# Joshua 23 đź“–: Joshua's Farewell Charge
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#🧠Chapter Summary]]
> [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]]
> [[#đź’¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đź“‚ Internal Notes]]
## đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### Joshua Challenges Israel to be Faithful
[[#Verse 01.]] A long time passed after the Lord made Israel secure from all their enemies, and Joshua was very old.
[[#Verse 02.]] So Joshua summoned all Israel, including the elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and told them: “I am very old.Â
[[#Verse 03.]] You saw everything the Lord your God did to all these nations on your behalf, for the Lord your God fights for you.Â
[[#Verse 04.]] See, I have parceled out to your tribes these remaining nations, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the nations I defeated.Â
[[#Verse 05.]] The Lord your God will drive them out from before you and remove them, so you can occupy their land as the Lord your God promised you.Â
[[#Verse 06.]] Be very strong! Carefully obey all that is written in the law scroll of Moses so you won’t swerve from it to the right or the left,Â
[[#Verse 07.]] or associate with these nations that remain near you. You must not invoke or make solemn declarations by the names of their gods! You must not worship or bow down to them!Â
[[#Verse 08.]] But you must be loyal to the Lord your God, as you have been to this very day.
[[#Verse 09.]] “The Lord drove out from before you great and mighty nations; no one has been able to resist you to this very day.Â
[[#Verse 10.]] One of you makes a thousand run away, for the Lord your God fights for you, as he promised you he would.Â
[[#Verse 11.]] Watch yourselves carefully! Love the Lord your God!Â
[[#Verse 12.]] But if you ever turn away and make alliances with these nations that remain near you, and intermarry with them and establish friendly relations with them,Â
[[#Verse 13.]] know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. They will trap and ensnare you; they will be a whip that tears your sides and thorns that blind your eyes until you disappear from this good land the Lord your God gave you.
[[#Verse 14.]] “Look, today I am about to die. You know with all your heart and being that not even one of all the faithful promises the Lord your God made to you is left unfulfilled; every one was realized—not one promise is unfulfilled!Â
[[#Verse 15.]] But in the same way every faithful promise the Lord your God made to you has been realized, it is just as certain that if you disobey, then the Lord will bring on you every judgment until he destroys you from this good land that the Lord your God gave you.Â
[[#Verse 16.]] If you violate the covenantal laws of the Lord your God which he commanded you to keep, and follow, worship, and bow down to other gods, then the Lord will be very angry with you and you will disappear quickly from the good land that he gave to you.”
## đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Joshua is old and advanced in years (23:1), and this is his farewell to Israel's leaders.
2. One Israelite could chase a thousand because the Lord fought for them (23:10; Leviticus 26:8; Deuteronomy 32:30).
3. "Going the way of all the earth" (23:14) is a Hebrew idiom for dying. David uses it in 1 Kings 2:2.
4. Joshua's speech closely echoes Moses' warnings in Deuteronomy.
5. Joshua warned against intermarriage with the remaining nations (23:12). Solomon's foreign wives later turned his heart away (1 Kings 11:1-4).
6. The image of thorns in the eyes (23:13) echoes Numbers 33:55.
7. Israel was not even to mention or swear by the names of the other gods (23:7).
8. Judges 2:20-23 says God left the nations in the land to test Israel.
9. Joshua's farewell is one of several in Scripture, along with Moses (Deuteronomy 31-33), Samuel (1 Samuel 12), David (1 Kings 2), and Paul (Acts 20).
10. The claim that not one word failed (23:14) echoes 21:45 and is repeated by Solomon (1 Kings 8:56).
## 🧠Chapter Summary
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the One who fulfills every good word God has spoken (23:14). Joshua urged Israel to hold fast to the Lord (23:8), and Jesus calls us to remain in Him, for apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:4-5).
## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đź’¬ Discussion Questions
1. Joshua reminded Israel that the Lord had fought for them (23:3, 10). Why do we tend to forget God in seasons of success?
2. Joshua warned that the remaining nations would become snares and traps (23:13). What influences can pull us away from God?
3. Joshua told Israel to watch themselves carefully and love the Lord (23:11). What practical habits help you guard your love for God?
## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember
- đź“– verse 8: Hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done until now.
- đź“– verse 11: Watch yourselves carefully and love the Lord your God.
- đź“– verse 14: Not one of all the good promises the Lord made has failed.
## đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đź”— [[John 15#Verse 04.|John 15:4-5]] - Remain in Me.
- đź”— [[1 Kings 08#Verse 56.|1 Kings 8:56]] - Not one word has failed.
- đź”— [[Numbers 33#Verse 55.|Numbers 33:55]] - Thorns in your eyes.
- đź”— [[Judges 02#Verse 20.|Judges 2:20-23]] - The nations left to test Israel.
- đź”— [[Acts 20#Verse 28.|Acts 20:28-32]] - Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders.
## 🙏 Devotional Reflection
đź“ť SOAP: [[Joshua 23 - SOAP|Dance With The One That Brung Ya]]
## đź“‚ Internal Notes