NOTES for Jos 24:14-29

God made His covenant with His people through Moses on the fiftieth day of the Exodus. Decades have passed since then, during which Israel, led 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 for itself there. Throughout this time, the leaders of the people preserve the memory of the covenant, but one or two generations have changed, and 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 such faithfulness, and Joshua renews the Mosaic covenant with Israel. A new generation of Israelites enters the agreement once made with God. We see that even a covenant with a whole people needs periodic renewal. We, who through Jesus Christ have entered the New Covenant addressed personally to each of us, need all the more for it to be renewed within us, renewed continually.