TSK - JOSHUA 24
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1 Joshua assembles the tribes at Shechem.
2 A brief history of God's benefits, from Terah.
14 He renews the covenant between them and God.
26 A stone the witness of the covenant.
29 Joshua's age, death, and burial.
32 Joseph's bones are buried.
33 Eleazar dies.
VERSE 1
- Joshua.
This must have been a different assembly from that mentioned
in the preceding chapter, though probably held not long after
the former.
- Shechem.
As it is immediately added, that "they presented themselves
before God," which is supposed to mean at the tabernacle; some
are of opinion that Joshua caused it to be conveyed from
Shiloh to Shechem on this occasion, to give the greater
solemnity to his last meeting with the people. The Vatican
and Alexandrian copies of the Septuagint, however, read
[Selo,] both here and in verse 25; which many suppose to have
been the original reading. Dr. Shuckford supposes that the
covenant was made at Shechem, and that the people went to
Shiloh to confirm it. But the most probable opinion seems to
be that of Dr. Kennicott, that when all the tribes were
assembled as Shechem, Joshua called the chiefs to him on that
mount, which had before been consecrated by the law, and by
the altar which he had erected.
* Ge 12:6; 33:18,19; 35:4 Jud 9:1-3 1Ki 12:1
- called.
* Jos 23:2 Ex 18:25,26
- presented.
* 1Sa 10:19 Ac 10:33
VERSE 2
- Your fathers.
* Ge 11:26,31; 12:1; 31:53 De 26:5 Isa 51:2 Eze 16:3
- served other gods.
In the case of Abraham this was probably the case, till he was
called to the knowledge of God, when above 70 years old.
* :15 Ge 31:19,30,32,53; 35:4
VERSE 3
- I took.
* Ge 12:1-4 Ne 9:7,8 Ac 7:2,3
- gave.
* Ge 21:2,3 Ps 127:3
VERSE 4
- unto Isaac.
* Ge 25:24-26
- unto Esau.
* Ge 32:3; 36:8 De 2:5
- Jacob.
* Ge 46:1-7 Ps 105:23 Ac 7:15
VERSE 5
- sent.
* Ex 3:10; 4:12,13 Ps 105:26
- plagued.
* Ex 7:1-12:51 Ps 78:43-51; 105:27-36; 135:8,9; 136:10
VERSE 6
- I brought.
* Ex 12:37,51 Mic 6:4
- Egyptians.
* Ex 14:1-15:27 Ne 9:11 Ps 77:15-20; 78:13; 136:13-15
* Isa 63:12,13 Ac 7:36 Heb 11:29
VERSE 7
- And when.
* Ex 14:10
- he put.
* Ex 14:20
- brought.
* Ex 14:27,28
- your eyes.
* Ex 14:31 De 4:34; 29:2
- ye dwelt.
* Jos 5:6 Nu 14:33,34 Ne 9:12-21 Ps 95:9,10 Ac 13:17,18 Heb 3:17
VERSE 8
* Jos 13:10 Nu 21:21-35 De 2:32-37; 3:1-7 Ne 9:22 Ps 135:10,11
* Ps 136:17-22
VERSE 9
* Nu 22:5,6-21 De 23:4,5 Jud 11:25 Mic 6:5
VERSE 10
* Nu 22:11,12,18-20,35; 23:3-12,15-26; 24:5-10 Isa 54:17
VERSE 11
- And ye.
* Jos 3:14-17; 4:10-12,23 Ps 114:3,5
- the men.
* Jos 6:1-27; 10:1-11:23 Ne 9:24,25 Ps 78:54,55; 105:44 Ac 7:45; 13:19
VERSE 12
- I sent.
* Ex 23:28 De 7:20
- not.
* Ps 44:3-6
VERSE 13
- And I.
* Jos 21:45
- cities.
* Jos 11:13 De 6:10-12; 8:7 Pr 13:22
VERSE 14
- fear.
