Lesson 25 Chapter 24 Handout

CHAPTER 24 Joshua’s Last Words Key Passage: And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Israel’s

Blessings (verses 1-13)

God Israel (verses 1-4) 1. In obedience to the Lord, Joshua summoned all the people of Israel together at . 2. These verses serve as a reminder to the Jews that their national identity was an act of God’s . 3. There was nothing special about the Jews that God should choose them (Deuteronomy 7:1-11, 26:111, 32:10). 4. One of the repeated titles for God in the Book of Joshua is “the Lord God of .” 5. The Jews were a special people because the to associate His great name with them and be their God. God Israel (verses 5-7) 1. God sent ahead to Egypt to preserve the nation during the famine (Psalm 105:16-22), and then He sent and Aaron to deliver the nation from bondage (Psalm 105:23-45). 2. God judged the gods and rulers of Egypt by sending ten plagues to the land, climaxing with the death of the firstborn (Exodus 7-12). 3. God instructed His people to observe the as an annual reminder of their redemption from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 12-13). God Israel (verses 8-10) 1. God’s plan for them was the Promised Land, but their sin at Kadesh Barnea caused them to wander in the wilderness until the old unbelieving generation had died off. 2. As Israel marched behind the ark of God, the defeated their enemies. 3. When Balaam tried to curse Israel, turned the curse into a blessing (Numbers 2224; Deuteronomy 23:5; Nehemiah 13:2). God Them Their Land (verses 11-13) 1. The same God who took Israel through the Red Sea also took them across the Jordan River and into their inheritance. 2. In verse 13, the emphasis is on the of God and all that He did for Israel because He loved them. Israel’s 1. 2. 3. 4.

Responsibilities (verses 14-28)

(verses 14-18) Joshua made it clear that the people of Israel had to make a to the Lord God of Israel. There could be no neutrality. If they served the Lord, then they would have to get rid of the false gods that some of them secretly were worshiping. Joshua knew that everybody must worship something or someone, whether they realized it or not. The people assured Joshua that they wanted to worship and serve only the Lord God of Israel, and they gave their reasons: • The Lord had delivered them from Egypt. • The Lord brought them through the wilderness

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4. 5. 6. 7.

The Lord had taken them into their Promised Land. (verses 19-28) When the former generation had met the Lord at Mt. Sinai, they had said, “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8). • But a few weeks later, they were worshiping a golden calf! • Joshua knew that it was easy for the people to obedience to the Lord, but it was quite something else for them to actually it. Israel was “married” to Jehovah, and He would not tolerate any in their hearts. Joshua warned them what would happen if they didn’t get rid of their idols: • They would eventually forsake the Lord, and then He would have to chasten them. • They would lose all the blessings He had so graciously given them in the Promised Land. The great challenge facing them was their need to cleanse their hearts of allegiance to other gods and to incline their hearts only to the Lord (Joshua 24:23). Three times the people affirmed their desire to only the Lord (Joshua 24:1618, 21, 24), and Joshua took them at their word. So that they wouldn’t forget this solemn commitment with the Lord, Joshua wrote it in the Book of the Law and then set up a large stone as a reminder. This is the and last memorial mentioned in the Book of Joshua.

Joshua’s Achievements for the Lord (verses 29-33) 1. The book closes with three burials: , Eleazar, and Joseph. 2. Moses had named Joshua as his successor, but it’s significant that God didn’t tell Joshua to appoint a successor. • The elders who had served with Joshua guided the nation after his death, but then the people went astray and began to disobey the Lord and worship the false gods of the Canaanites (Judges 2:615). • The people of Joshua’s generation failed to keep their promise and teach their children and grandchildren to and the Lord.