Joshua’s Final Address: Part 1
Joshua 23
Joshua 23
Joshua 23. In this chapter Joshua, nearing the end of his life, gathers Israel’s leaders to remind them of the Lord’s faithfulness and to exhort them to continued obedience. This is the first part of the two part address. However, the first part seems to be Joshua’s own words, while the second is a separate occasion and the Lord’s own words revealed to Joshua. He charges them to keep the Word, remain separate from the surrounding nations, and cleave to the Lord. The blessings they had enjoyed were the result of God’s power and grace, but the same God would surely judge if they turned aside. Faithfulness to God was the condition for continued enjoyment of the inheritance.
Recounting God’s Faithfulness to Israel (23:1-5)
CHAPTER 23
1 And it came to pass a long time after that Jehovah had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, and Joshua had become old, advanced in age, 2 that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am become old, advanced in age;
vv.1-2 The People Gathered, Joshua’s Old Age. It was now many years since the conquest had settled, and Israel enjoyed rest in the land. Joshua, old and nearing his death, gathers the people, and especially the leadership together, to deliver a final charge. With outward strength fading, the call to moral endurance is prominent. Joshua’s departure would be a test of faith for the nation. He would be gone, but the Lord would be the same (Hebrews 13:8), and they must walk before Him.
3 and ye have seen all that Jehovah your God hath done to all these nations because of you. For Jehovah your God is he that hath fought for you. 4 Behold, I have divided unto you by lot for an inheritance, according to your tribes, these nations that remain, from the Jordan, as well as all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the great sea toward the sun-setting. 5 And Jehovah your God, he will expel them from before you, and dispossess them from out of your sight; and ye shall take possession of their land, as Jehovah your God hath said unto you.
vv.3-5 Recounting God’s Faithfulness. Joshua’s aim is to stir the people’s memory and exhort them to continued fidelity to the Lord. He points them backward: “Ye have seen all that Jehovah your God hath done…” The victories were not Israel’s doing—they were God’s. The present rest and the subdued enemies were the result of divine power, not military strength and strategy. Joshua assured them that the same Lord will continue to drive out the remaining nations, if Israel would continue in obedience and dependence on Him. The path of faith must be lived in the present, not just memorialized from the past.
Exhortations to Obedience (23:6-11)
6 And be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; 7 that ye enter not among these nations, these that remain among you; and ye shall make no mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them; 8 but ye shall cleave unto Jehovah your God, as ye have done unto this day.
vv.6-8 Three Exhortations. The sum of what Israel was to do is in these three things: (1) to keep and obey the Word of God, (2) to remain separate from the idolatrous nations around them, and (3) to stay close to the Lord.
- To Keep and Obey the Word of God. “Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses” (v.6). This echoes the original charge given to Joshua himself (Josh. 1:7). Now he passes it on to the nation. True courage is not primarily seen in warfare, but in unwavering obedience to God’s written Word. Keeping the Word involves not just knowledge but treasuring it in the heart. This is coupled with “doing” what is commanded.
- To Remain Separate from the Idolatrous Nations Around Them. “That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods…” (v.7). The downward spiral into idolatry could (and would) begin with compromise in separation. The tragic progression follows: mingling with the nations, speaking of their gods, swearing by them, serving them, and finally bowing down. It is a slow but deadly erosion into apostasy. Israel must maintain a clear separation from the surrounding idolatry. But, separation in scripture is never only negative. Therefore, the positive side follows.
- To Stay Close to the Lord. “But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day” (v.8). This is the core of all faithfulness to God: to cling to the Lord with deep, personal affection: “My soul follows hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholds me” (Psa. 63:8). The best way to be preserved is not outward performance but a heart captivated by the Lord Himself. This “cleaving” is both a defense and a delight. It is in staying close to Jehovah that Israel will know strength, stability, and satisfaction.
9 For Jehovah hath dispossessed from before you great and strong nations; and as to you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. 10 One man of you chaseth a thousand; for Jehovah your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath said unto you.
vv.9-10 Jehovah Fighting for Them. Joshua then reminded them of how the Lord was the key to their victories. Israel’s power never lay in their numbers or strategy. “One man shall chase a thousand.” The reason? “The LORD your God, He it is that fights for you.” Therefore, how vital for Israel to continue in obedience and dependence on Jehovah! The closer the heart clings to the Lord, the more the power of His arm is known (Psa. 91:1). This is just as true for believers today.
11 Take great heed therefore unto your souls, that ye love Jehovah your God.
v.11 Love for Jehovah: the Key to Righteous Living. Joshua now condenses everything into one command: “Take good heed… that ye love the LORD your God.” Love is a guarded devotion—and the energy of faithfulness. This is where vigilance is most critical: we must be careful not to allow other loves, even subtly, to displace our affection for Christ. How can we do this? Can we make ourselves love God more than we do? The way we can do this is to keep ourselves in the enjoyment of God’s love for us. In New Testament terms, this is what it means to “Keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 21).
Assurance of God’s Faithfulness: In Judgment and Blessing (23:12-13)
12 For if ye in any wise go back, and cleave unto the residue of these nations, these that remain among you, and make marriages with them, and come in unto them and they unto you: 13 know for a certainty that Jehovah your God will no more dispossess these nations from before you, and they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which Jehovah your God hath given you.
vv.12-13 The Certainty of Judgment if Separation Not Maintained. Joshua now turns from exhortation to warning, and it is both clear and solemn. If Israel would “go back” (apostatize), be mingling with the nations—if they formed alliances, intermarried, or blended with the surrounding peoples—they would forfeit God’s help and protection. The grace that brought them into the land and gave them victory would be replaced by discipline and defeat. They could be assured of it: “Know for a certainty”. Separation is not a suggestion but a command. There is an imperceptible but fatal descent. The nations will become (1) “snares and traps” – they will entangle Israel unexpectedly, (2) “scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes” – personal affliction and destruction of discernment, and finally (3) “until ye perish from off this good land” – the ultimate consequence is expulsion from the inheritance. The enemy cannot be negotiated with—it must be excluded.
14 And behold, I am going this day the way of all the earth; and ye know in all your heart, and in all your soul, that not one thing hath failed of all the good words that Jehovah your God hath spoken concerning you: all are come to pass unto you — not one thing hath failed thereof.
v.14 Jehovah’s Faithfulness (in Blessing) in the Past. There is a solid track record of God’s goodness: His faithfulness to promises, which they had experienced in blessing. The emphasis is on certainty: they knew it deep within them—God had been completely faithful. Every promise made had been fulfilled. God’s perfect reliability in blessing is the ground for confidence, but also for responsibility. While men may falter and fail, the Word of God remains. Similar to Paul in Acts 20:32, a departing Joshua commends the people “to God and to the Word of His grace”.
15 But it shall come to pass, that as every good word hath been fulfilled to you, that Jehovah your God spoke to you, so will Jehovah bring upon you every evil word, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which Jehovah your God hath given you; 16 when ye transgress the covenant of Jehovah your God which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow yourselves unto them, so that the anger of Jehovah shall be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.
vv.15-16 Warning of Jehovah’s Faithfulness (in Judgment). Just as God was faithful to bless, so would He be faithful to judge. His character does not change. If they transgress His covenant, turn to other gods, and serve them, the Lord will bring all the evil He had spoken. The land that once testified of His goodness would become the stage of His chastening. “As all good things are come upon you… so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things…” This dual faithfulness of God is sobering. It was precisely by neglecting the Word that Israel eventually sank to the level of the nations around them, and God did not act unjustly—He did exactly what He had said.