Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Joshua 24

Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross
Introduction

1  Joshua assembles the tribes at Shechem.
2  A brief history of God's benefits, from Terah.
14  He renews the covenant between them and God.
26  A stone the witness of the covenant.
29  Joshua's age, death, and burial.
32  Joseph's bones are buried.
33  Eleazar dies.
Verse 1

And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
Joshua
This must have been a different assembly from that mentioned in the preceding chapter, though probably held not long after the former.
Shechem
As it is immediately added, that "they presented themselves before God," which is supposed to mean at the tabernacle; some are of opinion that Joshua caused it to be conveyed from Shiloh to Shechem on this occasion, to give the greater solemnity to his last meeting with the people. The Vatican and Alexandrian copies of the Septuagint, however, read [Selo] both here and in verse 25; which many suppose to have been the original reading. Dr. Shuckford supposes that the covenant was made at Shechem, and that the people went to Shiloh to confirm it. But the most probable opinion seems to be that of Dr. Kennicott, that when all the tribes were assembled as Shechem, Joshua called the chiefs to him on that mount, which had before been consecrated by the law, and by the altar which he had erected.
Genesis 12:6, 33:18,19, 35:4, Judges 9:1-3, 1 Kings 12:1
called
23:2, Exodus 18:25,26
presented
1 Samuel 10:19, Acts 10:33
Verse 2

And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
Your fathers
Genesis 11:26,31, 12:1, 31:53, Deuteronomy 26:5, Isaiah 51:2, Ezekiel 16:3
served other gods
In the case of Abraham this was probably the case, till he was called to the knowledge of God, when above 70 years old.
15, Genesis 31:19,30,32,53, 35:4
Verse 3

And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
I took
Genesis 12:1-4, Nehemiah 9:7,8, Acts 7:2,3
gave
Genesis 21:2,3, Psalms 127:3
Verse 4

And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
unto Isaac
Genesis 25:24-26
unto Esau
Genesis 32:3, 36:8, Deuteronomy 2:5
Jacob
Genesis 46:1-7, Psalms 105:23, Acts 7:15
Verse 5

I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
sent
Exodus 3:10, 4:12,13, Psalms 105:26
plagued
Exodus 7:1-12, Psalms 78:43-51, 105:27-36, 135:8,9, 136:10
Verse 6

And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.
I brought
Exodus 12:37,51, Micah 6:4
Egyptians
Exodus 14:1-15, Nehemiah 9:11, Psalms 77:15-20, 78:13, 136:13-15, Isaiah 63:12,13, Acts 7:36, Hebrews 11:29
Verse 7

And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
And when
Exodus 14:10
he put
Exodus 14:20
brought
Exodus 14:27,28
your eyes
Exodus 14:31, Deuteronomy 4:34, 29:2
ye dwelt
5:6, Numbers 14:33,34, Nehemiah 9:12-21, Psalms 95:9,10, Acts 13:17,18, Hebrews 3:17
Verse 8

And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
13:10, Numbers 21:21-35, Deuteronomy 2:32-37, 3:1-7, Nehemiah 9:22, Psalms 135:10,11, Psalms 136:17-22
Verse 9

Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:
Numbers 22:5,6-21, Deuteronomy 23:4,5, Judges 11:25, Micah 6:5
Verse 10

But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.
Numbers 22:11,12,18-20,35, 23:3-12,15-26, 24:5-10, Isaiah 54:17
Verse 11

And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.
And ye
3:14-17, 4:10-12,23, Psalms 114:3,5
the men
6:1-27, 10:1-11, Nehemiah 9:24,25, Psalms 78:54,55, 105:44, Acts 7:45, 13:19
Verse 12

And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.
I sent
Exodus 23:28, Deuteronomy 7:20
not
Psalms 44:3-6
Verse 13

And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
And I
21:45
cities
11:13, Deuteronomy 6:10-12, 8:7, Proverbs 13:22
Verse 14

Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
fear
Deuteronomy 10:12, 1 Samuel 12:24, Job 1:1, 28:28, Psalms 111:10, 130:4, Hosea 3:5, Acts 9:31
serve
23, Genesis 17:1, 20:5,6, Deuteronomy 18:13, 2 Kings 20:3, Psalms 119:1,80, Luke 8:15, John 4:23,24, 2 Corinthians 1:12, Ephesians 6:24, Philippians 1:10
put
From this exhortation of Joshua, we not only learn that the Israelites still retained some relics of idolatry, but to what gods they were attached. 1. Those whom their fathers worshipped on the other side of the food, or the river Euphrates, i.e., the gods of the Chaldeans, fire, light, the sun, etc. 2. Those of the Egyptians, Apis, Anubis, serpents, vegetables, etc. 3. Those of the Amorites, Moabites, Canaanites, etc., Baal-peor, Astarte, etc. How astonishing is it, that after all that God had done for them, and all the miracles they had seen, there should still be found among them both idols and idolaters!
2,23, Genesis 35:2, Exodus 20:3,4, Leviticus 17:7, Ezra 9:11, Ezekiel 20:18, Amos 5:25,26
in Egypt
Ezekiel 20:7,8, 23:3
Verse 15

