Set to dark modeSet to dark modeJoshua 23 Commentary
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Israel is experiencing a well-deserved rest under the aged Joshua.
Joshua 23:2 pictures a faithful leader exhorting his people to remain steadfast in the covenant as he prepares to pass from the scene.
God alone empowers His covenant people and assures them of victory when they walk in faithful obedience.
God has already provided a rich inheritance, and remaining faithful to Him is the key to fully possessing it.
God drives out opposition to secure His people’s inheritance.
Stay resolute and obey God’s Word without wavering, so your life will remain aligned with His covenant purposes.
This verse reminds us that when God’s people live among competing influences, they are called to guard themselves from spiritual entanglement and remain solely dedicated to Him.
Clinging to God is essential for living a life that honors Him and experiences His covenant blessings.
God’s sovereignty ensures that the obstacles we face need not overcome us.
God fights on behalf of the faithful.
Love and vigilance form the essential disciplines for a life of faith.
This verse reminds us that the cost of compromising with the surrounding culture can be the loss of the very blessings God has given.
Stay faithful to the LORD, or lose the blessings He has graciously provided.
Not one of God's promises failed, and He continues to keep every word spoken.
God will justly remove blessings if His people abandon the commitment they made to Him.
God warns His people that unfaithfulness will remove them from the blessings of the land.
Joshua 1 begins with the LORD calling Joshua to succeed Moses as Israel’s next leader. The LORD tells Joshua He will be with him in all things, urging him to be firm and resolute as he leads the Israelites to conquer the Promised Land. Joshua obeys the LORD and takes two preliminary steps. First, he instructs the Israelite officers to prepare the people for the march. Second, he reminds the tribes who have claimed their portions east of the Jordan River that they must continue to aid in the conquest of Canaan. These three tribes had agreed with Moses to support the remaining Israelites in taking the west side of Jordan before settling in their allocated cities. The chapter ends with the eastern tribes pledging loyalty to Joshua and urging him to be bold as he leads the Israelites to the land of Canaan. The chapter’s outline is as follows:
- The LORD commands Joshua to be strong and courageous as he leads Israel into the Promised Land. God urges the new leader to meditate on the Scriptures consistently to be successful in all his endeavors (vv. 1–9).
- Joshua commands the Israelite officers to speak to the people to prepare them to cross the Jordan River and conquer the Promised Land (vv. 10–11).
- Joshua instructs the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, who will settle east of the Jordan, to help their brothers fight until they conquer the land west of the Jordan (vv. 12–15).
- The eastern tribes agree to Joshua’s demands to help their fellow Israelites conquer the west side of Jordan before settling in their allotted cities. They promise to obey Joshua just as they obeyed Moses, and urge him to be strong and courageous to fulfill God’s calling on his life (vv. 16–18).
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