New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996

Joshua 24

1 Joshua gathered all of Israel's tribes together at Shechem. He sent for the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel. They came and stood there in the sight of God. Reference

Judgment

Joshua 23:2

References God

1 Samuel 10:19

2 Joshua spoke to all of the people. He said, "The Lord is the God of Israel. He says, 'Long ago your people lived east of the Euphrates River. They worshiped other gods there. Your people included Terah. He was the father of Abraham and Nahor. Reference

Parallel theme

Genesis 31:19

References Abraham

Isaiah 51:2

References God

Genesis 31:30 Joshua 24:15 Genesis 31:32 Genesis 35:4 Genesis 31:53 Deuteronomy 26:5 Ezekiel 16:3

3 " 'I took your father Abraham from the land that is east of the Euphrates. I led him all through Canaan. I gave him many children and grandchildren. I gave him Isaac.

4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave the hill country of Seir to Esau. But Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. Reference

Parallel theme

Genesis 36:8 Deuteronomy 2:5

References Egypt

Acts 7:15

5 " 'Then I sent Moses and Aaron. I made the people of Egypt suffer because of the plagues I sent on them. But I brought you out of Egypt. Reference

References Egypt

Exodus 3:10

6 " 'When I brought your parents out, they came to the Red Sea. The people of Egypt chased them with chariots and with men on horses. They chased them all the way to the sea.

7 But your people cried out to me for help. So I put darkness between you and the people of Egypt. I swept them into the sea. It completely covered them. Your own eyes saw what I did to them. After that, you lived in the desert for a long time. Reference

Darkness

Exodus 14:20

References Lord

Exodus 14:10 Deuteronomy 4:34 Exodus 14:31

8 " 'I brought you to the land of the Amorites. They lived east of the Jordan River. They fought against you. But I handed them over to you. I destroyed them to make room for you. Then you took over their land.

9 " 'Balak, the son of Zippor, prepared to fight against Israel. Balak was king of Moab. He sent for Balaam. He wanted him to put a curse on you. Balaam was the son of Beor. Reference

Kingdom

Judges 11:25 Micah 6:5

References Israel

Numbers 22:2

10 But I would not listen to Balaam's curses. So he blessed you again and again. And I saved you from his power. Reference

Blessing

Deuteronomy 23:5

Parallel theme

Isaiah 54:17 Numbers 22:35

11 " 'Then you went across the Jordan River. You came to Jericho. Its people fought against you. So did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites. But I handed them over to you.

12 " 'I sent hornets ahead of you. They drove your enemies out to make room for you. That included the two Amorite kings. You did not do that with your own swords and bows. Reference

Parallel theme

Exodus 23:28 Deuteronomy 7:20

13 So I gave you a land you had never farmed. I gave you cities you had not built. You are now living in them. And you are eating the fruit of vineyards and olive trees you did not plant.' Reference

Parallel theme

Deuteronomy 8:7 Proverbs 13:22 Joshua 21:45 Joshua 11:13

14 "So have respect for the Lord. Serve him. Be completely faithful to him. Throw away the gods your people worshiped east of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord. Reference

Parallel theme

Ezekiel 20:18

References God

Deuteronomy 10:12 Genesis 35:2 Joshua 24:23 Deuteronomy 18:13 Joshua 24:2

References Lord

Psalm 119:1 Job 28:28

Sin

2 Corinthians 1:12

Truth

1 Samuel 12:24

15 "But suppose you don't want to serve him. Then choose for yourselves right now whom you will serve. You can choose the gods your people served east of the Euphrates River. Or you can choose the gods the Amorites serve. After all, you are living in their land. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." Reference

Parallel theme

Psalm 101:2 Psalm 119:106

References God

1 Kings 18:21 Deuteronomy 29:18 Ezekiel 20:39 Acts 11:23 Judges 6:10 Exodus 23:24 Deuteronomy 13:7

References Lord

Genesis 18:19

16 Then the people answered Joshua. They said, "We would never desert the Lord! We would never serve other gods! Reference

References God

1 Samuel 12:23

17 The Lord our God himself brought us and our parents up out of Egypt. He brought us out of that land where we were slaves. With our own eyes, we saw those great and miraculous signs he did. He kept us safe on our entire journey. He kept us safe as we traveled through all of the nations. Reference

References Egypt

Exodus 19:4

18 He drove them out to make room for us. That included the Amorites. They also lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord. That's because he is our God."

