Yehoshua 24

1 4 And Yehoshua gathered Kol Shivtei Yisroel to Shechem, and called for the Ziknei Yisroel, and for their Rashim, and for their shofetim, and for their shoterim; and they presented themselves before HaElohim.

2 And Yehoshua said unto Kol HaAm, Thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel, Avoteichem dwelt on the other side of the [Euphrates] River long ago, even Terach, Avi Avraham, and Avi Nachor: and they served elohim acherim.

3 But I took Avichem Avraham from the other side of the [Euphrates] River, and led him through Kol Eretz Kena’an, and multiplied his zera, and gave him Yitzchak.

4 And I gave unto Yitzchak Ya’akov and Esav; and I gave unto Esav Mt Seir, to possess it; but Ya’akov and his banim went down into Mitzrayim.

5 I sent Moshe also and Aharon, and I plagued Mitzrayim, according to that which I did among them; and afterward I brought you out.

6 And I brought Avoteichem out of Mitzrayim; and ye came unto the Yam [Suf]; the Mitzrayim pursued after Avoteichem with chariots and parashim unto the Yam Suf.

7 And when they cried unto Hashem, He put darkness between you and the Mitzrayim, and brought the yam upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Mitzrayim; and ye dwelt in the midbar yamim rabbim.

8 And I brought you into the Eretz HaEmori, the ones dwelling on the other side of the Yarden; they fought against you; I gave them into your yad, that ye might possess their land; I destroyed them from before you.

9 Then Balak ben Tzippor Melech Moav arose and warred against Yisroel, and sent and summoned Balaam ben Beor to curse you;

10 But I would not pay heed unto Balaam; therefore he made a brocha over you; so I saved you out of his yad.

11 And you went over the Yarden, and came unto Yericho; and the Ba’alei Yericho fought against you, and HaEmori, and the Perizzi, and the Kena’ani, and the Chitti, and the Girgashi, the Chivi, and the Yevusi; and I gave them into your yad.

12 And I sent the tzirah (hornet) before you, which drove them out ahead of you, even the two melachim of the Emori; but not with thy cherev, nor with thy keshet.

13 So I have given you an Eretz for which ye did not toil, and towns which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; kramim and zetim (olive groves) which ye eat but did not plant.

14 Now therefore fear Hashem, serve Him batamim (completely) and in emes; put away the elohim which Avoteichem served on the other side of the [Euphrates] River, and in Mitzrayim; and serve ye Hashem.

15 And if it seem rah unto you to serve Hashem, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the elohim which Avoteichem served that were on the other side of the River, or the elohei HaEmori, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my bais, we will serve Hashem.

16 And the people answered and said, Chalilah lanu (far be it from us) that we should forsake Hashem, to serve elohim acharim;

17 For Hashem Eloheinu, He it is that brought us up and Avoteinu out of Eretz Mitzrayim, from the bais avadim, and which did those haotot hagedolot in our sight, and was shomer over us in kol HaDerech in which we went, and among Kol HaAmim through whom we passed;

18 And Hashem drove out from before us Kol HaAmim, even HaEmori which dwelt in HaAretz; therefore will we also serve Hashem; for He is Eloheinu.

19 And Yehoshua said unto HaAm, Ye are not able to serve Hashem; for He is an Elohim Kedoshim; He is an El Kanno (jealous G-d); He will not forgive your paysha’im nor your chattot.

20 If ye forsake Hashem, and serve elohei nekhar (foreign g-ds), then He will turn and bring you rah, and consume you, after that He hath done you tov.

21 And HaAm said unto Yehoshua, No; but we will serve Hashem.

22 And Yehoshua said unto HaAm, Ye are edim against yourselves that ye have chosen for you Hashem, to serve Him. And they said, We are edim.

23 Now therefore put away, said he, the elohei hanechar which are among you, and yield your levav unto Hashem Elohei Yisroel.

24 And HaAm said unto Yehoshua, Hashem Eloheinu will we serve, and His voice will we obey.

25 So Yehoshua made a Brit with HaAm that day, and set them a chok and a mishpat at Shechem.

26 And Yehoshua wrote these words in the Sefer Torah Elohim, and took an Even Gedolah, and set it up there under an oak, that was near the Mikdash Hashem.

27 And Yehoshua said unto kol HaAm, Hinei, this Even (Stone) shall be as an edah (witness) unto us; for it hath heard all the words of Hashem which He spoke unto us; it shall be therefore as an edah (witness) unto you, lest ye are untrue to Eloheichem.

