Time Out, Episode 55

Text: Joshua 24:1-28
Hymn: 528, All Mankind Fell in Adam’s Fall
Kretzmann Commentary: Joshua

Joshua 24:15, with some exclusions, is the stuff of T-shirts and songs:

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.

The statement in context is much more than a simple challenge to choose to serve God. It comes at the end of a long list of great things that God has done for the Israelites. After the deliverance from Egypt, the thwarting of Balaam’s curse, the battle of Jericho, the settlement of cities pre-built for their use, and other major actions, how could the Israelites not serve God? This isn’t just some god who demands obedience and takes pleasure in punishing people who don’t meet his arbitrary standards. This is a God who has done great things for His people, and it is merely proper that Israel serve Him out of gratitude for His mercy upon them. It is repugnant for Israel to hold on to other gods and give lip service to the Almighty.

We have our own gods. The Father sacrificed His Son that we may be adopted sons and daughters, and we fail to do the things He asks in gratitude for His mercy. The Son hung on a cross for us, and we go about our lives, lying, gossiping, stealing, cheating, lusting, coveting, et cetera. That’s gratitude for us, isn’t it. We would desire to throw away or pervert the gifts God has given us, as if his forgiveness is our license to do evil. We should be ashamed. What Joshua tells Israel in verse 19 applies to us: outside of Christ, we are not able to serve the holy and jealous God.

Yet that cross that we would toss paid for our idolatry. Every day, we confess and repent, and he forgives us those disgusting things that we do and gives us deeds to be done that are good in Christ. We thank and praise, serve and obey Him in gratitude for the spending of God’s deserved wrath on His Son. We repent and quit our own gods, we receive his assurance that our sins are forgiven, we live our lives in accordance with His commandments as best we can, and the cycle continues daily. God has done great things for us and continues to give repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

All Mankind Fell in Adam’s Fall

1. All mankind fell in Adam’s fall;
   One common sin infects us all;
   From one to all the curse descends,
   And over all God’s wrath impends.
2. Through all our powers corruption creeps
   And us in dreadful bondage keeps;
   In guilt we draw our infant breath
   And reaps its fruits of woe and death.
3. From hearts depraved, to evil prone,
   Flow thoughts and deeds of sin alone;
   God’s image lost, the darkened soul
   Seeks not nor finds its heavenly goal.
4. But Christ, the second Adam, came
   To bear our sin and woe and shame,
   To be our life, our light, our way,
   Our only hope, our only stay.
5. As by one man all mankind fell
   And, born in sin, was doomed to hell,
   So by one Man, who took our place,
   We all were justified by grace.
6. We thank You, Christ; new life is ours,
   New light, new hope, new strength, new powers:
   This grace our ev’ry way attend
   Until we reach our journey’s end.