Choose Dis Day

One old man stand under one big oak tree. For im front, as far as im eye fit reach, na di people wey e don lead for years. E get one more thing to talk. And e no be speech. Na question.

Joshua don old well well now, e near di end of one long life. Di wars don finish. Di tribes of Israel don settle for dia own towns, dey farm dia own fields. So Joshua call all of dem come together for Shechem: di elders, di leaders, di judges, di officers, everybody. Shechem na old place, full of memories. Na there God first promise dis land to Abraham, long time ago. And here, Joshua talk for God.

E tell dem dia own story. Long ago, una fathers live for di other side of di big river and dem serve other gods. Then I take una father Abraham come lead am through dis land. I give am Isaac, and Isaac born Jacob and Esau. Jacob family go down to Egypt. I send Moses and Aaron. I bring una comot. When di Egyptians pursue una reach di sea, I put darkness between una and dem, and I bring di sea down on top dem. Una see am with una own eyes. E continue like dat: di wilderness, di battles for east of Jordan, di prophet Balaam wey come to curse but e fit only bless, di walls of Jericho.

Then di line wey suppose make dem look around with wonder come. I give una land wey una no work for, and cities wey una no build, and una dey live inside dem. Una dey chop from vineyards and olive gardens wey una no plant. Everything wey dem get na gift. Not even one small part of dia story start with dem.

And so Joshua come reach di main point. Now fear Di Lord and serve am with all faithfulness. Throw away di gods wey una fathers serve for di other side of di river and for Egypt. But if to serve Di Lord no good for una eye, then choose for una self dis day who una go serve. Di gods wey una fathers serve, or di gods of di people wey una dey live for dia land. E pause small. But as for me and my house, we go serve Di Lord. Di crowd answer one time. God forbid say we go leave Di Lord go serve other gods! E bring us comot from Egypt. We go serve Di Lord.

Now Joshua talk something wey surprise. Una no fit serve Di Lord. E be holy God, jealous God. E no go forgive una rebellion or una sins. If una leave Di Lord go serve foreign gods, e go turn bring disaster on una, after e don do una good. E want make dem understand say dis no be easy yes wey people dey talk because of di excitement of big meeting. But dem insist. No! We go serve Di Lord. Then una be witness against una self, Joshua talk. We be witness. Then throw away di foreign gods wey dey among una, and turn una heart to Di Lord. We go serve Di Lord our God, and we go obey im voice.

Dat day Joshua make covenant with di people. E write di words inside di book of di law of God. Then e take one big stone come set am up under di oak near di holy place. Dis stone don hear everything wey Di Lord talk to us. E go be witness, in case una deny una God. Then e send everybody go house. No long after, Joshua die, and dem bury am for im own land. Dem also bury di bones of Joseph for Shechem, wey dem carry come all di way from Egypt. And Israel serve Di Lord all di days of Joshua, and of di elders wey live pass am.

Plenty scholars don notice say dis chapter follow di shape of covenant agreements from di ancient Near East. Dat agreements dey often start by naming di great king, then dem go tell di history of wetin e don do for di weaker side, then dem go set out wetin e require, and dem go end with witnesses and written record. Joshua twenty-four get all dat pieces: di history, di call to serve only Di Lord, di witnesses, di words wey dem write for book, and even one stone wey dem stand up. Israel for recognise am one time as serious agreement wey bind dem.

Choose Dis Day. You go find am for Joshua chapter twenty-four. Joshua no make di choice for dem. E tell dem wetin God don do, e tell dem wetin e don decide, and e ask dem make dem decide too. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. If person ask you today who you dey serve, wetin your answer go be?