Joshua 21-24 (concluded)

The book of Joshua concludes with the Levites receiving the cities appointed to them with the surrounding lands for their cattle, which completed and fulfilled the divine promise of the LORD to give to Israel the land He had promised to their fathers, punctuated with the Word’s claim: “There failed not aught of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.” Joshua, now old and not far from death, blesses the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half of Manasseh that had received their land inheritance on the east side of the Jordan river, for keeping their vow to fight along with their brethren to take the whole of the promised land. These same tribes built an altar by the Jordan river on their way home, and were accused of treachery by the nine tribes west of the river. As the nine mobilized for war, cooler heads prevailed and an explanation was demanded, and given, averting a crises: The altar was erected to remind the nine tribes west, in time to come, that the three tribes east were still very much a part of Israel. Joshua soon addresses Israel and offers his last message to them, admonishing them to love the LORD their God, and to stay faithful to Him, his challenging tone seeming to declare little confidence in their long term commitment. His words, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve,” still echo in the hearts of believers today, and Israel openly declares again that they will serve the LORD. Joshua dies at the age of 110, and is buried in the border of his inheritance, and the bones of their ancestor Joseph are laid to rest in the place Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, hundreds of years prior. Not long after, Eleazar the priest, the son of Aaron, dies and is buried in Mt. Ephraim. Into/Outro music: "Unexpectedly" (c) 1995 Alex Grant Used by permission