Justin Houtz

Hi. I’m Justin. I write code and things but enough about that…

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  • Daily Bible Study

    Joshua 24, Hebrews 7

    DateVersionReading Plan
    July 30, 2025ESV (2016)OT/NT Plan 2025 – 2027

    Joshua 24

    Observation & Interpretation

    Josh. 24:1-15 – Joshua summoned the tribes of Israel, the elders, the heads, the judges and the officers and spoke to them on behalf of the LORD

    • Josh begins his speech with, “Thus says the LORD”, which denotes a prophetic address (v. 2)
    • Joshua recounted Israel’s history starting with the fathers that lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor and that they served other gods
    • Joshua exhorts the people to fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and put away the gods their fathers served
      • If the people found it evil to serve the LORD, they were to choose which of the pagan gods they would serve, but Joshua makes clear that he and his family would serve the LORD

    Josh. 24:16-18 – The people responded that they would not forsake the LORD to serve other gods

    Josh. 24:19-28 – Continued discourse between Joshua and the people

    • Joshua → the people that they are not able to serve the LORD; the people → that they will serve the LORD
    • The discourse ends and Joshua sets up a large stone under the terebinth that was to be a witness against them

    Josh. 24:29-33 – Describes that Joshua died at 110 years old, that Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua’s life, the bones of Joseph were brought from Egypt and buried at Shechem and that Eleazar died and was buried at Gibeah

    Josh. 24:29 – “Thus says the LORD” is typically an introduction to prophetic speech. As Joshua continues to speak, the “I” first-person referent is not Joshua but God. Unlike the more personal word conveyed by Joshua in chapter 23, here it is very much a prophetic word as God speaks to his people through his prophet Joshua (ESVEC – Comment)

    Hebrews 7

    Observation & Interpretation

    Heb. 7:2 – Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything to Melchizedek

    • See Gen. 14:18-20
      • Abram was not yet renamed to Abraham at this point in Genesis but is still referenced as Abraham in Hebrews

    Heb. 7:6 – The writer of Hebrews makes clear that Melchizedek did not descend from the Levites

    • Likewise, Jesus was not a Levite (Heb. 7:13-14). The author of Hebrews uses this parallel to demonstrate that Jesus’ priesthood is legitimate—in part, because it has precedence in the OT (v. 15-16) (FSB)

    Heb. 7:11 – The author rhetorically asks why there was a need for a priest to arise out of the order of Melchizedek if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood

    • The fact is that perfection was not attainable through the Levitical system. Sins were never put away and the worshipers never obtained rest of conscience. The priesthood that was set up under the Law of Moses was not the ultimate one. (BBC)

    Application

    Heb. 7:7-10 – We honor God as the giver of all of our possessions and enabler of all our successes we return, as his tribute, some of his gifts to provide for those who bless us in his name (1 Cor. 9:1; Gal. 6:6-8) (ESVEC – Response)

    Heb. 7:11-28 – The invitation and summons to “draw near”—to approach God’s presence in grateful worship and humble entreaty—opens and closes the entire discussion of Christ’s priestly office and activity (4:14-16; 10:19-25). This astonishing privilege, to “draw near to God”, appears twice in our present text (7:19, 25). What more fitting response could we offer to the arrival, the arising, of the priest in the order of Melchizedek than to avail ourselves of this access to our Father’s throne of grace? (ESVEC – Response)

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