What is happening when Joshua gathers Israel at Shechem?

Joshua is near the end of his life and calls all the tribes, along with their leaders, to meet at Shechem. This place already has a long history in God’s dealings with their fathers. They are said to stand before God, meaning this is not just a town meeting but a solemn time in God’s presence. Joshua is leading them in renewing their covenant with the Lord. He reminds them of their story, calls them to choose whom they will serve, and then seals their promise with written words and a great stone as a witness.

What does choose you this day whom ye will serve mean?

When Joshua says, “choose you this day whom ye will serve,” he is pressing the people to make a clear, present decision. They must not drift along half with the Lord and half with idols. They can go after the gods of their ancestors or the gods of the land, but they must admit that choice. Joshua then gives his own example: whatever others may do, he and his household will serve the Lord. This shows that following God is a deliberate, personal and family commitment, not something assumed or forced.

Why did Joshua warn you cannot serve the LORD, for he is a holy God?

Joshua’s warning is meant to sober the people. They have just promised to serve the Lord, but he tells them that God is holy and jealous, not to be taken lightly. Serving Him is not a casual thing or empty words. If they later turn from Him to other gods, the same God who has done them good will bring judgment. This warning exposes shallow promises and presses them to count the cost, put away their idols, and serve God with real sincerity and truth, not just with lips at a public gathering.

What is the meaning of as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD?

When Joshua says, “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD,” he is drawing a clear line for himself and his family. Even if the rest of the people choose other gods, he will remain with the Lord. It shows that faithfulness begins at home, and that a leader should first lead his own household in worship and obedience. This sentence is both a confession and an example. It invites others to follow the same path, but it does not depend on their choice. Joshua is resolved, whatever the crowd may do.

Why does Joshua tell the people to put away strange gods among them?

Joshua’s command to put away strange gods shows that some idols were still present among the people, whether in their tents or in their hearts. They had a history of holding onto the gods their fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt, and they were now living among nations with their own gods. Joshua says true fear of the Lord must go with throwing out these rivals. God will not share their worship with idols. So he urges them not only to remove the objects but also to incline their hearts fully toward the Lord God of Israel.

What is the purpose of the stone that Joshua sets up as a witness?

Joshua sets up a great stone under an oak by the Lord’s place of worship and says it will be a witness. The stone, having “heard” all the words spoken that day, is a standing reminder of the covenant they made. Of course the stone has no ears, but the picture is that even this silent object will testify against them if they deny their God after such promises. It makes their commitment public and memorable, so future generations see it and remember that their fathers pledged to serve the Lord in that place.

What does this passage teach about God’s character?

This passage paints a clear picture of God. He is gracious, taking Abraham out of idolatry and giving him offspring and a land he did not earn. He is powerful, sending plagues on Egypt, parting the sea, and driving out strong nations, even saying He sent the hornet before Israel. He is generous, giving cities, fields, vineyards, and oliveyards they did not build or plant. At the same time, He is holy and jealous, not indifferent if His people turn to other gods. His kindness and His seriousness both stand side by side.

How did the people of Israel respond to Joshua’s challenge?

The people first answer strongly that they will not forsake the Lord, since He brought them and their fathers out of bondage, did great signs, kept them on the way, and drove out nations before them. They repeat again and again that they will serve the Lord. When Joshua warns them of the cost, they still say, “Nay; but we will serve the LORD.” They accept being witnesses against themselves and agree to put away strange gods and obey God’s voice. Their words form a corporate promise, and Joshua seals this with a covenant at Shechem.

How can Joshua’s call to serve God in sincerity and truth apply today?

Joshua’s words reach beyond his own day. God’s people are still called to remember His past mercies, from rescue out of bondage to daily care, and to respond with real, not half‑hearted, service. Serving in “sincerity and in truth” means not just outward religion but a heart turned toward God, with idols laid aside, whether they are visible objects or hidden loyalties. Joshua’s example of leading his household encourages believers to take responsibility in their homes, and his warning reminds us that God’s holiness should shape how we speak, choose, and live.

Josh.24.1

Joshua 24:1

KJV

And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

Joshua Reviews Israel’s History

1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.

6 And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.

7 And when they cried unto the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.

9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:

10 But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.

11 And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.

12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

Choose Whom You Will Serve

14 ¶ Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.

15 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.

16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;

17 For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:

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; for he is our God.

19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

20 If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord.

22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.

23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.

24 And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

26 ¶ And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the Lord.

27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it 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.

28 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.

Joshua’s Death and Burial

29 ¶ And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

30 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.

31 And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel.

32 ¶ And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.

Cross References

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