JOSHUA CHAPTER 16-19, “Inheritance
For Remaining Eight Tribes”
By
Jim Bomkamp
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. In our last study, we looked
at chapters 14 and 15 of Joshua.
1.1.1. In chapter 14, we saw that
before any of the tribes on the Canaan side of the Jordan River were allotted
their inheritance that Caleb first came before Joshua, initially as a
representative of the tribe of Judah, and then he requested the land for
himself that the Lord had promised to him and Joshua while the children of
Israel were still in the wilderness.
1.1.1.1.
The promise of a parcel of land for Caleb and his descendants was given
to Caleb, just in the same way that a parcel was promised to Joshua, because of
the 12 spies who initially were sent into the land of Canaan those two alone
had been faithful to the Lord and walked in faith. It was their reward.
1.1.1.2.
We saw from our text that Caleb was chomping at the bit, to receive his
inheritance promised to him, and we know that this is because Caleb had his
hopes and his sights all during those 38 years of wandering in the wilderness
set upon his inheritance in the land of Canaan.
He was living for another land and a grand inheritance, and thus his
hopes and dreams were not centered upon what he might be able to gain or own in
this world.
1.1.1.2.1.
We saw that we Christians too need to view our lives in this world as
being that of a stranger and an alien, for our true home and hope is reserved
in heaven for us as we await the return of Jesus for us.
1.1.1.3.
With Caleb asking for his inheritance to be allotted to him, we saw the
importance in our walk as Christians of asking the Lord in prayer for our
needs, and even our desires, and of stepping out and seeking to take possession
of this land that we have been given as our inheritance as Christians, all that
the scriptures tell usis ours “in Christ.”
1.1.1.4.
We saw that Caleb’s willingness to be bold enough to ask for his
inheritance inspired his own children, and that next his daughter asked for a
territory to be allotted to her.
1.1.1.5.
We saw that Caleb’s faith and zeal in the Lord was so great that even
though he was 85 years old, second oldest only to Joshua, that the land that he
desired for himself was the very land that would be the hardest to conquer in
the entire land of Canaan, that held by the Anakim (the race of giants), and
this was land that was in the hill country and would thus be the hardest to
conquer.
1.1.1.5.1.
We saw that it must have been exciting to be around a guy like Caleb
who because of his faith in the Lord was a risk-taker and always willing to
step out in faith and trust that the Lord would be with him and give him yet
another glorious victory.
1.1.2. In chapter 15, we looked at
the inheritance that was to go to the tribe of
1.1.2.1.
We saw that the Lord had directed the children of
1.1.2.1.1.
The bigger the numerical size of the tribe the bigger the portion of
land that was to be allotted to the tribe.
1.1.2.1.2.
Though Joshua was going to oversee and administrate the allotment of
lands to the various tribes of Israel, the Lord Himself would determine which
tribes would be allotted each territory for the choosing of the territories was
to be determined by the priests using “the lot.”
1.1.2.2.
We saw then that from the answers and choices that came for each tribe
coming from the Lord via the “lot” that many Christians have a very hard time
accepting their “lot” in life.
1.2. In our study today, we are
going to look at the inheritance that was to go to the remaining eight tribes,
and with these we will learn some valuable lessons.
1.2.1. Caleb was such a remarkable
man in so many ways, and in our study today we will consider him as being a
standard or role model that all of the other tribes should follow in going out
and now possessing their possession, that land that is to be allotted to them.
1.2.1.1.
We saw in our last study, that in Joshua 14:14 it was stated that
Caleb’s land was actually given to him as a reward for his faithfulness in
following the Lord “fully” in the wilderness after the children of Israel left
Egypt, “14 Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of
Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the Lord God of
Israel fully.”
1.2.1.1.1.
He and Joshua were the only two spies sent by Moses into the land of
Canaan who returned with the positive report, one which was based upon faith,
about how they ought to trust the Lord to give them victory over the enemies in
the land and go in and take possession of it.
1.2.1.1.2.
We noticed in our last study that all throughout those 38 years of
wandering in the wilderness that Caleb remained steadfastly focused upon the
reward to be given to him of a plot of land in that land that was flowing with
milk and honey. Because of this, Caleb
also remained steadfastly obedient in his service to the Lord.
1.2.1.1.3.
We even saw that Caleb told Joshua in Joshua 14:11 that he was just as
strong as he had been those 45 years before when they had first left the land
of Egypt. Caleb’s faithfulness in
keeping focused upon the Lord and the reward he would receive in the land, plus
his obedience, had led to him keeping all of his natural strength throughout
all of those years.
1.2.1.2.
