"Now, therefore, fear the LORD, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD."
Joshua 24:14
Part 1
Today: To Serve God, We Must Fear God
At the end of his successful life of leading the children of Israel into the Promised Land and conquering it, Joshua renewed the Covenant with the Children of Israel and God at Shechem. Before he dies, Joshua wants to do everything in his power to be sure Israel is doing what God commanded. From the passage, we see that God desired His people’s service, but not just any kind of service will please the Lord. There are stipulations here for serving Him. It would do us well to remember what God expected of His people.
“Now, therefore, fear the LORD.”
Before there can be effective service for God, a person must fear Him. He alone deserves our reverence and worship. The Old Testament word for “fear” that Joshua uses here means, “to fear, revere, be afraid, …to stand in awe of, be awed.” And “to … reverence, honor,” and “respect”[1] (BDB). These things mark the right attitude of God’s child toward Him. It is at this point where our relationship with God can begin.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever” (Psalm 111:10).
Without the “fear of the LORD,” it is impossible to have a personal relationship with Him. This is where real wisdom begins. This also must be where our service begins.
David brings up an interesting point about fearing God in Psalm 130, where he tells us,
“But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” (Psalm 130:4).
The fact that the Lord has forgiven us our sins is reason enough in itself for us to fear Him. Because of His marvelous grace and mercy, we have this relationship with Him that is unlike any other relationship with any other person.
When we have the proper fear of God, then we will be able to serve Him well. But without this deep reverence and respect for Him, no service that we do will be worthy of Him. This goes way beyond our actions and thoughts about God. Fearing Him is all about our heart attitude toward Him.
“And serve Him.”
Israel’s service for God depended upon their willingness to listen and obey what His Word said. Moses made this plain to Israel when he told them,
“Now, therefore, hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you” (Deuteronomy 4:1).
God had shown Israel many things in His care for them. Their service to Him was not a blind leap of faith. They had experienced His safety and blessings repeatedly. They had eaten His manna. They had seen His hand move among them as they conquered this new land. It’s no wonder God said to serve Him “in sincerity and truth.”
Come back tomorrow, and let’s see what it means to serve God “in sincerity and truth.”
Quote: “That thou mayest be feared … The idea is, not that pardon produces fear or terror – for the very reverse is true – but that God, by forgiving the sinner, brings him to reverence Him, to worship Him, to serve Him: that is, the sinner is truly reconciled to God, and becomes a sincere worshipper”[2] (Barnes).
[1] BDB, Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword. Psalm 130:4.