We Will Serve YeHoVaH

“Joshua said to the people, ‘You are not able to serve YeHoVaH. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God'” (Joshua 24:19).

Faithfulness is the heart and soul of any relationship. Marriage, for example, thrives on the foundation of trust, love, and mutual respect. And, at its core is faithfulness—a commitment not just to refrain from physical infidelity but to uphold a covenant of emotional, intellectual, and spiritual loyalty.

From the time of the first marriage ordained by YeHoVaH God in the Garden of Eden, a husband, and wife are called to be “one” (Genesis 2:24). One flesh, yes, but so much more than that. Husbands and wives are to be one in mind, in will, in purpose, in belief, and in the direction of life they’re equally striving towards. We are not to be “yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

The same holds true with our relationship with the Almighty. We are to be “one” with God by aligning ourselves to His eternal will, and this “oneness” with God is brought about through our faithfulness—that is, our careful obedience to His commandments.

That isn’t legalism.

That is love.
That is trust.
That is a beautiful relationship.

Would a husband ever accuse his wife of being “legalistic” because of her steadfast commitment to remain faithful only to him? Of course not. The very idea is ridiculous. The husband and wife prove their love for each other through their faithfulness, just as we prove our love for God by our commitment to remain faithful to Him.

In the final chapters of the Book of Joshua, we read Joshua’s farewell address to the Israelites. He begins by speaking the direct word of YeHoVaH God to them, where God recounts the people’s history from Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, down to Moses and the Exodus, their wanderings in the wilderness, and finally ending with their conquest of the promised land. Throughout it all, YeHoVaH had been perfectly faithful in keeping all His promises He made to His people. He guided them, liberated them, saved them, protected them, provided for them, empowered them, fought for them, and entrusted to them the inheritance of land He first promised to Abraham.

“Not one of all YeHoVaH’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” (Joshua 21:45).

“Now I [Joshua] am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises YeHoVaH your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed” (Joshua 23:14).

In response to YeHoVaH’s perfect faithfulness that He’d already proven to His people, Joshua instructs the Israelites to commit themselves to proving their love for God by keeping His commandments: “Now fear YeHoVaH and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve YeHoVaH” (Joshua 24:14).

Joshua then tells the people that he and his family are committed to this very thing: “As for me and my household, we will serve YeHoVaH” (Joshua 24:15).

The people immediately respond that they will do likewise, saying, “Far be it from us to forsake YeHoVaH to serve other gods! It was YeHoVaH our God Himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And YeHoVaH drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve YeHoVaH, because he is our God” (Joshua 24:16-18).

And then comes the one verse in this chapter [Joshua 24:19] that theologians have wrested and twisted for many centuries.

“Joshua said to the people, ‘You are not able to serve YeHoVaH. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake YeHoVaH and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after He has been good to you'” (Joshua 24:19-20).

YOU
ARE
NOT
ABLE
TO
SERVE
YEHOVAH.

Those words—obviously divorced from the context of the rest of the chapter—have been used and abused by hyper-grace, no-law pastors and teachers throughout the world. Their argument is that because God is “Holy, holy, holy” (Revelation 4:8), and because we are fallen, frail, fallible, finite, mortal beings, it is therefore impossible for us to adequately serve God—for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

And many Christians, unfortunately, have been convinced by such arguments, which are made by “ignorant and unstable people, who distort the Scriptures to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16). Therefore, beware that you are not “carried away by the error of the LAWLESS [the TORAH-LESS] and fall from your own secure position” (2 Peter 3:17).

While it is indeed true that we all have sinned and we, as imperfect human beings, all do fall short of God’s glory, that does not mean it’s impossible for us to prove our love for God through faithfully keeping His commandments. We see a clear example in Luke chapter 1 where Zechariah and Elizabeth (the parents of John the Baptist)—two very much so mortal, fallen, fallible individuals just like you and me were successful in keeping God’s commandments:

“Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and decrees blamelessly” (Luke 1:6).

When the Word says they observed “all the Lord’s commandments and decrees blamelessly,” that does not mean that Zechariah and Elizabeth never made a single mistake throughout their lives. Of course not. They obviously made mistakes like we all do. But praise be to God for His divine mercy, that when someone makes a mistake and falls short, if they will repent of it and strive to do better, God both forgives and forgets.

In God’s mind, it is as if it never happened.

Thus, Zechariah and Elizabeth were found as “righteous,” and also “blameless” in God’s sight.

