Chapter twenty-four is Joshua’s parting word to all the tribes of Israel with their elders, heads, judges, and officers.
Joshua reminded them of Jehovah their God’s marvelous deeds to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and to themselves in Egypt, in the wilderness, and in Canaan the good land (vv. 1-13).
In his parting word to all the tribes, Joshua also charged them to fear Jehovah and serve Him in sincerity and faithfulness and to put away the gods whom their fathers served across the River and in Egypt (v. 14). Joshua told them that if it seemed wrong in their sight to serve Jehovah, they should choose for themselves whom they would serve—the gods from across the River or the gods of the Amorites. Then Joshua assured them that he and his house would serve Jehovah (v. 15).
The people answered that they would not forsake Jehovah to serve other gods (vv. 16-18). They claimed that, since Jehovah had brought them out of the land of Egypt, had done great things in their sight and had preserved them, and had driven out all the peoples from before them, they would serve Jehovah, for He was their God.
Joshua warned them that Jehovah would do them harm and consume them if they forsook Him and served other gods (vv. 19-20). Then he charged them to put away the foreign gods that were among them and to incline their hearts to Jehovah, the God of Israel (v. 23).
Finally, Joshua made a covenant for the people of Israel in Shechem. He also made a statute and an ordinance for them, taking a great stone and erecting it there under the terebinth that was at the sanctuary of Jehovah to be a witness against Israel, lest they act deceptively against their God (vv. 25-27).
Joshua died at the age of one hundred and ten years, and they buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim (vv. 29-30).
Israel served Jehovah throughout all the days of Joshua and throughout all the days of the elders whose days extended after Joshua’s and who knew all the work of Jehovah that He had done for Israel (v. 31).
Joseph’s bones, which the children of Israel had brought up from Egypt, were buried in Shechem (v. 32). They were buried in the portion of the field that Jacob had bought from the children of Hamor the father of Shechem (Gen. 33:18-19), which became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
The book of Joshua concludes with a word concerning the death and burial of Eleazar the son of Aaron (24:33). Eleazar was buried in the hill of Phinehas his son, which had been given to him in the hill country of Ephraim.