* De 10:12 1Sa 12:24 Job 1:1; 28:28 Ps 111:10; 130:4 Ho 3:5
* Ac 9:31
- serve.
* :23 Ge 17:1; 20:5,6 De 18:13 2Ki 20:3 Ps 119:1,80 Lu 8:15
* Joh 4:23,24 2Co 1:12 Eph 6:24 Php 1:10
- put.
From this exhortation of Joshua, we not only learn that the
Israelites still retained some relics of idolatry, but to what
gods they were attached. 1. Those whom their fathers
worshipped on the other side of the food, or the river
Euphrates, i.e., the gods of the Chaldeans, fire, light, the
sun, etc. 2. Those of the Egyptians, Apis, Anubis, serpents,
vegetables, etc. 3. Those of the Amorites, Moabites,
Canaanites, etc., Baal-peor, Astarte, etc. How astonishing is
it, that after all that God had done for them, and all the
miracles they had seen, there should still be found among them
both idols and idolaters!
* :2,23 Ge 35:2 Ex 20:3,4 Le 17:7 Ezr 9:11 Eze 20:18 Am 5:25,26
- in Egypt.
* Eze 20:7,8; 23:3
VERSE 15
- choose.
* Ru 1:15,16 1Ki 18:21 Eze 20:39 Joh 6:67
- whether the gods.
* :14
- or the gods.
* Ex 23:24,32,33; 34:15 De 13:7; 29:18 Jud 6:10
- as for me.
* Ge 18:19 Ps 101:2; 119:106,111,112 Joh 6:68 Ac 11:23
VERSE 16
* 1Sa 12:23 Ro 3:6; 6:2 Heb 10:38,39
VERSE 17
* :5-14 Ex 19:4 De 32:11,12 Isa 46:4; 63:7-14 Am 2:9,10
VERSE 18
- will we also.
* Ex 10:2; 15:2 Ps 116:16 Mic 4:2 Zec 8:23 Lu 1:73-75
VERSE 19
- Ye cannot.
* :23 Ru 1:15 Mt 6:24 Lu 14:25-33
- holy.
* Le 10:3; 19:2 1Sa 6:20 Ps 99:5,9 Isa 5:16; 6:3-5; 30:11,15
* Hab 1:13
- a jealous.
* Ex 20:5; 34:14 1Co 10:20-22
- he will not.
* Ex 23:21; 34:7 1Sa 3:14 2Ch 36:16 Isa 27:11
VERSE 20
- he will turn.
* Jos 23:12-15 1Ch 28:9 2Ch 15:2 Ezr 8:22 Isa 1:28; 63:10; 65:11,12
* Jer 17:13 Eze 18:24 Ac 7:42 Heb 10:26,27,38
VERSE 21
- Nay.
* Ex 19:8; 20:19; 24:3,7 De 5:27,28; 26:17 Isa 44:5
VERSE 22
- Ye are witnesses.
Ye have been sufficiently apprised of the difficulties in your
way--of God's holiness, and the nature of his service--your
own weakness, inconstancy, and insufficiency--your need of the
Divine help, and the hope of assistance held out in the
law--and the awful consequences of apostasy: and now ye make
your choice. Remember then that ye are witnesses against
yourselves; and your own conscience will be witness, judge,
and executioner.
* De 26:17 Job 15:6 Lu 19:22
- ye have.
* Ps 119:11,173 Lu 10:42
VERSE 23
- put away.
* :14 Ge 35:2-4 Ex 20:23 Jud 10:15,16 1Sa 7:3,4 Ho 14:2,3,8
* 1Co 10:19-21 2Co 6:16-18
- incline.
* Pr 2:2 Heb 12:28,29
VERSE 24
* De 5:28,29
VERSE 25
- made.
