Deeper Commentary
Jos 24:1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and
called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, their judges and their
officers; and they presented themselves before God-
"Before God" means before Joshua or before the tabernacle. This is a
major theme in the Bible- that the representative of a person or entity is
spoken of as being that person. Understanding this helps us easily
understand the verses wrested to support the mistaken doctrine of the
Trinity.
Jos 24:2 Joshua said to all the people, Thus says Yahweh the God of
Israel, ‘Your fathers lived of old time beyond the River, even Terah the
father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor: and they served other gods-
The meanings of Abraham's immediate ancestors all have associations
with idolatry, confirming the note here that Abram and his ancestors were
idolaters. Out of that background, God chose a man who had the potential
to be different. Another reading of "Terah" is that it means "One who
tarries / remains", which would fit with his remaining in Haran and not
going further towards Canaan.
Jos 24:3 I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him
throughout all the land of Canaan and multiplied his seed, and gave him
Isaac-
Note that God took Abram, when Abram had been asked to leave of his
own volition. He didn't do this, and so God as it were muscled in and
dragged him out. God made him obedient to the call. Gen. 20:13
LXX has "when God brought me forth out of the house of
my father"; we see the emphasis upon God bringing him out to separation
from his relatives, rather than his obedience to the call to do so. By
saying this, he would be growing closer to appreciating grace; that God
caused him to be obedient when he of himself was not. This is the same
work of the Spirit which continues in our days. The Gentile believers are
in this sense 'made obedient' by the Spirit's work (Rom. 15:18; 1 Pet.
1:2). Truly our salvation is not of works of obedience, lest any man
should boast (Eph. 2:9).
Our own calling out of this world is likewise a matter of God’s grace; He wishes to save us, and leads us out of situations and into new ones, when we ourselves ought to have made the moves of our own volition. He makes us wander from our father’s house (Gen. 20:13). This is all part of the “blessing” to Abraham, which involves turning us away from sin (Acts 3:25,26). God was the one who brought about Abraham’s obedience. "From thence [Haran]... God removed him into (Canaan)" (Acts 7:4 R.V.).
Jos 24:4 I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau. I gave to Esau Mount Seir, to
possess it. Jacob and his children went down into Egypt-
We note the stress is on how Isaac was given children, the seed;
whereas Esau was given possessions. This is a difference between the
believer and the world. Esau as the direct grandson of Abraham could have
had the promises of inheritance of the eretz relevant to him; but he chose
to go out of that land. Mount Seir was just outside the promised land
(Josh. 15:10). And so God accepted that and gave him an inheritance in
Seir, although without the promises of eternal inheritance and of the
saviour seed. He wanted a possession immediately in this life, and God
gave Esau what he really wanted. And this is part of a big theme, both in
the Bible and in life- that we get what we truly want. And so what is so
critical is a spiritual mind that wants the things of the Kingdom above
all.
Jos 24:5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt according to
that which I did in its midst: and afterward I brought you out-
The idea is that this was all done by God with a view to bringing His
people into Canaan, and their serving Him exclusively, with no worship of
other gods. The plaguing of Egypt is mentioned in this context; for the
plagues were each one targeting a specific idol (Ex. 12:12). And it seems
from Josh. 24:14 that Israel had taken those gods with them, and were
worshipping the very idols which Yahweh had plagued. This points up the
hypocrisy of the western tribes in appearing so hyper zealous to destroy
the eastern tribes because of their suspected, although unproven,
idolatry.
Jos 24:6 I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and you came to the
sea. The Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and with
horsemen to the Red Sea-
They were brought out of Egypt just as Abraham was "taken" from Ur
(see on :3). This was all by grace. Although the pursuit of Israel by the
Egyptians was a historical act at a specific time, caused by God's direct
action upon the hearts of the Egyptians (Ex. 14:8), the pursuit and their
destruction is described as ongoing "to this day" (Dt. 11:4). God's word
and His actions according to that word are somehow alive to this day. This
is the unique nature of Biblical history. All the incidents within it
speak to us of later generations. And so in Josh. 24;6 and often, Israel
are bidden understand their history as speaking directly to them, to
perceive God's grace to them in history, and respond now. Ps. 114:5,6 RV describes the Red Sea as even now fleeing before God’s
people. And thus because of the records of God's past activities, we
should be motivated in our decisions now. Josh. 24:13,14 reminds Israel of
the record of their past history with God, and then on this basis exhorts
them: "Now therefore fear the Lord and serve Him..." .
