Today we begin Joshua Chapter 24.
For the Complete Jewish Bible, click HERE.
For the King James version, click HERE.
Alrighty, let’s get our bearings.
In the last chapter, Joshua delivered his farewell address to Israel at the ripe old age of 110 years.
He knew his time was fast coming to an end.
So there was a sense of urgency to establish his legacy and remind the people how they arrived at this stage in their journey with God.
Joshua’s message was simple and direct:
The leadership of Israel may change, but the Lord will NEVER change.
Joshua also added…
…the blessings God promised for Israel are certain, but so are the curses.
In some cases, a curse for disobedience would be the withdrawing of blessings rather than an active curse.
Israel was to be especially careful NOT to mix with their heathen neighbors.
And let’s not forget that at this point in their history, all of Israel’s neighbors were heathen.
There were many Canaanites still living in the Promised Land who posed a constant threat to Israel.
If Israel fell into temptation and started worshipping other gods, Israel would lose their land, which means they would lose their rest, and a good number of their population would perish.
Also, understand that Joshua Chapter 24 is NOT a continuation of chapter 23.
It takes place during another unknown time after Joshua’s farewell speech in chapter 23.
You should know this chapter is considered to be one of the most theologically abundant chapters in the entire Bible.
It’s so theologically rich that some scholars have dedicated their entire careers to plunging the depths of wisdom contained here.
So fair warning, we’re gonna be taking our sweet time so as not to miss any of the gems embedded in the original Hebrew.
And trust me, the effort and time spent will be well worth it because of the many connections we’ll make back to the Torah.
We’ll also be able to review some important parts of Israel’s history.
I think it’s good for us to every once in a while take a pause so we can grasp the bigger picture emerging.
See ya all next time.
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