As for Me and My House: Joshua 24:15 and Family Finance
"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." — Joshua 24:15 (KJV)
Quick Answer
Joshua doesn't ask permission; he declares: his household will serve the Lord. This isn't authoritarian—it's leadership. The financial implication is profound: your household's spending, saving, and giving culture flows from your explicit values, not from drift or cultural default. Financial leadership means deciding—together with your family—what your money will serve, then building systems that enforce it.
The Leadership Premise
Joshua 24:15 contains a leadership principle hidden in plain sight:
The leader declares. Joshua doesn't take a poll. He states clearly: "As for me and my house..." He claims responsibility.
The declaration is specific. Not "We'll try to be good" but "We will serve the LORD." Clear value.
The declaration is binding. Once stated, it sets the direction. It becomes the family's North Star.
This translates directly to financial leadership:
- The leader (primary decision-maker) declares the family's financial values
- Specifically: "We save 20%, give 10%, live on 70%" (or whatever values fit your faith)
- Binding: These values shape all subsequent decisions—where you work, what you buy, how you raise your kids
Too many families drift financially. They spend on impulse. They consume what culture sells. They give sporadically. They never declare their values because no one leads.
Joshua says: don't drift. Lead.
The Financial Declarations Worth Making
What should a Christian household declare? Consider:
Declaration 1: "We give first, not last." This means tithing (10% in many traditions) or almsgiving comes before discretionary spending. You calculate net income, remove 10% immediately, then budget the rest.
Why "first"? Because giving is a value—not a luxury that happens if money remains after consumption.
Effect: A family on $100,000/year that declares "We give 10%" transfers $10,000/year ($833/month) to church, charity, kingdom work. That's transformative—both for the church and for the family's character. You can't give generously without training generosity into your heart.
Declaration 2: "We save for the future, not just consume today." This means a percentage (say 15-20%) goes to retirement, emergency fund, goals—off-limits until designated.
Effect: A 30-year-old saving $200/month into a Roth IRA has $800,000 by age 65. Delay five years? They have $400,000. The declaration made at age 30 shapes their retirement reality.
Declaration 3: "We buy according to values, not status." This means your spending reflects your stated priorities, not neighborhood comparisons or marketing.
A family might declare: "We drive reliable used cars, not luxury brands. We buy a modest home (not the max we can afford). We invest the difference in giving and retirement."
Effect: A family making $120,000 that buys a $250,000 house (2× income) instead of a $500,000 house (4× income) saves $6,000-$8,000/year. Over 20 years, that's $120,000-$160,000 directed to giving, missions, or retirement. The declaration changes their legacy.
Declaration 4: "We teach our children to work, save, and give." This means you're intentional about financial training (see Proverbs 22:6).
Effect: Kids raised with financial discipline become adults with financial discipline. No helicopter-parenting or bailouts; they learn consequences and resilience.
Declaration 5: "We use debt carefully, not casually." This means borrowing for homes or education, perhaps, but never for consumption. You carry mortgages, never car loans or credit card debt.
Effect: A family that avoids consumer debt saves 10-15% of income that peers lose to interest. Over 30 years, that's hundreds of thousands compounding.
The Family Meeting: Making Declarations Real
A declaration is meaningless without conversation. Joshua's statement involved public commitment. Similarly, your financial values should be:
- Discussed with your spouse (if married) — You both own them or they're dead on arrival
- Explained to your children (age-appropriately) — They'll internalize the values faster than you'd expect
- Reviewed annually — Do they still serve your faith? Do they need adjusting as circumstances change?
A sample family meeting agenda:
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Opening: "What does good stewardship look like to our family?" |
| 10 min | Review of last year: "Did we live according to our values?" |
| 15 min | Current reality: "Here's what we earn, spend, save, give." (Use actual numbers.) |
| 10 min | Alignment check: "Do our actual spending reflect our stated values?" |
| 10 min | Adjustments: "What should we change?" |
| 5 min | Celebration: "Where did we do well?" |
This isn't a lecture. It's a conversation. Kids will surprise you with wisdom. A 12-year-old might say: "Dad, you say we save 20%, but I see you buying fancy coffee every day. Isn't that against what you told us?"
