Joshua 23:1-16 - So Long, Farewell!

Joshua 23:1-16

Joshua’s Farewell Address

1 Now it came to pass, a long time after the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua was old, advanced in age. 2 And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them:

“I am old, advanced in age. 3 You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who has fought for you. 4 See, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward. 5 And the LORD your God will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land, as the LORD your God promised you. 6 Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, 8 but you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. 9 For the LORD has driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. 10 One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. 11 Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God. 12 Or else, if indeed you do go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations—these that remain among you—and make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, 13 know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you.

14 “Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And 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 come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. 15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the LORD your God promised you, so the LORD will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. 16 When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”

Joshua finally went the way of Moses and will the faith before him.  It was so long a sojourn from the release of bondage in Egypt where he was born and seemed destined to die, on through the parting of the Red Sea and drowning of the pagan army of Pharaoh where he and all God’s people were led by Moses at the hand of the LORD to victorious freedom from bondage as a type of baptism (1 Corinthians 10:1-2), to the testing and faithful testimony when spying out the promised land and surviving the forty years of trudging through the desert in circles as led by God until the faithless all died out, to assuming the mantle of leadership from Moses, and now into the promised land at last.  It was so, so long a journey and time to say farewell to his people and hello to at last be standing before the Lord as a good and faithful (Matthew 25:21) servant (Job 19:26-27) as he no doubt longed to do!  Joshua reminded them of that journey and their own memories of how the LORD had fought ever battle for them to victory and the obtaining of their inheritance in the land of plenty promised to them through their forefather Abraham by faith long before their captivity and sojourning to fight the good fight and stand at last in the place promised them by His mighty hand.  Then the warning was given, to first be courageous to keep the words of God and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, or face the consequences of turning aside to the right hand or to the left.  If they left the LORD and His word and joined in the sin of the surrounding nations, they would suffer the consequences of idolatry and immorality.  If they began to follow their lifeless gods and swear by them or serve them by bowing down to them, they would lose their reward.  But if they held fast to the LORD their God as you have done to that day, they would continue to be blessed and live at peace with Him in their inheritance of grace.  He bid them farewell and reminded them that “not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.”  We do well to honor and follow the Lord for a full reward (2 John 1:8) of faithfulness as well.  There are consequences for the disobedience of sin but grace will still lead us home.  How do you want to be received into glory, with accolades of praise for doing well as (Luke 17:10) we ought because we have been called to (Ephesians 2:10), or of shame for not always striving to honor His name when we are led home through the sojourning (1 Peter 2:11-12) here?  So long, farewell to this world of battles!