And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
Joshua compels them to choose not because serving God is optional, but because a reasoned, deliberate choice will bind their consciences far more securely than mere obligation. The will of man clings most firmly to what it has elected freely; thus he sets before them a genuine fork in the road and demands they take it knowingly.
AI summary
Commenting on Joshua 24:15-28
And the people said unto Joshua, nay,.... We will not serve strange gods: but we will serve the Lord; according to his revealed will, and him only.
And the people said - Nay; but we will serve, etc. - So they understood the words of Joshua to imply no moral impossibility on their side: and had they earnestly sought the gracious assistance of God, they would have continued steady in his covenant.