This Divine speech relayed by Joshua is clearly repeating the argument and some phrases from Dt. 11:2-9, which climaxes in the appeal to not serve idols but obey Yahweh exclusively. This was to be the power of history in human life. Yet human nature has a tendency to declare history as bunk, reflecting our preference to live for the immediate present and disregard the past.
Jos 24:7 When they cried out to Yahweh, He put darkness between you and
the Egyptians and brought the sea on them, and covered them; and your eyes
saw what I did in Egypt; and you lived in the wilderness many days-
Darkness was believed to be somehow demonic and under the control of
the gods. But those gods didn't exist, and therefore they should not
worship them. For the darkness was controlled by God. "Your eyes saw..."
could suggest that Joshua was particularly addressing the generation who
were under 20 when they had left Egypt. But still they were worshipping
the idols of Egypt (:14), and at least one of them was the god of
darkness, whom Yahweh had targetted in the plague of darkness, and shown
His supremacy over at the Red Sea crossing.
Jos 24:8 I brought you into the land of the Amorites that lived beyond the
Jordan; and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand. You
possessed their land; and I destroyed them from before you-
This conflict had been intended as a foretaste of their far larger
scale victories against the Canaanites, and possession of Canaan. God
gently leads us through one experience to prepare us for the next, larger
one. AV "That you might possess their land". "Drive out" is s.w.
"possess". We must note the difference between the Canaanite peoples
and their kings being "struck" and their land "taken" by Joshua-Jesus; and
the people of Israel permanently taking possession. This is the difference
between the Lord's victory on the cross, and our taking possession of the
Kingdom. Even though that possession has been "given" to us. The word used
for "possession" is literally 'an inheritance'. The allusion is to the
people, like us, being the seed of Abraham. The Kingdom was and is our
possession, our inheritance- if we walk in the steps of Abraham. But it is
one thing to be the seed of Abraham, another to take possession of the
inheritance; and Israel generally did not take possession of all the land
(Josh.
11:23 13:1; 16:10; 18:3; 23:4). The language of inheritance / possession
is applied to us in the New Testament (Eph. 1:11,14; Col. 3:24; Acts
20:32; 26:18; 1 Pet. 1:4 etc.). Israel were promised: "You shall possess
it" (Dt. 30:5; 33:23). This was more of a command than a prophecy, for
sadly they were "given" the land but did not "possess" it. They were
constantly encouraged in the wilderness that they were on the path to
possessing the land (Dt. 30:16,18; 31:3,13; 32:47), but when they got
there they didn't possess it fully.
Jos 24:9 Then Balak the son of Zippor king of Moab arose and fought
against Israel. He sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you-
This conflict with Balak, and their salvation from him and Balaam by
grace, had been intended as a foretaste of their far larger scale
victories against the Canaanites, and possession of Canaan. God gently
leads us through one experience to prepare us for the next, larger one.
Jos 24:10 but I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you
still. So I delivered you out of his hand-
Balaam, in his heart, didn't want to bless Israel; he wanted to curse
them so he could get his hands on the riches Balak promised him if he did
so. Balaam knew if God had told him to bless Israel, there was no way of
changing things. But God says that He refused to hear Balaam's prayer to
curse Israel. It seems that Yahweh read Balaam's latent,
unexpressed desires as prayer to Him.
Jos 24:11 You went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. The men of
Jericho fought against you, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the
Hittite, the Girgashite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I delivered
them into your hand-
There is no record of the men of Jericho fighting against Israel;
perhaps their intention to do so was read by God as if they had done it.
