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Joshua bade final farewell to all the people as he led them in a renewal of the covenant at Shechem. Several elements common to second-millennium b.c. covenant treaties are present in this record. The first is a recital of the gracious acts that God, the Great King, had performed for his people; its purpose is to inspire gratitude and trust. Remembrance and recital of God’s gracious acts on behalf of his people always have been an important part of worship and covenant renewal.
To underscore the seriousness of this commitment, Joshua argued with the people that it would be impossible for them to serve God, since God is a holy and a jealous God. They responded that they could serve him, and they gave legal witness to their commitment. This ceremony of covenant renewal had a lasting effect on its participants, for the author records (v.31) that Israel did serve the Lord as long as that generation lived.