Funeral: "The Decision to serve the Lord" (Josh 24:15)

FUNERAL MEDITATION: "THE DECISION TO SERVE THE LORD" (Josh 24:15)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2008

This was delivered by Pastor Manuel at his father's funeral.

We value our independence, the ability to make decisions, both great and small. While the smaller decisions—the music we enjoy or the clothes we wear—have little affect on the course of our lives, the larger decisions—whom we marry or what job we take—can have a profound affect, on our present as well as on our future…on us as well as on others. This is especially so for the choice everyone must make, whether positively or negatively, whether by deliberation or by default—The Decision to Serve the Lord.

 

After the initial conquest of Canaan, the Israelites are ready to begin their settlement of the land. It marks the realization of a 500 year-old promise God made to their ancestors. It also marks the culmination of a forty-year pilgrimage in the wilderness, a delay in the fulfillment of that promise because of their disobedience to God. As they begin this new adventure, Joshua, Israel’s leader, challenges the people to review and, if necessary, to revise their loyalties. He says:

“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Josh 24:15)

In issuing this challenge, Joshua alludes to his own choice. Whatever they decide, he and his household will serve God. It is a significant choice, but it is not a sudden

one, because…

 

I. Joshua made the decision to serve the LORD early.

 

We do not know when Joshua’s commitment to God began, but his first appearance in scripture, aiding Moses, was as “a young man” (Exod 33:11). Consequently, this was a decision he made early in life and, as later references show, it was a firm commitment, one that kept him from the troubles others of his generation encountered. When many Israelites grew disillusioned with the course God laid out, Joshua remained faithful and “followed the LORD fully” (Num 32:12). As a result, God allowed him to enter the Promised Land, while others did not.

 

Dad also made a commitment to God as a young man and, as one mark of that decision, he often mentioned his having taken the Methodist [Temperance] Pledge in the 1930s, which included a vow to abstain from alcohol. He did not consider it a way to earn favor with God but simply an expression of his devotion to God. It, too, was a firm commitment, a promise he took very seriously, and one that kept him and his family from many of the troubles those less disciplined encountered. It is also one his children have followed and from which we have reaped the same benefits.

In this way, Dad was a little like Joshua, who made the decision to serve the LORD early. Moreover…

 

II. Joshua modeled the decision to serve the LORD consistently.

 

The Bible offers little information about Joshua’s family (apart from mentioning Nun, his father). We know neither the name of his wife nor the number of his children, who are now grown with families of their own when Joshua issues his challenge. What we do know is that he regards them as part of his commitment to God: “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” At a time when Israel’s religious devotion is still uncertain, with many yet clinging to idolatry, Joshua sets an example for others, not just by himself but with his family.

 

This was Dad’s favorite biblical passage. He found it on a small plaque, which he placed in our home, and which has been there as long as I can remember. When one Christmas (my wife) Linda presented him with a larger version she had stitched, he was thrilled and hung it prominently by the front door. Many parents send their children to church, hoping that institution will provide a much-needed moral compass for them. When we were young, Dad did not send us to church; he took us to church, and there we saw what he considered most important, especially the place of music in worship. As we accepted increasingly greater roles, that brought him great satisfaction, for he saw the fulfillment of his favorite biblical passage in his own family.

 

In this way, as well, Dad was a little like Joshua, who modeled the decision to serve the LORD consistently.

 

Solomon said. “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children” (Prov 13:22a). Most people would probably assume he meant a financial legacy, but of far greater value was the spiritual legacy Dad left in the decision he made early and that he modeled consistently—The Decision to Serve the Lord.

For a pdf see here.