* Ex 15:25; 24:3,7,8 De 5:2,3; 29:1,10-15 2Ki 11:17 2Ch 15:12,15
* 2Ch 23:16; 29:10; 34:29-32 Ne 9:38; 10:28,29
- in Shechem.
* :1,26
VERSE 26
- Joshua.
* Ex 24:4 De 31:24-26
- took.
* Jud 9:6
- set it.
* Jos 4:3-9,20-24 Ge 28:18-22
- under.
* Ge 35:4,8 Jud 9:6
A curious coincidence of circumstances is related by Livy, the
Roman historian: he writes that "when three ambassadors were
sent from Rome to complain of the perfidious conduct of the
'qui, the General informed them, that they might deliver their
message to an oak which shaded his tent." On this one of the
ambassadors turning away, said, "This venerable oak, and all
the gods, shall know that you have violated the peace; they
shall now hear our complaints; and may they also soon be
witnesses, when we revenge with our arms the violation of
divine and human rights." It is worthy of remark that Joshua
merely set up a pillar under an oak,--the one, perhaps, to
protect the other; while the General directed the ambassadors
to address the oak, perhaps with an idolatrous feeling that
they were addressing one of the gods, who would aid his cause;
while the Roman ambassadors caught the feeling, and really
invoked the aid of the oak and the gods.
VERSE 27
* Jos 22:27,28,34 Ge 31:44-52 De 4:26; 30:19; 31:19,21,26 1Sa 7:12
- it hath.
* De 32:1 Isa 1:2 Hab 2:11 Lu 19:40
- deny.
* Job 31:23 Pr 30:9 Mt 10:33 2Ti 2:12,13 Tit 1:16 Re 3:8
VERSE 28
* Jud 2:6
VERSE 29
- after these.
* De 34:5 Jud 2:8 Ps 115:17 2Ti 4:7,8 Re 14:13
- an hundred.
* Ge 50:22,26
VERSE 30
- Timnath-serah.
* Jos 19:50 Jud 2:9
- Gaash.
* 2Sa 23:30
VERSE 31
- served.
* De 31:29 Jud 2:7 2Ch 24:2,17,18 Ac 20:29 Php 2:12
- overlived Joshua. Heb. prolonged their days after Joshua.
which had.
* De 11:2,7; 31:13
VERSE 32
- bones.
* Ge 50:25 Ex 13:19 Ac 7:16 Heb 11:22
- buried.
* Ge 33:19; 48:22
- pieces of silver. or, lambs.
VERSE 33
- Eleazar.
* Jos 14:1 Ex 6:23,25 Nu 3:32; 20:26-28
- died.
* Job 30:23 Ps 49:10 Isa 57:1,2 Zec 1:5 Ac 13:36 Heb 7:24
* Heb 9:26,27
- Phinehas.
* Jud 20:28
CONCLUDING REMARKS ON JOSHUA.
The Book of Joshua is one of the most important documents in the
Old Testament. The rapid conquest of the Promised Land, and the
actual settlement of the Israelites in it, afford a striking
accomplishment of the Divine predictions to Abraham and the
succeeding patriarchs; and at the same time bear the most
unequivocal and ample testimony to the authenticity of this
sacred book. Several of the transactions related in it are
confirmed in a very extraordinary manner, by the traditions
current among heathen nations, and preserved by ancient profane
historians of undoubted character. Thus there are monuments
still in existence, which prove that the Carthaginians were a
colony of Syrians who escaped from Joshua; as also that the
inhabitants of Leptis, in Africa, came originally from the
Sidonians, who abandoned their country on account of the
calamities with which it was overwhelmed. Procopius relates
that the Phoenicians fled before the Hebrews into Africa, and
spread themselves abroad as far as the pillars of Hercules; and
adds, "In Numidia, where now stands the city Tigisis (Tangiers),
they have erected two columns, on which, in Phoenician
characters, is the following inscription:--"We are the
Phoenicians who fled from the face of Jesus (Joshua) the son of
Naue" (Nun).
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