Joshua 24:1-15
Joshua's Farewell Address to the People of Israel
(24:1-15)
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."
Now therefore fear the Lord] Comp. Job_28:28,
“Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding;” Psa_2:11,
“Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling;” Pro_1:7,
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
in sincerity and in truth] “with perfite herte and most trewe,” Wyclif.
The Greek word here rendered “sincerity” in the LXX. occurs also in 1Co_5:8, “let us keep the feast … with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth;” 2Co_1:12,
“For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity … we have had our conversation in the world;” 2Co_2:17,
“but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”
The Latin word from which our “sincerity” comes, denotes “honey without wax,” unmixed purity. The Greek word is considered by some to be founded on the idea of something held up in the rays of the sun, and proved to be without speck or flaw. [Put away the gods which your fathers served]
Two epochs of ancestral idolatry are here alluded to;
(a) on the other side of the flood, i. e. the Euphrates, in Mesopotamia; and
(b) in Egypt. Some have supposed that the expression alludes to idolatry “in the heart,” but this is untenable.
(i) In Lev_17:7 we read, “they (the people) shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring.”
(ii) Again in Amo_5:25-26, quoted by St Stephen in his address before the Sanhedrim (Act_7:42-43),
“Have ye offered (= did ye offer) unto Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.”
(iii) Once more, in Eze_20:6-8 we read,
“In the day that I lifted up my hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt … then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt … but they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken unto Me; they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt.”
Joshua’s words plainly imply his sad conviction that there were still idolaters among them in secret, as there were in the days of Jacob before him, Gen_35:2, and of Samuel after him, 1Sa_7:3, seq.
Joshua's Farewell Address to the People of Israel
(24:1-15)
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."
Now therefore fear the Lord] Comp. Job_28:28,
“Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding;” Psa_2:11,
“Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling;” Pro_1:7,
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
in sincerity and in truth] “with perfite herte and most trewe,” Wyclif.
The Greek word here rendered “sincerity” in the LXX. occurs also in 1Co_5:8, “let us keep the feast … with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth;” 2Co_1:12,
“For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity … we have had our conversation in the world;” 2Co_2:17,
“but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”
The Latin word from which our “sincerity” comes, denotes “honey without wax,” unmixed purity. The Greek word is considered by some to be founded on the idea of something held up in the rays of the sun, and proved to be without speck or flaw. [Put away the gods which your fathers served]
Two epochs of ancestral idolatry are here alluded to;
(a) on the other side of the flood, i. e. the Euphrates, in Mesopotamia; and
(b) in Egypt. Some have supposed that the expression alludes to idolatry “in the heart,” but this is untenable.
(i) In Lev_17:7 we read, “they (the people) shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring.”
(ii) Again in Amo_5:25-26, quoted by St Stephen in his address before the Sanhedrim (Act_7:42-43),
“Have ye offered (= did ye offer) unto Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.”
(iii) Once more, in Eze_20:6-8 we read,
“In the day that I lifted up my hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt … then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt … but they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken unto Me; they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt.”
Joshua’s words plainly imply his sad conviction that there were still idolaters among them in secret, as there were in the days of Jacob before him, Gen_35:2, and of Samuel after him, 1Sa_7:3, seq.
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