You are not Able
the grace hidden in Joshua's warning
“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness… But Joshua said to the people, ‘You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God.’”
—Joshua 24:14, 19Scripture Reading: Joshua 23-24; Psalm 89
Most of us have heard Joshua’s famous declaration: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” It’s framed on walls and stitched on pillows—a bold, inspiring call to choose faithfulness. It has been preached from pulpits thousands of times. But the next verse rarely makes it onto the embroidery or the average sermon: “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God.”
That feels like a contradiction. Why would Joshua call the people to choose, and then immediately tell them they can't?
The answer reveals something crucial about the gospel.
Joshua had walked with this people for decades. He knew their history, their patterns, and their hearts. And he also knew the holiness of God—not just His power, but His pure, consuming presence. Joshua’s warning is not meant to discourage the people from serving God, but to confront them with a reality they were reluctant to face: they were not strong enough, sincere enough, or faithful enough to do it on their own.
Their response is full of determination: “No! But we will serve the Lord!” But there's no mourning, no awareness of weakness, no cry for mercy. Just resolve. And resolve without repentance is a dangerous thing.
We, too, can fall into that trap—thinking we can serve God in our own strength, thinking holiness is something we can achieve with a bit more discipline. But Joshua's words echo through the centuries to warn us: you are not able.
And that’s the doorway to grace. Grace is where this discouraging word is meant to lead us. Joshua doesn’t say this to leave the people hopeless. He says it so that might ground their hope in something other than their own resolve and efforts.
God doesn’t expect us to serve Him out of our own moral reserves. He never has. The law was given not to make us righteous, but to show us our need for a righteousness we do not have. And in that light, Joshua 24 becomes a shadow of something greater—a longing for someone greater.
Jesus is the better Joshua. He doesn’t just lead us into the Promised Land; He gives us new hearts that can love and serve God. He doesn't just say, "Choose." He says, "Come to me." And He doesn’t leave us to figure it out—He gives us His Spirit, who empowers us to walk in newness of life.
