Bible Commentaries
Joshua 23

Verses 1-16

As the time approached for Joshua's passing, he twice gathered the people together and delivered to them his farewell messages.

The first of these is contained in this chapter. Its burden was of the power and faithfulness of God, with the declaration of an earnest desire for the faithfulness of His people to Him.

His references to himself were very brief, the principal ones being, "I am old and well stricken in years," and "I am going the way of all the earth." Only incidentally did he refer to his own work. After having declared that Jehovah had brought them in he said, "Behold, I have allotted unto you these nations"; "I have cut off' your enemies. In contrast to this his references to Jehovah were constant.

"Jehovah your God hath done," "Jehovah your God, He will thrust out." Urgently and earnestly he charged, "Therefore, be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book the law of Moses"; "cleave unto Jehovah your God; closing with the most solemn warnings as to what would happen if they departed from their allegiance.

Perhaps his warnings were more fiery and searching than those of Moses. The address is a wonderful revelation of the strength of the man, and of that strength as consisting in his acute consciousness of the relation of the people to Jehovah and his consequent passion for their loyalty to God's law.