Date: 2025-08-30
Passage: Joshua 24 – “Choose This Day”
Shechem sits in a broad valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, right where Abraham first built an altar (Genesis 12:6-7) and where Israel earlier renewed covenant (Joshua 8:30-35). Archaeologists working at Tel Balata (the mound of ancient Shechem) have found a Late Bronze Age temple, a large standing stone, and a sizable courtyard—fitting reminders of public assemblies like the one in this chapter. Joshua gathers every tribe here because this ground already whispers of promise kept.
Cross-references
• Genesis 12:6-7 – Abraham’s first altar
• Deuteronomy 27:1-8 – Moses’ instruction for covenant renewal
• John 4:5-6 – Jesus meets the Samaritan woman “near the plot of ground
Jacob had given to his son Joseph,” again at Shechem.
Joshua speaks for God in the first person—“I took… I sent… I gave…”—fifteen times. It is a thunder of grace: salvation is God-initiated from start to finish. He selects Abraham, rescues from Egypt, splits the sea, defeats kings, and hands over land “for which you did not labor” (New International Version).
Western readers often miss how treaty language works here. Ancient Near Eastern treaties began with a preamble and historical prologue listing the suzerain’s deeds. Joshua follows the same form: “Because I have done all this, here is your part.”
Theological thread
Grace comes first; obedience follows. That order becomes the backbone of
both Old and New Covenants (compare Exodus 20:2 before the Ten
Commandments, and Ephesians 2:8-10).
“Now fear the LORD and serve [Hebrew ʿābad, to serve, work, worship] him with all faithfulness… Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Notes for deeper study:
• ʿĀbad appears 16 times in this chapter—Joshua’s drumbeat. Service is
worship.
• “Jealous” (Hebrew qannāʾ) in v19 pictures covenant zeal, like a loving
spouse refusing rivals.
• “If it seems evil in your eyes” (v15) is an idiom meaning “If you find
it disagreeable.”
Joshua shocks them: “You are not able to serve the LORD” (v19). He wants them to feel the weight of holiness before they make vows cheaply. The people still affirm, “We will serve.” Covenant involves sober realism and Spirit-given power (Romans 8:3-4).
Voices from the Church
• Augustine: “Grace makes covenant commands possible; without it the
pledge is presumption.”
• John Calvin: “Joshua presses hearts to sincere choice, not outward
ceremony.”
• John Wesley often quoted v15 at class meetings, urging families to
decide publicly.
Joshua writes the words “in the Book of the Law of God” and sets up a stone of witness (Hebrew ʾeven). Large stones, called maṣṣēbôt, often marked treaties. Putting it “under the oak near the holy place” echoes Genesis 35:4, where Jacob buried foreign gods under an oak at Shechem. The oak silently reminds them to keep idols buried.
Together they say: leaders die, promises live. Hebrews 11:22 praises Joseph’s faith in these bones, pointing forward to resurrection.
• Covenant grace → New Covenant in Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Luke
22:20).
• Exclusive loyalty → Jesus’ warning, “No one can serve two masters”
(Matthew 6:24).
• Household faith → Acts 16:31-34; 2 Timothy 1:5.
• Memorial stone → 1 Peter 2:4-6, Jesus the living Stone who bears
witness.
• Household gods (teraphim) were common; Joshua’s call includes
clearing mantelpieces as well as hearts.
• Ancient treaties allowed no neutral ground—either you served the
suzerain or rebelled. Joshua’s “choose” is not cafeteria faith; it is
total allegiance.
• Public recitation of history trained memory in an oral culture. Today
we read silently; they heard communally. Try reading God’s works aloud
in your home.
The chapter is framed like a chiasm:
A (1-2a) Gathering at Shechem
B (2b-13) God’s past deeds
C (14-15) Call to choose
B′ (16-24) People’s pledge and God’s holiness
A′ (25-28) Covenant recorded at Shechem
Book-ending at Shechem underscores continuity from Abraham to Joshua.
As we close our long walk through Joshua (see devotions from July 1 onward), the book ends where it began: God is faithful, so be strong and courageous—in loyalty, memory, and worship.
“Take My Life and Let It Be” by Frances Ridley Havergal. Sing especially the stanza “Take my will and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.”
Faithful God of Abraham, Joshua, and all who call on Your Name,
we remember Your mighty acts—creation, cross, empty tomb, and every
quiet mercy in our own lives.
We choose this day to serve You alone.
By Your Spirit, root out hidden idols,
write Your covenant on our hearts,
and let every room of our homes resound with loyal praise.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.