The People's Pledge Text: Joshua 1:16-18
Introduction: The Covenantal Handoff
We come now to a crucial moment in the history of redemption. Moses, the great lawgiver, is dead. The generation that came out of Egypt has perished in the wilderness for their unbelief. A new leader and a new generation now stand on the banks of the Jordan, poised to undertake the conquest of Canaan. The transfer of power is complete, but the loyalty of the people is yet to be declared. Everything hinges on this moment. Without a unified, obedient, and courageous people, the mission God has given to Joshua is dead on arrival.
This is more than just a political transition. It is a covenantal succession. God has made His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has ratified His covenant with their children at Sinai. He has now appointed Joshua as the new mediator of that covenant, the new head of the nation. But a covenant is a two-way street. God makes promises and issues commands, and the people are required to respond with faith and obedience. These verses are that response. This is the moment the people of Israel formally pledge their allegiance to their new commander, and in doing so, pledge their allegiance to the God who appointed him.
We must not read this as a quaint historical account of military fealty. This is a pattern for God's people in all ages. How we respond to the authorities God has placed over us, whether in the family, the church, or the civil realm, is a direct reflection of our submission to God Himself. The principles laid down here, of wholehearted obedience, of the conditions for that obedience, and of the high stakes of rebellion, are as relevant to us today as they were to Israel then. This is a text about what it means to be a covenant people, united under a God-given leader, on the brink of spiritual warfare.
The Text
And they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we listened to Moses in all things, so we will listen to you; only may Yahweh your God be with you as He was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your command and does not listen to your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous.”
(Joshua 1:16-18 LSB)
Unqualified Obedience (v. 16)
The people's response to Joshua begins with a declaration of total, unqualified commitment.
"And they answered Joshua, saying, 'All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.'" (Joshua 1:16)
This is the kind of loyalty every commander dreams of. It is comprehensive and absolute. Notice the two parallel clauses: "All that you have commanded... we will do," and "wherever you send us... we will go." The first covers the substance of the commands, and the second covers the location of their execution. There are no loopholes here. They are not promising to obey when it is convenient, or when they agree with the strategy. They are not promising to follow him to the edge of the river, but no further. This is a blank check. It is the proper response of a people to a leader who has been commissioned by God.
This is the essence of covenantal submission. It is not based on the leader's personal charisma or his flawless track record. Joshua has not yet won any great victories. His authority rests entirely on the fact that God has appointed him. The people recognize this, and so their pledge of allegiance to Joshua is, in fact, a pledge of allegiance to Yahweh. This is the first principle of all legitimate authority. All authority is delegated. When we obey a pastor, an elder, a husband, or a magistrate who is functioning within his God-given jurisdiction, we are not ultimately obeying him, but the Lord who placed him there.
This kind of obedience is the engine of conquest. A nation, or a church, that is filled with murmurers, second-guessers, and armchair generals will accomplish nothing for the kingdom of God. But a people united in their resolve to obey the word of command, moving as one man, is an unstoppable force. This is what Israel promises to be. They are putting aside their personal preferences and tribal interests for the sake of the mission.
Conditional Loyalty (v. 17)
In the next verse, the people provide the basis and the condition for their extraordinary pledge.
"Just as we listened to Moses in all things, so we will listen to you; only may Yahweh your God be with you as He was with Moses." (Joshua 1:17 LSB)
Their obedience to Joshua is to be of the same quality as their obedience to Moses. This is a high bar. While the previous generation had grumbled against Moses incessantly, the law required their absolute obedience to him as God's prophet. This new generation is aspiring to that standard. They are saying, "We recognize you as the legitimate successor to Moses." This establishes the principle of continuity. God's covenant does not die with His servants.
But then comes the crucial condition: "only may Yahweh your God be with you as He was with Moses." This is not a statement of doubt, but a prayer and a profound theological insight. They understood that the authority of Moses did not come from his staff or his force of personality. It came from the manifest presence of God with him. The signs, the wonders, the pillar of cloud and fire, the voice from the mountain, all testified that God was with Moses. The people are saying to Joshua, "Our loyalty to you is predicated on God's loyalty to you. We will follow you as long as you are following God."
