Under Gods Command
Joshua 23:6-13 – “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or sewer by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. But you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now. The LORD has driven out before great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. One of you routs a thousand, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as he promised. So be very careful to love the LORD your God. But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, then you may be sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whip on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the LORD your God has given you.
Joshua knew the nation’s weak spots. Before dying, he called the people together and gave commands to help them where they were most likely to slip:
1. follow all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses without turning aside
2. don’t associate with the pagan nations or worship their gods
3. don’t intermarry with the pagan nations.
These temptations were right in their back-yard. Our associations and relationships can be temptations to us as well. It’s wise to identify our weak spots before we break down. Then we can develop strategies to overcome these temptations instead of being overcome by them.
Under Gods command 