Monday
Monday
Keeping the Covenant
On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws.
Joshua 24:25
Yahweh is a covenant God who has bound himself to us in a solemn pledge saying, “I will be your God, and you shall be my people.” It began with Abraham. It continued with Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Moses was clear that his ministry was in fulfillment of it. And now it was essential for Joshua to know that he stood in the same succession. So the beginning and end of the book of Joshua contain important references to the covenant. After the Israelites crossed the River Jordan, God told Joshua to make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites, since circumcision was the sign of the covenant and there had not been any circumcision during the forty years of wilderness wanderings. Now that they were circumcised, they were eligible to celebrate the Passover.
Then the book of Joshua concludes with a renewal of the covenant at Shechem. What is particularly fascinating is that, in presenting the covenant, Joshua deliberately followed the pattern of vassal-treaties (recently discovered in the ancient Near East) between a conquered nation and the great king or conqueror. After an introduction of the parties to the treaty, a historical sketch is given. Then follow the treaty conditions and a list of witnesses, and the document concludes with blessings if the treaty is kept and warnings if it is violated. All these aspects of a vassal-treaty can be found in Joshua 24.
The followers of Jesus Christ are heirs of God’s covenant with Abraham. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are signs of what Jesus called “the new covenant,” corresponding to circumcision and the Passover in the Old Testament. Vassal-treaties were renewed annually, but our covenant with God should be renewed daily, or at least every time we attend the Lord’s Supper.
For further reading: Joshua 24:19–27