28 So Yehoshua sent HaAm away, every man unto his nachalah.

29 And it came to pass after these things, that Yehoshua ben Nun Eved Hashem, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

30 And they buried him in the territory of his nachalah in Timnat Serach, which is in har Ephrayim, north of Mt Ga’ash.

31 And Yisroel served Hashem all the days of Yehoshua, and all the days of the Zekenim that outlived Yehoshua, and which had da’as of kol ma’asei Hashem, that He had done for Yisroel.

32 And the atzmot Yosef, which the Bnei Yisroel brought up out of Mitzrayim, they buried at Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Ya’akov bought of the Bnei Chamor Av Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver: and it became the nachalah of the Bnei Yosef.

33 And Eleazar ben Aharon died; and they buried him on a hill that belonged to Pinchas his son, which was given him in har Ephrayim.

Yehoshua 24 Commentary

Chapter 24

God's benefits to their fathers. (1-14) Joshua renews the covenant between the people and God. (15-28) Joshua's death, Joseph's bones buried, The state of Israel. (29-33)

Verses 1-14 We must never think our work for God done, till our life is done. If he lengthen out our days beyond what we expected, like those of Joshua, it is because he has some further service for us to do. He who aims at the same mind which was in Christ Jesus, will glory in bearing the last testimony to his Saviour's goodness, and in telling to all around, the obligations with which the unmerited goodness of God has bound him. The assembly came together in a solemn religious manner. Joshua spake to them in God's name, and as from him. His sermon consists of doctrine and application. The doctrinal part is a history of the great things God had done for his people, and for their fathers before them. The application of this history of God's mercies to them, is an exhortation to fear and serve God, in gratitude for his favour, and that it might be continued.

Verses 15-28 It is essential that the service of God's people be performed with a willing mind. For LOVE is the only genuine principle whence all acceptable service of God can spring. The Father seeks only such to worship him, as worship him in spirit and in truth. The carnal mind of man is enmity against God, therefore, is not capable of such spiritual worship. Hence the necessity of being born again. But numbers rest in mere forms, as tasks imposed upon them. Joshua puts them to their choice; but not as if it were indifferent whether they served God or not. Choose you whom ye will serve, now the matter is laid plainly before you. He resolves to do this, whatever others did. Those that are bound for heaven, must be willing to swim against the stream. They must not do as the most do, but as the best do. And no one can behave himself as he ought in any station, who does not deeply consider his religious duties in family relations. The Israelites agree with Joshua, being influenced by the example of a man who had been so great a blessing to them; We also will serve the Lord. See how much good great men do, by their influence, if zealous in religion. Joshua brings them to express full purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord. They must come off from all confidence in their own sufficiency, else their purposes would be in vain. The service of God being made their deliberate choice, Joshua binds them to it by a solemn covenant. He set up a monument of it. In this affecting manner Joshua took his last leave of them; if they perished, their blood would be upon their own heads. Though the house of God, the Lord's table, and even the walls and trees before which we have uttered our solemn purposes of serving him, would bear witness against us if we deny him, yet we may trust in him, that he will put his fear into our hearts, that we shall not depart from him. God alone can give grace, yet he blesses our endeavours to engage men to his service.

Verses 29-33 Joseph died in Egypt, but gave commandment concerning his bones, that they should not rest in their grave till Israel had rest in the land of promise. Notice also the death and burial of Joshua, and of Eleazar the chief priest. The most useful men, having served their generation, according to the will of God, one after another, fall asleep and see corruption. But Jesus, having spent and ended his life on earth more effectually than either Joshua or Joseph, rose from the dead, and saw no corruption. And the redeemed of the Lord shall inherit the kingdom he prepared for them from the foundation of the world. They will say in admiration of the grace of Jesus, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 24

This chapter gives us an account of another summons of the tribes of Israel by Joshua, who obeyed it, and presented themselves before the Lord at Shechem, Jos 24:1; when Joshua in the name of the Lord rehearsed to them the many great and good things the Lord had done for them, from the time of their ancestor Abraham to that day, Jos 24:2-13; and then exhorted them to fear and serve the Lord, and reject idols, Jos 24:14; and put them upon making their choice, whether they would serve the true God, or the gods of the Canaanites; and they choosing the former, he advised them to abide by their choice, Jos 24:15-24; and made a covenant with them to that purpose, and then dismissed them, Jos 24:25-28; and the chapter is concluded with an account of the death and burial of Joshua and Eleazar, and of the interment of the bones of Joseph, Jos 24:29-33.