Joshua 23

Joshua is old and near death. He gathers Israel’s leaders for a farewell charge. He reminds them that the LORD fought for them, urges them to cling to Him and keep the Law, and warns that mixing with the nations and their gods will bring ruin.

Joshua 23:1-2

Years after the conquest, Israel enjoys peace. Joshua, now very old, calls together the whole nation through its leaders. Like a father near the end of life, he wants his last words to count. Rest in the land was God’s gift, not Israel’s achievement.

BSA: rest (“to settle down and remain in one place”): The rest God gave was a settled, secure home after years of wandering and war.

See also: Joshua 21:44.

Joshua 23:3

Joshua points the people to what they themselves witnessed. The victories were not won by Israel’s swords but by the LORD, who fought on their behalf. Every later command rests on this memory of what God had already done.

BSA: fought (“engaged in battle, waged war”): God was an active warrior, taking the fight upon Himself for His people.

See also: Exodus 14:14.

Joshua 23:4-5

Land not yet fully conquered is still counted as Israel’s inheritance. Joshua has divided it by lot, and God promises to push out the remaining peoples. What God has promised can be spoken of as already given, though Israel must still walk into it.

BSA: inheritance (“a gift, a legacy”): The land was received as a gift from God, not earned by Israel.

See also: Joshua 13:1-6.

Joshua 23:6

God’s strength for Israel is bound up with obedience. Joshua calls for strength, not just in battle but in keeping everything written in Moses’ Law. The path is narrow: no drifting to the right or the left.

BSA: keep (“protect, attend to, guard”): God’s word is to be guarded like a treasure, not just heard.

Hebrew: חֲזַקְתֶּם (ḥazaqtem, H2388) — “be strong, be firm.” The same word God used when He commissioned Joshua at the start. Courage here means firm resolve to obey, not just boldness in battle.

See also: Joshua 1:7.

Joshua 23:7

The danger is not only fighting but mixing. Joshua forbids even speaking the names of other gods in worship or oaths. Small compromises, like swearing by an idol, lead step by step to bowing down to it.

BSA: associate (“have fellowship, mingle”): The warning is against close, friendly ties that draw the heart away from the LORD.

See also: Exodus 23:13.

Joshua 23:8

The alternative to compromise is clinging to the LORD. Joshua is not asking for something new, since they have done this so far. Faithfulness is a close, daily attachment to God, held on to like a loved one.

BSA: hold fast (“cling to, stick to, be devoted to”): It describes close attachment, the same word used of a husband clinging to his wife.

Hebrew: תִּדְבָּקוּ (tidbaqu, H1692) — “cling, stick to.” This Hebrew word pictures something glued fast. It is used of marriage in Genesis 2:24, so loyalty to God is pictured as covenant love.

See also: Deuteronomy 10:20.

Joshua 23:9-10

Joshua recalls that no enemy has been able to stand against Israel. The reason is not Israel’s strength: one man can chase a thousand because the LORD fights for them. God keeps what He promised.

BSA: fights (“wages war, engages in battle”): God’s ongoing warfare for His people is the secret behind their strength.

See also: Deuteronomy 32:30; Leviticus 26:8.

Joshua 23:11

Here is the heart of the chapter. Obedience grows out of love. Joshua urges them to guard their very lives so that their love for the LORD stays alive. Keeping the Law without love would be empty.

BSA: watch yourselves carefully (“over your souls, with great diligence”): The care is for their inner lives, since the soul is where love for God lives or dies.

See also: Deuteronomy 6:5.

Joshua 23:12-13

Joshua spells out the danger. If Israel clings to the leftover nations and intermarries, God will stop driving them out. The very peoples they befriend will become traps and painful irritations, until Israel loses the good land itself.

BSA: cling (“cleave, stick closely”): The same close attachment meant for God would be given to the wrong people. snare (“trap, pitfall”): What looks harmless becomes a hidden hazard that catches the unwary.

See also: Deuteronomy 7:3-4; Judges 2:3.

Joshua 23:14

Joshua, near death, speaks as one going the way every person goes. He asks them to look at their own experience: every good promise of God was fulfilled. Not one word failed. God’s track record is the ground for trusting Him.

BSA: failed (“fallen, come to nothing”): No promise of God dropped to the ground unfulfilled.

See also: Joshua 21:45; 1 Kings 8:56.

Joshua 23:15-16

The same faithful God who kept His promises will also keep His warnings. Joshua says plainly that if Israel breaks the covenant and serves other gods, God’s anger will burn and they will lose the land. God’s word can be trusted in both directions.

BSA: transgress (“break, disobey”): It means stepping across a line God has drawn in the covenant. burn (“be kindled, ignited”): God’s anger is pictured as a fire that is lit when covenant loyalty is abandoned.

See also: Deuteronomy 28:63-64; 2 Kings 17:7-8.