Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region 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. (Josh. 24:15)

Choices are important: they determine what we do, influence where we go, and shape who we are. In J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, headmaster Albus Dumbledore tells young Harry: “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

            Consider the significance of personal decisions related to career, relationships, values, and faith. Smaller choices seen in our everyday behavior reflect our commitment to more major decisions.

            Making choices is not necessarily a once-for-all enterprise, however. We may realize that earlier choices were not wise and change course by choosing a new and better way. Conversely, we may be tempted to forsake good choices and stray onto troublesome paths. Are we prone to making helpful choices, or harmful ones?

Looking back

(vv. 1-13)

No one knew the importance of making choices and standing by them better than Joshua, the man who succeeded Moses and led the people of Israel into Canaan, the land God had promised to Abraham and his descendants. [DD]

            Joshua understood that God’s promise was good only so long as the people were faithful. The story of Joshua’s leadership opens with a miraculous crossing of the flooded Jordan River (chapters 3-4), after which he led the people in a covenant renewal ceremony at Gilgal (chapter 4). Israel’s entry into the land, described as a rapid series of conquests of people and their cities, is related in chapters 6-11, followed by a lengthy accounting of how the land was distributed among the tribes (chapters 12-21).

            A religious conflict between the tribes east and west of the Jordan is resolved in chapter 22, then the narrative fast-forwards to a time when Joshua had grown old and knew that his time was short. Like Moses before him, he called representatives of the people to gather so he could deliver a farewell message designed to remind them of God’s past blessings, and to encourage future faithfulness (Josh. 23:1-2).

            Joshua’s speech amounts to a summary review of the theology propounded most clearly in Deuteronomy, a straightforward belief that Yahweh would bless Israel so long as the people remained faithful but would punish them if they turned to other gods. [DD]

            Today’s text deals with a second major assembly in which “Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem” (v. 1a)—not every person, but “the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel,” who represented others.

            References to “all the people” (v. 2) or “the people” (v. 16, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25) appear often, even though all were not present, suggesting a belief that everyone should follow the lead or instruction of their tribal and family leaders.

            Joshua called the leaders to gather at the ancient sanctuary city of Shechem, located in the central hill country about halfway between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Shechem, now the modern city of Nablus, was situated along the lower slopes of Mt. Gerizim, just across a narrow valley from Mt. Ebal. Located at the junction of important roadways leading from the Jordan River and through the mountains, it was an important city long before the Israelites arrived, and it remained so through much of Israel’s history.

            The area had a deep sacred history: Abraham had built an altar there after his arrival in Canaan, according to Gen. 12:6-7, and Jacob occupied an area near the city before his sons committed bloody treachery, forcing them to flee (Gen. 34:1-31). Excavations at Shechem have uncovered a sacred area with a standing stone dating to the 15^th or 16^th century BCE.

            Joshua’s purpose was to lead a covenant renewal ceremony that would remind the people of their ongoing obligations if they wished to remain in a positive relationship with God. Careful readers will note that an earlier story described a similar covenant ceremony in the same sacred area between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim (Josh. 8:30-35). Some scholars believe chapter 24 is a retelling of the same event, while others see them as distinct occasions.

            Like many other Old Testament covenants, the ceremony in Joshua 24 bears a strong similarity in form to ancient Near Eastern treaties commonly struck between conquering kings and their new vassals.

            In those treaties, known best from Hittite and Assyrian records, the triumphant king set the conditions for future peace between himself and his subjects. His vassals could choose to accept the conditions and live in peace, or to reject them and run the risk of further humiliation.

            Such treaties had six typical elements: (1) the ruling king is identified by name; (2) the king’s “gracious acts” to the conquered are recited; (3) the vassal’s covenant obligations are enumerated; (4) the document is placed in a public sanctuary with instructions for periodic reading; (5) the gods of the parties involved are invoked as witnesses; and (6) blessings are promised for obedience to the treaty, while penalties are listed for those who rebel.

            Since Israel’s covenant was between God and a people called by grace (not conquered), and since Israel’s faith trusted in only one god, obvious adaptations had to be made, but the underlying structure is still apparent.

            Joshua first identified the LORD (Yahweh) as the ruling power (v. 2a), and recited God’s previous acts of redemption and grace: God’s kindness to the patriarchs (vv. 2b-4), deliverance of Israel from Egypt (vv. 5-7), sustaining care in the Transjordan area (vv. 8-10), and divine aid in the conquest of Canaan (vv. 11-13) are all remembered. The result was this: “I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and towns that you had not built, and you live in them; you eat the fruit of vineyards and oliveyards that you did not plant” (v. 13).

Looking forward

(vv. 14-25)

Because of this, Israel was called to serve Yahweh alone (vv. 14, 23). As ancient treaties named covenant obligations, Joshua called the Israelites to revere Yahweh, to serve with sincerity and faithfulness, and to forsake all other gods.

            The covenant ceremony at Shechem may also have served to incorporate other people groups who had allied themselves with Israel (cf. the Gibeonites, 9:1-27), as well as any conquered or friendly peoples who may have wished to identify with Israel. If this was the case, then Joshua was calling upon not only “old” Israel, but also potentially new Israelites, to pledge their loyalty to Yahweh.

            The heart of the challenge is found in v. 15, where Joshua called on the tribal leaders to choose which god they would serve, once and for all. Idolatry, as evidenced throughout Israel’s history, was a constant temptation. Would the people follow the elaborate rites of their Mesopotamian forefathers (“the region beyond the River”)? Would they worship the gods of their new neighbors (here designated as “Amorites”)? Or would they put away other gods and trust solely in Yahweh?

            We try to imagine old Joshua, struggling to his feet and shouting as loud as his voice would allow: “Choose this day whom you will serve! . . . as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!” (v. 16).

            The people responded positively (vv. 16-18), but Joshua remained skeptical. He had seen too many failures and too much backsliding to accept their initial pledge at face value. Playing devil’s advocate, he accused them of being so incapable of faithful service that they would inevitably turn to other gods and draw Yahweh’s wrath (vv. 19-20).

            The tribal leaders reiterated their promise to serve, however (v. 21), and Joshua moved on to complete the covenant.

            Since other gods could not be invoked as witnesses (as in the typical treaty formula), Joshua called the people of Israel themselves as witnesses that they had pledged sole loyalty to Yahweh, and he demanded that they put away all evidence of worship of other gods. That would include destroying the small figurines of personal gods such as those that are commonly found in excavations, even during periods of Israelite occupation (v. 22-23).

            Once again, the people avowed their commitment to serve Yahweh alone (v. 24). Joshua then reminded them of the “statutes and ordinances” they were committed to obey, recorded them for future reference in “the book of the law of God,” and placed a standing stone beneath a sacred tree “in the sanctuary of Yahweh” as a perpetual reminder and witness of Israel’s pledge (vv. 25-27). [DD]

            Israel’s call to choose God’s way raises obvious questions. What important choices and commitments have we made that bear review? Have we been faithful to promises we have made to others, and to God?

            As Joshua used the symbols of stone and tree to remind Israel of their covenant obligations, we may wear a wedding ring or a cross as daily witnesses of commitments we have made. While symbols may be helpful reminders, the intent of our hearts is what really matters.

            Making choices and keeping promises require us to reflect on past, present, and future dimensions of our lives. When faced with the challenge to “choose this day whom you will serve,” what is our response?