Joshua Chapter 24
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: Your fathers including Terah, the father of Abraham and father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they serve other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his descendants went down to Egypt. Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out.” (24:1-5)
‘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. So they cried out to the LORD; and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon them, and covered them. And your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelt in the wilderness a long time. And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their land, and I destroyed them from before you. Then Barak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand. Then you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you – also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow. I have given you a land for which you did not labour, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olives groves which you did not plant.’
“Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers serve on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers serve on the other side of 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.” (24:6-15)
So the people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people though whom we passed. And the LORD drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God.” (24:16-18)
But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods; then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.” And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD.” (24:19-21)
So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD for yourselves, to serve Him.” They said, “We are witnesses!” He said, “Now therefore put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD God of Israel.” And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve and His voice we will obey!”
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. Then 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 oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.” So Joshua let the people depart, each to his own inheritance (24:25-28).
Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being 110 years old. And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah, which is in the mountains of Ephraim on the north side of Mount Gaash. Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the LORD which He had done for Israel (24:29-31).
And Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in a hill belonging to Phinehas his son, which was given to him in the mountains of Ephraim (24:29-31, 33).
Commentary:
1. Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem where the sanctuary of the LORD was erected. He spoke to them of the history of the Israelite nation from the time of Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor in the land of Ur beyond the River Euphrates where they served other gods, to the time of Abraham in the land of Canaan. From Abraham to the days of Moses and Aaron, and the Exodus. From the years in the wilderness to the crossing of the Jordan and conquest of the land of Canaan.
He said that the LORD God of Israel multiplied the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob and Esau.
To Esau, He gave the mountains of Seir to possess.
But Jacob and his descendants went down to Egypt. He sent Moses and Aaron, and plagued Egypt according to what He did among them. Afterward He brought them out and led them safely through the Red Sea but destroyed the Egyptians when they pursued the Israelites and attempted to cross the sea. After their 40-year wandering in the wilderness, the LORD brought them into the land of the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan. The Amorites fought with them but the LORD gave them into their hand that they might possess the land.
The LORD delivered them from Balak the king of Moab and from Balaam who was bribed to curse them. Then they crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The men of Jericho fought against them and so did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
But the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Israelites. He sent the hornet before them which drove those enemies from before them, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with their sword or their bow.
The LORD had given them the land for which they did not labour, and cities which they did not build; and they dwell in them and eat of the vineyards and olive groves which they did not plant (24:1-13).
2. Joshua told them, “Fear the LORD, serve Him with sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD!”
He challenged them, saying, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of 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.” (24:14-15)
3. The people answered Joshua, and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods, for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way we went and among all the people through whom we passed.
And the LORD drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the LORD for He is our God.” (24:16-18)
4. Joshua said, “You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God: He will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.
If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done you good.” And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD!” (24:19-21)
5. Joshua said to them, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD for ourselves, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses!”(24:22)
6. Joshua said, “Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD God of Israel.”
And the people of Israel said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!” (24:23-24)
7. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. He wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak by the sanctuary of the LORD.
And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God. So Joshua let the people depart, each to his own inheritance (24:25-28).
Teachings
1. History of the faith of each family of believers, and of development of the Church and congregation pertaining to the grace and mighty power of the Lord Jesus Christ in the past ought to be accurately and properly archived.
Opportunities to proclaim the mighty works of God in a family or church history come on auspicious occasions in the family patriarch’s life and anniversaries of the church wherein thanksgivings to Him are offered.
This will enable the believers in a family and in the church of whatever generation to know the blessings of God poured on them and will stir up their zeal and love for Him (II Tim. 1.5-6, 3:15; II Thess. 1:6-10)
2. While exhorting the brethren to fear the Lord, serve Him with sincerity of heart and in truth, and not have idols in their lives, church leaders themselves must show resolve in their work of faith, labour of love, and steadfastness in hope to be believers consecrated to the Lord.
They must an example to the church in the fear of God, service to the Lord and single-heartedness in worship of the one True God (II Tim. 1:15-16; I Thess.1:3, 6-10)
3. One cannot serve the Lord God and serve other gods, love the Lord Jesus Christ and love the world, serve Him and serve mammon (I John 5:20-21; James 4:4; Matt. 6:24).
4. Believers are challenged to be wholehearted in our faith and love for the Lord Jesus Christ all the days of our lives. If we draw back, He has no pleasure in us (Heb. 10:38)
5. If after having escaped from the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for us than the beginning.
For it would have been better not to have known the way of righteousness than having known it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to us (II Pet.2:20-21).