In our previous study, we saw that not only did Caleb at age 85, the
second oldest in all of Israel, desire for himself the very hardest land to conquer,
the hill country around Hebron in which the Anakim (giants) lived, in Joshua
15:14-15 we saw that he also got busy and began conquering the enemies in his
territory, “14 And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak:
Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the children of Anak.15 Then he went up from
there against the inhabitants of Debir; now the name of Debir formerly was
Kiriath-sepher.”
1.2.1.2.1.
However, what we also learn from the study of the book of Joshua is
that Caleb was the only one of all of the tribes who gained an inheritance who
actually conquered all of the peoples in his land.
1.2.2. Now as we look at how the
land is going to be allotted to the rest of the tribes of Israel, as well as
how they went about conquering their possession in the land, we will see that
the story concerning the rest of the tribes becomes a story of how with
“attitudes of laziness and indifference” they went about receiving their
allotment as well as going to battle against the remaining inhabitants in the
lands that they are allotted.
1.2.2.1.
We already saw with Judah that in Joshua 15:63 that the tribe never
conquered the Jebusites who lived in the area of Jerusalem, and thus those
people were always a thorn in their side throughout their history, “63 Now
as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the sons of Judah could not
drive them out; so the Jebusites live with the sons of Judah at Jerusalem until
this day.”
1.2.2.2.
It appears to be the case that now that the strongholds of the enemy within
the land of Canaan had been conquered by the sons of Israel that rather than
pressing in and eradicating the rest of the enemies within the land, that the
children of Israel wrongly felt that this was a time to let up and relax, let
their guard down.
1.2.2.3.
Few of the tribes of
1.2.2.3.1.
There are few Christians whom you meet in life who really seem to be
allowing the Lord to have full control of their life and who are truly walking
in the power of the Holy Spirit.
1.2.2.3.2.
There are few that you meet for whom you can truly say that you see
more of Jesus in them than they themselves.
1.2.2.3.3.
There are few people in the church who truly have servant’s hearts and
can serve selflessly and faithfully without having the flesh come out and
express itself in their serving.
1.2.2.3.4.
There are few Christians who truly have allowed the Lord to develop in
their lives the fullness of the spiritual gifts that He desires to work in
them. This happens because of their lack
of desire to seek the Lord, to be used by the Lord, and to allow themselves to
be a true vessel and conduit of His love to this world.
2. VS 16:1-4 - “1 Then the lot for the sons of
Joseph went from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east
into the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel.2
And it went from Bethel to Luz, and continued to the border of the Archites at
Ataroth.3 And it went down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far
as the territory of lower Beth-horon even to Gezer, and it ended at the
sea. 4 And the sons of Joseph, Manasseh
and Ephraim, received their inheritance.” -
Chapter 16 begins by detailing for us the inheritance of the sons of
Joseph.
2.1. The tribe of Levi was not to
be given an allotment of territory for their inheritance because the Lord was
to be their inheritance, however we see in the scriptures that in order to keep
the number of tribes at 12 and because Joseph was a very faithful servant of
the Lord and steward of the things of God, that each of his sons Manasseh and
Ephraim received separate inheritances, and when the 12 tribes are listed in
the scriptures and Levi is missing that Manasseh and Ephraim take their place.
3. VS 16:5-10 - “5 Now this was the territory
of the sons of Ephraim according to their families: the border of their
inheritance eastward was Ataroth-addar, as far as upper Beth-horon.6 Then the
border went westward at Michmethath on the north, and the border turned about
eastward to Taanath-shiloh, and continued beyond it to the east of Janoah.7 And
it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, then reached Jericho and
came out at the Jordan.8 From Tappuah the border continued westward to the
brook of Kanah, and it ended at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe
of the sons of Ephraim according to their families,9 together with the cities
which were set apart for the sons of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of
the sons of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.10 But they did not
drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites live in the
midst of Ephraim to this day, and they became forced laborers.” - Joshua details for us the inheritance that
was to be allotted to the tribe of Ephraim
3.1. Note that their inheritance
was on the Canaan side of the
3.2. The verse to concentrate
upon is verse 10, where Joshua tells us that the Ephraimites did not drive out
the Canaanites who lived in
3.2.1. Because of slothfulness,
indifference, or whatever we see that they were content to allow the enemy to
have a certain foothold and amount of control in their territory.
