Bible in one year 5/16/2022 Joshua Chapter 22-24
By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce
Christian
Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry &
Counseling
Chapter
22 Joshua’s Farewell Messages; Eastern Tribes Return Home
All that Moses…commanded(v.2;
Num.32) Rad also of their obedience in Josh.1:16-18 and 4:12-14. Having
discharged their military commitments, the 2/1/2 tribes are reminded by Joshua
of their continuing spiritual responsibilities. It is unnecessary to suppose
that these tribes were not in God’s will in settling E. of the Jordan. God had
given them that land (24:8), and it was part of Palestine, the mountains of
Gilead, E. of the Jordan ( not the Jordan itself), being the eastern boundary
of Palestine.(v.5). The 2 ½ tribes unwisely, but innocently, built an altar on
the W. side of the Jordan before crossing over, to serve as a witness that they
too shared in the inheritance of the Lord. It was a needless act, for God had
ordained that all the males should appear at the sanctuary three times each
year(Ex.23:14) in order to preserve the unity of the tribes.(vv.10-11). The
other tribes, ready to go to war over
the matter of the altar, wisely sent a delegation headed by Phinehas(v.13) to
investigate first. Break faith(v.16). The same word was used of Achan’s
sin(v.20;7:1). Regarding the sin of Peor (v.17), which was idolatry and
disobedience.(vv.12-20; Num.25). The 2 ½ tribes swore their innocence by
combing three names of God (El, Elohim, Yahweh) and repeating the combination
twice. The matter had a happy ending (vv.33-34).
Chapter
23 To the Rulers
After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest form all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then old an well advanced in years summoned all Israel, their elders, leaders, judges and officials and said to them that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.
Joshua called on the people to reaffirm their commitment to God and His covenant. The chapter takes the customary form of a suzerainty treaty (between a king and his vassals ( Ex.19:3;Deut.31:9-14). The form includes a preamble(vv.1-2), historical prologue (vv.2-13), stipulations of the covenant (vv.14-24), and the writing and depositing of the agreement(vv.25-28). The reaffirmation was made at Shechem(v.1), where Abraham built his first altar to the Lord in Canaan (Gen.12:6). From the land beyond the River. (v.3). from the area N.and E. of the Euphrates. near the holy place of the Lord (v.26) Perhaps a reference to an old altar still standing, perhaps to an altar Joshua built on nearby Mount Ebal (8:30), or perhaps the translation should be “beneath the oak tree which was sacred to the Lord” (Gen.12:6). The important fact is that the covenant, written on the stone, could be read by all (Josh.24:27). Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah, in the hill country of Ephraim, nor of Mount Gaash. And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father o fShechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendant.(vv.29-32). The burial of the body of Joseph is a reminder of Joseph’s faith in God’s promise to give Israel the land of Canaan, and of God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promise.
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Old Testament (NIV) Joshua chapter 22-24
Chapter 22 Eastern Tribes Return
Home
22:1 Then Joshua summoned the
Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh
22:2 and said to them, "You
have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and you have obeyed
me in everything I commanded.
22:3 For a long time now--to this
very day--you have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission
the LORD your God gave you.
22:4 Now that the LORD your God has
given your brothers rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that
Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan.
22:5 But be very careful to keep the
commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love
the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast
to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul."
22:6 Then Joshua blessed them and
sent them away, and they went to their homes.
22:7 (To the half-tribe of Manasseh
Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave
land on the west side of the Jordan with their brothers.) When Joshua sent them
home, he blessed them,
22:8 saying, "Return to your
homes with your great wealth--with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold,
bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing--and divide with your
brothers the plunder from your enemies."
22:9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites
and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to
return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with
the command of the LORD through Moses.
22:10 When they came to Geliloth
near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the
half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.
22:11 And when the Israelites heard
that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the
Jordan on the Israelite side,
22:12 the whole assembly of Israel
gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.
22:13 So the Israelites sent
Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead--to Reuben, Gad and
the half-tribe of Manasseh.
22:14 With him they sent ten of the
chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family
division among the Israelite clans.
22:15 When they went to Gilead--to
Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh--they said to them:
22:16 "The whole assembly of
the LORD says: 'How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How
could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion
against him now?
22:17 Was not the sin of Peor enough
for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even
though a plague fell on the community of the LORD!
22:18 And are you now turning away
from the LORD? "'If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be
angry with the whole community of Israel.
22:19 If the land you possess is
defiled, come over to the LORD'S land, where the LORD'S tabernacle stands, and
share the land with us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by
building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the LORD our God.
22:20 When Achan son of Zerah acted
unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come upon the whole
community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.'"
22:21 Then Reuben, Gad and the
half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel:
22:22 "The Mighty One, God, the
LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has
been in rebellion or disobedience to the LORD, do not spare us this day.
22:23 If we have built our own altar
to turn away from the LORD and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or
to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to
account.