19 Joshua spoke to the people. He said, "You aren't able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won't forgive you when you disobey him. He won't forgive you when you sin against him. Reference

Holy

Isaiah 5:16 Leviticus 19:2 Psalm 99:9 Psalm 99:5 1 Samuel 6:20 Isaiah 30:11 Isaiah 30:15

References God

Exodus 34:14

Sin

Exodus 23:21 Exodus 20:5

20 "Suppose you desert the Lord. Suppose you serve the gods that people in other lands serve. If you do, he will turn against you. He will bring trouble on you. He will destroy you, even though he has been good to you." Reference

Good

Ezra 8:22

Parallel theme

Isaiah 63:10 Ezekiel 18:24 Hebrews 10:38

References God

Acts 7:42 1 Chronicles 28:9

References Lord

Isaiah 1:28 Jeremiah 17:13 2 Chronicles 15:2

21 But the people spoke to Joshua. They said, "No! We will serve the Lord."

22 Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves. You have said that you have chosen to serve the Lord." "Yes. We are witnesses," they replied. Reference

Parallel theme

Psalm 119:173 Psalm 119:11 Luke 10:42

Witness

Job 15:6

23 "Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the gods that are among you. People from other lands serve those gods. Give yourselves completely to the Lord, the God of Israel." Reference

References God

Joshua 24:14

24 Then the people spoke to Joshua. They said, "We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him." Reference

References Lord

Exodus 24:7 Exodus 24:3

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people. There at Shechem he wrote down rules and laws for them. Reference

Covenant

Nehemiah 9:38 2 Kings 11:17 2 Chronicles 23:16

Creation

Exodus 15:25

26 He recorded those things in the Scroll of the Law of God. Then he got a large stone. He set it up in Shechem under the oak tree. It was near the place that had been set apart for the Lord. Reference

Parallel theme

Judges 9:6

References God

Genesis 35:4

27 "Look!" he said to all of the people. "This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all of the words the Lord has spoken to us. Suppose you aren't true to your God. Then the stone will be a witness against you." Reference

Parallel theme

Luke 19:40 Matthew 10:33

References God

Job 31:23 Proverbs 30:9

References Lord

Isaiah 1:2 1 Samuel 7:12

Witness

Joshua 22:34 Deuteronomy 31:21

Word

Deuteronomy 31:26 Deuteronomy 32:1

28 Joshua sent the people away. He sent all of them to their own shares of land. Reference

Parallel theme

Judges 2:6

29 Then Joshua, the servant of the Lord, died. He was the son of Nun. He was 110 years old when he died. Reference

References Lord

Judges 2:8

30 His people buried his body at Timnath Serah on his own property. It's north of Mount Gaash in the hill country of Ephraim. Reference

Parallel theme

Joshua 19:50

📍 Gaash

31 Israel served the Lord as long as Joshua lived. They also served him as long as the elders lived. Those were the elders who lived longer than Joshua did. They had seen for themselves everything the Lord had done for Israel. Reference

References Lord

Deuteronomy 31:13 Judges 2:7 Deuteronomy 31:29 Deuteronomy 11:2

32 The people of Israel had brought Joseph's bones up from Egypt. They buried his bones at Shechem in the piece of land Jacob had bought. He had bought it from the sons of Hamor. He had paid 100 pieces of silver for it. Hamor was the father of Shechem. That piece of land became the share that belonged to Joseph's children after him. Reference

Parallel theme

Genesis 33:19 Acts 7:16 John 4:5 Genesis 48:22

References Israel

Exodus 13:19 Genesis 50:25 Hebrews 11:22

33 Aaron's son Eleazar died. His body was buried at Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim. Gibeah had been given to Eleazar's son Phinehas. Reference

Parallel theme

Exodus 6:25 Joshua 22:13

Summary of Joshua 24

Joshua chapter 24 comes into view as the final chapter of the book and records Joshua's farewell assembly to the Israelites. Joshua summoned the tribes of Israel to Shechem with the elders, heads of families, judges, and officers. It was an occasion for Joshua to remind the people of the past when God has been faithful to them and call the people to continue to serve Him even after him.

The chapter starts with Joshua calling all Israel before the Lord to proclaim a message from the Lord that looks back on the people's history. It starts with the Lord reminding Israel that He had brought Abraham from beyond the River Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. There God gave Abraham Isaac, who in turn became the father of Jacob and Esau. God gave Esau the land of Seir, while Jacob and his household went down into the land of Egypt.

The Lord then reminds Israel of the long line of descendants that came from Jacob and how Israel had become a numerous people in Egypt. But God had brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The Lord then recounts the plagues He had brought upon the Egyptians and how He had brought Israel out of Egypt through the Red Sea. When the Egyptians pursued Israel into the sea, God placed a barrier between the Israelites and the Egyptians and brought the waters upon the Egyptians. After crossing the Red Sea, Israel then sojourned in the wilderness for many years.

The Lord then recounts the battles Israel fought with the Amorites, and how the Lord had given the Israelites victories over their enemies. He also reminded them of Balak king of Moab who hired Balaam to curse Israel, but how God had resisted Balak's attempts and how He blessed Israel instead. The Lord then reminds Israel of how they crossed over the Jordan and of their victories over the nations that God had given them as their enemies.

The message the Lord had given through Joshua was that Israel was not their own people, for God had brought them out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and had given them victories over their enemies. God had brought them into the land of promise that they neither made nor planted.

