With Opened Bible

As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)

Israel has crossed the Jordan and now lives in Canaan among other peoples with different cultures and religious views. The Younger Joshua is in charge. He has the immense responsibility of leading Israel. However, he faces the most significant mistake made by the people throughout their history: the service of idols.

After Moses's departure, we enter the period of the judges. Who were they? Men and even a woman (Deborah) were chosen and mandated by God to guide the People, protect them, and sometimes deliver them from their enemies. Joshua was the first of the judges and Samuel the last. But all of them faced the hardness of the Israelites' hearts. They fought tirelessly, their souls burdened, so that the worship of the one and true God would be respected and celebrated. The first reading of this Sunday is a stark reminder of this choice. Joshua finds himself compelled to draw the attention of his peers to this burning issue. "If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling." (Joshua 24:15)

But who are idols?

According to the biblical accounts, idols are physical representations of pagan divinities. They come in different forms: a bull (as is the case for Apis in Egypt), or Baal in Canaan, a crowned naked woman for Astarte, the goddess of the Syrians, Phoenicians, and even the Canaanites. The Philistines called her Ashera. (Cf. 1 Samuel 31:10) The Jews adopted her and Baal her husband. (Judges 2:13) Long before Joshua, Moses had to face Israel's iniquity in the desert. They fashioned an idol, the golden calf, to replace the God of their Fathers (Exodus 32:4). At each time of iniquity, God raised up a Judge to lead Israel back on the right path and protect it from its enemies. But the cycle of idol worship and repentance continued, showing the need for a permanent solution.

The Book of Judges resumes this Sunday as a lesson in memory. He tells the History of Salvation and the one who is its Author: "If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling." (Joshua 24: 15) Jesus, the perfect image of Israel, was compelled to serve his Father, the true God of heaven and earth. He rebuked Satan: "Get away, Satan! It is written: "The Lord, your God, shall you worship, and him alone shall you serve. (Matthew 4: 10) More than ever, we believers are surrounded by false gods (money, political power, sex, social media, personality cults, etc.)

We must choose who we want to serve and follow. Joshua made the right choice for himself and his household: "As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Which God will you worship? The answer is yours.