Read Joshua 24.14-28. In 24.14-28: Joshua insists on religious fidelity. In verses 14-15: Three types of gods had proven to be ineffective. Abraham was taken away from the territory of the gods beyond the River (v. 3), and the the gods of Egypt and of the Amorites could not protect their worshippers (vv. 5-7 and 8-13). In verses 19-20: With a rhetorical jolt, Joshua warns Israel of the difficulties and dangers implicit in their commitment: You cannot serve the Lord. The obstacle is God's basic nature as a jealous God, one who is passionately determined to be Israel's only God. In verse 23: Incline your heart calls for personal conviction, not just outward conformity (1 Kings 8.58). The demand to put away the foreign gods may reflect a ceremony of burying idols at Shechem (compare Gen 35.2-4). In verses 25-26: Joshua performed three actions to give structure and effectiveness to Israel's commitment. He made a covenant, wrote down its rules in the book of the law, and set up a witness stone under the oak (see Judg 9.6). In verse 27: The stone is a witness in the sense of being a visible public reminder (compare 22.27, 34), but also because it was present when all the words of the Lord (that is, vv. 2-13) were proclaimed. Comments or Questions..
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