THE PEOPLE of Israel are finally dispatched to their homes after the allocation of the land and establishing the cities of refuge, sanctuaries for those who inadvertently commit what we today would call manslaughter.

Before they go, however, Joshua binds them with another oath, demanding that they choose who they will serve, “whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the [Euphrates] River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Of course, as we’ll see next week when we start the Book of Judges, it didn’t take long for the people to forget their promise.