20251230 [새벽묵상] 하나님을 섬기지 말고 하나님만을 섬기라 | Don’t Just Serve God; Serve ONLY God (수/Josh 24:14~24)

24:14 그러므로 이제는 여호와를 경외하며 온전함과 진실함으로 그를 섬기라 너희의 조상들이 강 저쪽과 애굽에서 섬기던 신들을 치워 버리고 여호와만 섬기라

24:15 만일 여호와를 섬기는 것이 너희에게 좋지 안게 보이거든 너희 조상들이 강 저쪽에서 섬기던 신들이든지 또는 너희가 거주하는 땅에 있는 아모리 족속의 신들이든지 너희가 섬길 자를 오늘 택하라 오직 나와 내 집은 여호와를 섬기겠노라 하니

14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

24:16 백성이 대답하여 이르되 우리가 결단코 여호와를 버리고 다른 신들을 섬기기를 하지 아니하오리니

24:17 이는 우리 하나님 여호와께서 친히 우리와 우리 조상들을 인도하여 애굽 땅 종 되었던 집에서 올라오게 하시고 우리 목전에서 그 큰 이적들을 행하시고 우리가 행한 모든 길과 우리가 지나 온 모든 백성들 중에서 우리를 보호하셨음이며

24:18 여호와께서 또 모든 백성들과 이 땅에 거주하던 아모리 족속을 우리 앞에서 쫓아내셨음이라 그러므로 우리도 여호와를 섬기리니 그는 우리 하나님이심이니이다 하니라

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”

24:19 여호수아가 백성에게 이르되 너희가 여호와를 능히 섬기지 못할 것은 그는 거룩하신 하나님이시요 질투하시는 하나님이시니 너희의 잘못과 죄들을 사하지 아니하실 것임이라

24:20 만일 너희가 여호와를 버리고 이방 신들을 섬기면 너희에게 복을 내리신 후에라도 돌이켜 너희에게 재앙을 내리시고 너희를 멸하시리라 하니

19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

24:21 백성이 여호수아에게 말하되 아니니이다 우리가 여호와를 섬기겠나이다 하는지라

24:22 여호수아가 백성에게 이르되 너희가 여호와를 택하고 그를 섬기리라 하였으니 스스로 증인이 되었느니라 하니 그들이 이르되 우리가 증인이 되었나이다 하더라

21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”

22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.

24:23 여호수아가 이르되 그러면 이제 너희 중에 있는 이방 신들을 치워 버리고 너희의 마음을 이스라엘의 하나님 여호와께로 향하라 하니

24:24 백성이 여호수아에게 말하되 우리 하나님 여호와를 우리가 섬기고 그의 목소리를 우리가 청종하리이다 하는지라

23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

                여호수아는 상당한 달변가였던 것 같습니다. 특히 오늘의 본문이 그렇지요. 어제까지는 하나님께서 행하신 구원 역사를 회고했습니다. 그런데 오늘은 어제의 말씀을 근거로 이제 하나님을 섬기라고 주장을 하지요. 그런데 복종을 강요하는 명령을 하는 것이 아니라 이들이 스스로 결단할 수 있게끔 밀고 당기는 모습을 볼 수 있습니다. 그렇다면 그런 수사학을 통해 여호수아가 궁극적으로 말하고자 하는 것은 무엇이었을까요? 오늘은 “하나님을 섬기지말고 하나님만을 섬기라”는 제목으로 여호수아가 말하고자 하는 것을 함께 보기 원합니다.

[Introduction]

Joshua appears to have been an incredibly eloquent orator, and nowhere is this more evident than in today’s passage. Up until yesterday’s text, he was reflecting on the history of salvation—all the great things God had done. But today, based on that history, he makes a powerful argument for serving God.

Interestingly, he doesn’t simply issue a cold command for blind obedience. Instead, we see a sophisticated "push and pull," a rhetorical strategy designed to lead the people to a voluntary and firm decision. What was Joshua’s ultimate goal through this rhetoric? Today, I want to explore Joshua’s heart in a message titled: "Don’t Just Serve God; Serve ONLY God."

                첫번째, 하나님의 선하심에 대한 마땅한 반응은 하나님 만을 섬기는 것입니다. 14절은 “그러므로” 라고 시작합니다. 어제의 말씀인 하나님의 구원의 역사 그 전부를 들었을때 그들이 마땅히 해야하는 반응이 바로 이것이라는 것입니다. 14절을 함께 읽어보겠습니다. “그러므로 이제는 여호와를 경외하며 온전함과 진실함으로 그를 섬기라 너희의 조상들이 강 저쪽과 애굽에서 섬기던 신들을 치워버리고 여호와만 섬기라” 하나님의 선하심을 기억한다면 이제 이들이 마땅히 해야 할 것은 여호와를 경외하고 온전함과 진실함으로 하나님을 섬기는데 바로 그것은 다른 신들을 치워버리고 오직 여호와만 섬기는 것이라는 것입니다. 15절에서는 만일 이런 하나님의 선하심을 듣고도 하나님을 섬기는 것이 마땅하다고 생각이 들지 않는다면 너희가 섬길 자를 오늘 택하라고 말하지요. 다른 생각을 하는 사람들을 다그치는 것이 아니라 생각하게 하지요. 하지만 “오직 나와 내 집은 여호와를 섬기겠노라” 라고 끝맺습니다. 무슨 말입니까? 네가 생각이 다르더라도 나처럼 결정해라, 나의 모범을 따르라 라는 말이지요. 16-18절은 그래서 백성들이 스스로 기억하고 고백합니다. 하나님이 그들을 구원해주셨으며 큰 이적들을 행하셨고 보호하셨으며 대적을 쫓아내셨습니다. 18절, “그러므로 우리도 여호와를 섬기리니, 그는 우리 하나님이심이니이다.” 여호와는 내가 결정한 나의 하나님, 우리의 하나님이시니, 우리도 여호와를 섬기겠습니다, 고백하는 것입니다.

