As for Me and My House, Joshua 24:15 Wall Art

A family on the doorstep

Jesus stands on the left in a white robe, a gray-blue mantle and a long red stole, one arm around the shoulders of a small boy in a belted tan tunic. He smiles down at a woman in a white veil and blue cloak who looks up at him. A little girl in a rose dress stands against her, face tipped up toward Jesus, hands folded at her chest.

Behind them is a stone house with a green vine climbing over the wall and a small cross carved above the door. The door stands open onto a room glowing with lamplight, where you can see a wooden table, a vase of flowers and ceiling beams. An iron lantern burns beside the frame, and a large clay pot with a young olive stands at the left. The words above: “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” with Joshua 24:15 under them.

The story behind As for me and my house

These are almost the last recorded words of Joshua. Old now, he gathers all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, the place where Abraham had first built an altar in Canaan. He retells their history, from Abraham's family worshiping other gods beyond the Euphrates to the escape from Egypt and the conquest of the land, and then he puts a decision in front of them: “choose you this day whom ye will serve.”

He lists the options honestly, the gods their ancestors served in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites around them, and then states his own choice for himself and his household. The people answer that they too will serve the LORD, and Joshua sets up a great stone under an oak as a witness to the promise.

In the ancient world a “house” meant everyone under one roof: spouse, children, servants, even extended relatives. The vow is personal, but it is made for a home. This echoes the older command in Deuteronomy 6 to write God's words “upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates”, which is why so many families hang this verse near the front door.

Housewarming and wedding

For a couple moving into a new home, this is a natural housewarming gift and a way to bless the threshold. Newlyweds often choose Joshua 24:15 as their verse, and the print makes a meaningful wedding present to hang in the first entryway they share.

It also belongs in a family room, above a dining table or in the hallway children walk down each morning, where the words set the tone for the whole house.