This is the biblical safety valve against tyranny. Our submission to human authority is never ultimate. It is always derivative and conditional. We are to obey our leaders in the Lord (Eph. 6:1). The moment a leader commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, our duty to obey him ceases, and our duty to obey God remains. The people are not giving Joshua permission to lead them into idolatry or apostasy. Their pledge is robust, but it is not blind. They are binding themselves to Joshua, but they are binding Joshua to the God of Moses. They are saying, "Lead us in the way of Yahweh, and we will follow. But if you depart from that way, the deal is off." This is the foundation of all righteous resistance to tyranny and the bedrock of true, biblical loyalty.
The High Cost of Rebellion (v. 18)
The final verse of their pledge establishes the stakes. They understand that in their context, unity is not a suggestion; it is a matter of life and death.
"Anyone who rebels against your command and does not listen to your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous." (Joshua 1:18 LSB)
The people themselves set the penalty for insubordination: capital punishment. This may sound harsh to our modern, sentimental ears, but it was absolutely necessary. They were a nation mobilized for war. They were about to invade hostile territory, filled with giants and fortified cities. A single act of rebellion, like Achan's sin later in the book, could bring disaster upon the entire nation. In a military context, mutiny is a capital crime because it jeopardizes the lives of everyone. Here, in this theocratic army, rebellion against Joshua was rebellion against God, and it was a form of spiritual treason.
This demonstrates that the people are taking their own oath with the utmost seriousness. They are not just making a nice speech. They are putting their lives on the line and agreeing that the lives of any dissenters should be forfeit. They are giving Joshua the sword and telling him to use it to maintain discipline in the ranks. This is a recognition that sin and rebellion cannot be tolerated in the camp of the saints. It must be dealt with swiftly and decisively.
And then, they conclude by echoing God's own charge back to Joshua: "only be strong and courageous." This is beautiful. It is a reciprocal encouragement. They are not just demanding courage from their leader; they are promising to back him up with their own. They are saying, "We have pledged our lives to this mission. Now you must lead with the strength and courage that God has commanded. Do not be timid. Do not waver. Give the commands, and we will obey them. We are in this together." A leader is only as strong as the people who follow him, and here the people empower their leader to be everything God has called him to be.
The Greater Joshua
As with the whole book, this points us to our greater Joshua, the Lord Jesus Christ. The name "Joshua" is the Hebrew form of the Greek name "Jesus." Both mean "Yahweh saves." The first Joshua was called to lead God's people into the promised land, a land of rest. But as the book of Hebrews tells us, he could not give them the ultimate rest (Heb. 4:8). That was reserved for the second and greater Joshua.
Jesus Christ is our appointed commander. God the Father has said of Him, "This is my beloved Son; listen to Him" (Mark 9:7). And what is our proper response to this command? It is the same pledge that Israel gave to Joshua. "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go." Our obedience to Christ must be total, unreserved, and joyful. We have been bought with a price; we are not our own. We do not get to pick and choose which of His commands we will follow.
And like Israel, our loyalty is based on the fact that God is with Him. But with Christ, this is no mere prayer or condition; it is an eternal reality. He is Immanuel, "God with us." The Father was always with Him, and He has promised to be with us, His church, to the very end of the age (Matt. 28:20). Our leader will never fail, and His fellowship with the Father will never be broken.
Therefore, the stakes are even higher for us. Rebellion against Joshua brought physical death. But what of rebellion against Jesus? The author of Hebrews warns us, "Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God?" (Heb. 10:28-29). To rebel against the command of Jesus is to commit spiritual suicide. It is to declare yourself an enemy of the King. The church must take this seriously. We must not tolerate rebellion in our ranks. Church discipline is our equivalent of this capital punishment, a cutting off from the covenant community for the sake of purity and, hopefully, the ultimate salvation of the rebel.
Finally, we too must be strong and courageous. Our Joshua has already won the decisive victory. He has conquered sin, death, and the devil. He now calls us to follow Him in the mopping-up operation of history, to take dominion in His name. He leads us, not to a promised land on earth, but to a heavenly city. The task is great, and the enemies are real. But our commander is faithful. Let us therefore pledge our unwavering allegiance to Him, and follow wherever He leads.