Israel had served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced all the works that the LORD had done for Israel. Israel served the LORDThis phrase highlights the faithfulness of the Israelites during a specific period. The Hebrew word for "served" is "עָבַד" (avad), which implies not just worship but also a life of obedience and dedication. This service was not merely ritualistic but involved a comprehensive commitment to God's commandments. Historically, this period marks a time when Israel was united in purpose and devotion, following the leadership of Joshua. The phrase underscores the importance of collective faithfulness in maintaining a covenant relationship with God. throughout the days of Joshua
Joshua, whose name in Hebrew is "יְהוֹשֻׁעַ" (Yehoshua), meaning "The LORD is salvation," was a pivotal leader for Israel. His leadership was marked by military conquests and spiritual guidance. The phrase indicates that Joshua's influence was significant in keeping the nation aligned with God's will. His life and leadership serve as a model of faithfulness and courage, demonstrating the impact a godly leader can have on a community. and of the elders who outlived him
The "elders" refer to the leaders who were contemporaries of Joshua and continued to guide Israel after his death. These were individuals who had firsthand experience of God's miracles and faithfulness during the conquest of Canaan. The Hebrew term for "elders" is "זְקֵנִים" (zekenim), which implies wisdom and authority. Their role was crucial in maintaining the spiritual and social order of the nation, ensuring that the teachings and traditions were passed down to the next generation. and who had experienced all the works the LORD had done for Israel
This phrase emphasizes the importance of personal experience in faith. The elders had "experienced" (Hebrew: "יָדַע" - yada), meaning they had intimate knowledge and understanding of God's mighty acts. This experiential knowledge was vital in reinforcing their faith and leadership. The "works" of the LORD refer to the miraculous events, such as the crossing of the Jordan River and the fall of Jericho, which were tangible demonstrations of God's power and faithfulness. This historical context serves as a reminder of the importance of remembering and recounting God's deeds to sustain faith across generations. Persons / Places / Events 1. JoshuaThe leader of Israel after Moses, who led the Israelites into the Promised Land and oversaw the distribution of the land among the tribes. 2. The EldersLeaders who outlived Joshua and had firsthand experience of God's works, helping to maintain the faithfulness of Israel. 3. IsraelThe nation chosen by God, consisting of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who served the LORD during this period. 4. The LORDThe covenant God of Israel, who performed mighty works on behalf of His people. 5. The Works of the LORDThe miraculous acts and guidance provided by God, including the crossing of the Jordan River, the fall of Jericho, and the conquest of Canaan. Teaching Points The Importance of Godly LeadershipJoshua and the elders provided spiritual guidance that helped Israel remain faithful. Godly leaders are crucial in guiding communities to serve the LORD. The Power of Witnessing God's WorksThose who experienced God's miracles firsthand were more likely to remain faithful. Personal experiences with God can strengthen our faith and commitment. The Role of Community in FaithfulnessThe collective memory and shared experiences of a community can help sustain faith across generations. The Danger of ForgetfulnessAs seen in later generations, forgetting God's works can lead to spiritual decline. Regular remembrance and teaching of God's deeds are vital. Legacy of FaithThe faithfulness of one generation can impact the next. We should strive to leave a legacy of faith for those who follow us. Bible Study Questions 1. How did the leadership of Joshua and the elders contribute to Israel's faithfulness, and what qualities should we look for in our leaders today? 2. In what ways can we ensure that we remember and pass down the works of the LORD to future generations? 3. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's work in your life. How has that experience influenced your faith journey? 4. What steps can we take to prevent spiritual forgetfulness in our personal lives and communities? 5. How can the example of Israel's faithfulness during Joshua's time inspire us to create a lasting legacy of faith in our own families and communities? Connections to Other Scriptures Judges 2:7This verse parallels Joshua 24:31, emphasizing the faithfulness of Israel during the lifetime of Joshua and the elders. Deuteronomy 6:12Warns Israel not to forget the LORD who brought them out of Egypt, highlighting the importance of remembering God's works. Psalm 78:4-7Encourages the passing down of God's deeds to future generations, ensuring continued faithfulness. Hebrews 13:7Reminds believers to remember their leaders and imitate their faith, similar to how Israel followed Joshua and the elders. 1 Corinthians 10:11Teaches that the events of the Old Testament serve as examples and warnings for believers today. People Aaron, Amorites, Balaam, Balak, Beor, Canaanites, Egyptians, Eleazar, Esau, Girgashite, Girgashites, Hamor, Hittites, Hivite, Hivites, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Jebusites, Joseph, Joshua, Nachor, Nahor, Nun, Perizzites, Phinehas, Seir, Serah, Terah, ZipporPlaces Canaan, Egypt, Euphrates River, Gaash, Gibeah, Jericho, Jordan River, Moab, Red Sea, Seir, Shechem, Timnath-serahTopics TRUE, Deeds, Elders, Experienced, Joshua, Joshua's, Lifetime, Older, Outlived, Overlived, Prolonged, Served, Serveth, Survived, Throughout, Worked, Works, WroughtDictionary of Bible Themes Joshua 24:31 5854 experience, of God Library February the Tenth Registering a Verdict
"The Lord our God will we serve, and His voice will we obey." --JOSHUA xxiv. 22-28. Here was a definite decision. Our peril is that we spend our life in wavering and we never decide. We are like a jury which is always hearing evidence and never gives a verdict. We do much thinking, but we never make up our minds. We let our eyes wander over many things, but we make no choice. Life has no crisis, no culmination. Now people who never decide spend their days in hoping to do so. But this kind of life …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling YearA Summary of Israel's Faithlessness and God's Patience
'And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 2. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? 3. Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Jesus Sets Out from Judæa for Galilee.
