Joshua 24

Joshua 24:1

G. Joshua’s Farewell Address to the People of Israel (24:1-15)24:1-14 The second farewell message, this one to the people, was delivered at Shechem. Joshua reviewed the history of the people of God, beginning with Terah and continuing on through the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He reminded the people of the mighty deliverance from Egypt, the wilderness wandering, and the victory over the Moabites on the east side of Jordan. Then he recounted their entrance into the Promised Land, their victory at Jericho, and their destruction of kings in Canaan (vv. 2-13). The darkness in verse 7 points back to Exo_14:19-20, where the cloud produced light for the Israelites and darkness for the Egyptians. In this succinct summary of history from Genesis to Joshua, one outstanding fact is evident: the sovereignty of God. Notice how He tells the story: I took (v. 3), I gave (v. 4), I sent (v. 5), I brought (vv. 6-8), I would not listen (v. 10), I delivered (v. 11), I sent (v. 12), I have given (v. 13). Jehovah works according to His eternal purposes, and who can stay His hand? Such a God is to be feared and obeyed (v. 14). 24:15 The choice here was not between the LORD and idols: Joshua assumed that the people had already decided against serving God. So he challenged them to choose between the gods which their ancestors had served in Mesopotamia and the gods of the Amorites that they had found in Canaan. Joshua’s noble decision for himself and his household has been an inspiration to succeeding generations of believers: “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua 24:16

H. The Covenant Renewed at Shechem 24:16-28 When the people promised to serve Jehovah, Joshua said, “You cannot serve the Lord” (v. 19). This means that they could not serve Jehovah and worship idols too. Joshua doubtless realized that the people would drift into idolatry, because even then they had foreign gods in their tents (v. 23). The people persisted in promising allegiance to their God, so Joshua erected a large stone marker under the oak as a witness of the covenant made by Israel. (The sanctuary of the LORD mentioned in verse 26 does not refer to the tabernacle, which was at Shiloh, but simply to a holy place.) Regarding the problem of idols, Carl Armerding writes: Idolatry seems to have been one of Israel’s besetting sins. Their earliest ancestors served other gods, as we have seen (v. 2). When Jacob and his family left Laban, it was Rachel who carried off her father’s gods (Gen_31:30-34). But when they arrived in the land, Jacob ordered his household to put away these “strange gods,” and he hid them under an oak tree that was by Shechem (Gen_35:2, Gen_35:4). And in the same place Joshua urged his generation to put away the gods which their fathers served (v. 14).

Joshua 24:29

I. The Death of Joshua24:29-33 Joshua . . . died at the age of one hundred and ten years and was buried in the city of his inheritance. The people of Israel remained true to the LORD as long as the men of Joshua’s generation lived. We do not know who penned the last verses of the book, nor is such knowledge necessary, or else it surely would have been included. The bones of Joseph, which had been carried out of Egypt by his request, were now buried at Shechem (Gen_50:24; Exo_13:19). Finally, Eleazar the son of Aaron died and was buried in the mountains of Ephraim. Three burials are mentioned in the last five verses of this book: Joshua’s (vv. 29-31), Joseph’s (v. 32), and Eleazar’s (v. 33). All three were buried in Joseph’s territory. All three had served their God and their country well. Joshua and Joseph were great deliverers during their lives, and Eleazar was a deliverer in his death, for he was the high priest and his death set free all who had fled to a city of refuge (Jos_20:6). Like the books of Genesis and Deuteronomy, Joshua closes with the toll of the death bell over great and godly men. “God buries His workmen but continues His work.”