Life has its way of testing our convictions: whether smug with self-confidence, or humbled by hardship, decisions put us back on the spot. Whether sitting on laurels or stewing in failure, our choices reveal our beliefs, even when we are undecided - as not choosing is a choice itself. Paradoxically, life is irrelevant without choices. One could even say the meaning of life rests on a constant stream of decisions, with God as final Appraiser of our life’s examination. Who can deny choices shape the course of events, leading from the past to the present and from the present into the future? Who can deny events hinge on our decisions and witness our beliefs? Since God does nothing in humanly obvious ways, isn’t it possible that life’s trials are intentionally set before us as discreet stress tests of our character?
Three thousand two hundred years ago, in the Israelite fortress of Shechem, Joshua assembled his commanders. He gathered the Twelve Tribes and placed a definitive choice before them.
With an urgency better articulated by later prophets, he proclaimed: “Today you must decide! Yahweh demands exclusive devotion from his people!” They unanimously replied: “We will serve Yahweh, for he is our God!” thus reaffirming the Mosaic belief there is only one God for Israel. To one man they chose to be identified with their faith. They acknowledged the God of the Covenant and accepted their community’s obligation, with its demands on their private and social life. In the security of the fortress, with safety in numbers, maybe their first decision was easy. However, Scripture says their lifetime commitment was tested and the Israelites were often found wanting, just like today we promise and slip, promise again and slip again.
Having reaffirmed the sacred Sinaitic covenant, by affirming to serve Yahweh with sincerity and faithfulness, the Israelites repudiated the Canaanite deities with an enthusiasm that ought to inspire our commitment today. They affirmed to serve Yahweh not only as individuals, but as a cohesive group, realizing that where one fails, many can succeed and prevail. It was at Shechem – under the sacred tree where Abraham erected his thanksgiving altar – that this motley band of refugees established a tribal confederacy and became … the People of God. Through the ages, each generation is invited to make a choice: either stand faithfully with God or embrace the Agencies that oppose him. There is no fence to sit on! We must decide and our minds are perfectly capable of choosing God. Micah expressed it beautifully: “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with Him?”