4. VS 17:1-13 - “1 Now this was the lot for
the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the first-born of Joseph. To Machir the
first-born of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, was allotted Gilead and Bashan,
because he was a man of war.2 So the lot was made for the rest of the sons of
Manasseh according to their families: for the sons of Abiezer and for the sons
of Helek and for the sons of Asriel and for the sons of Shechem and for the
sons of Hepher and for the sons of Shemida; these were the male descendants of
Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.3 However, Zelophehad,
the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh,
had no sons, only daughters; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah
and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.4 And they came near before Eleazar the
priest and before Joshua the son of Nun and before the leaders, saying, “The
Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So
according to the command of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among their
father’s brothers.5 Thus there fell ten portions to Manasseh, besides the land
of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan,6 because the daughters of
Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons. And the
4.1. Now, we notice in this
allotment of land for the tribe of Manasseh, that part of the described
inheritance was on the wilderness side of the Jordan River, where also Reuben
and Gad had their inheritance, and that the other part of their inheritance was
on the Canaan side of the Jordan River.
4.2. Now, it is important at this
point for us to realize that in terms of total land mass that the tribe of
Manasseh by far had the largest territory of any of the tribes of Israel, and
that the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh combined had even a much greater
percentage of the land than any other of the tribes of Judah.
4.3. However, the tribe of
5. VS 17:14-18 - “14 Then the sons of Joseph spoke
to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion for an
inheritance, since I am a numerous people whom the Lord has thus far
blessed?”15 And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to
the forest and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites
and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”16
And the sons of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all
the Canaanites who live in the valley land have chariots of iron, both those
who are in Beth-shean and its towns, and those who are in the
5.1. In light of the fact that in
the previous verses (the first 13 verses of chapter 17) that we discovered that
the tribe of Manasseh had received by far the largest land mass of any tribe,
we realize that this request of the sons of Joseph was out of line and that
they must have had some corrupt motives in asking for it. We will see how the text brings out those
motives.
5.2. We saw in our last study
that Joshua would oversee and administrate the allotment of lands and that the
Lord had told them that there were to be two means for the tribes to receive
their allotment of land:
5.2.1. The larger the numerical
size of the tribe the more land that they were to receive.
5.2.2. The Lord was to determine
which lands each tribe received via the priests using the “lot.”
5.3. However, what we see here is
that the problem regarding the tribe of Joseph wasn’t that they hadn’t received
a large enough territory it was that they wanted more territory because the
enemy lived within their territory and they didn’t want to have to conquer him.
5.4. Now, Joshua himself was from
the tribe of Ephraim, so he could have unjustly showed favoritism to his own
tribe and simply given them more territory, however again showing how he
resembled the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom he is a type in scripture, he refused
any selfish motivations and was impartial in regard to them.
5.5. Joshua gives the sons of
Joseph a rebuke by saying to them in verse 15, “if you are a numerous
people.” The sons of Joseph were trying
to base their importance and their strength not upon their own zeal and faith
in the Lord, and willingness to be risk-takers and step out and apprehend the
promises of God for them, but rather upon their parentage as being sons of one
who had been so highly regarded and faithful to the Lord, Joseph. However, they had not the character or faith
of their patriarch Joseph.
5.6. In the church today, I have
run into a lot of people like these sons of Joseph who were wanting to have
more territory. The people I have known
want to have a greater ministry, more of a central role in the church in
leadership, perhaps to be sent out as pastors or missionaries. However, these people are not being faithful
where they are today.
5.6.1. They often aren’t being
diligent to study God’s word.
5.6.2. They often aren’t learning
to be being diligent as a prayer warrior.
5.6.3. They often aren’t being
diligent to allow themselves to be molded into the image of Jesus and self and
self-centeredness dominates their lives.
5.6.4. They often aren’t being
diligent to serve others and are usually very selective about when, where, and
how they are willing to serve.
5.6.5. They may say that they want
to be an evangelist, for instance, and go around and share and preach the
gospel, however they don’t share in their own workplace, neighborhood, and
sphere of family and friends.
5.6.6. Etc., etc., etc.
5.7. If we Christians desire the
Lord to use our lives, and we want to have more responsibility in ministry and
leadership, then we have to begin to allow the Lord to mold us, minister to us,
teach us from His word, and use our lives right where we are in our life and
world today.
5.8. The most amazing thing
happens to us as Christians if we will allow the Lord to do these things in our
lives. Doors for effective ministry open
up all over for us in ways and with people whom we never would have imagined it
would happen. Our life, you see, will
demand a greater influence and more responsibility for ministry.
5.9. The problem I am convinced
for us as Christians in being used in a greater way in ministries and in
people’s lives is simply the fact that right now we don’t have any greater
capacity to be used by the Lord. We have
to allow the Lord to do a work in ourselves so that we can have a greater
capacity for Him to use us, and again this means to:
5.9.1. Allow the Lord to mold us,
minister to us, teach us from His word, and use our lives right where we are in
our life and world today.
5.10.
