December 16, 2007
Two Farewell Speeches
A. Chapter 23. Joshua concludes with two separate farewell speeches from Joshua. The farewell speeches
are another way in which Joshua reflects the leadership of Moses – who delivered farewell speeches
which constitute the book of Deuteronomy. While they repeat similar themes, they are distinctive
speeches.
a. Limited audience: This is Joshua’s farewell to the “elders and heads, its judges and officers”.
b. Pastoral. The first reflection from Joshua is more pastoral – a call to keep the law and follow
the Lord with a future orientation.
c. Location. 23 is in Shiloh, 24 is in Shechem
d. Informal. More of Joshua’s reflections and exhortations, whereas the second speech is more
formal and results in a covenant renewal ceremony
B. Chapter 24. The second farewell speech (and there is no chronological indication of when these took place,
save that they were at the end of Joshua’s life, near his 110th year) is more formal recitation of God’s workings,
and it results in a covenant renewal ceremony. This not only includes leaders, but “all the tribes of
Israel”.
a. The second speech took place in Shechem, a prominent city. Shechem has not yet been
mentioned as a prominent city in Joshua (except as a land division reference) – so why would the
nation gather there?
i. Shechem was near Mount Ebal where the earlier covenant renewal took place (8:30-35)
ii. More importantly, Shechem is where God appeared to Abraham and first promised the
land to him and his descendents: Genesis 12:6-7 Abram passed through the land to the
place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7
Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land."
So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
b. Historical Introduction
i. Verses 2-13 are presented as Joshua conveying what Yahweh is saying; this truly is the
Word of the LORD.
ii. Historical record of what Yahweh God has done for the people, and he does so in four
parts:
1. Terah and Abram (24:2-4)
a. God’s gracious action for his people goes all the way back to the father
of the Nation, Abram, and even before him to Terah. This is the first
reference to their original state in pagan idolatry “beyond the
Euphrates”, also referenced in v. 15.
2. Egypt (5-7)
a. Note the mixing of pronouns here
i. Verses 2-4: they, them, your father (3rd person reference
throughout); Verse 5: you; Verse 6: your fathers, you, your
fathers; Verse 7: they, you, them, your eyes; Verse 8-13: you
(2nd person reference throughout)
b. This emphasizes the continuity between generations – the story of the
people is entwined with the history that preceded them.
3. Before Crossing the Jordan (8-10)
a. Balak, Balaam, and the Amorites
4. After Crossing the Jordan (11-13)
a. Incidents included in the book of Joshua: Jericho is specifically
mentioned, along with the nation lists that have been included before.
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b.
“It was not by your sword” is something of hyperbole which
emphasizes God’s initiative and God’s role in the conquest more than
the weapons and abilities of the Israelites.
5. The historical section concludes with a text reminiscent of Deut 6:10-12.
c. Joshua’s Challenge (14-15)
i. Therefore… Based upon what God has already done, Joshua places a demand upon the
people
1. Fear the Lord and serve him with sincerity and faithfulness
a. Carries the ideas of “integrity and truth” – serve Him in wholeness,
blamelessness, or even perfection. This is a passionate exhortation to be
totally devoted to Yahweh and blameless before Him.
2. Throw away or put away foreign gods – three sets are mentioned
a. Reference back to Mesopotamia, where their ancestors’ pagan worship
was already mentioned.
b. But also reference to Egypt – where the Israelites’ ancestors were
apparently liable to follow after Egyptian gods – as demonstrated in the
Golden Calf incident (Ex 32)
c. Also a reference to “gods of the Amorites” – gods of the new lands that
they now possessed. This was already a temptation (Numbers 25) – and
it would become a greater temptation for the people to betray Yahweh
and cavort with Baal, Molech, Asherah, etc.
ii. Joshua makes clear the choice that is before the nation – it is either Yahweh or ____ (fill
in the blank).
1. That kind of single-mindedness is still necessary 3400 years later!!
a. Jesus said, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the
one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
other” Luke 16:13
b. Where is our single-minded commitment called into question or where
do encounter choices like this?
2. And choice needed to be made TODAY. Pagans don’t have to choose – they
can always accommodate one more god or one more idol (or one more “point of
view”). The need to make a conscious decision for God is necessary – decide
this day who will you serve? Bob Dylan said, “It may be the devil or it may be
the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody”
a. Rahab is a good example of somebody who made the choice.
iii. Joshua’s Example. There is no doubt where Joshua’s heart and devotion lie – they are
with Yahweh.
1. Joshua’s choice is not bravado – it has been demonstrated throughout his entire
life – fighting the Amalekites (Exodus 17), not worshipping the Golden Calf
(Exodus 32), trusting God for conquest (Numbers 14), and following Moses.
His life has been an example of commitment to following Yahweh.
2. Good leadership sets the example. There is no wavering here – the choice has to
be made, and Joshua states where he stands, and thus hopes to influence the
direction of the people’s hearts.1
3. Positive example of household influence
a. Negative example of Achan’s sin shows how sin / unrighteousness
affects more than just the individual.
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“Joshua took his stand clearly and unambiguously on the Lord’s side. Joshua stands as a good example of a leader
willing to move ahead of his people and commit himself, regardless of the people’s inclinations.” David Howard.
