NOTES for Jos 24:14-29

God made His covenant with His people through Moses on the fiftieth day of the Exodus. Decades have since passed, during which Israel, led first by Moses and then by Joshua—who in turn were led by God Himself—crosses the wilderness, enters the Promised Land, and wins a place there. Throughout this time the leaders of the people preserve the memory of the covenant, but one or two generations have changed. The people whom Joshua brought into Canaan must make their choice: will they remain faithful to the God who brought them out of Egypt and led them through the wilderness, or will they worship the local Palestinian gods? God promises them His faithfulness, and the question is Israel’s faithfulness. The people promise Him that faithfulness, and Joshua RENEWS the Mosaic covenant with Israel. A new generation of Israelites enters the covenant made with God once and for all. We see that even a covenant with an entire people needs periodic renewal. We who have entered through Jesus Christ into the New Covenant, which is addressed personally to each of us, need all the more for it to be renewed in us continually.