The Last Words of Joshua
Joshua 23
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.”
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…
Joshua 24
14 “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods, 17 for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”
Joshua was a formidable leader and the faithful successor of Moses. By God’s power, he led Israel in conquering much of the Promised Land and defeating their enemies. But now he is old, and he knows his days are drawing to a close. Before departing, he gathers the nation one last time to remind them of God’s faithfulness and to urge them to choose the path of obedience.
In these final chapters, the evidence of God’s sovereign intervention on Israel’s behalf is overwhelming and unmistakable: “the LORD had given rest to Israel” (23:1); “it is the LORD your God who has fought for you” (23:3); “the LORD has driven out before you great and strong nations” (23:9); “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” (23:10); “it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt” (24:17); and “the LORD drove out before us all the peoples” (24:18).
In light of all that God has done, there is only one fitting response: “Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your God” (23:11), and “fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness” (24:14). The warning is equally clear: “If you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations… know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you” (23:12–13).
Joshua therefore makes one of the most memorable declarations in all of Scripture: “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (24:15). The people answer in agreement: “We also will serve the LORD, for he is our God” (24:18).
As I reflect on Joshua’s final words, I am reminded of the vital role of faithful spiritual leaders. They continually call God’s people to remember what He has done, because we are prone to forget. They remind us who fights our battles, who gives us victory, who grants us rest, and who alone is worthy of our wholehearted devotion. Left to ourselves, we become distracted, drift from the truth, and chase lesser gods. We need to hear again and again that it is the LORD—our mighty God—who is for us, who fights for us, who defeats our enemies, and who faithfully keeps every promise He has made. Therefore, may our response always be the same as Israel’s confession: “We also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”