To what is Joshua referring when he says the Lord will not forgive his people's sins?

Explanation:

To understand what Joshua means when he writes that he [God] will not forgive your transgressions or your sins, we do well to look to the Hebrew text. In the Masoretic tradition we find that instead of the verb סָלַח (to forgive), we find the verb נָשָׂא (to lift/bear/carry) to indicate God’s action toward the Israelites’ transgressions and sins. This is important because the verb נָשָׂא (to lift/bear/carry) occurs 612 times in the Hebrew, and of those occurrences, is translated as to forgive only thirteen times by the ESV (Genesis 50:17; Exodus 10:17; Exodus 32:32; Exodus 32:32; Joshua 24:19; Joshua 24:19, and others). Most often, the verb is used in the sense of bearing, lifting, or carrying. If we apply the more common translation of the verb to our text, we get a better sense of what Joshua is saying. He knows that the Israelites worship idols, and because these idols are not persons, the people can worship them and continue to sin without consequence. Yahweh, on the other hand, is a perfectly holy person, and he will not bear the sins of the people. In other words, God will not bear your transgressions or your sins.

Counterargument:

It might be the case that the verb נָשָׂא (to lift/bear/carry) is often used in a sense other than to forgive, still, to forgive is a legitimate translation and the context, not quantity of usage, should dictate this. In the case of Joshua 24:19, we have reason to accept the translation to forgive. Joshua has asked the people to commit to Yahweh, and perceiving an inauthentic response, he offers them a stern warning to the effect of God is not like your idols; if you continue sinning, he will not forgive you.⁴

Response to Counterargument:

Of course, the context dictates how to translate a verb that has a flexible meaning. For example, in Numbers 10:21 we read that the Kohathites set out, carrying (נָשָׂא) the holy things. Based on the context, to forgive is clearly not an acceptable translation. On the other hand, the translation to forgive does work in the context of Joshua 24:19. Still, just because the translation does not damage the meaning of the text, it does not mean that it is the best translation. Instead, we ought to look to the context and the broader theology of Israel. When we do this, we find that God is characterized as a loving God who forgives his people (Exodus 19:12; Numbers 14:19–21). Joshua’s point is not that God does not forgive, rather, his point is that God is not like the idols that they carry in their bags, and he should not be tested.

Explanation:

Ever since God led the Israelites out of Egypt, he made it clear to them that his nature is holy and perfect. First, when God gave the law at Mount Sinai, he told the people to cleanse themselves, and warns them not to come near the mountain or they will die (Exodus 19:12). God is about to reveal his glory, and because of his perfect holiness, he cannot allow the people who are not perfectly holy to come near him. In Leviticus 19:2 God tells Moses to speak to the congregation of Israel and explain that because God is holy, they should be holy. Further, God’s holiness is emphasized as he develops his relationship with Israel by establishing the sacrificial system, the tabernacle, and the festivals.⁵ Finally, God had made it clear on multiple occasions that when God would manifest himself in a special way, the physical surroundings where this took place was holy (Exodus 3:5; Exodus 28:35; Joshua 5:15). The point is that the Israelites should know by now that God is holy, and because of this he abhors sin.

Still, Joshua knows that the people continue to worship idols. When he asks them whether or not they will serve God, the Israelites respond in the affirmative, but this is not enough for Joshua. The Israelites should already know based on their previous interactions with God that since he is holy, he does not endure willful sin. Still, they continued to worship idols, so Joshua uses hyperbolic language to exhort Israel to understand that God does not deal with sin superficially.⁶

Counterargument:

Joshua is not simply warning Israel about the holiness of God but is explaining to them that since God is perfectly holy, he will not forgive them their sins. This is not hyperbolic language, but a warning that if Israel fails to live up to her end of the covenant, she will be consumed (Joshua 24:20). The theology of Israel is not only that God is holy, but also that disobedience of God’s commands will result in curses and death (Deuteronomy 28:15–68). 

Response to counterargument:

While it is true that the broader theology presented to the Israelites through Moses maintained a host of curses for those who disobeyed God, Joshua 24:19 is not a precise theological statement. If Joshua’s point was a sort of wooden pronouncement that if Israel sinned at all, God would not forgive them, then Joshua would not have bothered to make the statement. When Israel agrees to serve God (Joshua 24:16–18), Joshua immediately counters their response with You are not able to serve the Lord (Joshua 24:19). The only way to make sense of this comment is if Joshua knew that while the Israelites might say they will serve God, they are actually still worshipping idols, and their response is nothing more than lip service. Joshua knows that Israel has sinned and is persisting in sin. If his theology was such that he thought there was no forgiveness for sin (as a general statement), he would not bother telling the Israelites that God will not forgive them. Further, he would not make a covenant with the people and have them swear an ordinance to serve God (Joshua 24:15–27). No, Joshua’s purpose is to make a strong exhortation through tough hyperbolic language. That is not to say that because Joshua uses this strong language that there is no truth in it, of course there is. Willful sinners should not expect to find God’s grace.⁷ Still, Joshua’s purpose is to recommit Israel to God, not to condemn.

