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Joshua gives the people lots of encouragement but also many warnings. He knows that if they are obedient, the Lord will fight for them, but if they are not, He will fight against them. The promises and power of God are amazing, but the temptation and struggle of Israel to go back on their responsibility was too much. We will see the fulfillment of Joshua’s concern at the end of this chapter.
If you do not keep the covenant which the LORD your God commanded you to keep and if you serve and worship other gods, then in his anger he will punish you, and soon none of you will be left in this good land that he has given you.”
Joshua 23:16 GNB
In 2 Kings, nearly 800 years later, we see Babylon conquer Judah. Within the chapters in between, we see Israel flirt continuously with the Canaanite gods.
The point is clear. Though Joshua was a strong leader, a determined and loyal warrior, and a constant presence drawing Israel back to the Lord, ultimately, he could not force them to do anything. In the end, it would be their own path that they stubbornly pursued. What we can take from this today is that the law does not and will not change hearts. The law is good and it’s just, but it has no saving power. Thank God for His Son Jesus, who by grace through faith alone is more than enough to change the depraved human heart condition.