Renewing Your Vows. (Joshua 24: 1-28)

"Renewing Your Vows" (Joshua 24:1-28)

Welcome to today’s episode! In the spirit of renewing our commitments, we explore Joshua’s powerful call for Israel to reaffirm its covenant with God. Just as couples renew their marriage vows to recommit to one another, Joshua challenges the nation—and us—to reflect on God’s gracious acts and to renew our own spiritual vows. Join us as we rediscover the joy of wholeheartedly choosing to serve the Lord, today and every day.

Episode Notes

• Historical and Spiritual Context:
  • Joshua gathers all the tribes at Shechem—a place steeped in biblical significance—to recount God’s mighty deeds from Abraham to the deliverance from Egypt and the conquest of the land.
  • This setting, rich with memories of divine intervention and covenant, makes it the perfect place for a renewed commitment.
• Key Themes and Points:
  • Remembering God’s Faithfulness:
    • Joshua reminds the people of God’s work in rescuing their forefathers, delivering them from Egypt, and providing for them in a land they did not labor for.
    • The narrative underscores that every blessing in their lives is a result of God’s grace.
  • Renewing Your Commitment:
    • Joshua’s address is essentially a call to renew the covenant—a spiritual vow to serve the Lord wholeheartedly.
    • The people are invited to make a conscious decision to forsake idols and reaffirm their allegiance to God.
  • Practical Application for Today:
    • Just as the Israelites renewed their vows, we too can take a moment to reflect on our own spiritual journey.
    • Consider writing down or verbally affirming your renewed commitment to follow the Lord, ensuring that nothing—no worldly idol—takes precedence over God.
  • The Dual Call – Love and Fear:
    • Joshua commands the people to love the Lord, serve Him faithfully, and fear Him in the sense of reverence and respect.
    • This balanced approach reminds us that while God’s grace is abundant, our commitment must be deliberate and unyielding.
• Action Steps:
  • Reflect on the ways God has transformed your life and delivered you from past struggles.
  • Evaluate any modern-day idols that might be distracting you from a deeper relationship with Him.
  • Consider renewing your spiritual vows—whether by writing them down, praying over them, or sharing them with a trusted friend—as a tangible reminder of your commitment.

Thank you for joining us on this journey of renewed commitment. May the truths of Joshua 24 inspire you to say, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord,” every single day. Enjoy the episode!

Transcript

Renewing Your Vows. (Joshua 24:1-28)

Transcript: 

The idea of a couples renewing their marriage vows is growing in popularity. I hear in the US some couples, on their silver or golden anniversaries, sometimes hold an additional marriage ceremony, symbolically declaring, “If we had to do it all over again, we would choose the same love.” 

This idea of renewing vows isn’t a limited to marriages, it speaks to our spiritual journey as well. Many of you, as believers in Jesus Christ, have at one point resolved in your heart to try and walk more closely with the Lord.

Today, I want to suggest that whether you made that initial commitment to follow the Lord recently, or long ago, that sometimes is worthing consider renewing your spiritual vows again and reaffirming your dedication to the Lord. Tanking a moment to say to yourself and God something along the lines of, “Lord, I am still serious about following You.” This is because the very invitation Joshua extended to the nation of Israel in Joshua 24…

Today we turn our attention to Joshua 24 and were covering the first 28 verses of the chapter. Before diving into the passage itself, I want to highlight two introductory points:

First, Joshua’s declaration here takes the form of the sort of treaties recorded at that time in other situations.

Archaeologists have uncovered secular treaties from Joshua’s time, particularly among the Hittites, between the king and his subjects. These treaties, which were periodically renewed, and they typically followed a format similar to what we see here.

The format used opens with a preamble, then a historical prologue, and finally then the stipulations of the agreement. 

Many Bible scholars have noted that Joshua 24 follows such a pattern. 

Secondly: Please note the significance of Shechem as the place this statement is heard:

Joshua begins by gathering all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, calling together the elders, heads, judges, and officers to present themselves before God. We studied that yesterday. 

Now he speaks to the general population

This location is highly significant. Although the Tabernacle was at Shiloh at this time, Shechem also held a deep historical and spiritual meaning. It lies between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim and was the very spot where, long ago, Abraham received God’s promise and where Jacob purified his household by discarding idols. 

Moreover, after Israel first entering the land, the nation gathered at Shechem and vowed to serve the Lord. This historical backdrop makes Shechem an ideal setting for renewing one’s vows in the same place.

With these points in mind, let’s examine how Joshua led Israel into a renewal of their commitment. 

24:1 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.’

(Joshua 24: 1-13)

These first 13 verses of the chapter record Joshua’s address to the whole nation and it can be summarized as a call to remember all that God has done in their lives. 

