“But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
My Notes
What Does Joshua 22:5 Mean?
"But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul." Joshua's charge to the EASTERN TRIBES (Reuben, Gad, half-Manasseh) as they return home across the Jordan. Five verbs define their ongoing obligation: LOVE ('ahavah — covenant loyalty), WALK (halakh — daily conduct), KEEP (shamar — careful guarding), CLEAVE (davaq — holding fast, the same word used for marriage in Genesis 2:24), and SERVE ('avad — active labor). The charge is COMPREHENSIVE — covering the heart (love), the feet (walk), the hands (keep), the will (cleave), and the whole being (serve with all heart and soul).
The phrase "take diligent heed" (shimru me'od — guard exceedingly, be very careful) intensifies the command: this is not casual obedience. The 'me'od' (exceedingly, very much) adds URGENCY — the ordinary instruction to 'guard' becomes an urgent plea to guard DILIGENTLY. The diligence isn't optional. The carefulness is the command. The heed itself must be DILIGENT — not half-hearted, not occasional, not when convenient.
The five verbs form a COMPLETE portrait of covenant faithfulness: LOVE is the motivation. WALK is the lifestyle. KEEP is the protective vigilance. CLEAVE is the relational attachment. SERVE is the active expression. Together they describe a life that is emotionally engaged (love), directionally aligned (walk), protectively careful (keep), relationally bonded (cleave), and practically active (serve). No dimension of life is left unaddressed.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Which of the five verbs — love, walk, keep, cleave, serve — needs the most diligent attention in your life right now?
- 2.What does 'cleave' (the marriage-word) being used for your relationship with God teach about the nature of covenant faithfulness?
- 3.How does the charge intensifying at the moment of DEPARTURE describe the relationship between distance and diligence?
- 4.What 'diligent heed' — what careful, urgent, non-casual obedience — is your current season requiring?
Devotional
Five verbs. One charge. LOVE the Lord. WALK in His ways. KEEP His commandments. CLEAVE to Him. SERVE Him with all your heart and soul. Joshua gives this to the eastern tribes as they leave — as they cross back over the Jordan to territory that is PHYSICALLY separated from the tabernacle, from the community, from the center of worship. The charge is for people who are about to be FAR AWAY.
The 'take DILIGENT heed' is the wrapper — the urgency that surrounds every verb. Not casual love. Not occasional walking. Not selective keeping. Not convenient cleaving. Not half-hearted serving. The DILIGENCE is the qualifier for everything that follows. Every verb operates at the 'diligent' level — or it doesn't operate at all.
The five verbs cover the WHOLE PERSON: LOVE engages the emotions and loyalty. WALK governs the direction and daily conduct. KEEP activates protective vigilance — guarding the commands like something precious. CLEAVE is the marriage-word (Genesis 2:24 — 'a man shall cleave unto his wife') — the holding-fast that refuses to let go. SERVE is the active labor — not passive belief but working devotion. Heart, feet, hands, will, and strength — all deployed.
This charge is given at the moment of DEPARTURE — when the eastern tribes are leaving the community to go to their own territory across the Jordan. The instruction intensifies precisely because the DISTANCE is about to increase. When you're far from the center, the diligence must be GREATER, not less. Proximity provides natural reinforcement. Distance requires intentional faithfulness.
What distance in your life requires GREATER diligence — and which of the five verbs (love, walk, keep, cleave, serve) needs the most attention right now?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away,.... Dismissed them from his presence with a blessing, in order to go to…
But take diligent heed, etc. - Let us examine the force of this excellent advice; they must ever consider that their…
But take diligent heed "Se onli that зe kepen attentifly." Wyclif. In their natural isola tion in their eastern homes…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture