Joshua's Farewell Address

"Without the assistance of that Divine Being… I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail." -Abraham Lincoln’s Farewell Address to Springfield (1861)

Some of history’s greatest leaders have left us with words that linger long after they’re gone. Think of George Washington, stepping down from power, pleading with a young nation to hold fast to unity and avoid the traps of division. Or Martin Luther King Jr., standing in Memphis the night before his death, gazing toward a promised land he knew he might not reach, urging his people to press on in faith. These farewell addresses carry weight—not just because they mark an ending, but because they cast a vision for what comes next. In Joshua 23, we find another such moment: an old warrior, his battles fought, turning to Israel’s leaders with a final, urgent charge.

Joshua had led God’s people through conquest and chaos, from the Jordan’s edge to the heart of Canaan. Now, at the twilight of his life, he gathers the elders, judges, and officers—not for a victory lap, but for a warning wrapped in hope. “You’ve seen what God has done,” he says, recalling how the Lord drove out their enemies. “But be strong—cling to Him alone, or all this could slip away.” It’s a farewell that doesn’t just look back; it leans forward, pressing them to choose faithfulness while warning them of the dangers that still lie ahead.

What are the stories of God's faithfulness that you need to remember? What are the unique dangers that lurk ahead, with the potential to exact a great cost?