24:22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye [are] witnesses {i} against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, [We are] witnesses.(i) If you do the contrary, your own mouths will condemn you. read more
24:23 Now therefore put away, [said he], the strange {k} gods which [are] among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.(k) Out of your hearts and otherwise. read more
24:25 So Joshua {l} made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.(l) By joining God and the people together: also he repeated the promises and threatenings out of the Law. read more
24:27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it {m} 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.(m) So that man’s deception should not go unpunished, the dumb creatures will cry for vengeance. read more
JOSHUA'S SUMMARY OF ISRAEL'S HISTORY (vs.1-13) For the second time, as Joshua neared the end of his life, he called Israel together, primarily the elders, heads, judges and officers (v.1), but including "all the people" (v.2). He then faithfully summarized Israel's history, from her fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob until the then present time. There is a striking similarity between this and the first part of Stephen's address in Acts 7:1-60. Abraham had dwelt with his father Terah on the... read more
COVENANT RENEWED , JOSHUA ’S END THE GATHERING AT SHILOH (Joshua 23:0 ) “A long time after that the Lord had given rest unto Israel,” refers to a period elapsing after the distribution of the land. We do not know how long it was, but Joshua is old and his departure is near (Joshua 23:1 ). This is a gathering of the leaders presumably at Shiloh, where the central place of worship was (Joshua 23:2 ). It is an occasion to exhort the people to faithfulness in their obligations to God, the... read more
After Rest Joshua 20-24 THE twentieth chapter deals with the Cities of Refuge. A very beautiful expression is that "City of Refuge." Very suggestive, too. But there is a great black shadow in the middle of it: for why should men want refuge? The term is noble in itself, but what is it in its suggestion? Surely it means that there is a pursuing storm. We have heard travellers say that by making haste they will just be in time to escape the impending tempest; so they quicken their steps, and... read more
"Handfuls of Purpose" For All Gleaners "Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us." Jos 24:27 This is more than poetry; this indeed is the greatest of realities. We are accustomed to regard nature as a silent and unresponsive quantity, but it is never so regarded in holy Scripture. We cannot tell the relation of nature to our own spiritual life. There is nothing secret that shall not be revealed; there is nothing spoken... read more
The answer of Israel is just what we might have expected. They have well spoken, said the Lord himself concerning them upon a similar occasion, all that they have spoken. But he who knows what is in the heart, knows what poor, irresolute, weak creatures we are: and, therefore adds, Oh! that there were such an heart in them! Deuteronomy 5:28-29 . Reader! if you know anything of your own heart, you have learnt somewhat of its deceitfulness; and, therefore, will not venture to trust it. I know,... read more
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Geneva Study Bible - Joshua 24:18
24:18 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; {h} for he [is] our God.(h) How much more are we bound to serve God in Christ, by whom we have received the redemption of our souls. read more