Joshua 24:25-33
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
26 And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord.
27 Then Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, because it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us; so it shall be a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God.”
28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his inheritance.
29 Now it came about after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old.
30 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of Mount Gaash.
31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known every deed of the Lord which He had done for Israel.
32 Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the plot of land which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph’s sons.
33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of his son Phinehas, which was given to him in the hill country of Ephraim.
Renewal of the Covenant in Shechem (3)
Proof of the covenant
Joshua gathered all tribes of Israel at Shechem and pressed for the renewal of the covenant. This is Part Three of the “Renewal of the Covenant in Shechem.” With this, the book of Joshua concludes. What is happening here is the renewal of the Sinaitic covenant. The twelve tribes of Israel were able to unite and maintain their unity because of this renewal and the common holy place. They provided two things that would be witnessed by the future generation. (1) The renewal of the covenant was written in the book of the Law of God. (2) A large stone was set up under the oak tree. “A large stone” is set up as remembrance of certain historical events. (ref. Gen. 28:18, Ex. 24:4).
Joshua’s death and burial
(1) Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. He was younger than Moses but of the same age as Joseph. (2) He was buried in the territory of his own inheritance, Timnath-serah. It was an insignificant location, reflecting Joshua’s humility. (3) After Joshua’s death, while the elders who were influenced by Joshua were alive, the Israelites served the Lord. However, by the time of the Judges, spiritual apostasy gradually began. (4) Eleazar had also died. He was the son of Aaron and was the high priest. He fulfilled his responsibility to Joshua, just as how Aaron did to Moses. The history of Exodus that began with Moses and Aaron has reached its tentative conclusion with the death of Joshua and Eleazar. As the Israelites inhabited the land of Canaan, there still were areas unconquered and seemed far from achieving complete rest. Complete rest will come true upon the advent of the Messiah. The Hebrew name of Jesus is “Joshua.” Jesus is the ultimate liberator and redeemer. We, too, will have to continuously fight battles in our earthly life. The promised land yet to be conquered is spread out before our eyes. Let’s continue our fight and our walk by faith until the day of the second coming of Jesus the Messiah.
Today's prayer
God of Israel, thank you for sending the promised Messiah to Earth. May I continue to walk by faith until the day of Lord Jesus' second coming. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.