24:1 Shechem might be thought to be an unusual location for Joshua to gather the tribes of Israel. Shiloh has been established as the cultic center for the nation and has been the scene of the previous national gatherings (18:1; 22:12). However, as noted in the comments on 8:30–35, Shechem, nestled between Mounts Gerizim and Ebal, had long been associated with covenant making (cf. Deut. 11:29), as well as being the site of a previous such ceremony under Joshua. This is sufficient reason for Joshua to make it the place of summons. That Shechem also lay at the nexus of the ancient road network, unlike Shiloh, gave it that practical advantage as well.

The final clause, that in response to Joshua’s summons “they presented themselves before God,” distinguishes this assembly from the previous one and sets the stage for the kind of address they are about to receive from Joshua. Joshua may have called them together, but it is before God that they stand.

24:2b–13 The oracle consists of a God’s-eye view of Israel’s history, stretching back to the ancient times even before Abraham and bringing the story right up to the present moment. With the character of a historical review, the closest comparator is Ezekiel 20, also an oracular account of Israel’s history; in the NT Stephen’s speech in Acts 7 has something of this quality as well, although it is very much Stephen speaking, not God.

The sequence of episodes moves through three phases, with two distinct emphases. The first phase corresponds to the history of Genesis, beginning with Abraham’s father, Terah, in Mesopotamia (cf. Gen. 11:27–32), where Abraham’s ancestors “served other gods” (Josh. 24:2). Verses 3–4 swiftly narrate the patriarchal generations until the descent of Jacob’s sons—the eponymous ancestors of Israel’s twelve tribes—to Egypt. The emphasis of this history from Genesis relates especially to the gift of offspring, the flourishing family that became a nation in Egypt. Moses and Aaron serve as the transition from Egypt (v. 5) for the second phase of the story, the travails of Israel in the wilderness (vv. 6–10). This covers the period from the book of Exodus and the departure from Egypt to the stories of Numbers, especially the military engagements with the Amorites (Num. 21:21–35) and the prophetic opposition mounted by Balaam (Numbers 22–24). The final phase covers the events of the book of Joshua itself (Josh. 24:11–13), from the Jordan crossing (Joshua 3–4) to their present settled life. In these latter two phases the emphasis falls on God’s “giving” victory (24:8, 11) and the land in which they dwell (v. 13).

Several distinctive perspectives embedded in this compressed narrative distinguish it from being just a catalog of moments in the relationship between God and people. Starting the story with Terah is unusual, for starters. Outside the brief passage in Genesis that narrates God’s dealings with Terah, he is mentioned again the OT only in the genealogy of 1 Chronicles 1:26. The purpose for starting with Terah here is clear: the Mesopotamian roots of God’s people, before the divine promise claimed Abraham and his offspring, finds the ancestors at a point in which “they served other gods” (Josh. 24:2). This observation provides the momentum for Joshua’s application of the oracle and the trenchant exchange that follows. The patriarchal phase and its emphasis on the growing number of Abraham’s descendants reflects the first element of God’s promise to Abraham, “I will make of you a great nation” (Gen. 12:2), but incorporates God’s power and authority to grant territory, in this case to Esau (Edom; Josh. 24:4).

The national story (vv. 6–13) is marked by God’s “bringing” (v. 6) Israel out of Egypt into the “land of the Amorites” (v. 8) in a series of situations in which Israel experienced distress and opposition and in which God brought deliverance and blessing to his people. The threats to Israel’s life are portrayed consistently as arising from the aggressive and hostile intentions of the enemy. Characterizing the military engagement with Jericho as it appears in verse 11 (“the leaders of Jericho fought against you”) would not be the most natural recasting of the episode narrated in chapter 6, for example. In the pattern of distress and deliverance there is a foreshadowing of the cycle that will deepen and deteriorate in the book of Judges. In this narrative the main verbal sequence carrying the action forward is, for the most part, made up of first-person verbs describing God’s actions on Israel’s behalf. Everything significant that Israel does, addressed here as “you” (“you came,” 24:6; “you lived,” 24:7; “you took possession,” 24:8; “you went over the Jordan and came,” 24:11; “you dwell . . . you eat,” 24:13), comes about as result of what God has done for them. Without God’s taking their part, saving them, fighting for them, and giving to them, Israel would have nothing, be nowhere. Its very existence is thanks to the mighty acts of God on its behalf.

