Joshua 23:4

"Behold, I have allotted to you these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun. And Jehovah your God, he will thrust them out from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as Jehovah your God spake unto you. Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; that ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow down yourselves to them; but cleave unto Jehovah your God, as ye have done unto this day."

It is apparent at once that much of this address is composed of "reminiscences from the Pentateuch, especially from the Book of Deuteronomy."[1] The chief burden of Joshua's thoughts is the faithfulness of Israel. During the closing years of Joshua's life, he became increasingly aware, "of Israel's growing complacency and their tendency to compromise with the heathen."[2] Some of the heathen had already been put to taskwork, thus becoming vassals to Israel, and that was a source of wealth that added new power to the temptation to allow the "nations" a place among God's people.

The powerful exhortations of this farewell message came at a time when, "The Israelite takeover of Canaan was far from complete, but hostilities had pretty much ceased, and Joshua had grown old."[3]

Joshua 23:6 begins the list of the responsibility of Israel as follows:

(1) She had to keep the Law of Moses. Note that that law is written "in a book," which is a clear and undeniable reference to the Pentateuch, the Five Books of Moses.

(2) She had to keep herself separate from the idolatrous Canaanites, and especially not to intermarry among them.

(3) She was required to be loyal to the Lord (Joshua 23:8).

(4) She had to love the Lord (Joshua 23:11).

These warnings were desperately needed by Israel, and, appearing here, in this final message of Joshua, "They provide an ominous foreshadowing of the period following the death of Joshua. Israel was actually threatened with virtual extinction (Joshua 23:15)."[4] The reverses, that later came to Israel were not an indication of the Lord's inability to help them, but, "They were judgments on the rebelliousness of his people."[5]