After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the LORD had done for Israel. And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants. And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim. – Joshua 24:29-33
Adolph Harstad writes:
The land now receives three more memorials as the book of Joshua closes. They are even more powerful witnesses than the many stone monuments that attested the LORD’s acts of judgment upon unbelief and of salvation for His people. These three saints’ graves will continue to serve as down-to-earth reminders that the LORD has brought to completion His sworn oath to the patriarchs that He would give them the land of Israel as their inheritance by grace. Closure to the whole book comes through statements concerning these three men and their burial in the land that the LORD had promised and that He now has given.
The three graves in the promised land also remain silent witnesses to the promise of bodily resurrection, which was a promise given already in the OT era.
Joseph, Joshua, and Eleazar “fell asleep with confident faith that the faithful LORD would indeed fulfill all outstanding promises. It is not impossible that Joseph, Joshua, and Eleazar might have been among the OT saints who “woke up” when Jesus died on the cross: “Jesus again, calling out in a great voice, gave up the spirit. … And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.”
MEMORY WORK – Shorter Catechism Q/A 69
Q. 69. What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto.