Seventh-day Adventist Bible CommentaryJoshua 24

Joshua gathered. The gathering of ch. 23 had been an assembly of the leaders and people in which Joshua had pressed upon them their responsibility of driving out the enemy, and had warned them of the dangers of neglecting to carry out this command. He reminded them of the promise of God to be with them, and of their responsibility to carry out such a program. Now Joshua gathered the heads and representatives of the tribes to Shechem for a final appeal to them. There was great appropriateness in the selection of Shechem. Here the covenant was first given to Abram (Gen. 12:6, 7); in the immediate neighborhood Jacob seems to have renewed it (Gen. 33:19, 20), and under an oak at Shechem he had “put away the strange gods” of his family (Gen 35:2–4), as Joshua now reminded the Israelites (Joshua 24:23); here also the covenant had been renewed after the fall of Ai (Joshua 8:30–35). There was no more fitting place than Shechem for Joshua’s parting words and where the covenant of Israel with God might be renewed. Presented themselves. These leaders of Israel, numbering perhaps several hundred, presented themselves before the Lord. The ark had been brought from Shiloh for the occasion (PP 523).

Ellen G. White

Thus saith the Lord. Joshua began his speech in the solemn form used by the prophets and introduced God Himself as speaking in His own person. It would seem from this that Joshua was a prophet as well as a ruler. Flood. Heb. nahar, “river.” The reference is to the Euphrates River, by the waters of which lay Ur of the Chaldees. Served other gods. Joshua bade the people remember that their forefathers had been idolaters such as the Israelites were now exterminating. It was only by the grace of God that the Israelites were now in such a favored state. There was great danger that they would forget the rock from whence they were hewn and lapse back into idolatry.

I took. The Syriac reads, “I led.” Throughout this verse, which relates Abraham’s experience, God is presented as the one who accomplished all the great acts in Abraham’s life. Abraham humbly submitted to the divine control. His life became an example of faith (Rom. 4:1–11; Gal. 3:6–9; cf. James 2:21–23). God was anxious to lead the descendants of Abraham into the same experience of faith.

Plagued. Literally, “smote,” but usually with the idea of a stroke from God.

Your eyes. More than half a century had passed since the exodus of their fathers from Egypt, and it is probable that a considerable number of those present had seen the things that God had done in Egypt and the overthrow of the Egyptians in the Red Sea. Not being 20 years old at the time of the rebellion at Kadesh, they were exempted from the dreadful sentence of destruction passed upon all above that age (Num. 14).

Warred against Israel. From the history recorded in Num. 23 and 24, and also from Judges 11:25, it would appear that Balak did not at any time actually engage in conflict with Israel. He is said, therefore, in this place to have “warred” against them because he intended to do it, laying the plans and preparation accordingly. God considers the intent the act. The state of mind that causes the perpetration of a willfully sinful act is the essence of the sin; the act itself is but the execution of the intent (Matt. 5:28).

Blessed you still. Rather, “blessed you emphatically.” The construction here is similar to the one in Gen. 2:17, “Thou shalt surely die.” The emphasis of such a construction is sometimes difficult to translate. The passage seems to mean that, contrary to all expectations and Balaam’s firm intention, God caused him to bless Israel emphatically.

Men of Jericho. Literally, “lords of Jericho.” The seven Canaanitish tribes that follow seem not to be identical with, but rather in addition to, the lords of Jericho. The word for “fought” is the same as the one translated “warred” (v. 9), and must here be considered in a similar sense. The people of Jericho did not fight actively. They confined themselves to defensive operations, which, of course, also, constitute war.

The hornet. Or, “the hornets,” or, “hornets.” In the Hebrew the form is identical with that found in Ex. 23:28 and Deut. 7:20, where God promised to send the hornets before His people to subdue the land. Now Joshua said that God had sent the hornets before His people and had driven out the two kings of the Amorites. The earlier record of this conquest states that these kings and their peoples had been smitten with the sword of Israel (Num. 21:24, 35). It seems clear that the signal victory over these kings was not due to the skill of the sword and bow, but rather to the special blessing of God. Hornets, then, seem to be figurative of the assistance God provided to give success to the armies of Israel. The figure is appropriate. As hornets would produce consternation and panic in a

camp, so the Lord would send fear, terror, quaking, and confusion into the camp of the nations to unnerve them for battle (see Deut. 2:25; Joshua 2:11). Some see in these hornets the Egyptians whom the Lord used to weaken Canaanitish nations so as to make them as easy prey to the Israelites (see on Ex. 23:28).

Gods. The LXX and Syriac read, “foreign gods.” It was at Shechem, the very place where the tribes were now assembled, that Jacob had put away the strange gods that were in his family, and had buried them under an oak (Gen. 35:2, 4). The Israelites may have preserved some of the idols of the subdued Canaanites as curios or as souvenirs, and hence now stood in danger of regarding them with reverence. The tendency toward idolatry began to develop in Egypt (Eze. 20:6, 7). It continued to be a marked characteristic of the people in the wilderness (see Ex. 32; Amos 5:25, 26; Acts 7:39–43), as it had been in Egypt (Eze. 20:6, 7). Joshua knew that even now idolatry was secretly practiced by some of the Israelites even though outwardly they had only recently expressed great zeal against any appearance of it (Joshua 22). Many who today make high pretensions of Christianity, like the Israelites, cherish some secret idol in their hearts. Eventually such an idol, unless removed, will nullify the whole Christian life and prove ruinous to the soul.

