Recap:

Israel enters Canaan.

Israel defeats the king of Jericho.

Israel defeats the king of Ai.

On the horizon, all the kings of surrounding areas join forces to squelch this threat to their power which has suddenly arisen. (see Joshua 9:1-2)

In preparation for these big guns, Joshua unites the people,
   the God-worshippers from out of the wilderness
   and the landless peasants from Canaan,
with a full service of "Word and Table."

Remember a time when two separate groups united for common purpose:

--a wedding --a military alliance --a corporate merger --a church merger

What was the motivation for unity?
What were the rituals of alliance?

What is the coming-together you think of? What were the results?
Click here to add your response and/or read others' responses.

Now read or hear the story of Altar and Law in the context of that memory.

Mt. Ebal where Joshua built the altar was
located near the city of Shechem

Long, long, long ago

Shechem was a great city-state

• Located at a strategic crossroads
• Between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim
• A flourishing city

Religious conviction and resistance by Shechemites to the rule of kings is evidenced in the famous "Amarna Letters."(*)

Read more about these letters
and Shechem's ancient history
in Joshua and the Promised Land, pp. 64-65

Long, long ago

In the days of the patriarchs, Shechem was a place of deep history for the Israelites.

• Abraham settled there first after entering Canaan. The Lord appeared to him, promised to give his children the land, and Abraham built an altar. (Gen. 12:4-7)

• Jacob settled near Shechem when he returned to Canaan, and built an altar to God (Gen. 33:18-20)

• The sad story of the rape of Dinah by Shechem (the man) takes place in Shechem (the city). (Gen. 34) This story can be read for meaning on several levels:

  Interpersonal – relations between men and women
  Things to NOTE:
  

  • the danger for Dinah when she "went out to visit the women of the land"
  • in the midst of all the power plays, no one asked Dinah what she wanted

  
  

  Cultural – relations between the Canaanites and the Israelites
  Things to NOTE:
  

  • the role of adult circumcision in this story – see Covenant Ritual
  • Jacob's dismay at the rupture of good relations with the Canaanites

Long ago

In the days of Joshua, Shechem was no longer a functioning city where people worked and lived, but it was an important place for religious people to come on pilgrimage.

Archeologists have found what some think is the remains of the altar which Jacob built on Mt. Ebal near ancient Shechem. It contains pottery, ash, and bones. It is approached by ramps and surrounded by a circular wall. Read more about this in the article on altars in the Anchor Bible Dictionary.

Shechem was the location of the covenant ceremony which concludes the book of Joshua. These may be the same story, or it may be that the people worshipped here with ritual acts and sacred readings regularly, as Jews and Christians do today.

What about today?

Think about places:

• that once were operational cities, and now are not
• visited with devotion for the things that once happened there
• where pilgrims receive inspiration and energy for living their lives today
• like
  --Capernaum, Israel
  --Gettysburg National Park
  --Robert E. Lee's Mansion
  --The Alamo
  --Mission San Juan Capistrano

Where is a place like this that you have gone? What was it like for you?
Click here to add your response and/or read others' responses.

Read about "The Altar that Divides"
a story in Joshua and the Promised Land, pp. 58-60

At Mt. Ebal, the people did two things: They sacrificed "burnt offerings"--animals which were entirely consumed by fire on the altar "peace offerings—partly eaten by the people; also known as "communion-sacrifices" because the purpose was to maintain good relations between God and the people Read an ancient description of sacrifice from a Canaanite document. (note*) They read the Law Joshua wrote the Law on the stones and read it 5 times the name of Moses is named— Moses was important "The Law" refers to the book of Deuteronomy, Moses' "farewell speech"

<
Read about Deuteronomy and its role in the book of Joshua in Joshua and the Promised Land, pp. 6-7

Big NOTE: The end of this story paints a picture of the people as including women and children!!! Visit Diotima, a site which explores "Materials for the Study of Women and Gender in the Ancient World" (note*) Weaving Together the Means of Grace In this story of Altar and Law, the ways to be in relationship with God and each other are intricately woven together. Two groups are pictured standing, each in front of a mountain-- making covenant to be one people-- bonded by shared belief in God. Read through the description of worship services in your church's hymnal or book of worship. How is it in Christian worship that acts of communion with God and people are woven together with recitation of the sacred scriptures? *Note These links jump to outside sites for further information. Links do not constitute an endorsement by the Women's Division of the information on other web sites. These links expose United Methodist Women to diverse perspectives, afford us an opportunity to compare them to United Methodist positions, and encourage United Methodist Women to critically analyze the issues raised by the Joshua web pages. Order the Study Guides Visit our other Joshua pages         The Joshua Website is a resource from: The Women's Division of the General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church Women's Division E-mail Women's Division Website General Board of Global Ministries Website In cooperation with the Network of Biblical Storytellers Network of Biblical Storytellers E-mail Network of Biblical Storytellers Webpage Created by the Joshua Project Team who would appreciate your feedback.