ToC | Reading the Old Testament. . . Chapter 6. Joshua | ToC

B. Covenant Renewal at Shechem

Joshua called all the tribes to meet at Shechem. In a prophetic type of address, speaking for Yahweh in the first person, Joshua reviewed the history of Yahweh's care: I took Abraham from Mesopotamia, I gave him Isaac, I brought you out of Egypt, I gave you the land. This historical review is reminiscent of the historical prologue section of treaty documents (see Chapter 5.2). Indeed, Joshua seems to be holding a virtual treaty-signing session here. He got down in writing the tribes' loyalty pledge to Yahweh, their overlord.
    Then Joshua challenged the people to choose Yahweh and reject both their ancestral gods and all the gods of Canaan. The people answered, "Yahweh our God we will serve. Him we will obey." Joshua recorded the covenant in the book of the Torah of God and set up a stone as a memorial to the event. The stone monument would be a witness to the people's pledge to serve Yahweh. As throughout the book of Joshua, a monument serves as a lasting testimony to the faithfulness of Yahweh and the people's acknowledgment of God's goodness.
    This covenant commitment event helps to explain how the Israelites found unity. Going back to our discussion of the nature of this early community, we recognized that early Israel was composed of many different groups. Some came from outside Palestine, descending from Abraham. Others were native to the area, such as Rahab and the Gibeonites. What did they have in common? How did they find unity? It was through a common commitment to Yahweh. This commitment was formalized in covenant and was recorded in the Deuteronomic literature. It defined the people's loyalty to Yahweh and to each other.
    Concluding the book, we are told that Joshua died and the bones of Joseph, which the people had been carrying around since they left Egypt, were finally laid to rest at Shechem. Thus, the first momentous phase in the occupation of the land finds closure and fulfillment.
ToC | Reading the Old Testament. . . Chapter 6. Joshua | ToC