Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
In many ways, this reading from Joshua might be a microcosm of the entire Hebrew Bible, of the entire history of God and God’s people. It has everything: God’s dogged faithfulness, Israelite tribalism, covenants made, covenants broken, covenants made again, and one righteous man who’s supposed to wrangle everyone into obedience.
As part of the narrative, the reading comes at the end of the book of Joshua, at the end of Joshua’s life. He has called the people of Israel around him to tell them to get right with God, or else. “Just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you,” he tells them, if they do not keep their covenant, “so the Lord will bring upon you all the bad things” (23:15). Then, as if they’d forgotten what covenant that was exactly, or maybe just to be sure everyone understood, Joshua launches into a kind of covenant renewal.
The covenant here, as in much of the deuteronomistic history, is in the form of what’s called a “suzerainty treaty,” an ancient near east ritual agreement between a suzerain, that is, a powerful sovereign, and a vassal, that is, a lowly dependent. These treaties typically had five parts:
The preamble, in which the suzerain is identified and his benevolent deeds are enumerated
The stipulations of the covenant, especially the requirement of loyalty, often also rendered as “love”
The formalization of the covenant, where the treaty is recorded and/or read in public
The invocation of witnesses to hold the parties (primarily the vassal) accountable
The sanctions, or the consequences of the treaty–blessings for keeping it, curses for breaking it
We see all five of these parts in the renewed covenant of Joshua 24. Verses 2-13 give a history of the relationship between YHWH and the people, listing all the good things YHWH has done for them. Verse 14 lays out the parameters and stipulations of the covenant: “Revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.” The people of Israel say they will, and Joshua cautions them with the sanctions, telling them in verse 20, “If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.” The people confirm again that they will serve YHWH, and Joshua writes the words down to formalize the covenant. He calls on all the people to act as witnesses, but he also sets up a stone at the place to act as a witness–more everlasting than a fickle or mortal human witness.
Perhaps more interesting than the form and structure of this covenant is the fact that it’s a re-covenant. A kind of vow renewal. Joshua wants to leave Israel on the right path after he dies, and so he has them recommit to the promise of serving and worshiping YHWH and YHWH alone. It’s curious that the people act like this re-covenanting is no big deal. “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!” they say, as if they’ve never done that. But just like any rules or prohibitions, covenants are often indicative of an extant issue, or at least one that’s liable to come up, and the need to nip it in the bud. And the necessity of a re-covenant further suggests that things weren’t all as they should be, at least from Joshua’s point of view. “Choose this day whom you will serve,” he says in verse 15, “gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.” There are plenty of gods to choose from, he says, listing them almost cheekily, letting them know that he knows that they know.
But Joshua cautions them about making a flippant response to this covenant, even if it might seem somewhat given, as renewals often are. In verse 19 he says, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.” This seems strange in the context of a re-covenant. Have not the people already rebelled? Have they not already sinned? And is not this recommitment proof that YHWH, while perhaps holy and jealous, will indeed forgive them when it comes down to it?
Like the suzerain treaties it is based on, in this covenant we don’t really hear from the suzerain, the seat of power, in this case YHWH. The purpose of the treaty is to establish the devotion and loyalty off the vassals, the dependents. This is another way this chapter, this covenant, is a kind of microcosm of the relationship between God and God’s people. God has said God’s piece. God has made God’s promises. God will be what God will be. The real question, then, is how we will respond. Will we commit to this treaty? Choose this day whom you will serve. And choose tomorrow whom you will serve. And the day after that. Serving God may indeed require a re-covenanting like Joshua 24 every day in order to walk with God and serve God in faithfulness.