Joshua 24:7, commentary and pictures

Joshua 24:7 belongs to his final gathering of Israel before his death, when the infirmities of age showed he must soon lay his responsibilities upon the representative men of the nation and call the tribes together at Shechem. Shechem was chosen for its sacred associations recalling God's covenant with Abraham and Jacob and Israel's own solemn vows upon entering Canaan, with Mounts Ebal and Gerizim standing as silent witnesses to vows then renewed in the presence of their dying leader. As Moses just before his death called the children of Israel together to rehearse their past experience, trials, failures, and warnings given them, so Joshua in his final work recounted their history since they were called out as the people of God. The verse recounts how when Israel cried to the LORD He put darkness between them and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon their enemies and covered them, and what their eyes had seen done in Egypt, followed by dwelling in the wilderness a long season. It thus reminds God's people of their deliverance from Egypt and their long sojourn in the wilderness as part of God's providence throughout their travels.

The country on every side gave evidence of what God had wrought for them, giving them a land for which they did not labor and cities they did not build and vineyards and oliveyards they did not plant. These gifts without labor were further evidence of His goodness, love, and mercy toward them. The recounting was meant to strengthen faith by reviewing past blessings and mercies, to show God's love and mercy, and to call the people to serve Him sincerely and truthfully. It was meant to awaken gratitude for God's acts and to humble Israel over unjust complaints and failure to follow His revealed will. The review also warned Israel against idolatry and ties with idolaters, including intermarriage, because departing from God would bring desolation, for God is faithful both to fulfill His promises and to carry out His warnings, and this warning is to be applied personally.

Those who have had experience in God's dealings are to stand as Joshua did and recount such history a great deal more, keeping before those without the experience the sacrifices, the simplicity of the early workers, and the power of God manifested to keep the work free from error and delusion and extravagance. Doing so blesses those who tell it and proves a blessing and molding influence on present workers. Losing sight of what the Lord did in the past means losing sight of His present working in their behalf, so the story must be told again and again that the work may be carried forward in the same humble spirit and self-sacrificing principles. This rehearsing shows that God's people today must rehearse the instruction God has given them, repeating and repeating what has been given to ministers, men in responsible positions, teachers, managers, and conferences. They must stand firmly in defense of the truth given after the passing of the time, because Satan is doing a special work to make of no effect the Testimonies from God and to unsettle confidence through the warfare between light and darkness.