Joshua 24:1-13, Israel’s Oppressions

Psalm 129 says that the Nation Israel had been afflicted from her youth, yet had not been overcome by these afflictions.  So let us begin by using Israel as an example of what the Psalmist is thinking about.

·        Joshua 24:1-13: Joshua is seeking to call to people to choose following the Lord rather than the gods of the nations around them.  He does it be reviewing events in her past, even before she became a formal nation, and noting how they have not prevailed against me (Ps. 129:2).

o   24:2-3: Abraham had come from a family of idolaters, worshiping the gods of the Amorites.

o   24:4: Esau had intended to kill Jacob and his descendents, the Edomites, were still a pain to the descendents of Jacob, the Israelites.

o   24:5-7: Israel had endure a long and abusive slavery in Egypt.

o   24:8: As Israel had approach Canaan to enter the land the surrounding nations were not helpful.  But two of them actually engaged them in war, the two Amorites kings Sihon and Og.

o   24:9-10: The incident at Peor, involving the prophet Balaam and the Midianite/ Moabite king Balak, was an attempt to bring God to curse Israel.

o   24:11-13: Once Israel entered the land there were various battles/wars (Jericho, Ai, Gibeon, the Southern and Northern Confederacies) with the seven nations.

Warfare would be a regular part of Israel’s history, with periods of rest (reign of Solomon, etc.).  Israel could at any time say, many a time they have afflicted me from my youth (Ps. 129:1).  But Joshua was pointing out, yet they have not prevailed against me (129:2).  He was noting that God is righteous (129:4) and that Israel should do as he was doing: choose to serve God!

·        Joshua 22:17,20: Note that Phineas took a similar approach, of reminding Israel of certain difficult events around the time Israel entered the land.  The iniquity of Peor was the last event that involved judgment from God before they entered the land; the situation with Achan was the first such event after entering the land.  We cannot be sure but we would say he was speaking to the 2½ tribes about 3-5 years after the events he mentioned.   He refers to them as still having an impact on the nation.  The point is that these earlier events were in the memories of the people of Israel.  They needed to be.  But the point was for them to look back and see their need to choose the Lord (22:16).  Notice his words in v17: we are not cleansed till this day.  These must have been oppressive memories; but the point was to bring hope by trusting in the Lord.

These passages show us that sometimes the oppressive events in our past were from our own doing and sometimes they are events over which we had and have no control.  In every situation the need is to remember: they have not prevailed against me … God is righteous!