You Choose and God Chooses

There comes a time to choose, to make a clear choice so all the world may see and acknowledge it.  Joshua summons the Children of Israel to Shechem.  There he recounts their history from their time of captivity in Egypt to that present moment, giving them the word of the Lord which made it expressly clear the Lord, Himself, had delivered into their hands the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canannites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites and the Jebusites.  Further, Joshua reminded the people how the Lord had used the “hornet” (the “drone” of that day) to drive out two of the kings of the Amorites (Joshua 24:11, 12).  The Word of the Lord continued, “And I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you build not, and you dwell in them; of the vineyards and olive yards which you planted not, do you eat” (Joshua 22:13).

No matter there were all these indisputable facts of God’s goodness to the people, some of them were still worshipping false gods which they had been harboring for years.  In effect Joshua says, “You can’t have it both ways.  You can’t worship Jehovah God—for He is a holy God and jealous—and the gods you brought over from Egypt.  You must choose whom you will serve—and do it today!  (That’s “asking for the sale”.  Moreover, that’s life—making choices now!)  To encourage them in the right direction he said it doesn’t matter what you do, “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15b).

On that notable day at Shechem the people did choose “right” saying, “The Lord our God will we serve, and His voice will we obey” (Joshua 24:24).

Once God’s people make their choice, then God makes His—“He shall choose our inheritance for us” (Psalm 47:4a).  In a nutshell, that was the history of God’s relationship with Israel—sort of.  The scenario has to be amended a bit to allow for the fact God first chose Abraham.  But, then, by faithful decisions Abraham had to choose Jehovah and His way.  From that choice flows the very colorful history of Israel, whose brightest moments yet lie ahead.  Sorrowfully, before those “brightest moments” come, Israel will experience her darkest moments—and that’s mostly because of her “hard-headedness”, a national trait from early on in her history (See: Exodus 32:9).  

Israel’s pattern need not be ours.  Why not be tender-hearted?  Why not be submissive to the Holy Spirit’s leading.  Why not yield to the Lord at every point—and let Him delightfully “choose our inheritance for us?”  We can’t wisely choose our own way; the prophet Jeremiah said it’s not within us to do so, “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself:  it is not in man that walks to direct his steps” (10:24).  So, who shall direct our steps?  “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord:  and He (the Lord) delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23).  Is there not a comforting assurance here?

Are you struggling to put one foot ahead of the other?