Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods,
English Standard Version (ESV)
The people's emphatic "God forbid" shows their immediate revulsion at the thought of abandoning God, but it also highlights their potential lack of insight into the true difficulty of sustained faithfulness. Joshua’s sharp reply in the following verses suggests their emotional response, though strong, might not yet grasp the challenging nature of a wholehearted commitment to the Lord.
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Joshua has just challenged the Israelites, forcing them to confront their allegiance: will they serve the God who delivered them or the idols of the surrounding nations? In response to this direct question, the people passionately declare their absolute refusal to abandon the LORD for other gods. This emphatic statement comes right after Joshua’s call to choose, setting the stage for his subsequent testing of their sincerity.
Joshua presented a stark choice: serve the Lord or serve other gods. But was he trying to trick them, or genuinely gauge their hearts?
Joshua wasn't just making conversation; he was deliberately pushing the Israelites to confront their own desires.
A Deliberate Challenge
When Joshua says, "choose you this day whom ye will serve" (Joshua 24:15), he isn't offering a casual option. The commentaries suggest he's probing their commitment, not suggesting that serving idols is a legitimate alternative. He wants them to own their decision, to make it a conscious choice, not just a passive agreement.
The Goal: Genuine Covenant
Joshua’s aim wasn't to make them feel bad or to push them away. Instead, he wanted to ensure their covenant with God was built on solid ground. By making them declare their allegiance voluntarily, they would be bound by their own consent, preventing future excuses or claims of being forced.
This wasn't about whether they would serve God, but how they would serve Him – with a wholehearted, chosen devotion.
The people reacted with shock and indignation at the mere suggestion of forsaking the Lord. What does this powerful reaction tell us about their understanding of God?
The Israelites' immediate and forceful reply – "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods" – speaks volumes.
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A Deep-Seated Gratitude
Their response stems from a profound awareness of God's past actions. They explicitly recall His mighty deliverance from Egypt and His guidance through the wilderness. To turn away from such a powerful, faithful God would be unthinkable, an act of profound ingratitude.
Recognizing God's Unique Nature
This isn't just about loyalty; it's about recognizing who God is. He is the one who brought them out, who performed great signs, who preserved them. Forsaking Him means rejecting the source of their salvation and identity. Serving other gods, especially the gods of the land they now occupied, would be a return to the powerless and morally bankrupt systems they had been rescued from.
Their strong words reflect a moment of clarity, understanding that abandoning the Lord wasn't just a change of religion, but a rejection of their very foundation.
Joshua then issues a stern warning: God is holy and jealous, and cannot overlook sin. How does this seemingly harsh pronouncement fit with the people's enthusiastic commitment?
Joshua’s words about God's holiness and jealousy aren't meant to crush the people's spirit, but to sober them.
God's Uncompromising Nature
He declares that God is a "holy God" and a "jealous God." This means God is utterly set apart, pure, and righteous. His jealousy isn't like human insecurity; it's a righteous intolerance for anything that steals the devotion rightly due to Him. He cannot simply overlook sin and idolatry, as it fundamentally opposes His nature.
The Consequence of Disobedience
Joshua warns that if they forsake the Lord, He will turn and bring disaster. This isn't a threat of arbitrary punishment, but a statement of cause and effect. Their covenant relationship with God involved blessings for obedience and severe consequences for unfaithfulness. Joshua is reminding them that their promises have weight, and breaking them with a holy God has real ramifications.
This stark reminder serves to temper their zeal with seriousness, ensuring their commitment is not superficial but deeply aware of the holy standard God requires.
Understand the original words
azab · Hebrew Verb
To abandon, leave behind, or desert someone or something to which one has a relationship or obligation. In the Bible, it frequently refers to covenant-breaking by turning away from God to idols.
abad · Hebrew Verb
In a biblical context, to serve (Hebrew 'avad) signifies worship, work, service, and total allegiance. It implies a state of servitude or ministry to a master or deity.
