israel instead.
Many times in this life we are going to have human enemies who wish us ill and we know that Satan always wishes us ill, but many times the Lord has thwarted these wicked intentions toward us just as He thwarted the king of Moab's wicked intentions toward Israel. No attack can come against a child of God unless He allows it for a limited season in order to accomplish a specific purpose in our lives. Even when He does allow it, it's to perform something beneficial for us, and He is in full control of the situation the whole time.
The Lord gave Israel military victories over opponents who were stronger in number than they were and who had superior weaponry. "Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you---also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant." (Joshua 24:11-13)
In the book of Exodus the Lord promised to "send the hornet" ahead of them into the land. We don't know whether the Lord meant this literally or figuratively. The word He used simply means "stinging wasp" and would typically refer to actual insects; however, the Bible does not provide us with an account of the enemy armies fleeing the battlefield due to being chased by swarms of wasps. I tend to believe the Lord meant something spiritual when He said He would send the hornet ahead of the Israelites and drive out the nations of Canaan ahead of them, for we know the Israelites actually fought real military battles with those people. I think the Lord sent some type of spiritual force against these heathen nations and tribes and I believe a big part of this force was the fear and dread that fell upon the inhabitants of Canaan at the thought of Israel and at the thought of Israel's God. You'll recall how Rahab told the Israelite spies in Jericho that, "A great fear of you has fallen on us...All who live in this country are melting in fear because of you." (Joshua 2:9b) Whatever the Lord meant when He used the word "hornet", the fact remains that the reason the Israelites were victorious in attacking powerful nations on those nations' own turf was because the Lord fought on Israel's side. This is why He says they did not win the promised land "with your own sword or bow". They did have to fight in the battles but they could not have won these battles unless the Lord was on their side.
We conclude today's passage with the words Joshua is best known for having spoken. "Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:14-15) Joshua makes a beautiful statement of faith when he says, "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." It is a choice. The Lord won't force anyone to worship Him, but anyone who refuses Him is doing it at their own peril and to their own detriment. What use were the gods their ancestors served way back in antiquity before Abraham answered the call of God? Did any of those gods bring them to a land of milk and honey? What use were the pantheon of gods of Egypt? Did any of those gods hear their cries for help while they were being oppressed by cruel taskmasters? What use were the gods of the nations of Canaan? Were any of those gods able to save those who served them from the swords of the Israelites? No one but the Lord has done anything for Israel and the choice seems clear to Joshua: there is no one worth serving but the Lord. There is only one God to serve, first of all. But even if the gods of the other nations had been real, the Lord has clearly demonstrated His superiority over them, so there would still be no excuse for bowing their knees to anyone else.
Who has done anything for you and me but the Lord? Hasn't He solved problems that weren't solvable by human strength and ingenuity? Hasn't He healed when the doctors didn't know what was wrong? Hasn't He provided when there wasn't enough money in the bank to pay all the bills? Hasn't He restored relationships that appeared permanently damaged? As if all this wasn't enough, hasn't He saved our souls from sin and made a way for us to be right with Him and to enjoy all eternity in His presence? Why would we consider not serving Him? Why would we consider serving our own desires instead and living according to the ways of the unbelieving world? Let us be like Joshua and boldly swear our allegiance to the One who so dearly loves us: "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord!"
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