Subdivision B. At Jacob's Well, and at Sychar. ^D John IV. 5-42. ^d 5 So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 and Jacob's well was there. [Commentators long made the mistake of supposing that Shechem, now called Nablous, was the town here called Sychar. Sheckem lies a mile and a half west of Jacob's well, while the real Sychar, now called 'Askar, lies scarcely half a mile north of the well. It was a small town, loosely called …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Meditations for Household Piety.
1. If thou be called to the government of a family, thou must not hold it sufficient to serve God and live uprightly in thy own person, unless thou cause all under thy charge to do the same with thee. For the performance of this duty God was so well pleased with Abraham, that he would not hide from him his counsel: "For," saith God, "I know him that he will command his sons and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Promise to the Patriarchs.
A great epoch is, in Genesis, ushered in with the history of the time of the Patriarchs. Luther says: "This is the third period in which Holy Scripture begins the history of the Church with a new family." In a befitting manner, the representation is opened in Gen. xii. 1-3 by an account of the first revelation of God, given to Abraham at Haran, in which the way is opened up for all that follows, and in which the dispensations of God are brought before us in a rapid survey. Abraham is to forsake …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12). In our last chapter we considered at some length the much debated and difficult question of the human will. We have shown that the will of the natural man is neither Sovereign nor free but, instead, a servant and slave. We have argued that a right conception of the sinner's will-its servitude-is essential to a just estimate of his depravity and ruin. The utter corruption and degradation of human nature is something which …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God And for Your Fearlessness against them Hold this Sure Sign -- Whenever There Is...
43. And for your fearlessness against them hold this sure sign--whenever there is any apparition, be not prostrate with fear, but whatsoever it be, first boldly ask, Who art thou? And from whence comest thou? And if it should be a vision of holy ones they will assure you, and change your fear into joy. But if the vision should be from the devil, immediately it becomes feeble, beholding your firm purpose of mind. For merely to ask, Who art thou [1083] ? and whence comest thou? is a proof of coolness. …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius Covenanting Performed in Former Ages with Approbation from Above.
That the Lord gave special token of his approbation of the exercise of Covenanting, it belongs to this place to show. His approval of the duty was seen when he unfolded the promises of the Everlasting Covenant to his people, while they endeavoured to perform it; and his approval thereof is continually seen in his fulfilment to them of these promises. The special manifestations of his regard, made to them while attending to the service before him, belonged to one or other, or both, of those exhibitions …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting The First Commandment
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' Exod 20: 3. Why is the commandment in the second person singular, Thou? Why does not God say, You shall have no other gods? Because the commandment concerns every one, and God would have each one take it as spoken to him by name. Though we are forward to take privileges to ourselves, yet we are apt to shift off duties from ourselves to others; therefore the commandment is in the second person, Thou and Thou, that every one may know that it is spoken to him, …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Moses and his Writings
[Illustration: (drop cap W) Clay letter tablet of Moses' time.] We now begin to understand a little of the very beginning of God's Book--of the times in which it was written, the materials used by its first author, and the different kinds of writing from which he had to choose; but we must go a step farther. How much did Moses know about the history of his forefathers, Abraham and Jacob, and of all the old nations and kings mentioned in Genesis, before God called him to the great work of writing …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making "The Carnal Mind is Enmity against God for it is not Subject to the Law of God, Neither Indeed Can Be. So Then they that Are
Rom. viii. s 7, 8.--"The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is not the least of man's evils, that he knows not how evil he is, therefore the Searcher of the heart of man gives the most perfect account of it, Jer. xvii. 12. "The heart is deceitful above all things," as well as "desperately wicked," two things superlative and excessive in it, bordering upon an infiniteness, such …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Gen. xxxi. 11
Of no less importance and significance is the passage Gen. xxxi. 11 seq. According to ver. 11, the Angel of God, [Hebrew: mlaK halhiM] appears toJacob in a dream. In ver. 13, the same person calls himself the God of Bethel, with reference to the event recorded in chap. xxviii. 11-22. It cannot be supposed that in chap xxviii. the mediation of a common angel took place, who, however, had not been expressly mentioned; for Jehovah is there contrasted with the angels. In ver. 12, we read: "And behold …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Manner of Covenanting.
Previous to an examination of the manner of engaging in the exercise of Covenanting, the consideration of God's procedure towards his people while performing the service seems to claim regard. Of the manner in which the great Supreme as God acts, as well as of Himself, our knowledge is limited. Yet though even of the effects on creatures of His doings we know little, we have reason to rejoice that, in His word He has informed us, and in His providence illustrated by that word, he has given us to …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Joshua
The book of Joshua is the natural complement of the Pentateuch. Moses is dead, but the people are on the verge of the promised land, and the story of early Israel would be incomplete, did it not record the conquest of that land and her establishment upon it. The divine purpose moves restlessly on, until it is accomplished; so "after the death of Moses, Jehovah spake to Joshua," i. 1. The book falls naturally into three divisions: (a) the conquest of Canaan (i.-xii.), (b) the settlement of the …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Joshua 24:31 NIVJoshua 24:31 NLTJoshua 24:31 ESVJoshua 24:31 NASBJoshua 24:31 KJV
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