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| 1 And Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel, unto 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 gathered – Remembering Moses' command in Deut. 27. R1869:1
All the tribes – Representatives of all the tribes. R3093:2
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| 2 Then said Joshua unto all the people–Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel, Beyond the River, dwelt your fathers from age-past times, [unto] Terah, father of Abraham, and father of Nahor,–and they served other gods. |
Served other gods – Israel's forefathers prior to Abraham were idolaters. R1869:2
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| 3 So I took your father, Abraham, from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan,–and multiplied his seed, and gave unto him, Isaac; |
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| 4 and gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau,–and gave unto Esau, Mount Seir, to possess it, but, Jacob and his sons, went down into Egypt. |
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| 5 Then sent I Moses and Aaron, and plagued Egypt, according to that which I did in their midst, and, afterwards, brought you forth. |
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| 6 Yea I brought forth your fathers, out of Egypt, and ye came unto the sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers, with chariots and with horsemen, unto the Red Sea. |
Out of Egypt – Type of the kingdom of darkness. F458
And the Egyptians – Type of the opponents of God's people. F458
And horsemen – Type of fallen angels and fallen men. F458
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| 7 So they made outcry unto Yahweh, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought in upon them the sea, and covered them,–and your eyes beheld what I did with the Egyptians. And, when ye had remained in the desert many days, |
Brought the sea – The Red Sea, type of the Second Death. F459
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| 8 then I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who were dwelling over the Jordan, and they fought with you,–then delivered I them into your hand, and ye took possession of their land, so I destroyed them from before you. |
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| 9 Then rose up Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, and made war with Israel,–and sent and called for Balaam son of Beor, to curse you; |
And called Balaam – Type of those who teach error for profit. F166
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| 10 but I was not willing to hearken unto Balaam,–so, he kept on blessing, you, and I rescued you out of his hand. |
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| 11 Then passed ye over the Jordan, and came in unto Jericho, and, when they would have made war with you–even the lords of Jericho–the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, then delivered I them into your hand. |
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| 12 And I sent before you the hornet, which drave them out from before you, the two kings of the Amorites,–not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. |
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| 13 Thus I gave unto you a land on which thou hadst not laboured, and cities which ye had not built, and ye proceeded to dwell therein,–of vineyards and oliveyards, which ye planted not, ye are eating. |
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| 14 Now, therefore, revere ye Yahweh, and serve him, in sincerity and in truth,–and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve ye Yahweh. |
Put away the gods – Perhaps because idolatry still lurked among them; perhaps merely guarding against the tendency. R3094:1
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| 15 But, if it be, a vexation, in your eyes, to serve Yahweh, choose ye for yourselves, today, whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served, that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye are dwelling,–but, I and my house, will serve Yahweh. |
Evil – Undesirable. R3094:2
Choose you this day – "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him." (1 Kings 18:21) We should come to a positive decision whether we will serve God or Mammon (selfishness); settling the matter at once and for all time that we will be the Lord's. OV198:7; R2950:4
Indecision is one of the greatest foes to character building while the liberty or privilege of choosing, exercising our wills, is one of the grandest blessings accorded to humanity, and is an important element of man's likeness to his Creator. SM755:1; R757:1; R758:1; R765:1
As Joshua asked them to decide whether or not they would be faithful to the Lord, so we should come to a full, positive decision as respects our course of life. OV198:7; R4780:1
To perceive the Lord's will on any subject would be to settle it without any temporizing. R4780:2
A will-less man is a good-for-naught. OV196:T
Illustrated by Elijah and the priests of Baal. R4740:1-6
Whom ye will serve – Having chosen wisely we must bend our every energy to the working out of that resolution. OV196:T
Whether the gods – The choice was theirs. We have no right to attempt compulsion. This is true during the Jewish and Gospel ages, but not during the Millennial age. R3094:2
As for me – Others may reverence whom they will; we can do naught else than reverence our God. R2873:1
