Joshua 13 and 14
Welcome to another study into Joshua. I pray that this week has been going well with you, that the Lord has been proving himself faithful to you, and that you have been blessed by his presence. I pray that, even if you are not attending the meeting in which we are gathering to discuss these chapters, you still feel like you are part of that gathering. I want you to feel our presence with you as you prayerfully read through chapters 13 and 14. I want you to know that the presence of God is with you, but also by being of one mind and infused with one Spirit we are able to commune with one another regardless of distance. You are not alone and we are walking through our faith together. Part of the study tonight will speak of land that is still to be conquered. For us, though death has already been conquered, we exist and live in the great not-yet. There is still much for us to do as faithful believers. I encourage you to connect with your brothers and sisters in Christ that by being in community we may glorify the name of Christ and do the things set out in advance for us to do. I pray this study give you encouragement, a new piece of information, and a deeper walk with the Lord. Praise the Lord for this iron sharpening iron experience.
Last week we looked at chapters 11 and 12. We see in 11 the conclusion of the battles of Joshua and the land having rest from war. We focused greatly on the beginning of chapter 11 and spoke at length of the greatness of God seen in this final conquest. It was the biggest challenge for Joshua and Israel, yet God gave the author the least amount to speak on it. God was fully in control and was delivering the Promised Land to his people. The people were proving to be strong, courageous, and obedient. It was time for the people to inherit the land. We are then given the names and places defeated by Joshua and Moses, a reminder for us to make a point of remembering the victories God has given us. At this point in Joshua, we are leaving the bloody and incredible stories of battle and heading into the business of the Promised Land. Do not grow bored of these next chapters! Rather, be thinking of your own inheritance and how great that is, to be in the Father’s will. Let us look, then, at these chapters and break them down:
13:1-7 As mentioned in the introductory prayer, this first section speaks towards the land that is still to be conquered and surely is also part of the Promised Land from God. Although in the last study the author had made it seem as though the work was finished, we see now that the Israelites have more to accomplish. V. 6 shows that it is God who will drive these people out, as it is by his hand the rest of the land had been emptied. But God was allowing the Israelites to claim their inheritance.
13:8-13 Inheritance of Manasseh the Reubenites and Gadites. We see that ultimately, the people of this land were not driven out and live among the Israelites who inherited this land. This was against the will of God as it would cause problems later.
13:14 Inheritance of the tribe of Levi. It amazes me that this tribe’s inheritance was there position where they would offer sacrifices to the Lord.
13:15-23 Inheritance of the tribe of Reuben.
13:24-28 Inheritance of the tribe of Gad.
13:29-31 Inheritance of the tribe of Manasseh.
14:1-5 Serves as an introduction to the allotting of Inheritance to the rest of the tribes of Israel.
14:6-15 Caleb reminds Joshua of the promise made by Moses on behalf of God about the inheritance of Caleb and his descendants. He is granted the hill country of Hebron.
14:15 The chapter ends with “and the land had rest from war”. We are reminded that God is granting the people a time of peace.
Here are some closing thoughts we can take from this text:
Inheritance: We are heading into a section of Scripture in which we will be reading a lot about this or that tribe is inheriting this land. It may seem pointless and boring. And those names are so hard to read! But as we go through this, I want you to be considering your own inheritance that comes from being under the promise of Christ. The Israelites are finally entering into the Promised Land. We as the church have a greater hope in Christ, a promise not based in physical land but a spiritual kingdom whose fruits are tangible for us living amidst a broken world. Think and pray about God’s blessings in your own life.
The lot of Levi: While all the tribes of Israel are being granted land, God tells the tribe of Levi that their inheritance has already been given to them. They do not get land, but have been given the job of sacrificing to the Lord. We all like nice things. We all want a comfortable home, land sounds great. Would you trade a nice home in order that you could be a servant. Obviously, when we speak in Bible studies we say, “Of course”. After all, God calls us to be servants. But if someone gave you the option between the deed to a beautiful and rich property or a job in which you will offer sacrifices over a fire for God, that’d be tough. It is easy to do the work of God until it interferes with our lives. As soon as we are uncomfortable or inconvenient we back out. But this passage reminds us that part of our inheritance is doing the work of the Lord, and that means we won’t always be able to have these earthly treasures.
Faithfulness of Caleb: Caleb is remembered for the faithfulness he has shown over the time of Moses and Joshua. God grants Caleb the land of Hebron in the hills as a result. Some of you reading may feel like you have been a faithful believer for quite some time and have seen little fruit. The Promised Land was not known by Caleb for 85 years before he was able to see the fruit of his labors under God. Just because maybe you are not feeling God’s presence it does not mean he is not with you. And though you may not always feel blessed, surely there is reward for the faithful.