Joshua 23 Devotional
By Pastor Lawrence

This chapter serves as a prologue to the final chapter in which Joshua renews Israel’s covenant with the Lord. Before gathering all of Israel at Shechem for this solemn purpose, he summons all the leaders of Israel to give them a special exhortation in light of all that the Lord had done for them.

This moment in time is one of the high-water marks in the history of Israel, along with the reign of Solomon and the building of the temple in Jerusalem. On both of these occasions, God’s people subjugated their enemies and fully enjoyed the Sabbath rest promised by God. However, this ongoing rest was not guaranteed to Israel regardless of their faith and obedience.

Because they had entered into a covenant with God, there were covenant stipulations imposed upon them. However, none of these requirements were overly burdensome. The primary stipulation is found in verse 11, where they are told to “be very careful to love the Lord.” The entire covenant relationship was one based on love. Even the laws that were put in place were entirely comprehended and fulfilled in a relationship of love.

More than anything else, the Lord desired the love of His people. In fact, every command that He gives them is simply to help them to come to know and to love their gracious King who has redeemed them, guided and provided for them through the barren desert, and gave them a goodly inheritance. He wants them to remain in the land of Promise where He can dwell in their midst, but for that to continue, they must not commit spiritual adultery against Him.

Therefore, Joshua urges them to cling to God’s Word and to His Law that they might not be led astray, and to shun any intimate relations with Canaanites who could lead them into idolatry. These forbidden relations would not simply weaken Israel’s love for God, but would become a snare and a trap for them, even as a whip on their sides and thorns in their eyes that would lead to unexpected ruin and destruction as a nation.

Even though any sane person would want to avoid such things, sinful lust does not submit to things like sanity and reason. Therefore, Joshua urges them to be strong in the Word of the Lord that they might not be tempted to turn away either to the left or to the right from the good way that has been laid out for them by God.

He then reminds them that not a single promise of God has failed to come to fruition in bringing them all of these blessings in a land of milk and honey. But in the same manner, he promises them that if they turn away from the Lord and away from His covenant love, that He would just as surely keep His promises to bring forth righteous judgment upon them flowing from that same perfect and jealous love. They would be expelled from this good land and sent away from the presence of their loving Husband and King.

Surely, these stipulations are not unreasonable nor are the consequences cruel. They are quite in the norm of expectations for a loving relationship, and one thing we know for sure about God is that He is love.