Don't Mention it

Feb.12

Read: Joshua 23

Don’t Mention It

“…that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, but you shall cling to the LORD your God just as you have done to this day.” (v.6-8)

“Don’t mention it.” Have you ever heard that phrase before? Maybe you say it to someone when they are paying you a compliment or saying thanks for something you have done for them. Maybe it is more of a turn of phrase when we have something we want to forget and someone else is bringing it up. In literature and film, there are evil characters who are so bad that a group of people all agree to not even say the name of the villain; it is as if mentioning their name summons them or gives them strength some how. There is a little bit of truth to this though. Imagine if you hear your name called out in a store or parking lot. You for sure stop, turn around, and may even move towards where you heard it come from… a form of “summoning” I suppose.

“A long time afterward, when the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, Joshua summoned all Israel…” (v.1,2) One of the things he warned them against was becoming ensnared in the worship and influence of the competing gods in the land… the gods of the people of Canaan. Joshua went so far as to say to not even “mention the names of their gods”. Don’t even say their names. The rest of the list progresses and sees more obvious… don’t swear by them or serve them or bow down to them in worship. But Joshua went so far as to say, don’t even say their names. You see, in a way it is true - to mention ones name is to summon them and if they are around… they will probably come near. The same is true for the people of God living in the midst of these competing “elohim”. The distinction and separation between the people of God and these competing gods that they live in proximity to is extreme… this is serious business.

As I sit here this morning thinking about this passage I am reminded of the Super Bowl last night. The entire spectacle of it all… the game itself and the marketing / ads cooked into it. Everyone is competing to get YOU to say their name. These players, teams, companies, celebrities, and the entire lot want the people chanting their name. I do not mean to say that the Super Bowl is evil or bad… but what I DO mean to say is that we indeed live in the midst of our own set of gods that are competing for our worship. Like the Israelites in Canaan, we too are surrounded on all sides by lesser gods that seek to ensnare us, control us, and drain us of our worship. What is Joshua’s advice / the advice of the scriptures?: Don’t even mention their names. Who or what is it that we “swear by”… “serve”… or “bow down to”? Whose name(s) are on our lips… whose names do we mention and talk about? Who is it that we are summoning and calling to draw near? Do we even believe that it is important enough that we pay attention to it? Joshua seemed to think so in regard to the people of God in Canaan… maybe it is good advice for us as well. Here is some good news though…

It works both ways! When we call upon the name of the LORD he comes near as well:

“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21, Joel 2:28-32)

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you…” (James 4:8) 

When we mention the name of God… it draws us in towards him. When we talk about God and HIS name is on our lips it shapes who we bow down to, swear by, and serve. As the people of God - we “cling to the LORD our God” and seek to “be very strong to keep and to do all that” he has called us to. (v.6,7) Does that make sense? Good devo? Don’t mention it! LOL. Love you guys. - JDP