June 24th, 2022
Written by Jason Allums
“Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:14-15 NKJV).
The setting for Joshua 24 is found in Joshua 23. In Joshua 23, the Israelites have taken possession of most of Canaan. Joshua’s time of leading the conquest is almost over. He is an old man at the end of his life’s journey. In Chapter 24, Joshua is talking to the elders, judges, and leaders of the nation. And this is his one final message:
A. He recites many of God’s blessings in the past.
B. Then, he challenges the people to be faithful to God.
As he is giving this final message he wants the people to never forget they owe everything to God. And it is here, in this context, that we read the stirring words: “But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua’s first point was the fact they must fear the Lord (Verse 14). Joshua the leader, the conqueror, the man of God, the father—is teaching his family how to worship God. He is giving them the secret on how he was one of only two people who made it out of Egypt and into the promised land. The secret is not much of a secret: fear God.
This dad is showing us that family worship is better caught than taught. It is more about an atmosphere than a program to follow. And this starts with fathers. For too many years we have delegated spiritual leadership to the women. We have laid a burden on the woman that God never intended them to bear alone. It was the father, not the mother, saying, “But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Joshua was a father who had a voice.
Where have all the voices gone? There has been a silencing of the lambs. There are men everywhere who will not speak up concerning the things of God. Satan is after your voice, leadership, and families. God is wanting to restore your voice!
Note John 1:23—John the Baptist, the voice of one crying out. A voice that said less of me and more of God. A voice for God in all aspects of our lives. John the Baptist was not intimidated to speak up! John saw Jesus at the Jordan and he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God”! Men, whatever we behold we become. Whatever consumes our thoughts we become. We must break this silence of the lambs and encourage all fathers to get their voice back.
Think of this: We celebrate the strong stand the three Hebrews took against King Nebuchadnezzar. We preach and teach the stand they made. But let it be known that those three Hebrews had a father who had a voice in their lives. That voice told them about a God that could part the Red Sea, rain down fire from heaven, and deliver from shackles. The father’s voice taught them to fear God, not man, and not even a king! Let me encourage all the fathers to get your voice back! We must not be silent!
“Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:14-15 NKJV).
The setting for Joshua 24 is found in Joshua 23. In Joshua 23, the Israelites have taken possession of most of Canaan. Joshua’s time of leading the conquest is almost over. He is an old man at the end of his life’s journey. In Chapter 24, Joshua is talking to the elders, judges, and leaders of the nation. And this is his one final message:
A. He recites many of God’s blessings in the past.
B. Then, he challenges the people to be faithful to God.
As he is giving this final message he wants the people to never forget they owe everything to God. And it is here, in this context, that we read the stirring words: “But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua’s first point was the fact they must fear the Lord (Verse 14). Joshua the leader, the conqueror, the man of God, the father—is teaching his family how to worship God. He is giving them the secret on how he was one of only two people who made it out of Egypt and into the promised land. The secret is not much of a secret: fear God.
This dad is showing us that family worship is better caught than taught. It is more about an atmosphere than a program to follow. And this starts with fathers. For too many years we have delegated spiritual leadership to the women. We have laid a burden on the woman that God never intended them to bear alone. It was the father, not the mother, saying, “But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Joshua was a father who had a voice.
Where have all the voices gone? There has been a silencing of the lambs. There are men everywhere who will not speak up concerning the things of God. Satan is after your voice, leadership, and families. God is wanting to restore your voice!
Note John 1:23—John the Baptist, the voice of one crying out. A voice that said less of me and more of God. A voice for God in all aspects of our lives. John the Baptist was not intimidated to speak up! John saw Jesus at the Jordan and he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God”! Men, whatever we behold we become. Whatever consumes our thoughts we become. We must break this silence of the lambs and encourage all fathers to get their voice back.
Think of this: We celebrate the strong stand the three Hebrews took against King Nebuchadnezzar. We preach and teach the stand they made. But let it be known that those three Hebrews had a father who had a voice in their lives. That voice told them about a God that could part the Red Sea, rain down fire from heaven, and deliver from shackles. The father’s voice taught them to fear God, not man, and not even a king! Let me encourage all the fathers to get your voice back! We must not be silent!
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