After addressing the Israelite leaders, Joshua travels to Shechem (Joshua 24:1). There, he delivers his farewell address to members of every Israelite tribe. Once again, he exhorts them to remain true to the Lord, just as the Lord had remained true to them.

In his speech, Joshua quotes the Lord (vv. 2-13). Don't miss verse 7, where the Lord says: ″You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians.″ The ″you″ here is a collective second-person plural that refers to some–not all–of the people. More specifically, it refers to those aged 75 and older, a number of whom are revered leaders (see v. 31). Similarly, have you witnessed God's deliverance before? Have you seen His judgment on others? Do not forget them, so that you may continue to ″fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness″ (v. 14).

And as we have seen, the book of Joshua records only half a dozen occasions when people speak to Joshua directly. The second half of today's Bible reading is one of those occasions, and is the most dramatic. If you are reading this with a family member or friend, take turns to read the passage aloud. Give special emphasis to these famous and stirring words: ″But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord″ (v. 15).

Right before this key verse, and again in verse 23, Joshua exhorts the people to rid themselves of idols and foreign gods. Essentially, he is echoing what the patriarch Jacob had said to his household in Genesis 35:2–″Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves.″ Moses and many other Old Testament heroes of the faith had said the same thing. What's more, this theme carries over into the New Testament–in book of Acts, in the epistles, and in the book of Revelation. Idols and false gods have no place in the life of Christians who know, believe, and trust the one true Lord God. It's time to make a clean break with the past!

Also, don't miss Joshua's important last words to the people in Joshua 24:27. In essence, he says: ″Keep your word. Do not break your promises to the Lord God, or you will suffer needlessly.″ His words foreshadow a millennium and a half of Israel's history. Thankfully, Joshua's last words–″it will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God″–do not have to foreshadow our own future. Instead, may you and I carefully love, trust, obey, and serve the Lord faithfully all of our days!