“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; He will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.’”
(Joshua 24:19)
Because God is both holy and jealous, He will not allow sin to pass without judgment. And this bold declaration by Joshua affirms His uncompromising righteousness. So while He is indeed forgiving, He cannot and will not deny His nature. He is a God of holiness, justice, and truth—each of which demands that sin be punished fully and without exception.
There is no flaw in God’s justice. His holiness will not bend to tolerate evil. The very foundation of divine forgiveness rests on the fact that God first maintains the full weight of His law and the necessity of its execution. So when He forgives, it is only on His terms, through His provision alone, in a way that satisfies His holiness.
“Now the true notion of Holiness is a Separation from all Sin and Impurity. This is the holiness of God.”[1] Because He is “of purer eyes than to behold evil” (Habakkuk 1:13), God must, by nature, abhor it. He must show it no tolerance. His very essence is offended by it. This is why Joshua could say with certainty, “He will not forgive”—not that God is unwilling to forgive, but that He will not forgive outside of His appointed, holy, and righteous means.
The sinner justly deserves wrath, and God would cease to be just if He failed to pour it out. If He has said that sin brings death, then He will uphold that truth. If He purposed to punish sin, He will. No power in heaven or earth can alter that decree.
His wisdom confirms the same. Were God to set aside justice, the very structure of His law would collapse. His authority would be rendered meaningless. Without punishment, the law becomes mockery. Without judgment, grace loses all value. To preserve His rule, uphold His glory, and magnify His Son, sin must be answered fully.
And yet—here is the wonder—the wrath that sin demanded fell on Christ. The punishment justice required was poured out not on the believer but on the Beloved. This is how God maintained His justice without compromising His mercy. This is how He satisfied His holiness without destroying the sinner. Christ stood in our place. This is not leniency; it is substitution. It is not overlooking sin; it is crushing it under the weight of divine fury—on another.
That is why we cannot serve the Lord apart from His appointed way. There must be a true knowledge of God. There must be a heart changed by grace. There must be a fear that matches His holiness. There must be a reverence that honors His jealousy. Only then—clothed in Christ, submitted in faith, and humbled in awe—can worship be received.
Contemplations:
- God’s jealousy against sin. I often think of Your love, Lord, while forgetting that You are jealous for Your holiness. You do not tolerate sin. You do not excuse it. Your very nature demands that it be punished. That includes my sin. For this reason, I must not dismiss it or think lightly of it. I must remember that every sin provokes Your justice. Let that truth shake me out of my apathy.
- The weight of worship. You are not flattered by ritual or impressed with empty praise. You demand worship that comes through Christ, in truth and reverence. That frightens me, because I know how prone I am to rush into worship unprepared. But if I truly believe You are holy and jealous, I will tremble when I draw near for I want to worship You rightly.
- The cross satisfies justice. You did not overlook my sin. You punished it all in Christ. Your holiness demands a price, and You paid it with the blood of Your Son. That means my salvation is not a simple pardon but a legal and holy transaction that satisfied Your justice. Let me never lose wonder at what the cross accomplished.
- Sin must not be hidden. If You hate sin, why do I tolerate it? If You are jealous against iniquity, why do I make peace with it? Help me see sin as You do: an offense to Your nature and a threat to my soul. Help me bring it into the light, confess it, and experience Your cleansing through Christ.
Prayer (Supplication)
Holy God, jealous and pure, I come trembling before You. You are of purer eyes than to behold evil and You cannot deny Your own nature. Your justice requires payment, Your truth demands fulfillment, and Your holiness cannot be mocked.
I am a sinner, Lord. My thoughts, my desires, my deeds have all offended You. They have provoked You. They have exposed me to Your wrath. If You were not merciful, I would be consumed. If You did not spare me for the sake of Christ, I would have no refuge.
I plead with You on the merit of Your Son. Let His blood cover me and His obedience be counted as mine. Let His death be my substitute. You have said that You will not forgive outside of Your appointed way, and I accept that way without argument. Christ is my only hope.
Teach me to fear You rightly, Lord. Make me hate what You hate. Let me not grow cold to the seriousness of sin. Let me not ignore the danger of approaching You lightly. Don’t let my worship ever become a performance of routine ritual but let it flow from a heart that knows Your jealousy and fears Your name.
Keep me from presumption. Keep me from false assurance. Let me never say, “I serve the Lord,” while my heart clings to idols. Let me examine myself and help me cast down every rival to Your glory, and let my life be governed by the knowledge that You are holy.
Help me to prepare myself to worship You. Let me not enter Your presence thoughtlessly. Let my heart be bowed, my mind sober, and my soul fixed on Christ. Remove distractions from my mind. Strip away pride and pretense. Let nothing remain but reverence and truth.
You have declared that You are jealous for Your name. So let my worship be acceptable to You because Christ, my Savior, is worthy.
I depend on You, Lord. Without You I can do nothing. Without Your Spirit, I cannot worship rightly. Without Christ, I cannot approach. But in Him, I come. In Him, I live. In Him, I stand.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Joshua 24:19:
Exod. 20:5; Lev 19:2; Ps. 99:9; 1 Sam. 6:20; Nahum 1:2.
[1] Ezekiel Hopkins, The Works of the Right Reverend Father in God, Ezekiel Hopkins, vol. 3 (London: C. Whittingham, 1809), 298.
