As Joshua neared the end of his life, he distilled everything God had taught him into two farewell speeches: one to the leaders (Joshua 23) and one to all Israel (Joshua 24). These speeches invite us to reread the whole book with intention, and they explain why its stories were recorded.

The Bible is not simply a ledger of historical events or a collection of myths meant to inspire fresh interpretations. It’s a carefully crafted story, meant to teach us who God is and how we should relate to him. 

By the time Joshua gathered the people for the last time, Israel had received its inheritance. God had kept every promise, but work remained, and the people had grown complacent. So Joshua called them to remember: God’s presence in their battles, God’s promises kept in the land, and their constant need for God’s grace. And he raised a question every generation must answer for itself: Who can serve the LORD?

REMEMBER GOD’S PRESENCE

When Joshua called the elders together, he began with a memory: “I am now old and well advanced in years. And you have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the LORD your God who has fought for you” (Joshua 23:2–3, ESV). Joshua didn’t need to tell the elders what had happened. They had been there. But they needed the stories stirred up in them again. 

Above all, the Book of Joshua gave the people a collective memory of all God had done. God intends for us to meditate on Scripture day and night (Joshua 1:8). We cannot simply read it once and be done. When we read the Bible, we tend to focus on what resonates with us: when we’re fighting a battle, we notice commands to be strong and courageous; when we fail, we see examples of our need for mercy and grace. We need to keep reading it because we are constantly changing and facing new challenges. 

The first half of the Book of Joshua focuses on the conquest of the promised land. God led Israel across the Jordan River on dry ground (Joshua 3:14–17), and before the first battle they set up memorial stones, renewed circumcision, and kept the Passover so they would remember his faithfulness (Joshua 4:1–5:12). God single-handedly brought down the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6:1–20) and fought their battles for them (Joshua 10:12–14, 42). The victory belonged to the LORD. But the conquest stories also record Israel’s failures. Sin in the camp cost them the first battle at Ai (Joshua 7:1–12), and they learned they were as vulnerable to judgment as their enemies.

This vulnerability led Israel to read the Law of Moses with a new perspective (Joshua 8:30–35). They recalled God’s command to drive out all the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:1–5). Joshua’s warning shows God’s seriousness: if Israel mixed with other nations, those nations would become a snare, trap, whip, and thorn (Joshua 23:12–13). At Ebal, they would also have read about their sin in the wilderness: worshipping a golden calf (Deuteronomy 9:7–10:11). The same God who commanded the destruction of the Canaanites also forgave Israel’s idolatry, and that grace would reach further than they expected.

Early in the narrative, the focus shifts from Joshua to Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute (Joshua 2:1–21; 6:22–25). She is grafted into Israel and God’s family as an ancestor of King David and Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). Even the Gibeonites, who deceived the Israelites with a cunning plan to avoid their destruction (Joshua 9:3–15), were spared and became servants at the house of God (Joshua 9:23, 27). The Israelites should have understood that God spared Rahab and the Gibeonites to teach them to seek his mercy and grace.

REMEMBER GOD’S PROMISES

As Joshua addressed the whole congregation of Israel at Shechem, he reminded them of their heritage. God had brought Abraham out of pagan idolatry and into the promised land (Joshua 24:2–3). He did the same for the people he rescued from slavery in Egypt. Though their fathers’ generation had died in the wilderness, they had witnessed God’s mighty hand fight their battles. Now they were in the land of promise, living in cities they had not built and eating fruit from orchards they had not planted (Joshua 24:13).

The second half of the Book of Joshua deals with allocating their inheritance. It may not fascinate us, but it’s a remarkable record of answered prayers: “Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:45, ESV; see also 11:23 and 23:14).

Caleb’s inheritance is noteworthy. He and Joshua were the only faithful spies among the twelve Moses sent to Canaan (Numbers 13–14). They urged the Israelites to trust God, but were ignored. As a result, Caleb and Joshua were the only two men of their generation to reach the promised land (Numbers 14:30). Forty-five years later, Caleb emerged as an 85-year-old who still had fight in his soul (Joshua 14:6–15). He boldly claimed his inheritance, and his exploits show his commitment to fulfilling God’s calling (Joshua 15:13–14).

This contrasts with the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, who complained about their allotment and said the Canaanites were too strong to drive out. Joshua told them to clear the hill country for themselves (Joshua 17:14–18). Later, Joshua asked the seven remaining tribes, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?” (Joshua 18:3, ESV). Israel lacked the resolve to finish what God had started.

This gives Joshua’s story an already-but-not-yet tension that mirrors our circumstances today. God has fulfilled all his promises to us in Christ, yet we still wait for that final day when Christ will return and make all things new (Revelation 21:5). Until then, we must resolve to keep fighting against sin and persevere in advancing the Kingdom of God.

Joshua knew the people were mixing their worship with Canaanite influence, so he told them plainly: “Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:14, ESV; see also 24:23). Like Achan’s treasure, those idols were tucked away among them (Joshua 7:20–26).

Joshua gave Israel no middle ground: “Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15, ESV). Holding fast to God demands complete allegiance. Joshua took a proactive stand, rooting out sin from his heart and home. He demanded that the rest of Israel decide right then and there. 

The people answered without hesitation: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods… Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God” (Joshua 24:16, 18, ESV).

REMEMBER GOD’S GRACE

In a unique twist, Joshua rejected their answer: “You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good” (Joshua 24:19–20, ESV). Joshua wasn’t saying the task was too difficult; God was too holy. The people couldn’t remain devoted to him through their own strength. Joshua’s story shows that even with the best intentions, we fall short of God’s expectations. 

Joshua had heard the promises before: “All that the LORD has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8, ESV; see also Exodus 24:3, 7). He was at Sinai when they made that vow and later when they worshipped the golden calf (Exodus 32:15–19). Throughout the conquest, they acted selfishly and rushed ahead without seeking the LORD (Joshua 7:3–4; 9:14). Joshua could lead them, but not compel them to love God. 

Still, the people insisted: “No, but we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:21, ESV). So Joshua made them witnesses against themselves and set up a large stone at Shechem: “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us” (Joshua 24:22, 26–27, ESV).

For a while, it held. “Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua” (Joshua 24:31, ESV). But after that generation passed, “there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10, ESV). The people who grew up in the promised land forgot God, and their faith spiraled downward. 

Israel was surrounded by stone monuments. The Jordan stones invited children to ask, “What do these stones mean?” (Joshua 4:6–7, 21–24). Stone piles marked Achan’s sin, Ai, and the graves of Canaanite kings (7:26; 8:28–29; 10:27). The law was written on stones at Mount Ebal (8:32), and the eastern tribes built an altar as a witness (22:10, 26–28). Yet Israel forgot. Instead of fearing God as the Canaanites had (2:9–11; 5:1), they became like them (Judges 2:11–13; 3:5–6). Before we judge them, we should remember that our promises are just as fragile, and we need the same grace. Knowing and practicing our faith is not enough; each generation must preach the gospel to itself.

So, who can serve the LORD? Only those who come with confidence to his throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), meditate on Scripture day and night, and obey his commands. A Christian cannot become complacent. Because our inheritance is secured in Christ, we should continue growing in faith and obedience as we await the day when all God's promises will be fully realized. (Ephesians 1:11–14; 1 Peter 1:3–4).