And it’s the exact same with Joshua and his family. They committed themselves to proving their faithfulness to God by serving Him and keeping His commandments. This does not mean that they’d be able to do it perfectly all the time. They would inevitably fall short. But if they repented, got back up, and kept striving for that which is good and right and holy, then God’s mercy covers them completely.

This is being faithful to God.
This is lovingly serving Him.

So, then what does Joshua mean when he tells the Israelites that they “are not able to serve YeHoVaH” (Joshua 24:19)?

This verse must be understood from the historical context of Joshua’s life among the Israelites. These are his departing words to Israel just before he was to die at the very old age of 110. All of those many years were spent living among his fellow Israelites: in Egypt, in the wilderness, and lastly in the promised land. Joshua is very well aware of their propensity to rebel against God. He’s personally witnessed it many, many times. He knows through his many years of experience that his people have a “heart that devises wicked schemes, and feet that are quick to rush into evil” (Proverbs 6:18).

And tragically, it was in fact the very next generation of Israelites that did just that—forsaking YeHoVaH and rushing to love and serve the pagan deities of the land (see Judges 2:10-15).

By telling his people that “You are not able to serve YeHoVaH” (19), Joshua is reminding his people of their sinful history and their inclination to rebel against the will of God, following it up with his warning, “If you forsake YeHoVaH and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after He has been good to you” (20).

But the Israelites respond to Joshua’s words with their resolute commitment, saying, “No! We will serve YeHoVaH” (21).

And praise be to God, that generation of Israelites were successful at proving their faithfulness to God. They did keep His commandments. Any pastor that would divorce Joshua’s statement in verse 19 from the overall context needs to keep reading to the end of the same chapter, where it is recorded in verse 31:

“Israel served YeHoVaH throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything YeHoVaH had done for Israel” (31).

Israel DID serve YeHoVaH.
Israel WAS faithful to God.
Israel KEPT their promise.

HalleluYAH!

May we choose to be like Joshua and that faithful generation of Israelites. May we be “one” in our relationship with God by being faithful in keeping His commandments, just as He has been perfectly faithful to us. May we make and keep the steadfast commitment: “As for me and my household, we will serve YeHoVaH” (Joshua 24:15).

Amen.

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We Will Serve YeHoVaH

“Joshua said to the people, ‘You are not able to serve YeHoVaH. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God'” (Joshua 24:19).

Faithfulness is the heart and soul of any relationship. Marriage, for example, thrives on the foundation of trust, love, and mutual respect. And, at its core is faithfulness—a commitment not just to refrain from physical infidelity but to uphold a covenant of emotional, intellectual, and spiritual loyalty.

From the time of the first marriage ordained by YeHoVaH God in the Garden of Eden, a husband, and wife are called to be “one” (Genesis 2:24). One flesh, yes, but so much more than that. Husbands and wives are to be one in mind, in will, in purpose, in belief, and in the direction of life they’re equally striving towards. We are not to be “yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

The same holds true with our relationship with the Almighty. We are to be “one” with God by aligning ourselves to His eternal will, and this “oneness” with God is brought about through our faithfulness—that is, our careful obedience to His commandments.

That isn’t legalism.

That is love.
That is trust.
That is a beautiful relationship.

Would a husband ever accuse his wife of being “legalistic” because of her steadfast commitment to remain faithful only to him? Of course not. The very idea is ridiculous. The husband and wife prove their love for each other through their faithfulness, just as we prove our love for God by our commitment to remain faithful to Him.

In the final chapters of the Book of Joshua, we read Joshua’s farewell address to the Israelites. He begins by speaking the direct word of YeHoVaH God to them, where God recounts the people’s history from Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, down to Moses and the Exodus, their wanderings in the wilderness, and finally ending with their conquest of the promised land. Throughout it all, YeHoVaH had been perfectly faithful in keeping all His promises He made to His people. He guided them, liberated them, saved them, protected them, provided for them, empowered them, fought for them, and entrusted to them the inheritance of land He first promised to Abraham.

“Not one of all YeHoVaH’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” (Joshua 21:45).

“Now I [Joshua] am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises YeHoVaH your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed” (Joshua 23:14).

In response to YeHoVaH’s perfect faithfulness that He’d already proven to His people, Joshua instructs the Israelites to commit themselves to proving their love for God by keeping His commandments: “Now fear YeHoVaH and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve YeHoVaH” (Joshua 24:14).

