Why does Josue tell the people they will not be able to serve the Lord after they promise to do so?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

He says the Lord is holy, mighty and jealous and will not forgive their wickedness and sins. Challoner explains separately that the warning is meant to make them earnest and firm by showing the size of the undertaking and the courage and constancy it requires, rather than discourage them.

Chapter breakdown

Josue gathers all Israel’s tribes in Sichem and calls the elders, princes, judges and masters; they stand before the Lord. He speaks the Lord God of Israel’s words: their fathers once lived beyond the river—Thare, father of Abraham, and Nachor—and served strange gods. Challoner’s separate note identifies this river as the Euphrates. The Lord says he took Abraham from the borders of Mesopotamia into Chanaan and multiplied his descendants. He gave Abraham Isaac, and Isaac Jacob and Esau. He gave Esau mount Seir as a possession, while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

In this account the Lord says he sent Moses and Aaron and struck Egypt with many signs and wonders. He brought Israel and their fathers out to the sea; the Egyptians pursued their fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. Israel cried to the Lord, who placed darkness between them and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon the Egyptians and covered them. Israel saw his works in Egypt and stayed a long time in the wilderness. He brought them to the land of the Amorrhite beyond the Jordan; when the Amorrhites fought, he delivered them into Israel’s hands, and Israel possessed their land and slew them. Balac son of Sephor, king of Moab, arose and fought Israel and called Balaam son of Beor to curse them. The Lord would not hear him; instead he blessed Israel through him and delivered them from his hand. Israel crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, whose men fought them, along with the Amorrhite, Pherezite, Chanaanite, Hethite, Gergesite, Hevite and Jebusite. The Lord delivered them into Israel’s hands. He sent hornets ahead and drove the two Amorrhite kings from their places, not by Israel’s sword or bow. He gave Israel land they had not worked, cities they had not built to dwell in, and vineyards and oliveyards they had not planted.

Josue tells the people to fear the Lord and serve him with a perfect and most sincere heart. They must put away the gods their fathers served in Mesopotamia and Egypt and serve the Lord. If serving the Lord seems evil to them, they have a choice that day: the gods their fathers served in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorrhites in whose land they dwell. Josue declares that he and his house will serve the Lord. The people reject leaving the Lord for strange gods. They say he brought them and their fathers out of Egypt’s house of bondage, did great signs before their eyes, preserved them along their journey and among the peoples they passed, and cast out the nations, including the Amorrhite inhabiting the land. They will serve him because he is their God.

Josue tells them they will not be able to serve the Lord, because he is holy, mighty and jealous and will not forgive their wickedness and sins. Challoner’s separate note says this is not meant to discourage them, but to make them more earnest and firm by showing the greatness of the undertaking and the courage and constancy needed to carry it through. Josue warns that leaving the Lord for strange gods will bring affliction and destruction after all the good he has done them. The people reply that this will not be so: they will serve the Lord. Josue calls them witnesses that they have chosen the Lord to serve him, and they accept being witnesses. He tells them to put away strange gods from among them and turn their hearts to the Lord God of Israel. They reply that they will serve him and obey his commandments.

That day Josue makes a covenant and sets commandments and judgments before the people in Sichem. He writes these things in the volume of the Lord’s law and sets a great stone under the oak in the Lord’s sanctuary. He tells the people the stone will be testimony to them because it has heard all the Lord’s words to them, lest they later deny them and lie to the Lord their God. Challoner explains separately that this is a figure of speech attributing sensation to things without life. Such things are called upon, as it were, to bear witness in favor of the great Creator, whom they constantly obey on their part. Josue sends everyone away to their own possession.

After these things Josue son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, dies at a hundred and ten years old. Challoner’s separate note says that if Josue wrote the book, as is commonly believed, Samuel or some other prophet added these last verses. The note leaves that authorship conditional and the later writer unnamed with certainty. Josue is buried within his possession at Thamnathsare in mount Ephraim, north of mount Gaas. Israel serves the Lord throughout Josue’s days and those of the elders who live a long time after him and have known all the Lord’s works in Israel. Israel buries Joseph’s bones, brought from Egypt, in Sichem in the part of the field Jacob bought from the sons of Hemor, father of Sichem, for a hundred young ewes; it belongs to Joseph’s sons. Eleazar son of Aaron also dies. He is buried in Gabaath, belonging to his son Phinees, which was given to him in mount Ephraim.

The story inside

At Sichem, Josue speaks the Lord’s account of Israel’s fathers, deliverance and received land, then tells the people to put away other gods and choose whom to serve. He declares his own household’s choice. The people answer from the deliverance they remember. Josue’s warning about the Lord’s holiness and the consequences of leaving him is followed by renewed promises, their acknowledgment as witnesses and his command to put away strange gods. He makes the covenant, records the words and sets a stone under the sanctuary oak as testimony. Four Challoner notes explain the river, the purpose of the warning, the stone’s figurative hearing and the possible addition of the final verses. The closing record names Josue’s death and burial, Israel’s service during the surviving elders’ days, Joseph’s bones and Eleazar’s burial, with their specific places and relationships.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The call to serve follows a particular remembered history. It includes Abraham’s family, the escape from Egypt, Balaam’s blessing, the named peoples and the land, cities and crops Israel did not create. Keeping those actions and Josue’s two stated alternatives preserves the actual reason and choice in his address.
2
The people’s first answer is followed by a serious warning and further commitments. Josue states the Lord’s holiness, might and jealousy and the consequences of leaving him. Challoner explains the warning’s purpose separately; the people then accept being witnesses and promise obedience after the command to put away strange gods.
3
The account records both testimony and particular burials. The stone’s hearing is figurative according to Challoner. His authorship note is conditional and names Samuel or another prophet as possible later writers. The burial notices retain the age, places, family relationships and price of Joseph’s burial field rather than supply a general claim about eternal rest.