24:14–15 In true prophetic style, after “thus says the Lord,” which provides the motivation, a message follows, now delivered in Joshua’s own voice. The very first observation made of the clan touched by the action of God was that “they served other gods” (v. 2). Although rhetorically that starting point seems to have been left behind, the concern it raises now dominates the rest of the proceedings. Joshua presents as a demand the clear obligation arising from what Israel has received from the Lord: to “serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.” Should this be Israel’s inclination, then it further follows that they must “put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt.” This is startling. The implication is that even at this point those gods are in some measure harbored somewhere in Israel’s midst (cf. v. 23; cf. also comment on 24:21–24). It seems their idolatry is more deep-seated than it sometimes appears.

This is presented as a challenge to Israel (v. 15a), who, if they refuse Yahweh, are offered a choice among foreign gods as their masters (v. 15b). For Joshua it is not a matter of choice. In his stirring and memorable finale to this speech he declares, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (v. 15). At this late point in the book this is the first glimpse we are given of any domestic circle around Israel’s great military leader. Unlike Moses, whose family is known (even if not much present in the sprawling exodus narrative), Joshua has no wife, no children—not even siblings. The genealogies of 1 Chronicles, which sometimes provide otherwise unknown details, include Joshua as the termination of a family line (1 Chron. 7:25–27). He appears to be an isolated figure.

The question hanging in the air regards whether Joshua will likewise be alone in devoting his service to Yahweh. Even in this short application Joshua uses the word “to serve” seven times. There is no missing the point here.

24:16–18 A truly popular response comes immediately in reply. The answer, like the prophetic speech, is also framed by reference to service of other gods (Josh. 24:16) and serving the true God (24:18). Like Joshua’s oracle it is declared by way of memory of the acts of God on the people’s behalf, moving with greater speed yet covering the same ground as the Lord’s historical recital. It is an Israel’s-eye view of that story, acknowledging God’s actions on their behalf and concurring wholly with Joshua’s assessment.

24:19–20 Given the fit between Joshua’s prophetic challenge and the people’s affirmative reply, Joshua’s response is astonishing. It is in some measure reminiscent of the resounding no he himself received from the commander of the Lord’s army in 5:14.

This issue resides in the clash of character between God and the people: in the first instance the matter turns on who Yahweh is, which is not perhaps what we might expect. Thus one commentator remarks, “It is not so much Israel’s weakness or wickedness that makes their aspiration to serve futile, but the inherent nature of the God they have chosen.”135 What kind of God is this, then? In short, one unlike the gods of the surrounding nations. The terms in which Joshua depicts this God are not so much drawn from the traditions within this book but rather, like his oracle, stretch further back, in this case to Exodus:

(1)  Holy: God is identified as such in the Song of Moses. Exodus 15:11 sets Yahweh apart from any rival deity, and so by way of response holiness is required of Israel (Ex. 19:6).

(2)  Jealous: In the Decalogue this aspect of God’s character means that he refuses to be worshiped by idolaters (Ex. 20:5); this is also Yahweh’s “name” at Exodus 34:14, in which Moses renews covenant at Sinai after the incident of the golden calf.

(3)  “Will Not Forgive” (Hb. yissaʾ) Their Inevitable “Transgressions” and “Sins”: This language finds a close parallel in Exodus 23:21, at which the same warning is given in terms of Israel’s rebellion, equated with transgression.

Joshua expressly shows why emotional and momentary highs and experiences are not trustworthy: it is far too easy to be self-deceived (1 John 1:8). Joshua’s subsequent forecast of Israel’s behavior (that they would “forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods”) and God’s inevitable and necessary response (to “turn . . . harm . . . consume”; Josh. 24:20) concludes his repudiation of the people’s declaration for Yahweh and is a striking glimpse of what will happen in Judges as the sequel to this book.

24:21–24 The people engage in a short, sharp parley, as they reply with a no of their own, also recalling the commander’s blunt response of 5:14 and emphatically affirming their prior commitment to serve Yahweh alone, acknowledged by Joshua as their “choice” (24:22). As noted in the overview of this section, this exchange bears echoes of the resolution to the altar crisis of chapter 22, especially in its language of “witness,” which bears associations of court testimony and a legal obligation as well. Less overt is the final word in this exchange, which goes to Israel: it will “serve” and “obey” the Lord (24:24). These are precisely the terms that Joshua himself used of Israel as he sent them to their homes on the earlier occasion in 22:2, and they hark back beyond that to the language of Deuteronomy 13:5, another passage centrally concerned with exclusive loyalty to Israel’s covenant God.

24:25–28 Joshua, having relented, now enacts the covenant, recording the terms of the covenant agreement and establishing a memorial in stone as witness, much as with the stones of the Jordan in chapter 4 and the stone called “Witness” (22:28, 34). Much of this is familiar from the previous ceremony on Mount Ebal (8:30–35), with one striking difference: on this occasion there is no sacrifice. Shechem is the place for covenant making, but Shiloh at this moment is the home of the tabernacle, the one place for sacrifice among God’s people.