Shutting the gates against Israel and not submitting to the call to
repentance which was implicit in the jubilee trumpet blasts was perhaps
read as actively resisting Israel. For passivity can also be a form of
'fighting against' in aggression. This continues the theme discussed on
:10, that internal attitudes are read by God as far more than that.
We note there are typically seven nations listed as dwelling in the land, as here. This sets up the basis for understanding the 'kings of the earth / land' in later Biblical prophecy as referring to leaders within the eretz promised to Abraham.
Jos 24:12 I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out from before
you, even the two kings of the Amorites-
The fear amongst the Canaanites prior to Israel's approach and
the weakness of those nations was due to "the hornet" being sent before
Israel (Dt. 7:20; Josh. 24:12); it would seem that this is a reference to
the Angels softening up the Canaanite tribes, perhaps through inciting the
Egyptians to raid them and ruin the economy. And specifically, the two
kings of the Amorites attacking the other Canaanites. "The hornet" could also refer
to the Phoenician raiders, who had hornets as totems; they too weakened Canaan
before the Israelites arrived, and would have been manipulated to do so by an
Angel. In Ex. 23:27 God says He will "send My fear before you, and will destroy
all the people to whom you shall come". Jacob likens his guardian Angel to "the
God before whom my fathers walked" (Gen. 48:16), who is called "the fear
of Isaac" (Gen. 31:42,53) when Jacob describes the personal presence of God in
his life. So the "fear of God" is associated with an Angel; God sent His fear,
an Angel, before Israel into Canaan, as promised explicitly in Ex. 23. "The
hornet" could have referred to literal hornets, used by God to destroy the
nations of Canaan. For they were indeed a problem in the land; "Zorah" in Judah
means "place of hornets". But I prefer the idea that the Angel manipulated
Gentile nations to soften up the Canaanites before Israel's arrival. The same
figure is found in Is. 7:18, where God whistled for the "fly that is in Egypt
and the bee that is in Assyria". We note that this was all built in to God's
wider plan; for had Israel entered Canaan 40 years before they did, they
would've found the Canaanites that much stronger than they were after "the
hornet" had weakened them for 40 years. It's as if God recalculated the program
according to the great weakness of Israel. They didn't enter when they could
have done, and so He used the period of their wilderness wanderings to make
their entrance to the land that much easier than it would otherwise have been.
Not with your sword, nor with
your bow-
"Bow" and "sword" often occur together as almost an idiom for human
strength (Gen.48:22; Josh. 24:12; 2 Kings 6:22; 1 Ch. 5:18; Hos. 1:7). Right at the very end of Jacob’s life, he lets slip a comment which
would seem more appropriate to his earlier life: "Shechem... which I took
out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my
bow" (Gen. 48:22). The wrongness of this attitude seems to be alluded to
in Josh. 24:12, which says that God drove out the tribes "but not with
your sword, neither with your bow". And Ps. 44:3,6 also: "They got not the
land in possession by their own sword... I will not trust in my bow,
neither shall my sword save me". So Jacob, right at the end of his life,
still hadn't completely overcome that besetting weakness of self-reliance.
This is, of course, a dangerous road to go down. In no way can we be
complacent about our urgent need for spiritual growth. But on the other
hand, we will never reach the stature of Christ without righteousness
being imputed to us.
Jos 24:13 I gave you a land whereon you had not laboured-
The spies' comment that not all the people needed to "toil" or
"labour" to capture Ai betrays a wrong idea that victory was through their
labour, rather than God's grace (Josh. 7:3). And so Josh. 24:13 uses the
word in saying that Israel were given a land for which they did not
"labour" (s.w.). They were taught through Achan's sin that they were not
defeating the Canaanites by their strength, but by God's undeserved grace.
Their inheritance of the Kingdom was not according to works.
And cities which
you didn’t build, and you live in them. You eat of vineyards and olive
groves which you didn’t plant-
This continues the repeated reminder that they had been shown grace
and a place in the Kingdom not according to works. This emphasis upon
grace now leads up to the appeal to quit any other gods (:14)- because
Yahweh alone is the God of grace. The other gods had no concept of this;
it was unique to Yahweh. And true grace is likewise the unique feature of
true Christianity.
