Choices, Choices, Choices--That's What Life Is About

Joshua emphasized both the importance and finality of at least one choice, from which all others flow, when he challenged the Children of Israel, upon recounting various victories Jehovah God had led them through once entering the land of Canaan, “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 24:15).

The choice was not “whether to” serve a god but “which one”?  Presently we may think that approach naïve, supposing we have other options maybe even to serve no god at all.  Joshua would respond, “You poor, deluded soul, not only is that option not extended you, it’s not even possible.”  That being the case, and persuaded of the deepest reality about such matters Joshua said, “as for me and my house we will serve the Lord”.

From choosing to serve Jehovah God as our God, He makes a delightful choice for us, “He will choose our inheritance for us” (Psalm 47:4).  Here the poetic and prophetic words of the Book of Psalms battle to show God’s excellence of inheritance for His children.  Why would one choose otherwise?—but they do.

For these God also make a choice:  “So will I choose their delusions, and bring their fears on them; because, when I called, no one answered, when I spoke they did not hear; but they did evil before My eyes, and chose that in which I do not delight” (Psalm 66:4).

To “delude” is “to mislead the mind or judgment of” or “deceive” or “trick”.  The Apostle Paul put it this way, “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things” (Romans 1:22,23).  Then follows a most fearful word, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness” (Romans 1:24) of every sort.

Does not the thought Jehovah God will choose our inheritance for us give to you a sense of calm assurance?  On the other hand, does not the thought that Jehovah God will choose our delusions provoke disquiet?