Joshua 24 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow. ¹³ I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

¹⁴ “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶ The people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; ¹⁷ for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. ¹⁸ The Lord drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.”

¹⁹ Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you.” ²¹ The people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” ²² Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” ²³ “Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”… ²⁸ Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his inheritance.

Joshua had reviewed all that God had done for the Israelites, bringing them into their inheritance, the Promised Land.   The text says: Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow. ¹³ I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

We too have been given an inheritance. Our inheritance, the promise we have been given is not limited to a particular parcel of real estate. Romans 8:14-17 says:    For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.     As children of God, fellow heirs with Christ we have access to all that God has.   Jesus says:  “upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”(Matthew 16:18-19)      It is upon the rock, the foundation of the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Lord and King that we have been given the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Our inheritance is that we have been given access to all that God has in heaven and we have been given authority to procure the realities of heaven for earth.

Just as the nation of Israel was given their inheritance, they did not obtain it by their own power, they did not have all that they had because of their own work. Our inheritance too has been given to us.         For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)  We cannot obtain or even maintain our salvation or the inheritance we have been given by our own works. It is only by faith, faith in Christ and the finished work of the cross that we receive and walk in the promises of God. Just as God, according to His promise to the Israelites gave them their inheritance, so too has God according to His word, given us everything as His children. We are redeemed from sin and restored to the image and likeness of God with all the rights of heirs of God’s kingdom.

While we cannot earn what we have been given by our works. There is still a choice. Although it is a free gift we still have a choice. Joshua spoke the Israelites saying:   “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”      When they agreed and gave verbal ascent to him he said:     “You will not be able to serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you.”         It is not that God is an angry God waiting to punish us if we fail. The psalmist understands and describes it in Psalm 91, saying:  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.   The protection and the promises of God are for those who dwell and abide in Him. When we stray from God, when we turn and serve other gods, we remove ourselves from His covering. The things that happen to us are not God’s punishment. Jesus finished work on the cross paid for every sin, once for all. When we choose to serve our lusts and our flesh, rather than serving and loving God, we remove ourselves from His covering, His protection, we remove ourselves from the promise of the inheritance.

In the story of the prodigal, Luke 5:11-32, the father never stopped loving the son. Yet while the son was away, out from under the protection and provision of the father, he could do nothing for him. The son was left to live in the circumstances and consequences of his choice. When he made the choice to return the father received him and restored him.

We too must choose.  If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: The gods of this world, the gods of self satisfaction, lust and sin or the God who gave His life on the cross, to give you a free inheritance. When the Israelites chose to serve the Lord they were released to live in their inheritance.     Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his inheritance.     We too are released to live in our inheritance as we choose the Lord. You are free to choose, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit for the free gift of salvation and the inheritance of all that You have given me in Christ, the promise of all that You have in the kingdom of heaven. I choose to love and serve You, to dwell and abide in You. I choose to receive the free gift You have given me through Christ and the cross. By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit may I walk in the fullness of my inheritance in You. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, in and through my life.  Amen