Museum of the Bible CEO urges a return to faithfulness amidst today's divisiveness.

Choose today whom you will serve, either the gods of your ancestors beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you currently reside. For me and my family, we will serve the Lord.

The Book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Old Testament, is named after Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, according to the website Bible Gateway.

The 24th chapter of Joshua is considered a significant passage in Scripture, where traditional rituals disrupt contemporary practices to restore devoted worship to God, according to Carlos Campo, PhD, in an interview with Planet Chronicle Digital.

The Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. is led by Campo as its CEO.

The passage's formal call for a response and its focus on our need for constant reminders of God's actions make it powerful for me, he stated.

In the chapter, Joshua leads the Israelites in a "covenant renewal ceremony" at a location that holds great significance for them.

In Genesis 12, Abram first meets the Lord and enters into a covenantal relationship with him at Shechem, where Joshua had everyone meet.

In Genesis 33, Jacob pitched his tent for 100 pieces of money, and in Genesis 50, Joseph asked to be buried as he lay dying in Egypt.

"One commentator has stated that Shechem is like Lexington, Plymouth Rock, and Independence Hall combined," Campo remarked.

He stated that the ritual is a reminder and a prompt to act, emphasizing that Joshua may surprise his audience by declaring that "your ancestors worshiped other gods," which is only hinted at in earlier accounts.

Joshua spoke about God's faithfulness to prophets until the present day.

"The Israelites have all crossed the Jordan together, but now they must make a choice," Campo said. "Will they continue to worship their ancestral gods or, like him, serve the Lord?"

Campo stated that Joshua demanded the people to confirm their decision three times, just as Jesus instructed Peter to do after the resurrection, highlighting the importance and finality of this crucial, two-option question: "Who will you worship?"

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Joshua's statement, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," has been a mantra for God-followers throughout history.

In contrast to the Israelites' tendency to easily abandon their service to the Lord, Campo emphasized the steadfastness of the declaration.

The Israelites' spiritual equivocation established a pattern that has been repeated throughout history: God's people renewing their faith, straying, and then being "revived" to serve him again, as Campo pointed out, citing numerous revivals in the United States.

The revivals have served to awaken the slumbering faithful, punctuating the forgetful nature of a fallen people, given to mammon instead of manna, to Babylon instead of Bethlehem, as he said.

Campo stated that Joshua's people had entered the promised land but had also abandoned the Lord's commands. They had blended in with the neighboring people and were now drawn to "foreign gods" and the allure of the new and enticing.

"In their spiritual equivocation, the Israelites establish a pattern that history has repeated endlessly: God’s people renewing their faith only to stray and then be ‘revived’ to serve him once again."

Joshua recognized the importance of "collectively remembering God's faithfulness and renewing the covenant, pledging to be faithful," he stated.

The U.S. may require a "reminder and call to action," according to Campo.

"Amidst growing animosity and polarization, a resurgence of faithfulness is emerging to awaken a slumbering nation," he stated.

"Joshua's covenantal call remains as relevant as ever, even though time will eventually uncover all things."