Joshua then tells the people that he and his family are committed to this very thing: “As for me and my household, we will serve YeHoVaH” (Joshua 24:15).

The people immediately respond that they will do likewise, saying, “Far be it from us to forsake YeHoVaH to serve other gods! It was YeHoVaH our God Himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And YeHoVaH drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve YeHoVaH, because he is our God” (Joshua 24:16-18).

And then comes the one verse in this chapter [Joshua 24:19] that theologians have wrested and twisted for many centuries.

“Joshua said to the people, ‘You are not able to serve YeHoVaH. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake YeHoVaH and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after He has been good to you'” (Joshua 24:19-20).

YOU
ARE
NOT
ABLE
TO
SERVE
YEHOVAH.

Those words—obviously divorced from the context of the rest of the chapter—have been used and abused by hyper-grace, no-law pastors and teachers throughout the world. Their argument is that because God is “Holy, holy, holy” (Revelation 4:8), and because we are fallen, frail, fallible, finite, mortal beings, it is therefore impossible for us to adequately serve God—for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

And many Christians, unfortunately, have been convinced by such arguments, which are made by “ignorant and unstable people, who distort the Scriptures to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16). Therefore, beware that you are not “carried away by the error of the LAWLESS [the TORAH-LESS] and fall from your own secure position” (2 Peter 3:17).

While it is indeed true that we all have sinned and we, as imperfect human beings, all do fall short of God’s glory, that does not mean it’s impossible for us to prove our love for God through faithfully keeping His commandments. We see a clear example in Luke chapter 1 where Zechariah and Elizabeth (the parents of John the Baptist)—two very much so mortal, fallen, fallible individuals just like you and me were successful in keeping God’s commandments:

“Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and decrees blamelessly” (Luke 1:6).

When the Word says they observed “all the Lord’s commandments and decrees blamelessly,” that does not mean that Zechariah and Elizabeth never made a single mistake throughout their lives. Of course not. They obviously made mistakes like we all do. But praise be to God for His divine mercy, that when someone makes a mistake and falls short, if they will repent of it and strive to do better, God both forgives and forgets.

In God’s mind, it is as if it never happened.

Thus, Zechariah and Elizabeth were found as “righteous,” and also “blameless” in God’s sight.

And it’s the exact same with Joshua and his family. They committed themselves to proving their faithfulness to God by serving Him and keeping His commandments. This does not mean that they’d be able to do it perfectly all the time. They would inevitably fall short. But if they repented, got back up, and kept striving for that which is good and right and holy, then God’s mercy covers them completely.

This is being faithful to God.
This is lovingly serving Him.

So, then what does Joshua mean when he tells the Israelites that they “are not able to serve YeHoVaH” (Joshua 24:19)?

This verse must be understood from the historical context of Joshua’s life among the Israelites. These are his departing words to Israel just before he was to die at the very old age of 110. All of those many years were spent living among his fellow Israelites: in Egypt, in the wilderness, and lastly in the promised land. Joshua is very well aware of their propensity to rebel against God. He’s personally witnessed it many, many times. He knows through his many years of experience that his people have a “heart that devises wicked schemes, and feet that are quick to rush into evil” (Proverbs 6:18).

And tragically, it was in fact the very next generation of Israelites that did just that—forsaking YeHoVaH and rushing to love and serve the pagan deities of the land (see Judges 2:10-15).

By telling his people that “You are not able to serve YeHoVaH” (19), Joshua is reminding his people of their sinful history and their inclination to rebel against the will of God, following it up with his warning, “If you forsake YeHoVaH and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after He has been good to you” (20).

But the Israelites respond to Joshua’s words with their resolute commitment, saying, “No! We will serve YeHoVaH” (21).

And praise be to God, that generation of Israelites were successful at proving their faithfulness to God. They did keep His commandments. Any pastor that would divorce Joshua’s statement in verse 19 from the overall context needs to keep reading to the end of the same chapter, where it is recorded in verse 31:

“Israel served YeHoVaH throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything YeHoVaH had done for Israel” (31).

Israel DID serve YeHoVaH.
Israel WAS faithful to God.
Israel KEPT their promise.

HalleluYAH!

May we choose to be like Joshua and that faithful generation of Israelites. May we be “one” in our relationship with God by being faithful in keeping His commandments, just as He has been perfectly faithful to us. May we make and keep the steadfast commitment: “As for me and my household, we will serve YeHoVaH” (Joshua 24:15).

Amen.

Add a Comment

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