In this final scene of Joshua’s life, he gathers God’s people at Shechem, a place with great significance in their history. It was at Shechem that God promised the land to Abram as he embarked on his journey (Gen. 12:6–7). After receiving Esau’s forgiveness, Jacob settled near Shechem (Gen. 33:18–20), and this is also where he buried idols to foreign gods after his household recommitted its allegiance to the God of Israel (35:1–4). Shechem was one of Joshua’s first stops upon entering the Promised Land (Deut. 11:26–32; Josh. 8:30–35), and it became a site of covenant renewal. It’s only natural, then, that Joshua closes this chapter of his life at the same place, with another renewal of the covenant.
The pericope omits a large portion of Joshua’s speech, which continues to tell the story of God’s people. Beginning with God’s call to Abram, Joshua recounts the growth of Abraham’s descendants, the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, God’s provision as they traveled through the wilderness, and how they gained victory and a new life in the land promised to them. Each step along the way highlights how it was the actions of God, not the people, that brought them to their current situation.
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This history would have been familiar to Joshua’s original audience, and it is likely familiar to at least some in the pews today as well. Regardless of its inclusion in the lectionary reading, this story provides important context as Joshua makes one of his most well-known statements: “Choose this day whom you will serve” (24:15).
While this statement is often interpreted as an individual call, the Hebrew says something different. Both the verb baḥărû (choose) and the pronoun lakhem (yourselves) are plural. Joshua is not asking for individual commitments; he is speaking to the gathered community, asking for a communal decision: Choose this day, all of you, as a people, whom you will collectively serve.
In a culture in which Christian faith has become increasingly individualistic, this is an important distinction. On the brink of his death, Joshua is not asking the people to assess their own personal beliefs or to be sure they have invited the right God into their hearts. He is imploring them to, once again, come together as the community of God’s people to decide who they will be together and whom they, collectively, will serve.
Shechem is the perfect setting for this moment of discernment, and this is why Joshua recounts the history of God’s people before asking them to make a commitment. He invites them into another covenant renewal, asking them to reaffirm their covenant identity.
But Joshua isn’t just asking them to make an identity statement. After the people affirm their allegiance to God, Joshua pushes back, saying, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God.” It seems odd that he asks them to make this commitment and then, when they do, he challenges it. But Joshua understands the power of that moment at that location, and he knows all too well that faithfulness to God’s covenant requires more than a simple declaration. Serving God means more than emotionally charged promises in holy spaces; it means orienting all of life around that commitment. This is not easy, and Joshua wants to make sure that the people are truly willing to shape their priorities, practices, and identity around serving God.
Even after this challenge, the people remain committed. But Joshua still isn’t convinced. Echoing Jacob’s actions in that same place generations earlier, Joshua calls the people to turn away from foreign gods. They have declared that they will not turn their backs on the God of Israel, but the lure of divided allegiance remains. They might claim loyalty to God in word and deed while also holding on to other identities and loyalties. Joshua’s challenge, then, is not just for the people to choose whom they will serve, but also whom they will not.
When the gathered community once again declares its commitment to the covenant, Joshua is satisfied. He codifies this agreement, documenting this renewal of the covenant, and establishes it as a lasting witness for the people. In that sacred place, on the cusp of leadership transition and new realities, the people of God affirm how God has been active in their lives, how God has been faithful to God’s promises, and how they desire to serve God and God alone with loyalty, fidelity, and conviction.
