Witnesses Against Yourselves - Joshua 24:22

In the book of Joshua, we learned how Joshua said to the people of Israel, “You cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If you forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he has done you good. And the people said unto Joshua, No; but we will serve the LORD”, and in chapter twenty-four and verse twenty-two of Joshua, “Joshua said unto the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen you the LORD” where we read, 

And Joshua said unto the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.

The verse reads, “And Joshua said unto the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen you the LORD, to serve him.” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and Joshua said unto the people” which means “and Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation uttered, declared and proclaimed to the human beings of Israel”, “you are witnesses” or “you, the people of Israel give testimony and evidence” “against yourselves” which means “averse toward your own selves” “that you have chosen you the LORD” or “that you, the people of Israel, have elected and selected Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God”, “to serve him” which means “to worship, labor and work for him, Jehovah God”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” told the human beings of Israel that they were giving testimony averse to their own self that they selected Jehovah God to labor, work for and worship Him.

The verse goes on to say, “And they said, We are witnesses.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and they said” which means “and they, the people of Israel, uttered, declared and proclaimed”, “we are witnesses” or “we, the people of Israel, exist as ones who testify, bear record and have evidence”. Joshua or the writer shared how the people of Israel declared that they were giving testimony and evidence that they would “serve” Jehovah God. 

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how “Joshua” told the people of Israel that they were giving testimony their own selves to the fact that they would “serve” Jehovah God, and the people of Israel confirmed they would indeed bear record of it. God is committed to us, and He wants us to be committed to Him. He gave His Only Begotten Son Jesus to be crucified on the cross for the sins of all mankind and to be raised from the dead after three days so when we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and equip us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and give us the ability to bear “witness” of Him in the world. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8)

Next time Joshua or the writer shares how Joshua says, “put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".