Joshua 24:30
And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
And they buried him
This phrase marks the conclusion of Joshua's life, a significant leader in Israel's history. The act of burial is deeply rooted in Hebrew tradition, signifying respect and honor for the deceased. In the Hebrew context, burial was not only a familial duty but also a communal one, reflecting the collective memory and respect for those who led and served faithfully. Joshua's burial signifies the end of an era, as he was the last of the great leaders who had a direct connection to the Exodus and the wilderness journey.

in the territory of his inheritance
This phrase emphasizes the fulfillment of God's promises to the Israelites. Joshua, who led the people into the Promised Land, is laid to rest in the very land that was promised to him and his people. The "territory of his inheritance" is a testament to God's faithfulness in fulfilling His covenant with Israel. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of the land in Israel's identity and God's plan for His people.

at Timnath-serah
Timnath-serah, located in the hill country of Ephraim, was the city given to Joshua as his inheritance (Joshua 19:50). The name itself, meaning "portion of abundance," reflects the blessings and provision of God. Archaeological evidence suggests that this area was a significant settlement during the time of Joshua, further affirming the biblical narrative. The location of Joshua's burial in his own inheritance underscores the personal fulfillment of God's promises to him.

in the hill country of Ephraim
The hill country of Ephraim was a central region in the land of Israel, known for its strategic and fertile land. Ephraim, one of the tribes of Israel, was a dominant tribe, and its territory played a crucial role in the history of Israel. The mention of Ephraim highlights the importance of this region in the biblical narrative and its connection to Joshua, who was from the tribe of Ephraim. This setting underscores the continuity of leadership and God's ongoing work among His people.

north of Mount Gaash
Mount Gaash is mentioned here as a geographical marker, providing a specific location for Joshua's burial. While not much is known about Mount Gaash, its inclusion in the text serves to authenticate the historical and geographical accuracy of the biblical account. The specificity of the location reflects the care with which the Israelites recorded their history and the importance of remembering their leaders and the places significant to their journey with God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Joshua
The central figure in this passage, Joshua was the leader of Israel after Moses. He led the Israelites into the Promised Land and was a faithful servant of God.

2. Timnath-serah
This is the place where Joshua was buried. It was located in the hill country of Ephraim and was part of Joshua's inheritance.

3. Hill Country of Ephraim
A region in the central part of the land of Israel, known for its rugged terrain and significant historical events.

4. Mount Gaash
A geographical landmark mentioned as being north of Joshua's burial site, providing a specific location for his resting place.
Teaching Points
Faithfulness in Leadership
Joshua's life exemplifies steadfastness and obedience to God. As leaders, we are called to be faithful in our responsibilities, trusting in God's guidance and provision.

God's Promises Fulfilled
The burial of Joshua in his inherited land is a testament to God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises. We can trust that God will fulfill His promises to us as well.

Legacy of Faith
Joshua's leadership left a lasting impact on the nation of Israel. Our actions and faith can leave a legacy for future generations, encouraging them to follow God wholeheartedly.

The Importance of Rest
Joshua's life and leadership point to the ultimate rest found in God. We are reminded to seek spiritual rest in Christ, who offers us peace and fulfillment.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Joshua's burial in his inherited land reflect God's faithfulness to His promises? Consider other instances in the Bible where God fulfills His promises.

2. In what ways can we demonstrate faithfulness in our leadership roles, following Joshua's example?

3. How does the concept of rest in Joshua's life connect to the spiritual rest offered in Christ? Reflect on how you can experience this rest in your own life.

4. What legacy of faith are you building for future generations? How can you ensure that your actions and decisions reflect a commitment to God?

5. How does understanding the geographical and historical context of Joshua's burial site enhance your appreciation of this passage? Consider the significance of place in your own spiritual journey.
Connections to Other Scriptures
Joshua 19:49-50
This passage describes the allocation of Timnath-serah to Joshua as his inheritance, highlighting God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to His servant.

Judges 2:8-9
These verses recount Joshua's death and burial, reinforcing the continuity of Israel's history and leadership transition.

Hebrews 4:8-9
This New Testament passage reflects on Joshua's role in leading Israel into rest, drawing a parallel to the spiritual rest found in Christ.
Dying ChargesW. E. Knox, D. D.Joshua 24:1-33
Joshua's Last AppealW. G. Blaikie, D. D.Joshua 24:1-33
Joshua's Last FarewellG. W. Butler, M. A.Joshua 24:1-33
A Great DecisionR. Glover Joshua 24:16-31
Faithful Adherence to EngagementsL. H. Wiseman, M. A.Joshua 24:29-33
The Burials of Distinguished SaintsW. Seaton.Joshua 24:29-33
Three GravesR. Glover Joshua 24:30, 32, 33
People
Aaron, Amorites, Balaam, Balak, Beor, Canaanites, Egyptians, Eleazar, Esau, Girgashite, Girgashites, Hamor, Hittites, Hivite, Hivites, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Jebusites, Joseph, Joshua, Nachor, Nahor, Nun, Perizzites, Phinehas, Seir, Serah, Terah, Zippor
Places
Canaan, Egypt, Euphrates River, Gaash, Gibeah, Jericho, Jordan River, Moab, Red Sea, Seir, Shechem, Timnath-serah
Topics
Body, Border, Buried, Bury, Ephraim, E'phraim, Gaash, Ga'ash, Heritage, Hill, Hill-country, Inheritance, Mount, Mountain, North, Serah, Territory, Timnath, Timnathserah, Timnath-serah, Tim'nath-se'rah
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Joshua 24:30

