Sabbath School Summary

By Dr. MASIMBA MAVAZA

Choose This Day!

Lesson 13

Memory Text: “ ‘And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. . . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’ ” (Joshua 24:15, NKJV).

Introduction

The final chapter of Joshua is set in the context of a covenant renewal ceremony, but this time conducted by the aged leader of Israel.

Although not a covenant itself but rather a report of a covenant renewal ceremony, the chapter has the elements of ancient Near Eastern suzerainty treaties:

(1) a preamble in which the suzerain, the initiator of the treaty, is identified;

(2) the historical prologue, which describes the relationship between the overlord and the vassal;

(3) the covenant stipulations asking the vassal to manifest total allegiance to the suzerain based on, and motivated by, gratitude;

(4) blessings for obedience and curses for breaking the covenant;

(5) witnesses to the pledge of the vassal;

(6) deposition of the document for future reading; and

(7) ratification of the covenant.

Joshua is close to the end of his life; no replacement is on the horizon.

The covenant renewal is a reminder to the Israelites that their king is Yahweh Himself and that, if they remain loyal to Him, they will enjoy His protection.

Israel does not need a human king. As a theocratic nation, they have to ever keep in mind that their only king is the Lord.

SABBATH: Joshua 24 concludes the life & reign of Joshua.

He wanted to restate true faith & worship in God so that even after his death, Israel would be loyal to God. Israel didn’t need a human king.

His speech was a covenant renewal & had elements of how a Near East ruler (suzerain) made treaties:

1. a preamble which names the suzerain (initiator)

2. the historical prologue

3. the covenant terms

4. related blessings & curses

5. witnesses

6. saving of the document to read later &

7. approval of the treaty.You Were There!

SUNDAY: With great care, God led Israel from slavery in Egypt into Canaan.

In the covenant renewal, God wanted them to put away all foreign gods.

It’s God who made Israel & intervened in the life of Abraham; otherwise, they’d be serving idols (Josh. 24:1, 23; Gen. 35:2–4).

This renewal was in Shechem, the same place God first assured Abraham He would give him the Promised Land (Gen. 12:6–7).

God shows that the covenant was made not only with the fathers but also with the new cohort (Josh. 24:2–13; Deut. 5:3).

In Sincerity and Truth

MONDAY: In the Bible, God gives us two choices: life/death.

In Joshua’s appeal, Israel had to decide whether to be loyal to the Creator to preserve their identity or worship idols & lose their identity.

Joshua made a twofold appeal: Israel should fear the Lord God & serve Him “in sincerity & in truth” (Josh. 24:14–15).

To fear God isn’t a life of constant worry & emotional insecurity. Instead, it refers to reverence that stems from knowing God’s power & holiness (Lev. 19:14; Lev. 25:17; Deut. 17:19; 2 Kings 17:34).

Free to Serve

TUESDAY: Like God in Eden, Joshua wished that Israel would serve the Lord out of free choice.

The term “chosen” was used to depict God’s election of Israel; Israel could say “no” to Yahweh (God).

But that would be a bad choice (Josh. 24:22; Deut. 7:6–7; 10:15; 14:2).

Israel said “yes” to God to show that the God of their ancestors is now also “our God” (Josh. 24:16–21).

Joshua didn’t want “lip service” as in the past (Exod. 19:8; 24:3; 5:27).

The decision was a serious one; it had to be out of free will, & they had to abide in God to be able to serve Him.

The Dangers of Idolatry

WEDNESDAY: “Keep yourselves from all sorts of idols.”

Joshua charged Israel to incline their hearts to the Lord.

Moses made the same call to the Israelites.

The gods in view weren’t those of Egypt or beyond the river, but were found among them.

To incline their hearts meant to “stretch” or “bend” & listen to God’s voice (Josh. 24:22–24; Deut. 30:19–20; 2 Kings 19:16; Ps. 31:2–3; Dan. 9:18; Isa. 55:3; Jer. 7:24). Solomon “inclined” his heart towards foreign gods (1 Kings 11:2, 4, 9).

Israel replied, “We’ll listen to His voice,” in a threefold promise.

Finishing Well

THURSDAY: In the epilogue of the book, the deaths of Joshua and Eleazar, the high priest, are reported, along with the burial of Joseph’s bones.

This shows a contrast between their past wandering and now settling in the Promised Land, where they can bury their leaders permanently (Josh. 24:29–33; Gen. 23:13, 19; 25:9–10).

The faithfulness of God is seen as the promises made to the patriarchs are fulfilled. The future of Israel depends on whether the next generation will obey God.

Joshua, like Paul, fought the good fight (2 Tim. 4:7).

Further Thought

FRIDAY: Many people who left Egypt were still secretly worshiping idols, even after settling in Canaan.

Joshua recognized this problem and wanted the Israelites to fully commit to serving the Lord or risk drifting away from Him.

He made a solemn agreement with the people, writing it down and setting up a large stone as a witness to their commitment.

This stone would remind future generations of their promise to stay loyal to God and avoid idolatry.

—Ellen G. White, “The Last Words of Joshua,” pp. 522–524, in Patriarchs and Prophets, Signs of the Times, May 19, 1881; Signs of the Times, May 26, 1881.KeywordsGod’s speech in Joshua 24

– The fathers and this generation at Shechem are treated as one.

Joshua is seeking to show what Moses affirmed already in Deuteronomy 5:3: that the Lord did not make the covenant only with the fathers but with all those present at the moment of Joshua’s speech.

The vast majority there now had not experienced the Exodus.

Not “all” of them were at Horeb. Yet, Joshua says that all of them were there.

In short, the lessons of the past must be appropriated by each new generation.

The God who worked for the ancestors in the past is ready to act on behalf of the present generation.

Knowing God’s power & holiness

– A recognition that leads to a life of obedience to God.

To fear God

– To fear the Lord does not mean a life of perpetual trembling and emotional insecurity.

It rather refers to the reverence and awe that stem from the recognition of the unfathomable greatness, holiness, and infinity of God on the one hand and our smallness, sinfulness, and finitude on the other.

To fear God is a constant awareness of the magnitude of His demands, a recognition that He is not only our heavenly Father but also our Divine King.

To serve God – Israel was to show the same loyalty to God that God has displayed toward His people in the course of their history.

The service that is required of Israel is characterized by two Hebrew terms: “in sincerity” and “in truth.”

The first term (tamim) is mostly used as an adjective to describe the perfection of the sacrificial animal.

The second term that describes Israel’s service is “truth,” or “faithfulness” (Heb. ’emet).

The term generally connotes constancy and stability.

It usually refers to God, whose character is intrinsically characterized by faithfulness, which is manifested toward Israel.

To incline their hearts – The Hebrew term used here, natah, means “to stretch,” “to bend.”

It describes a God who is expected to bend down and listen to prayers (2 Kings 19:16; Ps. 31:2–3; Dan. 9:18), and it is also the attitude required of Israel later by the prophets (Isa. 55:3; Jer. 7:24).

It is employed to indicate the apostasy of Solomon when his heart inclined toward foreign gods (1 Kings 11:2, 4, 9).

Appeal in the book of Joshua – The central appeal of the book to serve the Lord is not only for Joshua’s generation but also for each new generation of God’s people who would read or hear this message.

Ex-archbishop of Canterbury Lord George Cary- In a keynote speech delivered at Holy Trinity Church in Shrewsbury, he declared that the Anglican Church was “one generation away from extinction.”

For December 20-26.

Happy Sabbath. Happy New Year. The next lesson for the first quarter of 2026 is Uniting Heaven and Earth: Christ in Philippians and Colossians. May God richly bless you!