Test your recall

How does the remembered deliverance lead into Josue’s choice and warning, and what do the people agree to before he records the covenant and sets up the stone?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 24852–24872
Josue Chapter 24 Josue assembleth the people, and reneweth the covenant between them and God. His death and burial. 24:1. And Josue gathered together all the tribes of Israel in Sichem, and called for the ancients, and the princes and the judges, and the masters: and they stood in the sight of the Lord: 24:2. And he spoke thus to the people: Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Your fathers dwelt of old on the other side of the river, Thare the father of Abraham, and Nachor: and they served strange gods. Of the river.... The Euphrates. 24:3. And I took your father Abraham from the borders of Mesopotamia: and brought him into the land of Chanaan: and I multiplied his seed, 24:4. And gave him Isaac: and to him again I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave to Esau mount Seir for his possession: but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
Lines 24874–24907
24:5. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt with many signs and wonders. 24:6. And I brought you and your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea: and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen, as far as the Red Sea. 24:7. And the children of Israel cried to the Lord: and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them. Your eyes saw all that I did in Egypt, and you dwelt in the wilderness a long time. 24:8. And I brought you into the land of the Amorrhite, who dwelt beyond the Jordan. And when they fought against you, I delivered them into your hands, and you possessed their land, and slew them. 24:9. And Balac son of Sephor king of Moab arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and called for Balaam son of Beor, to curse you: 24:10. And I would not hear him, but on the contrary I blessed you by him, and I delivered you out of his hand. 24:11. And you passed over the Jordan, and you came to Jericho. And the men of that city fought against you, the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite, and the Chanaanite, and the Hethite, and the Gergesite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite: and I delivered them into your hands. 24:12. And I sent before you hornets: and I drove them out from their places, the two kings of the Amorrhites, not with thy sword nor with thy bow, 24:13. And I gave you a land, in which you had not laboured, and cities to dwell in which you built not, vineyards and oliveyards, which you planted not.
Lines 24909–24929
24:14. Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him with a perfect and most sincere heart: and put away the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 24:15. But if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, you have your choice: choose this day that which pleaseth you, whom you would rather serve, whether the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods of the Amorrhites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord, 24:16. And the people answered, and said, God forbid we should leave the Lord, and serve strange gods. 24:17. The Lord our God he brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage: and did very great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way by which we journeyed, and among all the people through whom we passed. 24:18. And he hath cast out all the nations, the Amorrhite the inhabitant of the land into which we are come. Therefore we will serve the Lord, for he is our God.
Lines 24931–24955
24:19. And Josue said to the people: You will not be able to serve the Lord: for he is a holy God, and mighty and jealous, and will not forgive your wickedness and sins. You will not be able to serve the Lord, etc.... This was not said by way of discouraging them; but rather to make them more earnest and resolute, by setting before them the greatness of the undertaking, and the courage and constancy necessary to go through with it. 24:20. If you leave the Lord, and serve strange gods, he will turn, and will afflict you, and will destroy you after all the good he hath done you. 24:21. And the people said to Josue: No, it shall not be so as thou sayest, but we will serve the Lord. 24:22. And Josue said to the people, You are witnesses, that you yourselves have chosen you the Lord to serve him. And they answered: We are witnesses. 24:23. Now therefore, said he, put away strange gods from among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord the God of Israel. 24:24. And the people said to Josue: We will serve the Lord our God, and we will be obedient to his commandments.
Lines 24957–24974
24:25. Josue therefore on that day made a covenant, and set before the people commandments and judgments in Sichem. 24:26. And he wrote all these things in the volume of the law of the Lord: and he took a great stone, and set it under the oak that was in the sanctuary of the Lord. 24:27. And he said to all the people: Behold this stone shall be a testimony unto you, that it hath heard all the words of the Lord, which he hath spoken to you: lest perhaps hereafter you will deny it, and lie to the Lord your God. It hath heard.... This is a figure of speech, by which sensation is attributed to inanimate things; and they are called upon, as it were, to bear witness in favour of the great Creator, whom they on their part constantly obey. 24:28. And he sent the people away every one to their own possession,
Lines 24976–25001
24:29. And after these things Josue the son of Nun the servant of the Lord died, being a hundred and ten years old: And after, etc.... If Josue wrote this book, as is commonly believed, these last verses were added by Samuel, or some other prophet. 24:30. And they buried him in the border of his possession in Thamnathsare, which is situate in mount Ephraim, on the north side of mount Gaas. 24:31. And Israel served the Lord all the days of Josue, and of the ancients that lived a long time after Josue, and that had known all the works of the Lord which he had done in Israel. 24:32. And the bones of Joseph which the children of Israel had taken out of Egypt, they buried in Sichem, in that part of the field which Jacob had bought of the sons of Hemor the father of Sichem, for a hundred young ewes, and it was in the possession of the sons of Joseph. 24:33. Eleazar also the son of Aaron died: and they buried him in Gabaath that belongeth to Phinees his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.