(Gn 35:1–4). Joshua appeals to this sacred family memory, much like an American
president might appeal for courage by speaking from Valley Forge or Gettysburg.
The key word—repeated almost to the point of monotony in the speech—is “serve.”
This word should be very familiar from the Exodus story, where “serve,”
avad in Hebrew,
could mean either “work” or “worship.” Joshua exhorts Israel to
keep the charge given to
them at Sinai—serving the Lord their God. He issues the resounding challenge:
Now therefore fear the L
ORD
, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness;
put away the gods which your father served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and
serve the L
ORD
. And if you be unwilling to serve the L
ORD
, choose this day
whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the
region beyond
the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me
and my house, we will serve the L
ORD
. (Jos 24:14–15)
Early in the conquest, after the victories against Jericho and Ai (Jos 8), Joshua
administered the covenant ceremony outlined in Deuteronomy, bringing the new
p 127
generation leaving the wilderness into a solemn covenant with God. Now, at the end of
his life, Joshua again renews the covenant and initiates the next
generation into the
covenant life of Israel.
A
CT
2:
J
UDGES
Israel’s Cycle of Sin
As Judges opens, the angel of the Lord has led Israel away from Gilgal (the place where
they have lingered far too long, failing to settle the land). Here God rebukes them for
their idolatry. The people weep and sacrifice to God, acknowledging their sin, and as a
result, their new camp is called Bochim (“weeping”).
Why the lingering and sin? Following Joshua’s generation, “there arose another
generation after them, who did not know the L
ORD
or the work which he had done for
Israel” (Jgs 2:10). Just as Pharaoh did not
know Joseph or the Lord, this new generation
did not know the Lord and his works. Joshua’s generation, even though they often fell
short, fought the war and established a new life in the land, striving to be faithful to the
Lord. But they failed at one vital thing: catechizing their children. And the results were
devastating.
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