Daily Lesson for Sunday 21st of December 2025

“Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God” (Joshua 24:1, NKJV).

Shechem was the place where Abraham had built an altar upon his arrival in the land and where God first gave him the promise of the land (Genesis 12:6-7). Now, when the promises given to Abraham have been fulfilled,

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Israel renews the covenant with God at the very place where the first promise had been given. The appeal of Joshua recalls the words of Jacob to “ ‘put away the foreign gods which are among you’ ” (Joshua 24:23, NKJV; compare with Genesis 35:2-4). The geography of the event in and of itself conveys the call to demonstrate undivided loyalty to the Lord, rejecting all other “gods.”

God is the main subject of the reviewed past: “I took,” “I gave,” “I sent,” “I plagued,” “I did,” “I brought you out,” “I delivered you,” and so on. Israel is not the main protagonist of the narrative but rather its object. It is God who created Israel. Had not God intervened in the life of Abraham, they would have been serving the same idols. Israel’s existence as a nation is not the merit of any of its ancestors but the exclusive work of God’s grace. The fact that the Israelites are settled in the land is not a ground for boasting but the very reason why they should serve God.

The Lord’s speech contains a shift that occurs five times between “you” and “they” (the fathers). 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.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25d-13-you-were-there/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=25d-13-you-were-there

Daily Lesson for Sabbath 20th of December 2025

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Read for This Week’s Study: Joshua 24:1-33; Genesis 12:7; Deuteronomy 17:19; Deuteronomy 5:6; 1 Kings 11:2,4,9; 2 Timothy 4:7-8.

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).

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.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 27.

Sunday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25d-13-choose-this-day/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=25d-13-choose-this-day