Read Joshua 24
The Covenant Renewed at Shechem
1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.
5 “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.6 When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. 7 But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.
8 “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. 9 When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. 10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
11 “‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. 12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’
14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”
21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.
23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. 26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord.
27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”
28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.
Buried in the Promised Land
29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.
32 And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.
33 And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.
Go Deeper
Here we are shown two necessary characteristics of the Christian life: remembrance and decisiveness. Joshua begins this chapter by describing the faithfulness of God to the Israelites. He reminds them that God has led them out of Egypt, defeated their enemies, and now given them a new land to live in. God has been good to His people. Now with this remembrance comes the need for action. Joshua is nervous that the Israelites have taken God for granted. They just assume that God is their magical genie who will work wonders for them regardless of what they do. But God will not be mocked. He will not continue to be their God if they have chosen to serve other gods. Therefore, Joshua demands decisive action from the people. Will they choose God or not?
This same pattern should be used in our own life. One of the most effective ways to renew our passion for Jesus today is remembering what He did for us yesterday. When we recall the faithfulness of Jesus during his life and His goodness throughout our own, we are encouraged to trust Him today. This practice that Joshua leads the Israelites through is one we should do frequently. How often do you take time to write down all of the things that God has carried you through? Instead of worrying about what He’ll do next, maybe you need to remember what He’s already done. And when you see His past faithfulness, you’ll have a greater trust in His future faithfulness. So take some time today and bring to mind what God has done for you. He’s been active in your life, even from before you were born. But His activity requires an active response. He deeply desires for you to respond to His love. Choose this day to let His faithfulness to you prompt you to live faithfully to Him.
Questions
- What are the “Egypts” in your own life? What has God saved you from?
- What keeps you from remembering God’s faithfulness to you?
- Just like the Israeltes, what are “gods” in your life you need to forsake so that you can more fully serve the true Lord?
Did You Know?
Shechem (where Joshua gathers the tribes together) is modern day Tell Balata, a city in the Palestinian West Bank. It was the site where Abraham built an altar to God in Genesis 12:6-7, as did Jacob in Genesis 33:16-20.
1 thought on “Joshua 24”
Joshua 24 reviews Israel’s history as Joshua calls the leaders to assemble and present themselves before God. He speaks to them on the authority given him as their chosen leader. He presents the ultimate challenge as he urges them to fear the Lord and worship Him in sincerity and truth. They are to choose who they will worship, false gods or the God of their fathers. Joshua, nearing the end of his life, knows he cannot decide for them, the commitment to serve God must be an individual, personal decision. Another memorial stone is erected to indicate that God himself has witnessed the promise made to remain true to him.
Today I want to glance back on the faithfulness of God in my life. I keep a gratitude journal of daily blessings to train my mind to notice and record his goodness. There is something keenly powerful about sharing with others from personal experience. Psalm 107:22 says “Offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.”