Israel was given rest from her enemies. This took a long time. Again we are reminded that we get a very condensed history in the Bible.
Joshua gives a farewell address, telling the Israelites what they need to know in order to continue to be victorious. First he reminds them of what they have seen, of the victories they have seen the Lord give them. Joshua had allotted land, and it seems from verse 5 that there was still areas to be possessed. God often takes a leader away before the task is complete? Why is this? One reason may be to impress on the people that it is God who gives victory, not any individual leader.
Just as God had instructed Joshua right at the start of the book, Joshua tells the people to be bold and to observe the Law. They were to ensure that they remained free from idols and wrong associations with the surrounding peoples.
It was the Lord who had given them victories, so they must continue to remain close to Him. If instead they intermarried with the nations, then defeat would quickly come there way. This would be a snare for them.
They had seen the Lord fight on their side. But if they turned from the Lord they would see Him fight against them, and turf them out of the land, just as He had turfed their enemies out of the land. They must not take God for granted.
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