“But Joshua said to the people, ‘You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God.’” (Joshua 24:19 ESV).
In the closing chapter of Joshua, he addressed the people of Israel as they renewed their covenant with the LORD at Shechem. After the people confidently declared their intention to serve the LORD, Joshua responded with a surprising warning. He told them they were not able to serve Him because He is holy and jealous. Joshua was not discouraging obedience but deepening their understanding of it. He exposed the danger of shallow zeal and reminded them that covenant faithfulness to a holy God is not casual or convenient. It required wholehearted devotion. By confronting their overconfidence, Joshua led them to see both God’s holiness and their own inability. This moment revealed a tension that runs throughout Scripture: God is perfectly holy, and His people are not. What Joshua exposed in Israel’s heart pointed forward to the greater need that would one day be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
We may confidently say we will serve the Lord, but we must ask if we truly understand what that means. God’s holiness means that He cannot be approached with divided hearts or empty promises. Like Israel, we are not able to serve Him in our own strength. This is not because God is unreasonable, but because He is holy and we are not. This truth humbles us and leads us to the gospel. What Joshua exposed, Christ resolves. What the law demands, grace supplies. Through Christ, we are not only forgiven but enabled to live for God. As it is written, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8–9). Therefore, we do not rely on our own ability but on God’s grace. We serve Him with hearts transformed and empowered by Christ. So we ask again: Who can serve a holy God? Only those who come by grace through faith in Jesus.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we confess that You are holy and we are not. Forgive us for the times we have tried serving You in our own strength. Help us to see the height of Your holiness and the depth of our need. Thank You for sending Jesus to do what we could not do. By Your grace, enable us to serve You with sincere and devoted hearts. Teach us to depend fully on You each day. In Jesus’ name, amen.