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b. Joshua sets a positive example of how a father / leader can positively
provide the example and set the course for his descendants.
d. The People Respond: When we consider the people’s positive response – they couldn’t have
said it much better. They affirm everything that Joshua would want them to affirm in 24:16-18
e. Joshua’s Harsh Response: You cannot do it! And God will not forgive you! Why?
i. Is this, “the most shocking statement in the OT” as one commentator has said?
ii. These statements are not absolute, timeless statements, and they must be seen in context.
Key to understanding this hyperbolic statement from Joshua are the qualifying
statements regarding God’s character – God is Holy and God is Jealous.
1. “You are not able to serve the Lord” is a comment on God’s awesome and
absolute holiness – there was to be no superficiality or cheap grace. Joshua was
emphasizing the requirements of a holy God.
2. “He will not forgive your transgressions” must be seen in the context of a people
who would forsake him for foreign gods. If the people wanted to and persisted
in idolatry and chose foreign gods, God would not forgive them for abandoning
Him.
f. Sealing the Covenant (24:25-28)
i. Joshua conducts a covenant renewal ceremony with the people in Shechem
1. The “statutes and rules” in v. 25 are actually in the singular: “a statute and a
law” which center around a specific ordinance – serve Yahweh
2. The document would serve as a testament, as would the large stone that he
establishes “under the terebinth” (oak tree).
a. The large trees around Shechem were attested to back to the time of
Abraham (Gen 12:6; mentioned again in Deut 11:30); Jacob buried
foreign gods under the trees at Shechem in Gen 35:4.
b. The stone and tree are referenced again in Judges 9:6 where it says that
“all the leaders of Shechem came together…and they went and made
Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.”
3. Final note: Joshua includes himself when he says “this stone shall be a witness
against us”
g. The End of the Story (24:28-33)
i. The final little phrase “Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance” is the
concise summary statement which concludes the storyline of the book – but it packs a
punch. Because this little phrase includes and implies that each man had an inheritance
– which was the point of the book to begin with. “There were no more lands to be taken,
no more territorial distributions to be made, no more speeches to be given, no more
covenants to be entered into.” Howard 442.
ii. Three Obituaries – Joshua the leader, Joseph the patriarch, and Eleazar the priest.
1. What is the significance? (from Davis) It has to do where they were all buried.
a. Joshua in Timnath Serah IN THE LAND
b. Joseph (Exo 13:19) in Shechem IN THE LAND
c. Eleazar the High Priest in Gibeah IN THE LAND
iii. The positive summary in v 31 is also ominous in its warning – what happens after these
men die? The danger of second-generation faith; the danger of forgetting.
Final Excursus.
How does the book of Joshua point toward Jesus?
A. New Testament References
a. Joshua himself is mentioned only twice in Acts 7 (Stephen’s sermon regarding the
tabernacle) and in Hebrews 4 (in reference to Rest.)
i. Rahab in mentioned in 3x in the NT: Jesus genealogy (Matt 1:5), Faith Hall of Fame
(Heb 11:31) and James 2:25
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ii. The Walls of Jericho are also mentioned in Hebrews 11
B. The name of Joshua (Yeshua, Yahweh is Salvation) is the same name Jesus. Joshua was a leader in
the order of Moses, the Servant of the Lord, and Joshua himself receives that title at his death in
24:29. Both are types of the messianic Servant, Jesus Christ.
C. The appearance of the Commander of the Army of the Lord is possibly (likely?) a pre-incarnate
appearance of Christ
D. Judgment and Holy Battle. The Joshua narrative points to several key themes that are more fully
developed by Christ.
a. Judgment. Joshua and Israel served as God’s instrument of judgment upon the pagan nations
they displaced. The were in the hands of the Lord, his tools, to execute His judgment upon
wickedness and pursue holiness
i. God’s ultimate judgment has been postponed, and final judgment belongs to Christ
Jesus (2 Thess 1:7-10). The physical weapons of Israel (the sword) have been
replaced in the church by spiritual weapons
b. Holy Battle. Joshua gives a picture of one element of redemption – it is a battle.
i. Joshua is the righteous leader, who stands for his people and whose very name
indicates that “Yahweh saves.” He is the earthly commander.
ii. Yet Jesus, too, came as a commander and triumphant conqueror in a different type
of battle:
iii. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to
the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to
destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the
knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
iv. 2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal
procession,
v. Colossians 2:14-15 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal
demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities
and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
vi. Ephesians 4:8 When he ascended on high he led a host of captives
c. Eschatological Implications – these elements of the Joshua narrative point toward the
ultimate triumph of Jesus over all of Creation and its restoration.
E. The Divine Warrior
a. Joshua, as a righteous warrior, prefigures Christ’s role of the King, the Son of David, who
the Savior and Deliverer of God’s people.
i. Jesus is both the Warrior, and the Servant.
ii. “Joshua and his successors, the judges and kings of Israel, right the battles of the
Lord through the long centuries of Israel’s warfare in the land. Their struggles are
recorded, not to describe their military genius, but to show how God used them to
deliver Israel. They all foreshadow a greater Deliverer and Savior to come.”
F. Bringing Completion
a. Just as Joshua succeeded Moses and accomplishes the task left undone by Moses’ leadership
(obtaining the Land)…
b. Christ also succeeded Moses – the Mosaic Law and Christ obtained something unobtainable
through Moses
i. John 1:17 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ.
ii. Romans 8:2-4 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you1 free in Christ Jesus from the
law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.
By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,1 he condemned sin in the
flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk
not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
iii. Also, Hebrews 7:18-19 and Galatians 3:23-26
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