he said,
Joshua, as the leader of Israel, is speaking with authority. His role as Moses' successor and a military leader who led the Israelites into the Promised Land gives weight to his words. This is a moment of covenant renewal, and Joshua's leadership is crucial in guiding the people to recommit to God.

get rid of the foreign gods among you
This command addresses the presence of idolatry within the Israelite community. Despite God's clear instructions to worship Him alone, the Israelites had been influenced by the surrounding Canaanite culture, which included the worship of various deities. The call to "get rid of" these gods is a call to repentance and purification, aligning with the first commandment in Exodus 20:3, "You shall have no other gods before Me."

and incline your hearts to the LORD,
This phrase emphasizes a shift in internal disposition. "Incline your hearts" suggests a deliberate turning or dedication of one's innermost being towards God. It is not merely about external actions but involves a sincere commitment and love for God, as seen in Deuteronomy 6:5, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

the God of Israel.
This title reaffirms the covenant relationship between God and the nation of Israel. It highlights God's unique identity and His special relationship with His chosen people. The phrase underscores the exclusivity of worship due to Yahweh, distinguishing Him from the foreign gods mentioned earlier. This covenant identity is central to Israel's history and future, as seen throughout the Old Testament narrative.

- This phrase ties the command directly to everything Joshua has just recounted—the Lord’s mighty acts from Abraham to the present victory (Joshua 24:1-22).

- Because God has proven Himself faithful, Israel must respond. Just as Paul urges, “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1), Joshua urges a response grounded in grace already shown.

- The “therefore” signals a covenant decision moment, echoing Moses’ earlier summons: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you…” (Deuteronomy 10:12).

- Joshua, the covenant mediator, speaks with God-given authority (Joshua 1:1-9).

- His words carry weight not merely as personal opinion but as God’s directive, similar to Samuel’s later role in 1 Samuel 12:20-25.

- Hearing God’s word through His appointed servant always demands obedience (Hebrews 13:7).

- The command is literal: physical idols must be removed, smashed, and disposed of, as Jacob once buried household idols at Shechem (Genesis 35:2-4).

- God’s first commandment still stands: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).

- Tolerating idols denies exclusive covenant loyalty. Centuries later Samuel repeats the same call—“Rid yourselves of the foreign gods… and commit yourselves to the LORD” (1 Samuel 7:3).

- For believers today, anything that rivals God’s place—possessions, relationships, ambitions—must be cast aside (1 John 5:21; Colossians 3:5).

- True obedience moves from the outside in: once the idols are gone, the heart must bend toward God.

- Moses prayed, “May the LORD our God incline our hearts to Him” (1 Kings 8:58)—a work of grace we actively embrace (Philippians 2:12-13).

- Practical ways hearts incline:

• Regularly rehearsing God’s deeds (Psalm 77:11-12).

• Delighting in His Word (Psalm 119:36).

• Guarding thoughts and affections (Proverbs 4:23).

- Hard hearts drift; inclined hearts cling (Hebrews 3:12-13).

- The destination of loyalty is crystal clear: Yahweh alone. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

- Jesus reaffirms this exclusive devotion: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Matthew 22:37).

- Turning “to the LORD” involves both repentance from idols and faith toward the living God (Acts 14:15).

- The title roots the command in covenant history. The God who named Israel, delivered Israel, and provided for Israel now claims Israel’s undivided allegiance (Exodus 3:15; Psalm 115:9).

- By reminding them whose they are, Joshua underscores identity: they are God’s treasured possession (Deuteronomy 7:6).

- For the church, grafted into God’s people (Romans 11:17-24), He remains the same faithful covenant God.

Joshua 24:23 presses Israel—and us—to a decisive, heart-level loyalty. Because the God of Israel has proven His faithfulness, His people must:

1. Physically discard every rival.

2. Intentionally bend their hearts toward Him alone.

This is not optional; it is the logical, loving response to His saving work. Choosing God exclusively secures covenant blessing, while clinging to idols invites ruin. The verse is a timeless summons to wholehearted, undivided devotion to the LORD.

(1) the word is the same as we find translated in ver. 17, "through whom." And

(2) the internal scrutiny which the law demanded was hardly so well understood at this early period as by diligent study it afterwards became. The plain provisions of the law demanded obedience. Comparatively little heed was given at first to inward feelings and tendencies. There can be little doubt that the meaning is precisely the same as in Genesis 35:2, and that though the Israelites dare not openly worship strange gods, yet that teraphim and other images were, if not worshipped, yet preserved among them in such a way as to be likely to lead them into temptation. The history of Micah in Judges 17:5 is a proof of this, and it must be remembered that this history is out of its proper place. The zealous Phinehas (Judges 20:28) was then still alive, and the worship at Micah's house had evidently been carried on for some time previous to the disgraceful outrage at Gibeah. The putting away the strange gods was to be the outward and visible sign, the inclining of the heart the inward and spiritual grace wrought within them by the mercy of God. For it is not denied that God desired their affections, and that those affections could scarcely be given while their heart went secretly after idols. It may be further remarked in support of this view that the Israelites are not exhorted to turn their heart from the false gods, but to put them away. It is a plain, positive precept, not a guide for the inner consciousness. On the other hand, the command to incline the heart to the Lord rests upon the simple ground of common gratitude. St. Augustine thinks that if any false gods were secretly in Israel at this time, they would have been met by a severer punishment than that accorded to Achan. Masius - "pace divini viri" - proceeds to argue that murders, thefts, and adulteries were worse sins than those of Achan, that it were not reasonable to suppose that Israel was free from such sins, and they were not punished like Achan's. He forgets to urge

(1) that the condition of the children of Israel was very different in Achan's time to that of the death of Joshua, and . . .

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