22:24 "No! We did it for fear
that some day your descendants might say to ours, 'What do you have to do with
the LORD, the God of Israel?
22:25 The LORD has made the Jordan a
boundary between us and you--you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in
the LORD.' So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.
22:26 "That is why we said,
'Let us get ready and build an altar--but not for burnt offerings or
sacrifices.'
22:27 On the contrary, it is to be a
witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship
the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship
offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours,
'You have no share in the LORD.'
22:28 "And we said, 'If they
ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica
of the LORD'S altar, which our fathers built, not for burnt offerings and
sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'
22:29 "Far be it from us to
rebel against the LORD and turn away from him today by building an altar for
burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the
LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle."
22:30 When Phinehas the priest and
the leaders of the community--the heads of the clans of the Israelites--heard
what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased.
22:31 And Phinehas son of Eleazar,
the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD
is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the LORD in this matter.
Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD'S hand."
22:32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar,
the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the
Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites.
22:33 They were glad to hear the
report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them
to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.
22:34 And the Reubenites
and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A
Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.
Chapter 23 Joshua’s Farewell to the Leaders
23:1 After a long time had passed
and the LORD had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua,
by then old and well advanced in years,
23:2 summoned all Israel--their elders,
leaders, judges and officials--and said to them: "I am old and well
advanced in years.
23:3 You yourselves have
seen everything the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake;
it was the LORD your God who fought for you.
23:4 Remember how I have allotted as
an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain--the
nations I conquered--between the Jordan and the Great Sea in the west.
23:5 The LORD your God himself will
drive them out of your way. He will push them out before you, and you will take
possession of their land, as the LORD your God promised you.
23:6 "Be very strong;
be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without
turning aside to the right or to the left.
23:7 Do not associate with
these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or
swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them.
23:8 But you are to hold
fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now.
23:9 "The LORD has
driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been
able to withstand you.
23:10 One of you routs a thousand, because the
LORD your God fights for you, just as he promised.
23:11 So be very careful
to love the LORD your God.
23:12 "But if you turn away and
ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and
if you intermarry with them and associate with them,
23:13 then you may be sure that the
LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they
will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your
eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the LORD your God has given
you.
23:14 "Now I am about
to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD
your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has
failed.
23:15 But just as every good promise
of the LORD your God has come true, so the LORD will bring on you all the evil
he has threatened, until he has destroyed you from this good land he has given
you.
23:16 If you violate the covenant of
the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow
down to them, the LORD'S anger will burn against you, and you will quickly
perish from the good land he has given you."
Chapter 24 The Covenant Renewed at Shechem
24:1 Then Joshua assembled all the
tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and
officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
24:2 Joshua said to all the people,
"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your
forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the
River and worshiped other gods.
24:3 But I took your father Abraham
from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many
descendants. I gave him Isaac,
24:4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and
Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went
down to Egypt.
24:5 "'Then I sent Moses and
Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you
out.
24:6 When I brought your fathers out
of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and
horsemen as far as the Red Sea.
24:7 But they cried to the LORD for
help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea
over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the
Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.
24:8 "'I brought you to the land
of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I
gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took
possession of their land.
24:9 When Balak son of Zippor, the
king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor
to put a curse on you.
24:10 But I would not listen to
Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
24:11 "'Then you crossed the
Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did
also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and
Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands.
24:12 I sent the hornet ahead of
you, which drove them out before you--also the two Amorite kings. You did not
do it with your own sword and bow.
24:13 So I gave you a land on which
you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat
from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.'
24:14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with
all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the
River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
24:15 But if serving the
LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you
will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
24:16 Then the people answered,
"Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!
24:17 It was the LORD our
God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of
slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on
our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.
24:18 And the LORD drove
out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land.
We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God."
24:19 Joshua said to the people,
"You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous
God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.
24:20 If you forsake the
LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an
end of you, after he has been good to you."
24:21 But the people said to Joshua,
"No! We will serve the LORD."
24:22 Then Joshua said, "You
are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD."
"Yes, we are witnesses," they replied.
24:23 "Now
then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you
and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."
24:24 And the people said to Joshua,
"We will serve the LORD our God and obey
him."
24:25 On that day Joshua
made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them
decrees and laws.
24:26 And Joshua recorded
these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set
it up there under the oak near the holy place of the LORD.
24:27 "See!" he
said to all the people. "This stone will be a witness against us. It has
heard all the words the LORD has said to us. It will be a witness against you
if you are untrue to your God."
24:28 Then Joshua sent the
people away, each to his own inheritance.
Buried in the Promised Land
24:29 After these things,
Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and
ten.
24:31 Israel served the
LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and
who had experienced everything the LORD had done for Israel.
24:32 And Joseph's bones,
which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the
tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of
Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph's
descendants.
24:33 And Eleazar son of
Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son
Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.
Bibliography,
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie
study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986
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