[Point 1: The Only Proper Response to God’s Goodness]

Verse 14 begins with the word "Therefore." This tells us that what follows is the only appropriate response for those who have heard the entire history of God’s saving grace.

Let’s read verse 14 together:

"Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord."

If we truly remember God’s goodness, our natural response must be to fear Him and serve Him in sincerity and truth. But Joshua defines what that service looks like: it means putting away other gods and serving only the Lord.

In verse 15, he takes a unique approach. He says that if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you after hearing of His goodness, then "choose this day whom you will serve." He doesn't harass those who might be wavering; he makes them think. Yet, he concludes with a firm personal stand: "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

In essence, he is saying, "Even if you think differently, look at my life and follow my example." Hearing this, the people remember and confess in verses 16-18. They acknowledge how God saved them, performed miracles, protected them, and drove out their enemies. They declare in verse 18: "Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God."

                두번째, 하나님은 온전함과 진실함으로 섬겨야 합니다. 백성의 결단을 듣고도 여호수아는 19-20절에 이들을 도발합니다. “아냐, 너희들은 섬길 수가 없어. 왜냐면, 하나님은 거룩하시고, 질투하시는 분이시거든. 만약 너희가 다시 우상을 섬기면 너희를 멸하실 것이야.” 여호수아가 이렇게 경고하는 것이 진정 이들이 하나님을 섬기지 말라고 말하는 것일까요? 아니겠지요. 오히려 하나님은 거룩한 분이시고 질투하시는 분이시니 너희는 온전함과 신실함으로 오직 하나님 만을 섬기라고 강조하고 있는 것입니다. 하나님을 섬기겠다고 너희들이 지금 감정적으로 쉽게 결정할지 모르지만, 그것은 쉬운 일이 아니다. 거룩하신 하나님의 기준에 온전히 우리의 삶을 맞추어야한다. 또한 맹렬하신 하나님의 사랑은 우리의 마음이 하나님이 아닌 다른 것에 나뉘는 것을 용서치 않으시니 전적으로 신실하게 하나님만을 섬겨야 한다. 이것을 너희가 정녕 할 수 있겠느냐? 라는 도전이지요. 그 도전에 그들은 결단합니다. 22절 “너희가 여호와를 택하고 그를 섬기리라 하였으니 스스로 증인이 되었느니라” 그들은 이제 하나님만을 섬기는 언약적 구속에 그들 자신이 증인이 되었습니다. 결단을 내렸다면 그 다음에 해야할 일은 명확합니다. 23절, “그러면 이제 너희 중에 있는 이방 신들을 치워버리고 너희의 마음을 이스라엘의 하나님 여호와께로 향하라” 앞의 14절과 같은 말씀이지요. 하나님을 섬긴다고 하면서 함께 이들 마음에 두고 있었던 다른 신들을 치워버리고 이제는 오직 여호와만을 온전함과 진실함으로 섬겨야 하는 것입니다. 24절, “그의 목소리를 우리가 청종”하여야 하는 것입니다.

[Point 2: Serve Him with Integrity and Sincerity]

Even after hearing their decision, Joshua provokes them further in verses 19-20. "No, you cannot serve Him! Because God is holy and He is a jealous God. If you forsake Him and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you."

Is Joshua really trying to stop them from serving God? Certainly not. Rather, he is emphasizing that because God is holy and jealous, you must serve Him with absolute integrity.

It’s as if he is issuing a challenge: "You might be making an emotional, easy decision right now to serve God, but it is not a light matter. You must align your entire life with the standards of a holy God. Furthermore, God’s fierce love does not tolerate a divided heart. Can you truly give Him your total, exclusive faithfulness?"

The people respond to this challenge with a firm commitment. In verse 22, Joshua says, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him." They are now bound by a covenantal commitment of their own making.

Once the decision is made, the next step is clear. Verse 23 says: "Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel." This mirrors verse 14. If you say you serve God, you must clear out the "other gods" you’ve been keeping in the corners of your heart. Finally, as verse 24 says, "The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey."

                말씀을 맺습니다. 여러분은 하나님을 섬기고 계십니까? 아니면 하나님만을 섬기고 계십니까? 올 한 해를 돌아보시면서 여러분 중에 있었던 다른 신들은 무엇이었습니까? 여호수아는 말합니다. “너희가 섬길 자를 오늘 택하라.” 이 시간 다시 한 번 여러분의 마음을 돌아보시고 온전함과 진실함으로 하나님 만을 섬기기로 결단하시는 여러분 되시기를 주님의 이름으로 축원합니다.

[Conclusion]

Let me ask you today: Are you serving God? Or are you serving only God?

As you look back on this past year, what were the "other gods" that occupied space in your heart? Joshua’s challenge remains the same today: "Choose this day whom you will serve."

I pray that you will search your hearts once more and make the firm decision to serve only the Lord with all sincerity and truth. May you be a people who incline your hearts fully to Him. Amen.