Jonah 2:8 reflects Jonah's understanding of this:
"Those who regard lying vanities forsake their own mercy". This is a
profound truth; true grace ["mercy" is hesed] and salvation
is only found in Yahweh the God of Israel. To forsake Him is to forsake
our own access to mercy and grace. Jonah was surely reflecting upon how
the sailors had begged their idols and gods for salvation, and not found
it. Only Yahweh had provided such saving grace, both to them and to Jonah.
This reflection was surely to motivate Jonah to now go and try to persuade
the Ninevites of Yahweh's grace. Jonah is constantly quoting from the
Psalms, and here he may have in mind Ps. 31:6: "I have hated them that
regard lying vanities". But now Jonah doesn't hate the idolaters
personally, but rather perceives the tragedy of the fact that they are
rejecting their own access to Yahweh's grace. Yahweh is all about mercy,
or grace; again, Ps. 59:17 "the God of my mercy" is in mind. But we
preclude His grace if we trust in the lying vanities of this world.
Jos 24:14 Now therefore fear Yahweh, and serve Him in sincerity and in
truth-
God's living word places us in their position; for the appeal to
serve Him in "sincerity and in truth" applies to us (1 Cor. 5:8; 2 Cor.
1:12; 2:17).
Put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in
Egypt, and serve Yahweh-
See on :13. Compare Joshua's earlier over positive statements. Now it seems he came to
a final sense of realism about sin, obedience and Israel’s failure. They
had taken the idols of Egypt with them (Ez. 20:6-8 also mentions this),
even though God had judged those idols (:5). They worshipped that which
had afflicted them, and they were to continue worshipping the idols of
their enemies. Acts 7:43 speaks of them carrying another tabernacle with
them through the wilderness, and the star of Remphan along with the
standards of the tribes. This is the idiocy of idol worship; but when it
comes to spiritual matters, we act without attention to even basic logic.
Jos 24:15 If it seems evil to you to serve Yahweh-
As we will see on :16, this is very similar to the exaggerated
challenge made by the hypocritical western tribes to the eastern tribes in
Josh. 22:19 "However, if the land of your possession is unclean, then pass
over to the land of the possession of Yahweh". Joshua was speaking to the
western tribes as they had spoken to the eastern tribes- and accusing them
of idolatry, as they had [perhaps falsely, but hypocritically] accused the
eastern tribes. The western tribes were being made to feel how they had
made the eastern tribes feel; and were being reminded of their own
idolatry. God likewise works with men today, often confronting those who
confront their brethren, and trying to help them perceive their hypocrisy
and repent.
Choose this day whom you will serve-
Elijah uses the same logic in 1 Kings 18:21, offering Israel an 'all
or nothing' choice between total devotion to Yahweh, and idolatry.
Whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the
River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell-
Joshua asks them to make two choices. Firstly, to decide whether they
want to serve Yahweh exclusively, and any other choice apart from that
would be "evil". And then, if they did choose other gods, they were to
decide which of them they preferred, and serve them exclusively- either
the gods of Abraham's family, or those of the land of Canaan. This second
choice was surely sarcastic, but it was inviting them to see the
seriousness of the situation. Israel however were to be characterized by
serving many gods of many nations, whereas as the prophets point out, a
nation usually only served one set of gods and didn't change their gods
unless they were forced to by domination by other nations. But Israel
were, as Hosea says, like a sexually addicted woman, ever seeking new
religious experiences. See on :19.
As for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh-
Joshua perhaps feels that he and his family alone have chosen to
exclusively serve Yahweh. In the context of his argument in this verse,
any other choice apart from total devotion to Yahweh is "evil". This is
the logic of total commitment to the things of Yahweh. Joshua appears to
be alluding to Gen. 18:19, as if raising a family devoted to Yahweh is the
sign of being a true seed of Abraham. I will note on :19 that as in :15,
Joshua almost encourages Israel not to try serving Yahweh whilst
worshipping idols; and is perhaps implying that God's purpose with His
people can continue through him and his family, as God had once offered to
do with Moses.
