Joshua 24:8
And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you. And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
Joshua 24:8 belongs to Joshua's final address and last charge as he was laying down his work before his death, given long after the Lord had given Israel rest from enemies and after the wars of conquest had ended. It was spoken when the infirmities of age were upon him and he was about to lay his responsibilities upon the representative men of the nation. For this address he gathered and summoned all the tribes together to recount Israel's history since they were called out as God's people. They were assembled at Shechem, a place with sacred associations with God's covenant with Abraham and Jacob and with Israel's own solemn vows upon entering Canaan, where the mountains Ebal and Gerizim stood as silent witnesses to vows now to be renewed in the presence of the dying leader.
The verse recalls that God brought Israel into the land of the Amorites east of the Jordan, gave the Amorites into Israel's hand, destroyed them from before Israel, and enabled Israel to possess their land. The land and its cities, vineyards, and oliveyards were gifts Israel had not labored to make, build, or plant, with the evidence visible on every side. This rehearsal of deliverance displayed God's goodness, mercy, covenant faithfulness, providential care, and faithful leading and victory. It was meant to stir gratitude for His care and humility over Israel's past murmuring, complaints, disobedience, and neglect of His revealed will.
God strengthened Israel's faith by recalling this victory, and reviewing such past acts of deliverance and mercy helps His people recognize His present work and strengthens those who did not personally witness His earlier dealings. In the wider context of the address, Israel was warned against idolatry and ties with idolaters, including intermarriage, because such associations would corrupt them and lead to ruin. As God had kept His promises He would also carry out His warnings so that turning from Him would bring desolation, a lesson that applies to each person. The verse gives a pattern for today to rehearse as a people the instruction God has given and to repeat it, because the warfare between the forces of light and darkness is going on, Satan is working to make God's messages of no effect and to unsettle confidence with inoffensive-appearing errors, and the truth understood after the passing of the time must be firmly defended.