excerpt from Joshua and the Promised Land
by Roy H. May, Jr.
The different backgrounds rooted largely in Canaan itself tell why Canaanite deities remained a problem. Israel was defined by its beliefs that were based on traditions of freedom from Egyptian slavery, the promised land ad Yahweh's gift and the divine command to take it, and a series of divinely ordered laws requiring social justice. All who shared these beliefs were Israelites. They were welcomed into the religion of Yahweh -- regardless of race or culture. Of course, there was always uncertainty; the old deities were ever present. Therefore, Israel had constantly to commit people to this belief system. Canaanite deities stood for kings and landlords. These were dangerous to Israel. The Shechem covenant was a declaration of loyalty to Yahweh. Old Testament scholar George Pixley of Nicaragua explains, "Yahweh's demand that the people choose between [God] and Baal is the counterpart of the need for peasant people in Canaan to declare either their opposition to Canaanite kings or submit to one of them." (9)
The place of this public oath was important. Shechem was a religious center dating to nearly 4000 years before the time of Christ. Before the Israelites, other people including Canaanites worshiped there. At Shechem, Abraham was promised the land of Canaan (Gen. 12:6). Placing this "final" covenant at Shechem was symbolic. The God who first promised the land at Shechem now was loyally embraced at the same site by those who received it. Furthermore, Shechem had a history of struggle. Ancient diplomatic letters that archaeologists have found report active 'apiru resistance to Egyptian control. According to these letters, Shechem had been virtually turned over to the 'apiru. (10) Locating the event at Shechem may be a Deuteronomistic addition, but its symbolic significance is evident.
Dreher links Joshua 24 with the Rahab story (2:1-24) to draw conclusions about the editor's intent:
We have at the beginning and at the end of the Book of Joshua, a clear declaration that its proposal is not genocide. Its proposal is a new way of living, in a distinct social system, whose fundamental requirement is to follow the God who gives and maintains liberty, in the form of a land set free for access to all. Rahab and all the others exploited by the old system, have, under this God, a place as part of a new people.(11)
The gathering at Shechem represented this. The Deuteronomistic editor presents the Shechem covenant as a once-and-for-all-time event. It was more likely a liturgy constantly repeated in the sanctuaries whenever new members were incorporated into the people called Israel. As an oath of citizenship, it undoubtedly held central importance for maintaining national unity during the early life of Israel. The practice disappeared during the monarchy. By then the nation was well-established.
9. George V. Pixley, God's Kingdom: A Guide for Biblical Study (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1981), p. 27. (return to text)
10. Robert G. Boling, Joshua: A New Translation with Notes and Commentary, The Anchor Bible (Garden City: Doubleday and Company, 1982), p. 253. return to text)
11. Carlos A. Dreher, "Josué: modelo de conquistador?" Revista de interpretación biblica latinoamericana 12 (1992), p. 65. return to text)
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