Jos 24:16 The people answered, Far be it from us that we should
forsake Yahweh to serve other gods-
These are pretty much the words of the eastern tribes in Josh. 22:29
(see on :15). The western tribes were hypocritical in implying that they
were so totally devoted to Yahweh alone that they had to slay their
eastern brethren because of their possible idolatry. They are effectively
accused of idolatry by Joshua in the same way as they accused the eastern
tribes of it. And they are answering in the same way- even though they
were guilty of idolatry themselves, and needed to "put away" their idols
(Josh. 24:14).
Jos 24:17 for it is Yahweh our God who brought us and our fathers up out
of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did those great
signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way in which we went, and
among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed-
The people repeat the words of Joshua, as if they assent to all he
has said, and recognize Yahweh's grace and care toward them. And yet there
is no evidence that they actually quit their idols, as demanded in :14. We
expect and hope to read that they offered up their idols to Joshua and he
destroyed them. But nothing like that happens; there is just an
intellectual assent to being Yahweh worshippers, and an acceptance of His
power in history. But they failed to translate that into present reality.
And so it can easily be, as week by week God's people sing words and
assent to such statements; and yet keep their idols.
Jos 24:18 Yahweh drove out from before us all the peoples, even the
Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve Yahweh; for
He is our God-
See on :18. They insist that Yahweh "is our God"; not "will be". They
are arguing that Yahweh has always been their God and still is, and by
implication, they have not wickedly departed from him, and are all set to
continue with Him. They seem to be saying that they believe in His
existence and in His historical actions for His people, but we expect to
read a heartfelt repentance in response to the demand in :14 that they
quit their idols. But that is not forthcoming. They refuse to engage with
Joshua's accusation against them. What they say is disappointing for what
it doesn't say. Their words therefore become nothing but a cultural and
historical acceptance of "Yahweh", whilst refusing to engage with His
demands upon His people. It was mere religion, and not spirituality.
Jos 24:19 Joshua said to the people, You can’t serve Yahweh-
The Lord Jesus alludes to this in Mt. 5:24, warning His followers
that they "cannot serve" God and mammon. He thereby interprets idols as
"mammon", wealth and the good life. We will read in :31 that they did
"serve Yahweh", but Joshua here says that they could not do so acceptably,
unless they ditched their idols. Which they didn't. The people understood
serving Yahweh as doing the rituals of His religion, whereas Joshua
understood it as serving Him exclusively with no place in their hearts for
any idolatry.
For He is a
holy God. He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your disobedience nor
your sins-
As in :15, Joshua almost seems to be encouraging them to devote
themselves to their idols, and to stop claiming to be Yahweh's servants.
This presumably was because he understood the principle that knowledge
brings responsibility. They would be terribly punished if they continued
to claim to serve Him and yet served idols; it were better for them in the
long term to accept how they were, and to leave Him. Joshua seems to imply
in :15 that God's purpose with His people can continue through him and his
family, as God had once offered to do with Moses.
Joshua alludes to the words of warning to Israel in Ex. 23:21. The jealousy of God is a natural result of the depth of His love and unique commitment to His people, as the prophets often state. Israel's adultery was going to provoke His jealousy and anger with them. And yet although the things stated here about God are absolutely true on one level, the passages which speak of God as the betrayed lover (Jer. 2, Ez. 16,23 and all Hosea) reveal that despite this, He so loves Israel that He wants to save them and love them all the same. This is the inexplicable paradox of God's love for His people.
Jos 24:20 If you forsake Yahweh and serve foreign gods, then He will turn
and do you evil and consume you, after He has done you good-
As discussed on :19, this was true, and yet God's love was such that
He ever sought their return, and in wrath He remembered amazing mercy.
