Many years passed, and the Lord had given Israel peace from all their enemies. Joshua, now an old man, gathered all Israel—the elders, leaders, judges, and officials. Standing before them, he said, "I am old and well advanced in years. You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done for you. It was not by your strength, but by His hand that your enemies fell."
He reminded them that he had divided the conquered lands among their tribes and that God Himself would continue to drive out any remaining nations. "Be very strong," Joshua urged, "and obey everything written in the Book of the Law of Moses. Do not turn from it, neither to the right nor to the left."
He warned them not to mix with the remaining nations or worship their gods. "Hold fast to the Lord your God," he said, "for He has fought for you. One of you can chase a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as He promised."
But Joshua also cautioned them: if they turned away from God and joined with the nations around them, marrying and following their gods, those nations would become snares and traps, whips on their backs and thorns in their eyes, until they were destroyed from the good land the Lord had given.
Then Joshua's tone softened as he spoke from his heart. "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said, referring to his approaching death. "You know with all your heart and soul that not one of the Lord's good promises has ever failed. Every single one has come true. But just as His blessings were sure, so will His warnings be if you disobey. If you break His covenant and bow to other gods, His anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from this land He has given you."
It was Joshua's final call—a plea for Israel to stay faithful, to love the Lord deeply, and to remember that the God who blesses also disciplines those who turn away from Him.
Joshua's Farewell Warning
Many years passed, and the Lord had given Israel peace from all their enemies. Joshua, now an old man, gathered all Israel—the elders, leaders, judges, and officials. Standing before them, he said, "I am old and well advanced in years. You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done for you. It was not by your strength, but by His hand that your enemies fell."
He reminded them that he had divided the conquered lands among their tribes and that God Himself would continue to drive out any remaining nations. "Be very strong," Joshua urged, "and obey everything written in the Book of the Law of Moses. Do not turn from it, neither to the right nor to the left."
He warned them not to mix with the remaining nations or worship their gods. "Hold fast to the Lord your God," he said, "for He has fought for you. One of you can chase a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as He promised."
But Joshua also cautioned them: if they turned away from God and joined with the nations around them, marrying and following their gods, those nations would become snares and traps, whips on their backs and thorns in their eyes, until they were destroyed from the good land the Lord had given.
Then Joshua's tone softened as he spoke from his heart. "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said, referring to his approaching death. "You know with all your heart and soul that not one of the Lord's good promises has ever failed. Every single one has come true. But just as His blessings were sure, so will His warnings be if you disobey. If you break His covenant and bow to other gods, His anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from this land He has given you."
It was Joshua's final call—a plea for Israel to stay faithful, to love the Lord deeply, and to remember that the God who blesses also disciplines those who turn away from Him.
Joshua's Farewell Warning
Many years passed, and the Lord had given Israel peace from all their enemies. Joshua, now an old man, gathered all Israel—the elders, leaders, judges, and officials. Standing before them, he said, "I am old and well advanced in years. You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done for you. It was not by your strength, but by His hand that your enemies fell."
He reminded them that he had divided the conquered lands among their tribes and that God Himself would continue to drive out any remaining nations. "Be very strong," Joshua urged, "and obey everything written in the Book of the Law of Moses. Do not turn from it, neither to the right nor to the left."
He warned them not to mix with the remaining nations or worship their gods. "Hold fast to the Lord your God," he said, "for He has fought for you. One of you can chase a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as He promised."
But Joshua also cautioned them: if they turned away from God and joined with the nations around them, marrying and following their gods, those nations would become snares and traps, whips on their backs and thorns in their eyes, until they were destroyed from the good land the Lord had given.
Then Joshua's tone softened as he spoke from his heart. "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said, referring to his approaching death. "You know with all your heart and soul that not one of the Lord's good promises has ever failed. Every single one has come true. But just as His blessings were sure, so will His warnings be if you disobey. If you break His covenant and bow to other gods, His anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from this land He has given you."
It was Joshua's final call—a plea for Israel to stay faithful, to love the Lord deeply, and to remember that the God who blesses also disciplines those who turn away from Him.