*Joshua 23:1-16
Nearing the end of his life, Joshua reminds the Israelites of God’s faithfulness and warns them against turning to idolatry.
- Joshua’s Address:
- Joshua gathers all the elders, leaders, judges, and officials of Israel to address them.
- He reminds them of his advanced age and impending departure, signaling the importance of his message.
- Remembering God’s Faithfulness:
- Joshua recounts how God has fought for Israel and driven out nations before them.
- He acknowledges that God has fulfilled all promises made to Israel.
- Remaining Faithful:
- Joshua urges the people to be steadfast in following God’s commands.
- He emphasizes obedience to the Law of Moses, warning against deviation from it.
- Consequences of Disobedience:
- Joshua warns that failure to obey God’s commandments will result in negative consequences.
- He reminds the people of God’s faithfulness in punishing disobedience in the past.
- Avoiding Intermarriage and Idolatry:
- Joshua cautions against intermarriage with the remaining nations and the dangers of being influenced by their practices.
- He emphasizes the importance of serving and clinging to God alone, without turning to other gods.
- God’s Protection and Faithfulness:
- Joshua reassures the people that God will continue to be with them and drive out the remaining nations.
- He reminds them that God’s promises are unwavering and that He will never forsake them.
- Conclusion:
- Joshua encourages the people to be strong and courageous in their obedience to God.
- He exhorts them to remain faithful to the covenant and to love and serve God with all their hearts.
Joshua 23:1-16 teaches us to stay faithful to God and not be distracted by other things. As Joshua neared the end of his life, he reminded the Israelites that God had been faithful to them and warned them not to turn away from Him. This reminds us that we should keep God at the center of our lives and not let anything pull us away from Him. It encourages us to trust in His promises, follow His ways, and remember that true success comes from staying close to Him.
Joshua 23:1-16 (WEB)
23:1 After many days, when the LORD had given rest to Israel from their enemies all around, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, 2 Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, “I am old and well advanced in years. 3 You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you; for it is the LORD your God who has fought for you. 4 Behold, I have allotted to you these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even to the great sea toward the going down of the sun. 5 The LORD your God will thrust them out from before you, and drive them from out of your sight. You shall possess their land, as the LORD your God spoke to you.6 “Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that you not turn away from it to the right hand or to the left; 7 that you not come among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow down yourselves to them; 8 but hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day.9 “For the LORD has driven great and strong nations out from before you. But as for you, no man has stood before you to this day. 10 One man of you shall chase a thousand; for it is the LORD your God who fights for you, as he spoke to you. 11 Take good heed therefore to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God.12 “But if you do at all go back, and hold fast to the remnant of these nations, even these who remain among you, and make marriages with them, and go in to them, and they to you; 13 know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no longer drive these nations from out of your sight; but they shall be a snare and a trap to you, a scourge in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you.14 “Behold, today I am going the way of all the earth. You know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have happened to you. Not one thing has failed of it. 15 It shall happen that as all the good things have come on you of which the LORD your God spoke to you, so the LORD will bring on you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you, 16 when you disobey the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down yourselves to them. Then the LORD’s anger will be kindled against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which he has given to you.”