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
choose
Ruth 1:15,16, 1 Kings 18:21, Ezekiel 20:39, John 6:67
whether the gods
or the gods
Exodus 23:24,32,33, 34:15, Deuteronomy 13:7, 29:18, Judges 6:10
as for me
Genesis 18:19, Psalms 101:2, 119:106,111,112, John 6:68, Acts 11:23
Verse 16

And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
1 Samuel 12:23, Romans 3:6, 6:2, Hebrews 10:38,39
Verse 17

For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
5-14, Exodus 19:4, Deuteronomy 32:11,12, Isaiah 46:4, 63:7-14, Amos 2:9,10
Verse 18

And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.
will we also
Exodus 10:2, 15:2, Psalms 116:16, Micah 4:2, Zechariah 8:23, Luke 1:73-75
Verse 19

And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
Ye cannot
23, Ruth 1:15, Matthew 6:24, Luke 14:25-33
holy
Leviticus 10:3, 19:2, 1 Samuel 6:20, Psalms 99:5,9, Isaiah 5:16, 6:3-5, 30:11,15, Habakkuk 1:13
a jealous
Exodus 20:5, 34:14, 1 Corinthians 10:20-22
he will not
Exodus 23:21, 34:7, 1 Samuel 3:14, 2 Chronicles 36:16, Isaiah 27:11
Verse 20

If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
he will turn
23:12-15, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 2 Chronicles 15:2, Ezra 8:22, Isaiah 1:28, 63:10, 65:11,12, Jeremiah 17:13, Ezekiel 18:24, Acts 7:42, Hebrews 10:26,27,38
Verse 21

And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
Nay
Exodus 19:8, 20:19, 24:3,7, Deuteronomy 5:27,28, 26:17, Isaiah 44:5
Verse 22

And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
Ye are witnesses
Ye have been sufficiently apprised of the difficulties in your way--of God's holiness, and the nature of his service--your own weakness, inconstancy, and insufficiency--your need of the Divine help, and the hope of assistance held out in the law--and the awful consequences of apostasy: and now ye make your choice. Remember then that ye are witnesses against yourselves; and your own conscience will be witness, judge, and executioner.
Deuteronomy 26:17, Job 15:6, Luke 19:22
ye have
Psalms 119:11,173, Luke 10:42
Verse 23

Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
put away
14, Genesis 35:2-4, Exodus 20:23, Judges 10:15,16, 1 Samuel 7:3,4, Hosea 14:2,3,8, 1 Corinthians 10:19-21, 2 Corinthians 6:16-18
incline
Proverbs 2:2, Hebrews 12:28,29
Verse 24

And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
Deuteronomy 5:28,29
Verse 25

So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
made
Exodus 15:25, 24:3,7,8, Deuteronomy 5:2,3, 29:1,10-15, 2 Kings 11:17, 2 Chronicles 15:12,15, 2 Chronicles 23:16, 29:10, 34:29-32, Nehemiah 9:38, 10:28,29
in Shechem
1,26
Verse 26

And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.
Joshua
Exodus 24:4, Deuteronomy 31:24-26
took
Judges 9:6
set it
4:3-9,20-24, Genesis 28:18-22
under
Genesis 35:4,8, Judges 9:6
Verse 27

And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
22:27,28,34, Genesis 31:44-52, Deuteronomy 4:26, 30:19, 31:19,21,26, 1 Samuel 7:12
it hath
Deuteronomy 32:1, Isaiah 1:2, Habakkuk 2:11, Luke 19:40
deny
Job 31:23, Proverbs 30:9, Matthew 10:33, 2 Timothy 2:12,13, Titus 1:16, Revelation 3:8
Verse 28

So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.
Judges 2:6
Verse 29

And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
after these
Deuteronomy 34:5, Judges 2:8, Psalms 115:17, 2 Timothy 4:7,8, Revelation 14:13
an hundred
Genesis 50:22,26
Verse 30

And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.
Timnath-serah
19:50, Judges 2:9
Gaash
2 Samuel 23:30
Verse 31

And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel.
served
Deuteronomy 31:29, Judges 2:7, 2 Chronicles 24:2,17,18, Acts 20:29, Philippians 2:12
overlived Joshua
Heb. prolonged their days after Joshua. which had.
Deuteronomy 11:2,7, 31:13
Verse 32

And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
bones
Genesis 50:25, Exodus 13:19, Acts 7:16, Hebrews 11:22
buried
Genesis 33:19, 48:22
pieces of silver
or, lambs.
Verse 33

And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.
Eleazar
14:1, Exodus 6:23,25, Numbers 3:32, 20:26-28
died
Job 30:23, Psalms 49:10, Isaiah 57:1,2, Zechariah 1:5, Acts 13:36, Hebrews 7:24, Hebrews 9:26,27
Phinehas
Judges 20:28

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