Yesterday I talked about the significance of Shechem and how this Biblical location held just as much significance as Jerusalem.
To that point, an interesting question arises.
Even though the covenant renewal ceremony took place at Shechem, the current place of rest for the Wilderness Tabernacle was Shiloh.
And not only that.
The central government where Joshua ruled was in Shiloh.
And the Priesthood also dwelled in Shiloh.
If that’s the case, then why did the covenant renewal ceremony take place at Shechem instead of Shiloh?
Scholars have debated the answer to this question for the longest time.
Well, let me just cut through all of the academic clutter and give you the answer to this question right now.
The answer is actually quite inspiring.
By holding the Covenant Renewal Ceremony at Shechem instead of Shiloh a very important message was being communicated to the people.
It was this:
The covenant between the Lord and Israel was far more than a religious matter to be handled by the priests.
God’s instructions and His commands were to be inseparable from the daily life of the community.
In other words, there was to be no compartmentalization between secular life and religious life.
The Mosaic Law was NOT to be observed only during the Biblical Feasts, Sabbaths or New Moons.
It was NOT restricted to only those ritual purifications and sacrifices performed under the watchful eyes of the Levites.
No, God’s instructions, His Laws and commands were to serve as the foundation for the everyday life of anyone who would consider him or herself a believer in the God of Israel.
An Israelite didn’t worship God only one day a week.
The Lord’s presence was on His mind from sun up to sun down 7 days a week.
Onward.
There’s another great takeaway here.
In this last chapter of the Book of Joshua, we are witnessing the close of an era.
What began with Abraham a good 700 years ago at a plain stone altar standing next to a Terebinth tree had now come full circle.
When God first spoke to Abraham at Shechem, there wasn’t even a village, yet alone a city.
We see that although it was a long-time in coming, the Lord had kept His promises.
Israel was now living in the Promised Land.
The enemy had been conquered to a sufficient degree.
The Lord’s sanctuary had been established at a semi-permanent location.
And the Lord’s people were at rest.
These were good times for this 2nd generation of Israelites.
They had obeyed the Lord and were now reaping the blessings.
Unfortunately, and I hate to end this post on a sour note, Israel’s time of peace would be short lived.
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