“So Y’hoshua made a covenant with the people that day, laying down for them laws and rulings there in Sh’khem.”-Joshua 24:25
So Joshua commands the people one final time to get rid of all their god idols they’ve got hidden away not only in their tents but also in their hearts.
That’s something important to remember.
The physical things we attach ourselves to also have a spiritual effect on us.
Israel responds by again insisting they fully understand the vow they are making and the consequences that will ensue if they break their loyalty with Hashem.
The Hebrew used here is that they promise to SHEMA the Lord which means not only will they listen to God but they will also obey Him.
Keep in mind that in ancient times any covenant renewal process involved making a vow and in this case the vow was made publicly which made it even more binding.
What exactly did Israel vow to do?
They vowed to serve Adonai, get rid of their other gods and diligently obey the commands of the Lord their God.
To conclude the ceremony, we’re told Joshua set up a huge standing stone to serve as a witness to everything that had just taken place.
Okay, right here we run into a big problem.
There are 2 Hebrew words for “big stone”.
One is EBEN GADOL and the other is MASSEBOTH.
They are both pretty much synonymous.
Both of these terms refer to the ceremonial stones used during worship of a god or gods or goddesses.
That’s right.
The heathens used standing stones to mark their holy sites and to pay homage to their gods.
Standing stones were also used to symbolize the presence of a god or goddess ruling over a particular location or to commemorate some important historical accomplishment of a pagan deity.
They were usually set up in high places like on top of a hill or under a tree which is where Joshua had just erected this particular standing stone (probably in the same spot where Jacob buried his clan’s idol gods).
Now here’s the problem.
Check out Leviticus 26:1.
“You are not to make yourselves any idols, erect a carved statue or a standing-stone, or place any carved stone anywhere in your land in order to bow down to it. I am ADONAI your God.”
Let me repeat the verse but this time let me insert the original Hebrew into the spots where it says “standing-stone” or “carved stone”.
“You are not to make yourselves any idols, erect a carved statue or a masseboth, or place any eben (gadol) anywhere in your land in order to bow down to it. I am Yehoveh your God.”
Uh oh, Houston we’ve got a problem.
The Lord is telling us in no uncertain terms there is to be no MASSEBOTH and no EBEN.
These are the very terms for the type of stones used in pagan religious rites.
These were also the type of religious stones the Biblical prophets spoke out against.
Especially standing stones placed under sacred trees.
How ironic that Joshua set up a standing stone right under a tree to conclude a ceremony that was all about reaffirming one’s commitment to obey the Lord and His commands.
What gives here?
Well, we’ll talk about this the next time we meet.
There is a difference between a stone of testimony, a boundary stone, and a stone that is bowed down to. A monument of testimony, a witness, is not forbidden.
Thanks for sharing.