Joshua 23:1-16 – The call to embrace the fullness of God

Joshua, through his godly leadership, had helped the children of Israel to possess the land of Canaan. By this time, he was old and advanced in years. His death seemed imminent. He knew how easy it was to become complacent when inundated with activities and so to lose one’s direction in life. So, before he stepped off the stage of life, he wanted to share his heart with the people whom he had led so far. Therefore, two meetings to address the people was set up. The first one, recorded in Joshua 23, was to address the elders and the leaders. The second, recorded in Joshua 24, involved all the people as well.

Joshua’s burning desire was to see the people stay true to God. So, he admonished them to stay serious with the Lord. He was calling them to remain steadfastly committed and faithful in their walk with God. We know what was foremost on his mind by his sharing. The last two chapters capture the concerns of Joshua’s heart. By musing over his concerns, we too could be profoundly instructed on the will and desires of God for us as much as He had for Israel, His people.  

Joshua was primarily concerned for them in three areas. Firstly, he was afraid that the people would become complacent and neglect the instruction of the Lord. This is clearly seen in his admonition in the first three words of verses 6. He said to them “Be very firm….” It is true that changes would take place in one’s life journey. New circumstances will be faced with each progress. But being faithful to the Lord and His Word must never shift. This is what will keep us stay true to the course with God. Complacency is one the thing that can stumble our walk with God. The primary reason why we do not attain a victorious life is not failure but our complacency. Our inability to attain the life we ought to live can be traced to our willingness to live below our capability. Let us not become lukewarm like the Laodicean Christians described in the book of Revelation.

In verse 7, we can see secondly that Joshua was concerned that the people would compromise and adopt the practices of the people in Canaan. He told them in no uncertain term that “you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them.” Compromise is what often shatters one’s dream. And unfortunately, the children of Israel compromised and adopted pagan practices as they journeyed along. They did what Joshua feared. This is a lesson for us. We must take heed and remember that while we live in this world, we must not live according to the value and system of the world. Remember Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  

Thirdly, Joshua was also concerned about their commitment. He knew a key to their being faithful to God would be their commitment to Him. So, in verse 8 he said to them, “But you are to cling to the Lord your God….” This is also a word for us too. We must also cling to the Lord. And to help them and us remain committed to God, Joshua gave a challenge found in verses 9-16. What do these verses tell us today? In essence, these verses remind us that graciousness is just one aspect of God and that there are other aspects that we must not forget. We must not forget that He is also a God of wrath. While we acknowledge God’s grace, we must not soft-pedal the aspect of His wrath. Thus, we must seek to know and embrace God in all His fullness. We must bring into focus the fullness of the Lord so that we will walk before Him with reverential fear all the days of our life. Love Him and fear Him!