Joshua then turned to the people and reminded them of the land they now lived in, houses that they had not built, wine that they had not planted, or olive trees that they had not planted. Israel was thus a people who lived by the blessings of the Lord. Israel was a people that God had given them His word and promises and had brought them into this land.

After looking back on their history, Joshua charged the people to fear the Lord and to serve Him with sincerity of heart, refusing to serve the idols that their fathers had served. Joshua warned the people that they could not serve both the Lord and other gods that their parents had worshipped in the land beyond the Euphrates or in Egypt.

Joshua then gives one of the finest speeches in the book when he tells the people that if they feared the Lord, then they were to serve Him, for they could not serve both Him and the gods that their fathers had served. Joshua told the people if they would serve the gods that their fathers worshipped, then let them go ahead and do so, as well as the gods of the Amorites which they dwelled among. But Joshua said that he and his household would fear the Lord. The people then promised not to turn away from the Lord, reminding Him that He had brought them out of Egypt and had delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh and his mighty army, as well as fighting for them against the nations that opposed them and bringing them into a land flowing with milk and honey, that had been their God. Joshua then warned them that they should not turn away from the Lord, for He was a holy God, and the Lord would be jealous of them and bring judgment on Israel if they turned away from Him and followed other gods, but the people insisted that they would serve the Lord.

Joshua then cut a covenant with the people, and he wrote the word of the Lord in the book of the law of God. He took a large stone and set it up under an oak tree in the land of Shechem, near the sanctuary of the Lord. The stone stood as a witness to what the people had spoken, and it was a reminder to all future generations that the words spoken had been spoken in this place by the people of Israel.

This covenant served as a final farewell to Israel for Joshua. They had listened to their history and had promised to fear the Lord and to serve Him only. In the sight of the Lord, the stone had been set as a witness to the words that the people had spoken. The Lord would judge the people if they turned away from Him and served other gods, but the people had promised to serve the Lord.

The chapter closes with the death of Joshua, who was 110 years old when he died. He was buried in the inheritance of Timnathserah in Mount Ephraim. It is then noted that Israel served the Lord during the life of Joshua and during the lifetime of the elders who survived Joshua and who knew the works of the Lord that God had done for Israel.

This was a significant declaration because it tied the faith of the people of Israel with the works of the Lord that they had seen. The older people had personal knowledge of many of the works of the Lord, and they were not simply stories that were passed on to them. The old leaders of Israel were the ones who personally knew what God had delivered Israel from. God had brought them out of Egypt and had brought them through the wilderness. Joshua's death marked the end of one of the greatest leaders that Israel had, and it was a time of transition for the people of Israel.

The chapter also records the journey that the bones of Joseph had taken. When Joseph died in Egypt, he had made the children of Israel swear that they would carry his bones with them when God brought them out of Egypt. Joseph's bones had been laid to rest in the land where his father had bought a piece of land from the sons of Hamor. When the people of Israel arrived at Shechem, Joseph's bones were buried in the parcel of ground that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor. This tied the end of the life of Joshua to the beginning of the life of Israel in the land of Canaan and the fulfillment of promises made to the patriarchs.

The last verse in the chapter is the death of Eleazar the son of Aaron and his burial in Gibeah, which was the inheritance of his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim. With Joshua and Eleazar's deaths, two great men of the previous generation died.

Joshua 24 highlights many of the recurring themes of the book. Israel's history has been one of God's faithfulness to them and to the promises He had made to them. The people had been charged to remember what God had done for them and to continue to serve Him even when the great leaders died. The people of Israel had been delivered from Egypt by the Lord, and He had fought for them and given them the land of promise. But He had also reminded the people that Israel was not their own people, for it was the Lord who had delivered them from Egypt and had fought for them and given them the land.

The other theme that is raised in the chapter is the remembrance of God's promises and works. Joshua used many things to lay up the memory of all that they had been through, from the history that the elders knew, to the written word of the Lord, and the stone that was set up by the elders and Joshua as a witness. The burial of Joseph's bones served as a reminder of how God had kept His promises to his father and to the people of Israel. The promises that had been made to the patriarchs had not been forgotten, and the fulfillment of them had continued to Israel.

The closing statements by Joshua also prepare one for what has yet to come. The great leaders of Israel were dying, and it was Israel's time of transition. Moses had died before they reached the land of promise. Joshua had led Israel into the land, but he too was about to die. Eleazar also died, and it was time for another generation of leaders to rise up.

The final statements of Joshua remind the people of Israel to serve the Lord with sincerity of heart and that they were to fear Him. He spoke of the faithfulness of the Lord to His promises and to the people of Israel. His wonderful words of "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" summed up what he wanted to leave to the people of Israel.

Joshua ends with a passing of the mantle. The promise of the inheritance of the land had been realized. The covenant with God had been made again, and the great leaders of the conquest of Canaan had died. Now it was the time for the next generation of Israel to step up and to remember that it was the Lord who had brought them into this land.

New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996

Joshua 24

Summary of Joshua 24

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