Give Up Your Gods

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Holy One, help me to know Your ways, teach me to discern Your paths. I desire to follow Your leading.

Read Joshua 24:1–15

^[1] Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. ^[2] Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. ^[3] But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, ^[4] and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt. ^[5] “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. ^[6] When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. ^[7] But they cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time. ^[8] “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. ^[9] When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. ^[10] But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand. ^[11] “‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. ^[12] I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you-also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. ^[13] So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’ ^[14] “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. ^[15] But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Meditate

“Attachment to Christ is the only secret of detachment from the world” (A. J. Gordon, 1836–1895). Wise words. See Philippians 3:7–11.

Think Further

Before Joshua died, he arranged for a covenant renewal at Shechem, where

God had first promised the land to Abraham (Gen. 12:6,7). Joshua 24 is structured like a formal

covenant, in which the earlier part records God’s faithfulness. Note how frequently God’s

actions are mentioned: “I took… I gave… I assigned… I sent… I afflicted… I did… I brought…

I destroyed… I delivered.” God was behind the rescue, defense and victory of Israel. “You did

not do it with your own sword and bow” (12). God had kept his part of the covenant.

Israel is then urged to keep its part of the covenant. “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all

faithfulness” (14). Israel’s response was to be twofold. First, it is to fear the Lord by revering,

worshipping and obeying him alone (Deut. 6:13).

Second, Israel is to serve the Lord faithfully. The fear of God accompanies faithfulness. Israel

must not fall into idolatry or apostasy and compromise its faith in God by embracing false gods.

Three groups of such false gods are mentioned (14,15): the gods of Israel’s forefathers

“worshipped beyond the River Euphrates” (2), the gods worshipped in Egypt and the gods of the

Amorites in Canaan.

Each group of gods represented threats to Israel’s faithfulness to God. Similar gods can poison

our own faith today. Self-examination may reveal that we are carrying with us remnants of the

ancient paganism of our forefathers (e.g., superstitions, pantheism); or we may still be subject to

the old gods of our addictions and bondage to sin (e.g., greed, lust); or we may be attracted to

contemporary cultural gods (e.g., consumerism, hedonism). If we are to be faithful to God, we

must give up these false gods (cf. 2 Kings 17:41).

Before Joshua died, he arranged for a covenant renewal at Shechem, where God had first promised the land to Abraham (Gen. 12:6,7). Joshua 24 is structured like a formal covenant, in which the earlier part records God’s faithfulness. Note how frequently God’s actions are mentioned: “I took… I gave… I assigned… I sent… I afflicted… I did… I brought…
I destroyed… I delivered.” God was behind the rescue, defense and victory of Israel. “You did not do it with your own sword and bow” (12). God had kept his part of the covenant.

Israel is then urged to keep its part of the covenant. “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness” (14). Israel’s response was to be twofold. First, it is to fear the Lord by revering, worshipping and obeying him alone (Deut. 6:13).
Second, Israel is to serve the Lord faithfully. The fear of God accompanies faithfulness. Israel must not fall into idolatry or apostasy and compromise its faith in God by embracing false gods. Three groups of such false gods are mentioned (14,15): the gods of Israel’s forefathers “worshipped beyond the River Euphrates” (2), the gods worshipped in Egypt and the gods of the Amorites in Canaan.
Each group of gods represented threats to Israel’s faithfulness to God. Similar gods can poison our own faith today. Self-examination may reveal that we are carrying with us remnants of the ancient paganism of our forefathers (e.g., superstitions, pantheism); or we may still be subject to the old gods of our addictions and bondage to sin (e.g., greed, lust); or we may be attracted to contemporary cultural gods (e.g., consumerism, hedonism). If we are to be faithful to God, we must give up these false gods (cf. 2 Kings 17:41).

Apply

Reread carefully and prayerfully the above last paragraph. Allow the Lord to expose any false gods in you, and ask him to forgive you and recalibrate you.

Closing prayer

Search me, O God, and help me to see if there are any false gods lodged within. Give me strength to throw them away so that I will be truly Yours.

Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.

Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.

Yesterday’s reading

View all readings

Tomorrow’s reading