Joshua also states things in rather too simple terms here, as if they
would be consumed if they were to serve other gods. The reality was that
they were serving foreign gods then at that time, just as they had in
Egypt and throughout the wilderness journeys (:14). And still God had
given them the Kingdom, and amazing victories against their enemies. He
did eventually turn and consume them (Is. 63:10). "After He has done you
good" was a reminder that no matter how much blessing they had received at
that point, it is never a case of 'once saved always saved'. Despite all
that, He could still destroy them.
Jos 24:21 The people said to Joshua, No, but we will serve Yahweh-
We expect to read a heartfelt repentance in response to the demand in
:14 that they quit their idols. But that is not forthcoming; there is no
word of repentance or regret, no admission of wrongdoing. They refuse to
engage with Joshua's accusation against them. What they say is
disappointing for what it doesn't say. Their words therefore become
nothing but a cultural and historical acceptance of "Yahweh", whilst
refusing to engage with His demands upon His people. It was mere religion,
and not spirituality.
Jos 24:22 Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses against yourselves
that you yourselves have chosen Yahweh, to serve Him. They said, We are
witnesses-
"You have chosen Yahweh" in the context means that out of the range
of gods in their possession, they had chosen Yahweh. This is why Joshua
goes on :23 to beg them therefore to put away their idols. "Witnesses
against yourselves" suggests Joshua was confident, perhaps by Divine
revelation, that they would not be uniquely loyal to Yahweh, and would
suffer for it. There would be a future day of judgment, and they would be
the witnesses called up to testify against them.
Jos 24:23 Now therefore put away the foreign gods which are among you-
See on :22. This is specific that there was idolatry going on amongst
the western tribes at this time, so their attempt to exterminate the
eastern tribes for unproven accusations of idolatry is to be seen as
hypocritical (Josh. 22).
And incline your heart to Yahweh, the God of Israel-
This shows that the essence of idolatry, as well as service of God, is the
heart. They were asked to make a conscious mental effort to incline their
hearts to God, but Solomon prays that God will do this to His people (1
Kings 8:58 s.w.). God is capable of working directly on the human heart
and we can ask for His Holy Spirit to effect this; to give us a heart for
Him, to incline our hearts to Him. And yet the same phrase is used of how
Solomon's wives inclined his heart to idols (1 Kings 11:2,4,9). Although
God will work upon our hearts and deepest psychology, He will not force
us, and will allow us to allow others to also incline our hearts away from
Him.
Jos 24:24 The people said to Joshua, We will serve Yahweh our God, and we
will listen to His voice-
Again, we are disappointed by their lack of engagement with the call
to put away their gods (:14,23). We expect to read their words of
repentance, and pulling out their idols and burning them. But they instead
just state that they will serve Yahweh and respect His word. This can be
what His people say today, in the words of songs sung, liturgies recited,
and loyalty to the church proclaimed. Whilst we are totally refusing to
engage with the call to quit our idolatry.
Jos 24:25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for
them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem-
The covenant on Sinai (Ex. 19:20) was reaffirmed in the plains of
Moab (Dt. 29:1) and on Joshua's death (Josh. 24:25), and was to be
reaffirmed every seven years (Dt. 31:9-11,25,26). It is this reaffirmation
of covenant relationship which we make in the breaking of bread service.
Jos 24:26 Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he
took a great stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the
sanctuary of Yahweh-
The oak in Shechem (:1) was that of Gen. 35:4, at which the sons of
Jacob / Israel had reaffirmed their covenant with God and had buried their
idols. We eagerly hope to read that Israel likewise buried their idols
there. But there is no word of that. They reaffirm the covenant, but don't
ditch their idols. And this has poignant warning for we who regularly
reaffirm the covenant through the breaking of bread service. The question
is, have we buried our idols, or are we just reaffirming a covenant in
words only?
Jos 24:27 Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a
witness against us; for it has heard all the words of Yahweh which He
spoke to us. It shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deny
your God-
Some of the Bible’s language refers to pagan superstitions which are
evidently untrue; thus stones listen (Josh. 24:27), trees talk (Jud.