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Library
February the Tenth Registering a Verdict
"The Lord our God will we serve, and His voice will we obey." --JOSHUA xxiv. 22-28. Here was a definite decision. Our peril is that we spend our life in wavering and we never decide. We are like a jury which is always hearing evidence and never gives a verdict. We do much thinking, but we never make up our minds. We let our eyes wander over many things, but we make no choice. Life has no crisis, no culmination. Now people who never decide spend their days in hoping to do so. But this kind of life
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

A Summary of Israel's Faithlessness and God's Patience
'And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 2. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? 3. Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Jesus Sets Out from Judæa for Galilee.
Subdivision B. At Jacob's Well, and at Sychar. ^D John IV. 5-42. ^d 5 So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 and Jacob's well was there. [Commentators long made the mistake of supposing that Shechem, now called Nablous, was the town here called Sychar. Sheckem lies a mile and a half west of Jacob's well, while the real Sychar, now called 'Askar, lies scarcely half a mile north of the well. It was a small town, loosely called
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Meditations for Household Piety.
1. If thou be called to the government of a family, thou must not hold it sufficient to serve God and live uprightly in thy own person, unless thou cause all under thy charge to do the same with thee. For the performance of this duty God was so well pleased with Abraham, that he would not hide from him his counsel: "For," saith God, "I know him that he will command his sons and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Promise to the Patriarchs.
A great epoch is, in Genesis, ushered in with the history of the time of the Patriarchs. Luther says: "This is the third period in which Holy Scripture begins the history of the Church with a new family." In a befitting manner, the representation is opened in Gen. xii. 1-3 by an account of the first revelation of God, given to Abraham at Haran, in which the way is opened up for all that follows, and in which the dispensations of God are brought before us in a rapid survey. Abraham is to forsake
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12). In our last chapter we considered at some length the much debated and difficult question of the human will. We have shown that the will of the natural man is neither Sovereign nor free but, instead, a servant and slave. We have argued that a right conception of the sinner's will-its servitude-is essential to a just estimate of his depravity and ruin. The utter corruption and degradation of human nature is something which
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

And for Your Fearlessness against them Hold this Sure Sign -- Whenever There Is...
43. And for your fearlessness against them hold this sure sign--whenever there is any apparition, be not prostrate with fear, but whatsoever it be, first boldly ask, Who art thou? And from whence comest thou? And if it should be a vision of holy ones they will assure you, and change your fear into joy. But if the vision should be from the devil, immediately it becomes feeble, beholding your firm purpose of mind. For merely to ask, Who art thou [1083] ? and whence comest thou? is a proof of coolness.
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Covenanting Performed in Former Ages with Approbation from Above.
That the Lord gave special token of his approbation of the exercise of Covenanting, it belongs to this place to show. His approval of the duty was seen when he unfolded the promises of the Everlasting Covenant to his people, while they endeavoured to perform it; and his approval thereof is continually seen in his fulfilment to them of these promises. The special manifestations of his regard, made to them while attending to the service before him, belonged to one or other, or both, of those exhibitions
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The First Commandment
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' Exod 20: 3. Why is the commandment in the second person singular, Thou? Why does not God say, You shall have no other gods? Because the commandment concerns every one, and God would have each one take it as spoken to him by name. Though we are forward to take privileges to ourselves, yet we are apt to shift off duties from ourselves to others; therefore the commandment is in the second person, Thou and Thou, that every one may know that it is spoken to him,
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Moses and his Writings
[Illustration: (drop cap W) Clay letter tablet of Moses' time.] We now begin to understand a little of the very beginning of God's Book--of the times in which it was written, the materials used by its first author, and the different kinds of writing from which he had to choose; but we must go a step farther. How much did Moses know about the history of his forefathers, Abraham and Jacob, and of all the old nations and kings mentioned in Genesis, before God called him to the great work of writing
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

"The Carnal Mind is Enmity against God for it is not Subject to the Law of God, Neither Indeed Can Be. So Then they that Are
Rom. viii. s 7, 8.--"The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is not the least of man's evils, that he knows not how evil he is, therefore the Searcher of the heart of man gives the most perfect account of it, Jer. xvii. 12. "The heart is deceitful above all things," as well as "desperately wicked," two things superlative and excessive in it, bordering upon an infiniteness, such
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Gen. xxxi. 11
Of no less importance and significance is the passage Gen. xxxi. 11 seq. According to ver. 11, the Angel of God, [Hebrew: mlaK halhiM] appears toJacob in a dream. In ver. 13, the same person calls himself the God of Bethel, with reference to the event recorded in chap. xxviii. 11-22. It cannot be supposed that in chap xxviii. the mediation of a common angel took place, who, however, had not been expressly mentioned; for Jehovah is there contrasted with the angels. In ver. 12, we read: "And behold
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Manner of Covenanting.
Previous to an examination of the manner of engaging in the exercise of Covenanting, the consideration of God's procedure towards his people while performing the service seems to claim regard. Of the manner in which the great Supreme as God acts, as well as of Himself, our knowledge is limited. Yet though even of the effects on creatures of His doings we know little, we have reason to rejoice that, in His word He has informed us, and in His providence illustrated by that word, he has given us to
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Joshua
The book of Joshua is the natural complement of the Pentateuch. Moses is dead, but the people are on the verge of the promised land, and the story of early Israel would be incomplete, did it not record the conquest of that land and her establishment upon it. The divine purpose moves restlessly on, until it is accomplished; so "after the death of Moses, Jehovah spake to Joshua," i. 1. The book falls naturally into three divisions: (a) the conquest of Canaan (i.-xii.), (b) the settlement of the
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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