And my house – Signifying the training of children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. A consecrated person should have a large and good influence over his entire household. R3094:6; SM764:2
Parents must realize that few can stand an education which recognizes neither God nor responsibility to him. OV258:2, OV293:4
Will serve the LORD – Whoever has this determination will be blessed. R5149:4
Every day we should renew our covenant with the Lord. R4780:4
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| 16 Then responded the people, and said, Far be it from us, that we should forsake Yahweh,–to serve other gods; |
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| 17 for, as for Yahweh our God, he, brought up both us and our fathers, out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of servants,–and who did before our eyes, these great signs, and preserved us throughout all the way wherein we journeyed, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed; |
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| 18 then did Yahweh drive out all the peoples, even the Amorites were dwelling in the land, from before us,–we too, will serve Yahweh, for, he, is our God. |
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| 19 Then said Joshua unto the people–Ye cannot serve Yahweh, for, a holy God, he is, a jealous GOD, he is, he will not forgive your transgression, nor your sins. |
Cannot serve – You must not imagine that the promises you are making can be kept without considerable effort. R3094:3
When the Jew agreed to that covenant he signed his own death-warrant; for none of Adam's children can keep it. R812:1*
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| 20 When ye forsake Yahweh, and serve the gods of a stranger, then will he turn, and inflict on you calamity, and consume you, after that he hath dealt well with you. |
And do you hurt – Typifying that God will send strong delusions to those who receive not the love of the truth. (2 Thess. 2:11, 12) R1869:5
Consume you – To Israel, a hasty visitation of the Adamic Death penalty; to the consecrated, the Second Death. R1869:5
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| 21 But the people said unto Joshua,–Nay! but, Yahweh, will we serve. |
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| 22 Then said Joshua unto the people–Witnesses, are ye, against yourselves, that, ye yourselves, have chosen you Yahweh, to serve him. And they said: Witnesses! |
We are witnesses – The Lord's spiritual people should not only make a covenant with the Lord in their hearts and minds, but should also witness it before fellow-members of the Body of Christ by confession and baptism. R3094:6
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| 23 Now, therefore, put ye away the gods of the stranger, that are in your midst,–and incline your heart unto Yahweh, God of Israel. |
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| 24 And the people said unto Joshua,–Yahweh our God, will we serve, and, unto his voice, will we hearken. |
God will we serve – Any rival occupying mind or heart is unfaithfulness to him and a despising of our covenant. R1869:4
Will we obey – "To obey is better than sacrifice." (1 Sam. 15:22) R4206:6
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| 25 So then Joshua solemnised a covenant for the people, on that day,–and set for them a statute and a regulation, in Shechem. |
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| 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the scroll of the law of God,–and took a great stone, and set it up there, under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Yahweh. |
Wrote these words – Corresponding to a public confession of our covenant before the fellow members of the Body of Christ. R3094:6
Book of the law of God – Including Genesis. R1623:4
Great stone – Representing the memorial of our
consecration--baptism. R3094:6
An oak – Or oak grove. R3094:5
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| 27 And Joshua said unto all the people–Lo! this stone, shall serve against us as a witness, for, it, hath heard all the sayings of Yahweh, which he hath spoken with us,–so shall it serve against you as a witness, lest ye should act deceptively against your God. |
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| 28 And Joshua sent the people away, every man unto his inheritance. |
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| 29 And it came to pass, after these things, that Joshua son of Nun, servant of Yahweh, died, being a hundred and ten years old. |
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| 30 And they buried him within the bounds of his own inheritance, in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of Mount Gaash. |
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| 31 So then Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua,–and all the days of the elders who prolonged their days after Joshua, and who had known all the work of Yahweh, which he had wrought for Israel. |
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| 32 And, the bones of Joseph–which the sons of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in the portion of field, which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of money,–and they belonged unto the sons of Joseph, as an inheritance. |
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| 33 And, Eleazar son of Aaron, died,–and they buried him in the hill of Phinehas his son, which was given to him, in the hill country of Ephraim. |
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