These verses begin by recounting the story of Abraham and trace the work of God from Abraham’s time right up to Joshua’s own era. As Joshua recalls all of God’s mighty deeds, he highlights four key points:

1. The Call out of Idolatry:

Joshua reminds them that God called their forefathers from Ur of the Chaldees, a place that was saturated with and surrounded by idolatry. Notice the phrase “and they” indicates that Abraham’s own ancestors served these other gods.

Although Genesis doesn’t portray Abraham or his immediate family as idolaters, this passage suggests to me that some in the origins of his family line were linked to idolatry. 

Joshua uses this reminder to show that God’s call can come to people even those who live in the middles of a society filled with the false worship of other Gods.

2. Deliverance from Egypt:

Joshua then recalls that God not only called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but also delivered Israel, the whole nation, from Egypt. 

God declares, “I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt in accordance with what I did among them; then I brought you out.” Here, the repeated use of “I” emphasizes that these victories were entirely the work of God.

3. God has Blessed Israel:

The third point Joshua makes is that God blessed Israel. In verse 8, he talks about God has walks with them throughout Israel’s history, reminding them that time and again, how God worked powerfully in their midst. 

So, First, He called their forefathers even when they were surrounded by idolatry. Then, He delivered them from Egypt. Next, He blessed them in the wilderness by giving them victory over their enemies.

4. God led them to Freedom and Victory.

Finaly the fourth point Joshua makes is that God led them into the land. 

In verse 12, he says, “I sent the Hornet ahead of you,” a figure of speech illustrating how God intervened to drive the enemies away. He then adds, “I have given you a land for which you did not work for, and cities which you did not build; you now live in, and you eat of the vineyards and the olive groves which you did not plant.” These words encapsulate the entire message of the 13 verses: 

The same stands for us today. God has worked in your life, and it was dome entirely by His grace, not by your own efforts. He called you when you were mired in idolatry, delivered you out of the slavery of sin, blessed you during your wilderness wanderings, and provided for you when you were too weak to fight on your own.

Joshua’s recuring emphasizes is on God’s grace. He repeatedly declares, that God did this for us,” making it clear that all the blessings were unmerited. And he calls for the people to remember what God has done for them. 

I encourage you to set aside time, at some point to reflect on your own life and remember the “pit” from which you were lifted. Much like the psalmist in Psalm 40, talks about being rescued from the mirey clay and set upon a rock.

Reflecting back on the moment we first experienced God’s grace can be a powerful reminder of how God’s has continued to shape your life.

Joshua’s message is clear: remember how graciously God has treated you. That is the foundation on which you should renew your vows to the Lord. 

In the next part of the chapter, verses 14 to 24, Joshua will speak to the people, and they respond in turn, call by call, section by section, to what he says. 

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.” 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.” 19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” 21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied. 23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

(Joshua 24: 14-24)

I like to think of it as a series of rounds. 

In round one, verse 14, Joshua commands saying. “Based on what God has done in your life, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity, and cast away the false gods.” 

He reminds them that their fathers served the Lord even on the other side of the river and in Egypt. 

Then, he poses a challenge to them: "Select today who you will serve, choose either the gods that your ancestors, then adding but as for me and and my household, we will serve the Lord."

This call to renew vows isn’t just a historical reminder, it’s an invitation for everyone, even us today to reexamine our commitment to God. 

Yes reflect on the pass and remember God’s grace, the grace He has poured out on your life and let that remembrance compel you to serve Him wholeheartedly in the future.

Joshua is urging the people to choose once again to serve the Lord. 

This isn’t a new decision, but a renewal of the commitment they made previously  He calls on them to reaffirm their original vow to serve God wholeheartedly. 

But within this vow Joshua also instructs them to "fear the Lord." While the word for fear can imply being terrified, here it more accurately denotes reverence, awe, and respect. He isn’t demanding that they tremble in terror, but rather that they approach God with sincere, genuine devotion and awe, serving Him in sincerity and truth. 

This is reminiscent of what Jesus later described in John 4, where it says God seeks worshipers who come in spirit and truth.

Along with this call to wholehearted service, Joshua commands them to put away the gods their forefathers worshiped on the other side of the river. Although there’s no indication that rampant idol worship was occurring right at that moment, Joshua’s warning is preventative. 

The essence of his refrains are clear: choose to serve the Lord and remove any potential for divided loyalties in the future.

Joshua then challenges them with a personal example. He says, you must decide for yourself, choose whom you will serve. In other words, if you have any reservations, if the cost or demands of following the Lord seem too high, then make a clear decision. 

He concludes with the powerful declaration, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." In response, the people affirm their commitment by saying, "Far be it from us to forsake the Lord and serve other gods." They renew what they had already promised at Shechem, in Exodus and previously way back in chapter 8 of Joshua, in the form of this renewed reaffirmed covenant of what they had said before in the past. 

