1
Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their officers, and they stood before God.
2
Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Long ago, beyond the Euphrates River, your fathers lived there—Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor—and they served other gods.
3
But I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates River and led him through all the land of Canaan. I multiplied his offspring and gave him Isaac.
4
To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the hill country of Seir as his possession, while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.
5
Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt with plagues, as I did among them; afterward I brought you out.
6
After I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea, the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.
7
Then they cried out to the LORD, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians and brought the sea upon them, so that it covered them. Your own eyes saw what I did to Egypt. Afterward you lived in the wilderness a long time.
8
I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan, and when they fought against you, I gave them into your hand, so that you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you.
9
Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. He sent and called Balaam son of Beor to curse you.
10
But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you instead. Thus I delivered you from his hand.
11
When you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, along with the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; but I gave them into your hand.
12
Then I sent the hornets ahead of you, and they drove them out before you, as with the two kings of the Amorites. It was not by your sword, nor by your bow.
13
So I gave you a land for which you did not labor, and cities that you did not build, and you live in them; and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant, and you eat their fruit.”
14
Therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
15
But if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve: the gods your fathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”
16
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods!
17
For the LORD our God is he who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, and who did these great signs before our own eyes, and preserved us all along the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed,
18
and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”
19
But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your transgression and your sins.
20
If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good before.”
21
And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD.”
22
Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses!”
23
He said, “Then now put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
24
And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”
25
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and set for them statutes and ordinances at Shechem.
26
And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God. Then he took a great stone and set it up there, under the large tree, in the sanctuary of the LORD.
27
And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deny your God.”
28
After this Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.
29
And after these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being a hundred and ten years old.
30
And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance, at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31
And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, and who knew all the work that the LORD had done for Israel.
32
And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the piece of ground that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver, and it became an inheritance for the descendants of Joseph.
33
And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him on the hill that had been given to Phinehas his son, in the hill country of Ephraim.
🏞️⚖️⛪ Summary of Joshua 24 – The Covenant at Shechem and the Death of Joshua
Joshua 24 is the closing chapter of the Book of Joshua. Here, Joshua gathers all the people of Israel at Shechem, a historic place, to deliver a farewell speech. He recounts the history of God’s works, challenges the people to choose whom they will serve, and finally renews the covenant between God and Israel. Joshua then dies at the age of 110, and Israel remained faithful to God throughout that generation.
📌 1. The History of God’s Works (verses 1–13)
- Joshua retells God’s works from the time of Abraham, the Exodus from Egypt, to the conquest of the land of Canaan.
- The emphasis: all victories are because of the grace of the Lord, not because of Israel’s own strength.
🎯 A reminder that all spiritual and material achievements are because of the Lord, not our merit.
📌 2. Choose Today Whom You Will Serve! (verses 14–15)
“Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!” (verse 15)
- Joshua challenges Israel to make a conscious decision: whether they will serve the Lord or the gods of other nations.
- He himself declares the personal commitment of his family to remain faithful to the Lord.
🎯 Every generation and household must choose: follow the Lord with all the heart, or not at all.
📌 3. The People’s Response and the Renewal of the Covenant (verses 16–28)
- The people of Israel declared their willingness to be faithful to the Lord.
- Joshua warned that the Lord would not allow compromise.
- Then he wrote down the covenant and set up a memorial stone as a witness.
🎯 A commitment of faith is not merely words, but must be joined with real action and a binding reminder.
📌 4. The Death of Joshua and the Burial of the Leaders (verses 29–33)
- Joshua died at the age of 110 and was buried in his own land.
- The bones of Joseph, which had been brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem.
- Eleazar, the high priest, also died.
🎯 The end of the lives of great leaders shows that they were only instruments — but the work of God continues.
📖 Main Teachings
- Remember the great works of God from generation to generation.
- True faith requires a deliberate choice and cannot be half-hearted.
- The commitment of faith must be renewed both collectively and personally.
- Leaders may pass away, but the truth of God endures forever.
- Spiritual inheritance must be carried forward, not merely remembered.
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“So likewise, whoever among you does not give up all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
“Lord, to whom shall we go? Your words are eternal life.”
“Let us run with perseverance… with our eyes fixed on Jesus…”
🎯 Christ is the true leader who never dies. To Him we give our lifelong commitment.
“As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15
“The LORD drove out great nations… therefore we also will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:18
“This stone shall be a witness, for it has heard all the words of the LORD.” – Joshua 24:27
