1After many days, when Yahweh had given rest to Israel from their enemies all around, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, 2Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, “I am old and well advanced in years. 3You have seen all that Yahweh your God has done to all these nations because of you; for it is Yahweh your God who has fought for you. 4Behold, 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 to the great sea toward the going down of the sun. 5Yahweh your God will thrust them out from before you, and drive them from out of your sight. You shall possess their land, as Yahweh your God spoke to you.
6“Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that you not turn away from it to the right hand or to the left; 7that you not come 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; 8but hold fast to Yahweh your God, as you have done to this day.
The book of Joshua tells us of many more battles that follow on from Jericho. After the battles are fought, the land of Canaan is divided among the Children of Israel. It has to be said these chapters for us may not make for exciting reading, they are made up of lists of names and lands that we are not familiar with. However, we do need to stop and think a little too, for this is God’s promise being fulfilled. The promise that stemmed back to Abraham had now finally come to fruition. The Children of Israel were no longer nomads or slaves but settled in their own land. God had kept his promise.
As Joshua was coming to the end of his life, he called the people together to encourage them to serve God. He reminds them of the story so far, freedom from slavery in Egypt, battles fought and won and how they took possession of the land. Now that they finally possessed the land, Joshua tells the people to hold fast to God, they are not to get sucked into the ungodly cultures and actions of the people around them. Don’t turn to their gods and don’t practice their ways. He pleads with them not to turn to the left or the right but to stay focused on God and keep his laws. He calls on them to make the choice to honour God. In chapter 24 v 15 Joshua pins his colours to the mast and declares ‘As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.’
Today let’s examine our own lives, are we the people that God has called us to be? Are we a light to the nations or have we blended in so much that there is no difference? Perhaps today it is time for us to declare anew the words of Joshua ‘As for me I will serve the Lord!”