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Joshua Chapter 23 (ESV)

Joshua’s Charge to Israel’s Leaders

¹ A long time afterward, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, ² Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years. ³ And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. ⁴ Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. ⁵ The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. ⁶ Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, ⁷ that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, ⁸ but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. ⁹ For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. ¹⁰ One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. ¹¹ Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. ¹² For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, ¹³ know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.

¹⁴ “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. ¹⁵ But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, ¹⁶ if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”

REFLECTION:

• Once again, Joshua called the nation in his farewell speech to keep the law, just as he too was challenged in his commissioning service (1:7-9).
• God has promised Joshua, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you” (1:5). Joshua confirmed it in this passage, “One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as He promised you” (v10). The presence of God had made such a powerful difference that even the weakest of the Israelites seemed to be an unmatched hero.

PRAYER:

Glorious Father God, Almighty and Victorious Lord, I thank and praise You! Today, through the dying command of Joshua, You once again remind me that You are a faithful God, and Your words never fall void! Heavenly Father, I ask that You make me strong and courageous, and use me mightily in this world where Satan reigns, so that I may fight the good fight for You throughout my life, just as Joshua did. My faith and abilities are far inferior to Joshua’s, but I am willing to obey Your will. Whether it is something significant or trivial, if it is what You call me to do, I am willing to do it courageously. For I firmly believe that I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. Just as You were with Joshua in the past, fighting for the Israelites, today You will also be with me in the same way! If I live and act according to Your will, You will grant me the strength to face any challenge. Heavenly Father, I am inherently weak, but with Your presence, I can become an unstoppable warrior for You. Increase my faith and let me shine like a bright light in this crooked and absurd generation, revealing the path of Your life. Amen!

HYMN:

God Is the Strength of My Heart – youtu.be/gRxROW_h4JM