Joshua's Farewell Address

​“Joshua's Farewell Address”

241 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. 2 Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt. 5 " 'Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. 6 When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen[1] as far as the Red Sea.[2] 7 But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time. 8 " 'I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. 9 When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. 10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand. 11 " 'Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. 12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you-also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.' 14 "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." 16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God." 19 Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you." 21 But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the Lord." 22 Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord." "Yes, we are witnesses," they replied. 23 "Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel." 24 And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God and obey him." 25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. 26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord. 27 "See!" he said to all the people. "This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God." 28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.

What Is the Importance of 'As for Me and My House, We Will Serve the Lord'?

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua used his wisdom and love for God to set the example and declares, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua was determined to serve God no matter what anyone else thought.  

“But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 

The passage “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” is popular. It’s printed on plaques, found on old reclaimed pallet wood, printed on the front of Bibles, and even hand-painted on walls of homes. It adorns Christian homes in many aspects because it is a statement of faith, an affirmation of a family’s commitment and covenant to serve the Lord. 

Joshua’s Commitment

The passage carried a heavier significance in the day of Joshua, however. According to the book of Exodus, Numbers, and Joshua, Joshua was Moses’ assistant. According to Joshua 24:29, he lived for some time in the Bronze Age and died at the age of 110. Prior to his death, he became the leader of the Israelite tribes after Moses died. 

According to the Bible, Joshua was born in Egypt prior to the great Exodus. He later became one of the 12 spies of Israel sent by Moses on a recon mission in the land of Canaan which was the Promised Land. After the death of Moses, Joshua successfully led the Israelite tribes in the conquest of the Promised Land. 

At the time of this proclamation, Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to challenge the people with the utmost freedom to decide once and for all who they would serve. He gives the choice of their old ways of worship and their idols or a chance to serve the One True God who had brought them out of slavery in Egypt.

A Covenant to Serve the Lord

The Israelites were a stubborn generation that had grown up wandering in the desert for 40 years. It was the punishment from the Lord because of how they turned their backs on God in the desert after being rescued from 400 years of slavery. 
The book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ retelling of Israel’s history and a summary of the Law for a new generation, most of whom had not been present for the exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Law at Sinai, and the refusal to enter the Promised Land. 
Later, when Joshua becomes the leader, he calls on Israel to follow the Lord. He says that they can choose between life and prosperity or death and destruction with the proclamation of Joshua 24:15. 

He challenges the people:

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. Joshua commands them to choose whom you will serve, not if you will serve. We will all serve someone — either the enemy (intentionally or not) or the Lord. We really are not left the option of not serving anyone. Left to our own vices, we will up serve idols: money, children, career, etc.

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua used his wisdom and love for God to set the example and declares, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua was determined to serve God no matter what anyone else thought.  
The Significance of Joshua 24:15 Today
When parents or couples hang the verse on the wall in their home today, they are proclaiming very much what Joshua was proclaiming. Parents have a responsibility to make sure what goes on in their home honors God and excludes activities that do not honor or serve him. Just as the people of Israel re-dedicate their lives to the Lord, this also prompts followers of Christ to do the same today. 

It is a reminder to check your heart, the activities that go on in your home, the example you set for your family, and what your family is watching or listening to. It’s a chance to check behaviors, actions, and attitudes to ensure all of what we say, think, and do, align with Jesus. 

So, we learn from this revolutionary moment that Joshua brought awareness to the Israelites, reminding them that all their provisions and survival in the wilderness over the past several years was from a loving God is also the same reminder for us today. It’s a bold proclamation made that many Christ-followers seek to follow in their daily lives today just as it was yesterday. 

“Judges”

The judges were temporary and special deliverers, sent by God to deliver the Israelites from their oppressors; not supreme magistrates, succeeding to the authority of Moses and Joshua. Their power only extended over portions of the country, and some of them were contemporaneous. Their first work was that of deliverers and leaders in war; they then administered justice to the people, and their authority supplied the want of a regular government. Even while the administration of Samuel gave something like a settled government to the south, there was scope for the irregular exploits of Samson on the borders of the Philistines; and Samuel at last established his authority as judge and prophet, but still as the servant of Jehovah, only to see it so abused by his sons as to exhaust the patience of the people, who at length demanded a king , after the pattern of the surrounding nations. The following is a list of judges, whose history is given under their respective names:-- First servitude, to Mesopotamia -- 8 years. First judge: Othniel. 40 years. Second servitude, to Moab -- 18 years. Second judge: Ehud; 80 years. Third judge: Shamgar. --- Third servitude, to Jabin and Sisera-- 20 years. Fourth judge: Deborah and Barak. 40 years. Fourth servitude, to Midian-- 7 years. Fifth judge: Gideon; 40 years. Sixth judge: Abimelech; 3 years. Seventh judge: Tola; 23 years. Eighth judge: Jair. 22 years. Fifth servitude, to Ammon-- 18 years. Ninth judge: Jephthah; 6 years. Tenth judge: Ibzan; 7 years. Eleventh judge: Elon; 10 years. Twelfth judge: Abdon. 8 years. Sixth servitude, to the Philistines-- 40 years. Thirteenth judge: Samson 20 years. Fourteenth judge: Eli; 40 years. Fifteenth judge: Samuel. More than likely some of these ruled simultaneously.