Explanation:

In Joshua 24:19 Joshua states that God will not forgive/bear the sins of the Israelites. At first, this sounds like a harsh message, for isn’t God also gracious and loving? How could it be that if Israel sins, God will not forgive them. Joshua 24:20 offers an indicator that informs our interpretation. There we read: If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good. A careful read of Joshua 24:20c (after having done you good) reveals what Joshua means that God will not forgive Israel’s sin. Joshua is exhorting Israel to remove her idols and recommit to serving God. If the Israelites do this, they will find that God is faithful, and will treat Israel well. On the other hand, if Israel goes back to the worship of idols by serving foreign gods, God will punish/consume them. In other words, willful sin will not be overlooked by God, so the Israelites should not take their renewed commitment to Yahweh lightly. 

Counterargument:

Joshua is not issuing a warning, rather, he is stating a fact. If the Israelites continue to serve idols (foreign gods), they will not be forgiven. There is no ambiguity in Joshua’s statement. 

Response to counterargument:

This interpretation will not do because Joshua already knows that Israel has sinned by worshipping idols (see response to argument 2)). Joshua wants Israel to understand that God is not like the false idols that they carry around in their bags. When it comes to their false idols, they can sin and persist in sin and there is no consequence. Since God is perfectly holy and jealous for his people, this same attitude will not work with God. Instead, the Israelites who persist in sin will be consumed. The point is not that God never forgives sin. The point is that God is a living person, holy and righteous, and the Israelites ought to treat him as such or risk dire consequences.

Possible weakness:

One possible weakness with this view is that if one assumes that the correct translation for the verb נָשָׂא is to forgive, then it asks the reader to detect that Joshua is using hyperbolic language. Unless one understands that God has made himself known as one who is not only holy but also gracious and merciful, it is fair to take Joshua literally. In other words, one has to assume that the answer from the Israelites was not sincere, and so Joshua uses strong hyperbolic language to make a point, but this is never actually stated.

Explanation:

When Joshua asks the Israelites if they will serve God, they answer in the affirmative. Still, Joshua detects that they do not understand the true nature of God.⁹ The Israelites likely thought of God as someone similar to the gods they carried in their bags and worshipped. These were idols made of wood and stone, inanimate objects with no care or rational capacity. Joshua wants the people to understand that God is not like any man-made idol. This is because God is by nature holy and jealous. God’s nature is so elevated in fact, that he demands perfect devotion. If Israel does not offer God perfect devotion, he will not forgive their sins. We find a similar statement in Exodus 23:21, while God is giving the laws to Moses. There God states that he will send his angel to lead Israel, but if they rebel against him, he will not forgive Israel for her transgressions, because God’s name is in him. In other words, God will not forgive those who sin against him because he is holy and perfect.¹⁰

Counterargument:

While it is assuredly the case that God is perfectly holy and that he is jealous for his people (Exodus 20:6), we also know that the Lord is a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin (Exodus 34:6–7a). There is a tension between God’s judgment and God’s mercy which must be held in balance. This does not imply that forgiveness is something other than an act of God’s grace, for we know from the NT that indeed it is an act of grace (Ephesians 1:7–10). Still, it goes too far to say that it goes against God’s nature to forgive sin, because although this might uphold God’s holiness, it betrays his mercy.

Response to counterargument:

While it is the case that God is gracious and merciful, he is also just. Exodus 34:7b states that God will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation. God is merciful, but he is also just, and it is contrary to his nature to overlook sin. God loves his people so he will discipline them in order to conjure a sense of repentance. Still, if Israel persists in their sin, God will not forgive, but instead, will reverse salvation history and destroy them.¹¹

Possible weaknesses:

The problem with this view is that it leaves no room for the remainder of Israelite history, nor the work of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Paul writes that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). This implies if God did not forgive sins, Israel would likely never have established a monarchy, and even if they had, they would never have returned out of exile from Babylon. The fact that God is both holy and merciful is the reason Jesus is sent into the world to conduct his work of redemption. God’s holiness demands that sin be annihilated, and God’s mercy motivates him to save all those who repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ.