Day 198.
And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, father of Abrahams and of Nahor; and they served other gods. (Jos 24:2)
This is such a key verse for understanding Israel’s beginning. Abraham was a righteous man but not before God called him. In Sumeria he worshiped false gods. It was after God spoke and called him did he follow the Lord. And so it is with us. And the legacy of his call extends to the benefits that his children received, this faith passed down and an inheritance in the Promised Land. His children, having received the blessings of the covenantal promises, must show themselves true receivers of them, living upon a real and genuine faith. Those that are imposters are to be rooted out. It isn’t ungracious. They receive unique and privileged blessings of the Lord. We should not be surprised that this requires obligations. These obligations aren’t burdensome, but lead us to a true experience of God’s blessing. For those that see them as burdensome, God gives them what they want, their freedom from Him. But they cannot keep the blessings of the covenant without the obligations of the covenant.
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond 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.” (Jos 24:15)
McCheyne’s Bible Reading Plan: Jos 24, Acts 4, Jer 13, Mt 27
