Biblical Imagery #1: Joshua 24:14-15

“Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua 24:14-15

One of the things that I’ve been discovering more and more throughout my Christian walk, is how much imagery there is in the Scriptures. This is an example of such imagery. I’ve been attending Soul Survivor conferences in Sydney and Canberra for the last two years, and each time I went, Mike Pilavachi gave his message on, “Jesus in the Old Testament”. The first time I heard this message was during the conference of 2007, at one of the four seminars that were available at a certain time in the program. I chose to see his one, honestly, not because I thought that his message was going to be any good, but because he was very funny! The message was great, and very insightful. To my excitement, and also to my disappointment, he delivered the same message the following year in Canberra, but this time it was at a main meeting. Ever since that first message back in ‘07, I have been interested in the parallels, and the imagery that is hidden amongst the stories of the Old Testament. This one in particular, came to me when I was engaging in my daily reading. I thought it was so good that I had to make a note of it.

“Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: … “,

That’s a life lesson in itself. Learning how to fear, and have reverence for God. This is essentially the meaning of life. The writer doesn’t stop there. He continues,

“ … and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.”

To me, Egypt in the Old Testament is, of course literal, in that it was the homeland of the Israelites for some 400 years. However, it also contains a hidden meaning, or imagery. It is a picture of, “a life without salvation”, “a sinner’s life”, or “a lost life”. The life that every believer once lived before Christ revealed himself to them. He continues by saying,

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: … “

To serve the Lord, and be obedient to his calling is something that we all have to decide for ourselves. It is something that every person on Earth will have to decide upon, at some put in their life. I like it how this passage mentions more than one type of god: the gods on the other side of the flood (Mesopotamia), or the gods of the Amorites. There is only one true God, but there are, indeed, many Earthly things that can become gods over us. Whether it be, money, sex, television, a career, or a hobby. It is important to keep ones priorities right, and to ask one’s self every now and again, “Who am I serving?”.

“ … but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua 24:14-15

That’s all for now. If you have any questions about the Bible, or the Christian faith, please feel free to contact me. I hope this has been an inspiring read! Thanks as always.

Talk to you soon,

Jared