Joshua 22:5

‘ Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of YHWH commanded you, to love YHWH your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave to him, and to serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul.'

Here Joshua was charging them with the necessity for diligent obedience to the covenant of YHWH (Deuteronomy 4:9). They had ‘to love -- to walk -- to keep -- to cleave -- to serve'. A right response of heart, obedient steps, meditation on His word, holding tightly to Him and doing His will. Compare Deuteronomy 10:12 ‘to fear -- to walk -- to love -- to serve.' Deuteronomy 11:22 ‘to love -- to walk -- to cleave'. Deuteronomy 13:4 ‘walk -- fear -- keep -- obey -- serve -- cleave'. Deuteronomy 19:9 ‘keep all his commandment to do it, -- to love YHWH your God -- to walk ever in His ways'. Thus Joshua was repeating and enlarging on the words he had heard from Moses.

Covenant love for God was central to the faith of Israel (Deuteronomy 6:5). Their thought and worship must be focused on Him. But their especially distinctive idea was that of walking in His ways, in morality and obedience to His Law. They knew that God cared how they lived towards their fellow man because it was a part of the essential covenant. And it was one way by which they revealed their covenant love for Him, by keeping in their hearts and in their minds His commandments. To ‘cleave to Him' was a warning against being led astray by the gods of the nations. To ‘serve Him' summed up the whole covenant, especially in worship. Thus Joshua was urging them to be faithful to the tribal covenant that bound the tribes together and to their responsibilities with regard to worship at the central sanctuary at present at Shiloh. This was especially important in view of their distance from it.