Sunday, October 4 — Say It, Then Set the Stone
It's easy to say "I do" in a room full of people who love you. The real vow gets tested on an ordinary Tuesday.
Joshua 24:18-27 — KJV
18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God. 19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. 21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD. 22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. 23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. 24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. 27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
Joshua 24:18-27 — WEB
18 Yahweh drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve Yahweh; for he is our God.” 19 Joshua said to the people, “You can’t serve Yahweh, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your disobedience nor your sins. 20 If you forsake Yahweh, and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after he has done you good.” 21 The people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve Yahweh.” 22 Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen Yahweh yourselves, to serve him.” They said, “We are witnesses.” 23 “Now therefore put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to Yahweh, the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “We will serve Yahweh our God, and we will listen to his voice.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a great stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Yahweh. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all Yahweh’s words which he spoke to us. It shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deny your God.”
Explanation
We are back at Shechem, where Tuesday's reading left off. In the verses between, Joshua lays down one of the most famous challenges in the Bible: "choose you this day whom ye will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." The people answer quickly: God forbid that we should forsake the LORD. Today's passage picks up with their conclusion — "therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God."
Then Joshua says something startling: "Ye cannot serve the LORD." He isn't trying to talk them out of it. He is testing whether they understand what they are saying. God is holy. God is jealous — not petty, but jealous the way a faithful husband or wife is jealous. He will not share His people with other gods. This is not a commitment to take lightly.
The people don't back down. Three times they insist: "Nay; but we will serve the LORD." "We are witnesses." "The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey." So Joshua gives them the next step: "put away... the strange gods which are among you." Read that again. They are promising to serve the LORD while foreign gods are still in their tents. Joshua knows it. Commitment starts with getting rid of what competes.
Then he makes it permanent. He writes the words in the book of the law. He sets up a great stone under the oak by the sanctuary — near the same spot, some believe, where Jacob buried his family's idols generations earlier. The stone "hath heard all the words," Joshua says. Every time they pass it, it will remind them of what they said.
This is Sunday's lesson: Radical Commitment to God's Way. "Radical" comes from the Latin word for "root." It means a commitment that goes all the way down — not God added to the shelf beside everything else, but God at the root. And "do not conform to the world" is exactly what Joshua is asking. He doesn't tell Israel to leave the land. They will live among the Amorites. They just can't live like them.
So what are the strange gods among us? Money. Approval. Busyness. The phone. Our image. Politics that demand more loyalty than the gospel does. Putting them away is rarely one dramatic moment. It is a choice we keep making.
And then set a stone. Make your commitment something you can see: a written prayer on the refrigerator, a standing time with God each morning, giving that's set up before the paycheck is spent, a family devotion at the dinner table. Let your church family be your witnesses.
And remember what this week has taught us. Joshua was right — we cannot do this in our own strength. But we have an Advocate, a God who carried us here, and a Savior who never looked back. So say it today. Then go set the stone.
Thought for the Day
Choose this day. Say it out loud. Then live it.
Reflection Question
What "strange god" do you need to put away so your "yes" to God means something this week?
Prayer
Holy God, You have carried us from the other side of the river to this very day. We choose You. Show us the strange gods still hiding in our tents, and give us the courage to put them away. Write this promise on our hearts, and let our lives be the stone that testifies we meant it. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Amen.
Today is Sunday school. We saved you a seat.