Ellen G. White

Choose you this day. The command to serve the Lord does not preclude choice. Any service that is not voluntary is useless. God sets before men life and death and urges them to choose life, but He does not interfere with their contrary choice, nor does He protect them from its natural results. My house. Those that are leaders in the cause of God must take special care that those under their charge, particularly those in their own home (1 Tim. 3:4, 5), follow in the way of righteousness. Joshua resolved that he and his house would serve the Lord despite what others did. Sometimes the choice to serve God becomes a singular act. But “thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil” (Ex. 23:2). Those who are bound for heaven must be willing, despite all opposition, to do as the best do and not as the most do. Joshua had been remarkably true to God all his life. He was resolved to remain faithful to the last. His last appeal was for the people to follow his example of consecration, and the dignity and simplicity of his life added powerfully to the weight of his words.

Ellen G. White

God forbid. Literally, “profanation be to us from serving,” that is, “if we should forsake Jehovah, may we be profaned or accursed.”

Ye cannot serve. Grammatically there is some difficulty in connecting the “if” of v. 20 with this statement, yet the sense is appropriate and was probably intended. The meaning then would be, “Surely we cannot serve Jehovah if we forsake Him and serve other gods. He is a jealous God, and cannot share with other gods His place or authority.” On the other hand, the statement of v. 19 was probably intended to have a force of its own. The declaration, “Ye cannot serve the Lord,” may have reference to the moral inability of man of himself to render obedience to the divine commands. Joshua was not merely saying, “You cannot serve Jehovah with other gods.” He was also asserting, “You cannot serve Jehovah at all in your own strength.” In this acknowledgment Joshua, centuries before the apostle Paul, was setting forth the great principle of righteousness by faith. In the attainment of this righteousness both man and God have a part to act. God cannot do anything for us without our consent and cooperation. Likewise, we cannot do anything without the help of God. Faith and works are like the two oars of a boat which we must use equally. It is man’s part to choose the right way and then to set about to

accomplish it, in full recognition of his complete dependence on God. It is God’s part to supply the enabling power. He stands ready at all times to fulfill His part of the contract. The question is, Will we fulfill ours? Will we choose to expel the wrong and adopt the right? Will we actively set about to make the objectives of our choice a reality?

He will turn. Affirming the possibility of falling from grace. Were there no such possibility, this verse would be without meaning.

Put away. See on v. 14.

The people said. Three times the people affirmed their allegiance to Jehovah, thus adding solemnity to their declaration and reconfirming their covenant (see on Ex. 19:8; 24:3, 7).

Statute. Derived from a word signifying “to cut,” hence the meaning, “what is cut in,” or, “what is graven.” The word for “ordinance” is more generally translated “judgment.” The engraving may have been on the rock that Joshua set up for a memorial.

Joshua wrote. That is, the words of the covenant, and the statute and judgment (v. 25). The account was placed with the book of the law in the side of the ark (PP 524). This is the second “signature” among the sacred writers of the OT. The first is that of Moses, in Deut. 31:9. The next after Joshua’s is that of Samuel (1 Sam. 10:25). These men did not think of themselves as writers of distinct books, but as authorized to add their part to the book already written, to write what was assigned to them “in the book of the law of God.” The unity of Holy Scripture is thus seen to have been an essential feature of the Bible from the very first. A great stone. See on v. 25. Under an oak. This was possibly the oak under which Jacob buried the images (Gen. 35:4).

A witness. Stone is enduring. Engraving upon it remains indefinitely as a silent witness, after the engravers have died, to succeeding generations.

Ellen G. White

An hundred and ten years old. See on ch. 23:1. Joshua’s name first appeared in history when he was at least 40 years of age (Ex. 17:9). Many eventful years had since passed, and now a great statesman was laying down his life. But eminent or obscure, every life must come to an end. Joshua appointed no successor. None of his family took his place. In fact, his posterity is never mentioned in history, and it may even be that he left no children to carry on his name. But a higher fame is his, a more enduring memorial than any earthly family could convey.

Hill of Gaash. Near Timnath-serah. For the location, see on Judges 2:9.

Which had known. Future generations neglected to review past history, and so forgot what God had done for their forefathers. Such knowledge would have helped them to realize God’s willingness to do the same for His people in their day. So it is today. “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history” (LS 196).

Bones of Joseph. The act of burying Joseph’s bones, though here related after the account of the death of Joshua, probably took place before it, at the time of the gathering at Shechem described in this chapter. There is nothing in the original to prevent the verb from being translated “had buried,” thus implying that the burial had taken place some time before.

Eleazar. Probably he died about the same time as Joshua, or soon after.

Pertained to Phinehas. Literally, “hill of Phinehas.” As the cities assigned to the priests lay in the lots of Judah, Benjamin, and Simeon, this portion may have been given to the high priest in Mt. Ephraim voluntarily by the people for a place of residence at a convenient distance from Joshua and the tabernacle. The place may have been called the “hill of Phinehas,” because Phinehas possibly lived there longer than his father Eleazar.