So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be for a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us; thus it shall be for a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God.”
– Joshua 24:25-27
Decades now into my marriage, I am still happy to wear a wedding ring. The one I have now is not the original golden band, but rather one of the silicone rings that have become popular. While the ring itself is by no means attractive, it still serves as a sign to the world that I am bound in covenant to my wife. It also serves as a visible reminder to me that, so many years ago, I made a commitment to a beautiful woman to be her husband. I haven’t been a perfect husband by any means, but that doesn’t mean the promises have lost their force. And that is a truth that needs to be remembered. Being reminded is a good thing. My little silicone ring does just that.
After the fatal error with Achan back in chapter 7, Joshua and the Israelites got back on track. God blessed them with victory after victory until, by the end of the Book of Joshua, the tribes had settled in the land. Chapter 24, the last chapter in the book, serves as kind of a farewell speech for Joshua. He reminded the Israelites of their patriarchal history, how the Lord had chosen them and given them favor through their generations. In light of this, he charges them to make a decision about their future. If we think of it in terms of a marriage, Joshua asks whom they want to take as a spiritual spouse, “to have and to hold from this day forward” as it were. Would it be the gods their ancestors served in generations past, or the gods of the people whom they have driven out of Canaan? Or would it be Yahweh? “Whatever it will be,” Joshua says, “choose now.” Joshua takes his stand with his familiar words (Joshua 24:15), “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Predictably, the people say they will serve the Lord. Even after some surprisingly skeptical pushback from Joshua, the Israelites remained unwavering in their promise to keep Yahweh as their one and only God. Hearing these words, Joshua took a large stone and stood it up under an oak tree near the sanctuary of the Lord in Shechem (Joshua 24:26). In the same spirit as the stones they took from the river Jordan after crossing, Joshua says “this stone shall be a witness against us.” Not for us, but against us. The stone is witness to the covenant that God has given to the people. The stone would be for them a visible reminder of God’s covenant, and a silent prophetic voice to remind them when they break the covenant.
We already know the promises of the people will not last. The very next book of the Bible, the Book of Judges, is a rather sad account of Israel’s cyclic apostasy. It makes me wonder, through their generations, how often someone passed that standing stone in Shechem and remembered the vows made by their ancestors. Did it provoke any remembrance of the mighty acts of God that brought them to the land in the first place? Any grief and repentance over their abandonment of the vows made? Maybe people just quit looking at the stone, learned to conveniently turn their eyes away and pretend it wasn’t there. It would be little wonder if that were the case. Joshua’s words would be fulfilled; the stone would become a witness against them. Seeing the stone would remind them of their failure to keep covenant with the Lord.
From another perspective, the stone would have been for them a reminder of God’s faithfulness. Even if their own promises had been broken, the Lord’s would never be. One amazing thing about the Lord is, through generations of having His people turn away, God always was working to draw their hearts back to Him. The same holds true for us. “Even if we are faithless, He remains faithful” (2 Timothy 2:13). Part of His faithfulness is to break our hearts when we have chosen disobedience, to stir us into alertness when we have drifted into spiritual slumber. As the Church, you and I have not been the perfect bride of Christ. But the Holy Spirit is not finished working with us yet. The good work He began in us will be brought to completion in the Day of Christ (Philippians 1:6).
Many of us can remember a day when we made covenantal promises to Jesus. We were questioned by a pastor and stood in front of a congregation who were charged to hold us accountable to our commitment. In the moment, we meant every word we said. Maybe you have a reminder of that day on a shelf or stored in a drawer, perhaps a baptismal token or a Bible with your name on it. Whatever it is, it is a visible reminder of a choice you made regarding who would be the sole recipient of your worship and your devotion. If there was such a day for you sometime in the past, I invite you today to take notice of something that can serve as a visible reminder of your promise. It could be the Bible you are presently using, or a worship bulletin lying around your home. Take whatever time necessary to put your eyes on a visible reminder of the day you made a choice. Then ask yourself two questions.
Has the Lord been faithful to His promises for me?
How well have I kept my promises?
If your answer to the first question makes you feel better than your answer to the second, consider what step you can take to renew your commitment to the Lord.
See you along the Winding Path.
The Winding Path 