“And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed." Joshua 23:14
This verse stands between 13, in which Joshua tells the people that God will no longer drive out the heathen, but will allow them to remain as "a snare, a trap, a whip and thorns in your eyes," (just in case we wonder why such evil continues)...and verse 15, where Joshua reminds God's people, the Jews, that even as God has faithfully fulfilled all the good things He promised them, He will also fulfill the judgments He has pronounced against them for continued disobedience to His direct will. This is not eternal damnation; it is divine discipline of God's own children.
This is why we need to be familiar with ALL the Bible. We believers will take verse 14, soar with it and quote it to others with great zeal, because we know and appreciate the truth of that statement. We must not, however, ignore the Justice of God. In His Justice He protects and provides for His children. In His Justice He also disciplines His own. In the history of Israel we can see these principles clearly. God's Justice is always fair and God's Justice never fails.
See also The Doctrine of Thorns, posted May 24, 2012