(Remember, while the Abrahamic covenant was irrevocable, the Mosaic covenant, seen here, required regular renewal.)

This call to renewal I believe invites us, also to periodically declare, "I will serve the Lord." 

In our spiritual lives—as in our marriages—we must be willing to say to the ones we love, "I still love you and I’ll commit and serve the Lord," rather than just resting on on our laurels of a decision made long ago.

Joshua’s message comes to them in the form of calls and response, but after the initial call, he reiterates a warning. In verse 17, he reminds them that the Lord is a holy and a jealous God who will not overlook sin or transgression. He warns that if they forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and bring harm upon them.

This heavy warning, further explained in verses 18 through 20, makes it clear that the consequences of breaking this covenant are severe, the results can be disastrous.

Joshua’s challenge is as relevant today as it was then: we must actively choose to follow God every day, renewing our vows to Him in spirit and in truth, or face the consequences of turning away from His faithful care.

Joshua is saying that if you decide to serve the Lord wholeheartedly, He will do you good, but once you commit, you must follow through. 

Son the first round of his address, Joshua urges the people to choose to support the Lord. 

Then, in the second round, he calls on them to consider the serious consequences of that choice.

This is much like Jesus’ call to us “count the cost” of discipleship: Following the Lord involves trials, temptations, self-denial, and sacrifice. Joshua warns us that God is a holy God and He cannot abide sin. Therefore, you must decide with sober resolve to serve Him fully.

The people respond in verse 21, saying, “We will serve the Lord,” affirming that they will not serve idols. After this commitment, Joshua presses further and reminds them: “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord for yourselves to serve Him.” 

It’s as if he’s asking them to confirm their decision, much like someone asking you to sign a contract as proof of your commitment. Their confirmation, their “signature,” is a declaration that they have truly made this decision.

Then the people reply, “The Lord our God, we will serve His voice; we will obey.” 

Final section, which is a summary of what has just happened. Verses 25-28.

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. 26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord. 27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.

(Joshua 24: 25-28)

So, finally, in verses 25 through 28, Joshua formalizes this renewed covenant. He makes it a statute and ordinance at Shechem by doing two significant things: 

First, he writes these words in the Book of the Law of God—a record likely kept in the Ark of the Covenant at the Tabernacle. 

Second, he takes a large stone and sets it up under the oak near the sanctuary of the Lord, declaring, saying, “This stone shall be a witness to us, lest you deny your God.” This memorial stone serves as a permanent reminder of their renewed commitment.

What Joshua is doing here is clear: He is urging the people to remember God's gracious acts in their past and, based on that, to renew their commitment to Him. He wants them to consciously record and confirm their decision to serve the Lord. 

In our own lives, this means we should periodically reflect on the grace God has shown us and then reaffirm our decision to follow Him. Joshua’s example challenges us to make our commitment permanent and record it in our hearts and live it out every day.

When a child is born, we receive a birth certificate that records that moment forever. However, even if you’ve already made your decision to follow the Lord, it’s wise to remind yourself of that decision again today. 

So, today, this year, make up your mind and say again: “I’m going to serve the Lord. I’m going to honor Him, fear Him, obey Him.” Maybe consider getting out a piece of paper and writing it down. Maybe turn to one of those blank pages at the frount or back of your Bible and write down today’s date and record your renewed commitment to serve the Lord.

This simple act of remembering all that God has done in is an important thing to do but you should also use that remembrance to call you to again commit to following Him wholeheartedly in the future. 

Then, why not record that vow somewhere as a lasting reminder of your promise.

But before doing that remember and consider any idols you might have in your life. Not just physical ones, which many of us likely do not have, but the idols in our hearts. Perhaps you find that certain possessions or even aspects of your lifestyle have become idols. 

Today some people worship a fancy car they own. Some men devote hours, oiling, polishing, their car treating it and lavishing more attention on it than they do their wives. Some people take an unhealthy pride in owning an amazing house, or even a successful job or their sporting achievements. 

It's wonderful when God blesses us materially but it does matter what the thing in your life become the things taken the place of God in our hearts?

Today, I’m asking you to reflect on your life and to ask yourself: are there idols in your heart that need to be set aside? 

If so, it’s time to decide once again that you will serve the Lord.

This is not always an easy decision. Following the Lord requires sacrifice, self-denial, and sometimes even conflict. But it is the only way to experience the fullness of His blessings. 

Maybe some of you listening to me today may feel you need to say, “Today, I choose to serve the Lord.”

Record that decision. Let it be a personal contract, a reminder of your commitment to worship and obey God above all else. 

Renew your vow and let it resonate in your heart by saying again: “I will serve the Lord.”