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal name of the God of Israel, the covenant-keeping I AM. It signifies His eternal, self-existent, and faithful nature toward His people.
This declaration of unwavering loyalty comes at a pivotal moment after the hard-won conquest of Canaan and just before Joshua's death. The people are making a solemn, public promise to remain faithful to God in their new homeland, even as history shows this commitment would be challenged in the years to come.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Canaan
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites complete their military conquest of the land of Canaan, fulfilling God's promise to their ancestors.
c. 1405 BC
Division of Land
The land of Canaan is systematically divided among the twelve tribes of Israel, establishing their inheritance and borders.
c. 1399 BC— this verse
Joshua's Farewell Address
Joshua, nearing the end of his life, gathers the people at an assembly to recount God's faithfulness and challenge them to renew their covenant commitment.
c. 1399 BC
Renewal of Covenant
The people, moved by Joshua's words and God's past actions, pledge their allegiance to the LORD, agreeing to forsake other gods and obey His voice.
c. 1399 BC
Joshua Dies
Joshua, the successor to Moses, dies after leading Israel for 27 years, leaving a legacy of faithfulness and a renewed covenant.
c. 1399 BC - 1076 BC
Period of the Judges
Following Joshua's death, Israel experiences a cycle of faithfulness, apostasy, oppression, and deliverance, highlighting the ongoing struggle to maintain their covenant commitment.
This passage presents a similar choice between life (serving the LORD) and death (serving other gods), emphasizing that the decision has profound consequences for their future, just as in Joshua's plea.
1 Kings 18:21Elijah poses a direct challenge to Israel, asking them how long they will 'limp between two opinions,' mirroring the core tension in Joshua 24:16 about committing to one God or another.
Matthew 6:24Jesus' teaching that 'No one can serve two masters' echoes the impossibility of truly serving both God and other gods, which is the underlying principle of the people's emphatic rejection of forsaking the LORD.
Romans 12:1This verse calls believers to present their 'bodies as a living sacrifice,' which is a response of total devotion that aligns with the people's declaration to serve the LORD, emphasizing that this service is a complete offering of oneself.
Hebrews 10:39The assurance that 'we are not of those who fall away' provides a hopeful contrast to the Israelites' declaration, highlighting the spiritual perseverance that true commitment to God requires, beyond mere spoken words.
calvinJoshua 24:15-24: "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
- And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amori…
gillJoshua 24:16: "And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;"
And the people answered and said,.... To Joshua, upon his proposal to them, the option he gave them to serve the Lord or idols, and which was only done to try them: God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; they speak with the utmost abhorrence of idolatry, as a thing far from their hearts and thoughts, as the most abominable and execrable that could be thoug…
The people's emphatic "God forbid" shows their immediate revulsion at the thought of abandoning God, but it also highlights their potential lack of insight into the true difficulty of sustained faithfulness. Joshua’s sharp reply in the following verses suggests their emotional response, though strong, might not yet grasp the challenging nature of a wholehearted commitment to the Lord.
Joshua has just challenged the Israelites, forcing them to confront their allegiance: will they serve the God who delivered them or the idols of the surrounding nations? In response to this direct question, the people passionately declare their absolute refusal to abandon the LORD for other gods. This emphatic statement comes right after Joshua’s call to choose, setting the stage for his subsequent testing of their sincerity.
Joshua has just challenged the Israelites, forcing them to confront their allegiance: will they serve the God who delivered them or the idols of the surrounding nations? In response to this direct question, the people passionately declare their absolute refusal to abandon the LORD for other gods. This emphatic statement comes right after Joshua’s call to choose, setting the stage for his subsequent testing of their sincerity.
"Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods," — The people's emphatic "God forbid" shows their immediate revulsion at the thought of abandoning God, but it also highlights their potential lack of insight into the true difficulty of sustained faith…
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Last reviewed October 2026