Lately, there has been a lot of disagreement among good people about historical symbols. In particular, for example, a movement has begun by the NAACP, a petition to have the huge mural on the side of Stone Mountain removed. The sheer enormity of such a folly aside, it is dangerous to sanitize your past so as to forget it.
Here's another example. Even back when I was in primary school our history books sanitized the stories between the colonials and the native peoples of America, choosing to focus on sweet little Thanksgiving dinners. More often what happened is that the conquering Europeans attempted to exterminate the mostly peaceful natives, in the name of Jesus Christ! As a result, many native people in this country have a deep-seated bitterness and hatred for Christianity.
And, finally, a third: the Arab peoples of the middle east, with such leaders as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, contend that the Holocaust never happened. Hard to believe, but yes, that is a widespread meme among the Arab people groups.
We can read in the final chapter of the book of Joshua that he was aware of the potential harm of historical revisionism. In the first 13 verses, Joshua recorded the words of God, presenting the "Clif notes" version of God's work among the Israelites, beginning with Abraham. God was calling His people to remember their past, in order to embrace their future. That call extends to us today.
Verses 14-18 (The Message):
14 “So now: Fear God. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship God.
15 “If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.”
16 The people answered, “We’d never forsake God! Never! We’d never leave God to worship other gods.
17-18 “God is our God! He brought up our ancestors from Egypt and from slave conditions. He did all those great signs while we watched. He has kept his eye on us all along the roads we’ve traveled and among the nations we’ve passed through. Just for us he drove out all the nations, Amorites and all, who lived in the land.
“Count us in: We too are going to worship God. He’s our God.”
"So now:" - - - Because of all the Lord God did for them, "so now". In light of His great love and mercy, fighting for them, giving them the beautiful Promised Land, "so now"...
If we forget or somehow twist our past, our "so now" will be wrong-headed. This is why it is so important to remember accurately and to continue to reflect on the lessons we have learned.
Here in Joshua 24, the people accurately remembered; so, they correctly chose and pledged. They realized that they were (vs. 13) living in "a land for which you did not work, towns you did not build" and "eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant". As a result, their response was godly. They chose and affirmed vehemently that they would serve the Lord God Almighty (Yahweh).
Then, look what Joshua did! He wrote the peoples' decision into an everlasting covenant and then erected a "stone of remembrance", a symbol to help them remember.
25-26 Joshua completed a Covenant for the people that day there at Shechem. He made it official, spelling it out in detail. Joshua wrote out all the directions and regulations into the Book of The Revelation of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak that was in the holy place of God.
27 Joshua spoke to all the people: “This stone is a witness against us. It has heard every word that God has said to us. It is a standing witness against you lest you cheat on your God.”
As Christians, we have the unique gift of God to have our sins eternally forgiven. Therefore, we do not have to remember our past crippled by guilt and pain. We can look back, wearing the rose-colored glasses that are stained with the blood of Jesus - - - remembering our past objectively in order to learn from it and make the appropriate "so now".
Is God asking you to make a "so now" this morning? He "has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). No matter what He is asking, follow His leading and choose well. Erect your "stone of remembrance" and then move forward empowered by His Holy Spirit!
Father, Joshua was a godly man, full of Your wisdom. He knew the carnal predisposition of man. He knew the pitfalls of his people forgetting Your faithfulness and grace. We tend to do the same thing. Please forgive us and empower us to move on from the past into the glorious future you have for each of us. In Jesus' name, amen.
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