The people of Israel had no cause to stop trusting God, but Joshua knew human nature too well to expect that just because the nation had peace all around, they would remember the source of every blessing. He issued a strict warning that speaks to my heart today:
The lesson for you and me is not about international conquest, but about the battles of the heart, of self-discipline (or the lack thereof), about habits and character. We are witness against ourselves (see Joshua 24:22) if we pledge to honor God and then turn back from trying.
. . . cling to the Lord your God . . . For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day . . . Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. For if you turn back . . . know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.(See the whole passage, Joshua 23:8-13)
The lesson for you and me is not about international conquest, but about the battles of the heart, of self-discipline (or the lack thereof), about habits and character. We are witness against ourselves (see Joshua 24:22) if we pledge to honor God and then turn back from trying.
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