Joshua 24 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Joshua 24

The Covenant Renewal at Shechem

24:1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,¹ Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River² and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. 4 And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out.

6 “‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 And when they cried to the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. 12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’

Choose Whom You Will Serve

14 “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods, 17 for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”

19 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. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” 28 So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

Joshua’s Death and Burial

29 After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being 110 years old. 30 And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

31 Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the LORD did for Israel.

32 As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money.³ It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.

33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim.

Footnotes

[1] 24:2 Hebrew the River
[2] 24:3 That is, the Euphrates; also verses 14, 15
[3] 24:32 Hebrew for a hundred qesitah; a unit of money of unknown value

Commentary

v1: Joshua’s closing address before the leaders, in the presence of all the people.

v2: Israel had been born in a place of idolatry; they worshipped other gods in Ur, where Abraham had lived when God called him. But God had delivered him, both physically out of Ur, and spiritually out of idolatry. Thus, the nation as a whole had to share this calling.

v3-7: Joshua related God's initiative in His dealings with His people. He started with Abraham, then Isaac, and Jacob. Esau was given Seir (v4). Numerous references; "I took,...I gave, etc." The history of Israel up to that time was a history of God's grace and power. Through a range of conflict, in Egypt, and against Balak and Balaam, God showed His power on behalf of His people.

"The you lived in the desert for a long time"; the Lord God made no reference here to the Israelites' grumbling and disobedience; these words are to testify of God's grace and power, not of any strength or weakness in Israel. Had Joshua referred to those things, he may have discouraged the people. Equally, victory was not due to Israel's obedience or commitment. Had Joshue referred to those things he might have encourage pride.

v8-12: Deliverance for Israel meant defeat for those nations that opposed and attacked them. The Amorites fought against Israel, and so did Jericho. The defeat of the nations was not some unprovoked attack by Israel, nor an act of cruelty by God. These nations had rejected the word of God, and were antagonistic towards the people of God.

Israel had to acknowledge that there had been delivered into Canaan because of God.

v13: And God gave them a land, His gift of grace, promised long before to Abraham. Joshua spoke to those who were privileged to actually enter this land, and who would live in it. See Deut 6.11; here are further specific promises fulfilled.

v14-15: The choice to be made; the people could not serve no-one or nothing; and they had to decide. Joshua encouraged them to count the cost, to consider the commitment; he looked for obedience and devotion; Mark 7.24-30. The Syro-Phonician woman shared a similar persistence.

There is one true God, and many false gods; one truth but many errors. Joshua's challenge here is to loyalty towards the true God. Clearly it is not unreasonable to be single-minded for God, and to refuse to tolerate error and sin.

Joshua could point to his own example; in seeking to persuade the people to love God, he could do no more than love God himself.

Israel subsequently treated false gods and false religion too lightly, and ended up becoming corrupted.

The Christian Church, unwilling to appear narrow and intolerant, has at times refused to reject false teachings, and has ended up accepted the false as true.

v16-18: The first response from the people; they stated their eagerness to follow God, and also v21,24.

v19-20: Since God is a jealous God, it is no light thing to follow Him. Any pretence, or half-heartedness, would be folly.

v21-24: But the people insisted! They would follow God. Joshua perceived that there were still foreign gods amongst them. To demonstrate love for the true God, they would have to get rid of the false gods.

v25-27: Joshua set up a stone of witness, that the people would obey God.

v31: Joshua's life and example left a real influence upon the people. But later (Judg 2.10), his example and the words of loyalty here were forgotten. But here marks a passing, of Joshua and Eleazar, leaving the people with no immediate link with the period of slavery.