They're right. That's the power of stated values—they expose hypocrisy, which drives change.
The Math of Declared Values
Let's model how declarations change outcomes. Compare two families, both earning $100,000/year:
| Decision | Family A (Drift) | Family B (Declaration) |
|---|---|---|
| Giving | 2% ($2,000/yr) | 10% ($10,000/yr) |
| Saving | 5% ($5,000/yr) | 20% ($20,000/yr) |
| Debt | High (car loans, credit cards) | Low (mortgage only) |
| Home price | $450,000 (4.5× income) | $250,000 (2.5× income) |
| Annual interest paid | $12,000 (car + cards + mortgage) | $5,000 (mortgage only) |
After 30 years:
Family A's savings of $5,000/year at 6% growth = $468,000. Less interest paid over 30 years = ~$360,000 in wasted interest. Net wealth at retirement: ~$600,000.
Family B's savings of $20,000/year at 6% growth = $1,873,000. Less interest paid over 30 years = ~$150,000. Plus, they gave $300,000 to kingdom work. Net wealth at retirement: ~$1,723,000.
The difference is $1.1 million. And Family B also gave $300,000, experienced the joy of generosity, and raised children with financial values.
It all flows from declarations made in a family meeting decades earlier.
The Problem of Drift Without Declaration
What happens when a family doesn't declare values? Watch the default path:
- No savings goal declared → They spend all income → At 60, they're panicked about retirement
- No giving target declared → Charitable giving becomes sporadic, guilt-driven, unsustainable → Kingdom work they cared about goes unfunded
- No debt philosophy declared → They use credit casually → Interest payments consume money meant for goals
- No financial teaching declared → Kids absorb money values from peers and media → They become consumers, not stewards
Drift is comfortable. It requires no meetings, no discipline, no saying "no" to wants. But it's also devastating. The family that drifts for 40 years suddenly discovers they've given almost nothing, saved inadequately, and taught their children nothing.
Joshua's Precedent: Individual Leadership
Notice something crucial: Joshua doesn't ask Israel to vote. He declares. This seems autocratic until you realize the context.
Joshua had just reminded Israel of everything God had done. He'd given them a clear choice: serve the Lord or the gods of the surrounding culture. Then he led by declaring: "My house will serve the Lord."
His declaration became a model. The next verse (24:16): "And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD..."
His leadership invited their follow-ship.
In a modern family, this translates to: The primary decision-maker (spouse, parent) has authority to declare values. Not authoritarianly—but confidently. Confidently say: "Our family gives 10%. Our family saves 20%. Our family doesn't buy luxury goods."
Then invite your family into the why. Explain, discuss, adjust if wisdom suggests. But lead. Don't ask: "Would you like to save 20%?" Ask: "We're going to save 20%. Here's why. Here's how it'll shape our future. Here's where that money goes. Questions?"
That's leadership that Joshua would recognize.
Practical Steps This Week
Step 1: Write your family's financial values (2 sentences each):
- Giving: How much, to whom, why?
- Saving: Target percentage, goal time horizon?
- Debt: What's allowed, what's forbidden?
- Lifestyle: What matters to us, what doesn't?
- Work: Is this a good job that fits our values?
Step 2: Schedule a family meeting. Set a date. Make it low-pressure (maybe over dessert, not after a stressful day).
Step 3: Share ONE value at a time. Explain the biblical basis. Invite questions. Listen to pushback.
Step 4: Make one change together. Don't overhaul everything. Pick one declaration and live it for 90 days. Then revisit.
Step 5: Celebrate wins. When your family lives according to declared values, acknowledge it. "We said we'd give 10%, and we did. That's $833 going to help people in Africa. Well done."
Sources
- Joshua 24:15 exegesis — Albert Cole's Commentary on Joshua
- Family financial culture — Journal of Family and Economic Issues
- Household leadership — ECPA research on Christian family decision-making
- Compound interest examples — U.S. Department of Labor, Financial Literacy Center
- Debt interest cost calculations — Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)
Joshua didn't ask permission. He declared. Your family's financial future is shaped by declarations you make today. As for your house—what will you serve?