And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
The verse records Israel's immediate, emphatic, decisive answer to Joshua's farewell closing appeal to choose whom they would serve and to serve the Lord. It was spoken when Joshua assembled the host before his death after recounting their wilderness travels and God's merciful dealings with them, including deliverance when the king of Moab warred against them and God turned Balaam's curse into blessing. It formed part of a revival among God's ancient people.
By it the people declare refusal to forsake the Lord to serve other gods and to abandon Him to worship other gods. Their words answer the challenge to abandon idolatry with a stated resolve to remain loyal to God, echoing Joshua's commitment to serve the Lord rather than choose the gods of the surrounding peoples. Their rejection of idolatry rests on what the Lord did for them and their fathers in bringing them out of Egypt from the house of bondage, doing great signs before them, and preserving, protecting and caring for them in all the way they went and among all the peoples they passed through.
By this answer the people renewed their covenant commitment to serve the Lord their God and obey His voice, which Joshua wrote in the book containing the laws and statutes given to Moses. The verse belongs to Joshua's closing review and appeal, which recalls God's care and warns Israel against idolatry and corrupting ties with idolaters, including intermarriage, because such associations could corrupt them. Departing from God would bring desolation, because God is faithful both to His promises and to His warnings, a warning that applies to individuals as well as to Israel.
The verse records Israel's immediate, emphatic, decisive answer to Joshua's farewell closing appeal to choose whom they would serve and to serve the Lord. It was spoken when Joshua assembled the host before his death after recounting their wilderness travels and God's merciful dealings with them, including deliverance when the king of Moab warred against them and God turned Balaam's curse into blessing. It formed part of a revival among God's ancient people.
By it the people declare refusal to forsake the Lord to serve other gods and to abandon Him to worship other gods. Their words answer the challenge to abandon idolatry with a stated resolve to remain loyal to God, echoing Joshua's commitment to serve the Lord rather than choose the gods of the surrounding peoples. Their rejection of idolatry rests on what the Lord did for them and their fathers in bringing them out of Egypt from the house of bondage, doing great signs before them, and preserving, protecting and caring for them in all the way they went and among all the peoples they passed through.
By this answer the people renewed their covenant commitment to serve the Lord their God and obey His voice, which Joshua wrote in the book containing the laws and statutes given to Moses. The verse belongs to Joshua's closing review and appeal, which recalls God's care and warns Israel against idolatry and corrupting ties with idolaters, including intermarriage, because such associations could corrupt them. Departing from God would bring desolation, because God is faithful both to His promises and to His warnings, a warning that applies to individuals as well as to Israel.