Far be it for us to forsake the Lord our God for the service of other gods...we will serve the Lord, for he is our God. The Book of Joshua from which today’s First Reading has been taken is the first of the six books (Joshua, Judges, I & II Samuel, and I & II Kings) that tell the story of the children of Israel as they settled in the promised land after being freed from slavery in Egypt. But the book of Joshua does more than presenting us with a report of what took place even as the Israelites settled in Canaan. The book of Joshua is also a treatise on the faithfulness of God who never fails to fulfill his promises. Joshua, the hero after which the book is named, succeeded Moses as the leader of the community. It was under the leadership of Joshua that the Israelites finally set foot in Canaan, the land that God had promised their ancestors. Joshua proved to be a worthy successor of Moses.
Joshua’s responsibility as a leader of the community was both political and religious. In addition to leading his people as they conquered and settled in the promised land, he was also charged with ensuring that the community remained faithful to the Lord and to the covenant. One way of achieving this was to constantly remind the people of all that the Lord had done for them ever since the days of their great fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The mighty deeds of the Lord on behalf of the community were to be taught by fathers to their children so as to ensure that the deeds of the Lord were part of the community’s history. The community’s survival and prosperity depended on a faithful remembrance of God’s mighty deeds on her behalf. The terms of the covenant called for God to always act on behalf of the community (I will be your God) and the community to always remain faithful to God by continually remembering God’s acts. It is this that Joshua wanted to leave as his legacy: making sure the community never forgot her past. A prosperous future of the community could only be built upon a glorious past that was committed to the memory.  
Today’s reading is taken from the final chapter of the book that details the last days of Joshua. In what appears to be his last act as the community’s leader, Joshua gathers the community not to say his goodbyes but rather to lead the community in renewing their commitment to God’s commands (cf. Deuteronomy 6:10-12). After listening to the words of the Lord that recalled how God has accompanied the community since the call of Abraham, the community proceeded to renew their commitment (vv. 16ff). It is at the beginning of the renewal of the covenant that we encounter the above introductory words (Far be it for us to forsake the Lord our God...we will serve the Lord, for he is our God). The words, though not directly coerced by Joshua, were nonetheless elicited when he outlined for the people what their responsibility as partners to the covenant was. Joshua had made it clear to them that they were free to chart their own destiny. They were free to make a choice between continuing to serve the one true God or switch their allegiance to the gods their ancestors had worshipped in Egypt. The people chose to continue serving the Lord their God. It is worth noting the reasons for their choice: the wonders the Lord God had done for them in the past. They did not choose God because of what God had promised to do for them in the future. They had no idea regarding what the future held for them. However, based on the past, they had a pretty good idea that whatever the future held, they were sure of facing it with hope and courage because the Lord their God would be standing by their side.
Serving the Lord is not about what we do or what we have promised to do for the Lord. It is not about how many hours I have promised to spend in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Serving the Lord is not about how many Sundays and holy days of obligation that I will remember to keep holy. Serving the Lord is not about how many times I will fast or help those in need. As much as these are part of our faith life and as such are important, observing them does not constitute serving God. Rather, serving God is all about being obedient to God. Serving God is all about calling to mind what God has done for us so that we can obey God's voice in the here and now. It is this remembrance that compels us to be obedient and faithful to God and God's commands. When I call to mind what God has wrought in my life, it becomes easy to keep and observe God's commands.