9:8-15), corpses speak (Is. 14:9-11). These ideas are clearly nonsense.
And yet they are picked up and used by the Spirit in order to express
God’s word to people in contemporary terms. The language of demons is used
likewise in the New Testament.
Jos 24:28 So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance-
The law of Moses reasons as if each family of Israel had a specific
inheritance which was not to be sold or moved outside the family. Hence
the sin of Ahab in obtaining Naboth's vineyard. It would seem that there
was some unrecorded list made of each family and which land they were to
be given. This looks forward to our very personal and unique inheritance
in God's Kingdom, possibly based around spiritual family units.
Jos 24:29 It happened that, after these things, Joshua the son of Nun, the
servant of Yahweh, died, being one hundred and ten years old-
Numbers and ages in Hebrew literature are not necessarily to be taken
literally. This was the age at which Joseph is recorded as reaching (Gen.
50:26), and we will read in :32 of the burial of Joseph's bones at
Shechem, at the same time as Joshua is buried. We are clearly invited to
see a connection between the two men, both of them maintaining
spirituality and hope in the Kingdom whilst surrounded by unspirituality
and terrible failure by God's people to realize their potential.
Jos 24:30 They buried him in the border of his inheritance in
Timnathserah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of the
mountain of Gaash-
"In the border" may mean that they believed even then that one day he
would be resurrected, and then immediately enter into his eternal
inheritance. LXX adds: "There they put with him into the tomb in which
they buried him, the knives of stone with which he circumcised the
children of Israel in Galgala, when he brought them out of Egypt, as the
Lord appointed them; and there they are to this day".
Jos 24:31 Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of
the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work of Yahweh that
He had worked for Israel-
This serving of Yahweh is not to say that they served Him
exclusively. The idea may be that they did His "service" as required by
the law of Moses in the sanctuary. Joshua in :19 had said that they could
not 'serve Yahweh' acceptably, unless they ditched their idols. Which they
didn't. The people understood serving Yahweh as doing the rituals of His
religion, whereas Joshua understood it as serving Him exclusively with no
place in their hearts for any idolatry.
Jos 24:32 They buried the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel
brought up out of Egypt, in Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob
bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of
money. They became the inheritance of the children of Joseph-
See on :29. Like Jacob, Joseph's heart was in the land of promise.
Joseph's bones were 'carried up' with them when Israel left Egypt. The
New Testament emphasizes the paradox: that the patriarchs bought land in
the land which was their eternal inheritance. They couldn't bury their
dead nor pitch their tent without having to realize that the land wasn't
theirs. The same paradox was taught in Jacob having to call Esau his
"lord", the younger serving the elder; but in faith that things would not
eternally be that way. Joseph's bones were buried here later (Josh.
24:32), which suggests that Jacob bought it with a view of it becoming a
burial place and Israelite sanctuary. Yet Acts 7:16 says that Abraham
bought this land as a burial place; perhaps the paradox deepens in that
they were deceived out of their "own" land and had to pay for it twice,
even though it was eternally theirs.
We note that Joseph's bones were finally buried in Shechem (Josh. 24:32), the specific inheritance given to him by Jacob. Yet it was from Shechem that the 17 year old Joseph had gone to "seek" his brothers. And finally he returns there. It's as if his amazing work in seeking and saving his brothers was finally fulfilled; for their names will be written on the new Jerusalem, and we can assume that his work in seeking and saving them, through so much hurt, grace, wisdom, patience and forgiveness, was finally done and achieved.
Jos 24:33 Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in the hill of
Phinehas his son, which was given him in the hill country of Ephraim-
LXX adds: "In that day the children of Israel took the ark of God,
and carried it about among them; and Phinees exercised the priest's office
in the room of Eleazar his father till he died, and he was buried in his
own place Gabaar: but the children of Israel departed every one to their
place, and to their own city: and the children of Israel worshipped
Astarte, and Astaroth, and the gods of the nations round about them; and
the Lord delivered them into the hands of Eglom king of Moab and he ruled
over them eighteen years".
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