The sons of Joshua liked the notion of having a greater territory
because of the associated thought of “bigger means better and more important,” however
they weren’t willing to pay the price to achieve it before the Lord. They wanted it to be handed to them. They were lazy, slothful, and indifferent to
the things of God in reality, but wanted to be a big-shot in God’s kingdom.
5.11.
There are several stories in the scripture that occurred after this
point in time which tell us that throughout their history that the tribes of
Manasseh and Ephraim were complainers and that they caused many problems for the children
of
5.11.1.
You can read stories pertaining to these tribes being a problem and
complaining after this point in time by going to:
5.11.1.1. They complained to Gideon in
Judges 8:1.
5.11.1.2.
Unspiritual Jephthah made the foolish vow in Judges 11:9,30,31.
5.11.2. In many instances throughout
the time that I have been serving in the church, it has come up in board
meetings how that the people who were discontent and grumbling and complaining about what was being done
in the church were people who either did almost nothing in serving in the
church and/or were people who did not give tithes and offerings to the
church.
5.12.
I fear for us Christians living in 21st century
5.12.1. A few years ago, I couldn’t
believe the article that I read in the newspaper that shows to what extent we
in the church in the
5.13.
How opposite were the sons of Joseph to the man Caleb who at the age of
85 desired for himself that portion in all of the land of Canaan that would be
the hardest for him to conquer. Then, he
immediately went to work riding his territory of every last one of its
inhabitants until all were eradicated.
5.14.
Joshua is tough and direct with the sons of Joseph and tells them that
if they want more land they will have to cut down the trees in the hill country
to make the room, and conquer the enemy that was within the land.
6. VS 18:1-10 - “1 Then the whole congregation of
the sons of Israel assembled themselves at Shiloh, and set up the tent of
meeting there; and the land was subdued before them.2 And there remained among
the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance.3 So
Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you put off entering to take
possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?4
“Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe that I may send them, and
that they may arise and walk through the land and write a description of it
according to their inheritance; then they shall return to me.5 “And they shall
divide it into seven portions; Judah shall stay in its territory on the south,
and the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north.6 “And you
shall describe the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to
me. And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God.7 “For the
Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the Lord is their
inheritance. Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh also have received
their inheritance eastward beyond the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the
Lord gave them. 8 Then the men
arose and went, and Joshua commanded those who went to describe the land,
saying, “Go and walk through the land and describe it, and return to me; then I
will cast lots for you here before the Lord in
6.1. The first thing that I
notice here is that the children of
6.2. However, here we see that
there is no explanation as to why they moved their camp and the tabernacle to
6.3. We see here that 7 of the
tribes were simply indifferent towards even going about getting their lands
allotted to them. We see that Joshua
quickly grew impatient with their hesitation to do anything to obtain their
possessions.
6.4. Joshua tells each of the
tribes to provide 3 men who will go throughout the remaining un-apportioned
land and create a map which divides up the land into 7 segments.
6.5. When the 3 men from each of
the tribes brought their maps to Joshua, he told them that he would then use
the “lot” for determining which of the tribes would possess each of the
remaining lands.
7. VS 18:11-28 - “11 Now the lot of the tribe
of the sons of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory
of their lot lay between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph.12 And their
border on the north side was from the Jordan, then the border went up to the
side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward;
and it ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven.13 And from there the border
continued to Luz, to the side of Luz (that is, Bethel) southward; and the
border went down to Ataroth-addar, near the hill which lies on the south of
lower Beth-horon.14 And the border extended from there, and turned round on the
west side southward, from the hill which lies before Beth-horon southward; and
it ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of
Judah. This was the west side.15 Then the south side was from the edge of
Kiriath-jearim, and the border went westward and went to the fountain of the
waters of Nephtoah.16 And the border went down to the edge of the hill which is
in the valley of Ben-hinnom, which is in the valley of Rephaim northward; and
it went down to the valley of Hinnom, to the slope of the Jebusite southward,
and went down to En-rogel.17 And it extended northward and went to En-shemesh
and went to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, and it went down
to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.18 And it continued to the side in
front of the Arabah northward, and went down to the Arabah.19 And the border
continued to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the border ended at the
north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the south
border.20 Moreover, the
8. VS 19:1-9 - “1 Then the second lot fell
to Simeon, to the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families, and
their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Judah.2 So
they had as their inheritance Beersheba or Sheba and Moladah,3 and Hazar-shual
and Balah and Ezem,4 and Eltolad and Bethul and Hormah,5 and Ziklag and
Beth-marcaboth and Hazar-susah,6 and Beth-lebaoth and Sharuhen, thirteen cities
with their villages;7 Ain, Rimmon and Ether and Ashan, four cities with their
villages;8 and all the villages which were around these cities as far as
Baalath-beer, Ramah of the Negev. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the
sons of Simeon according to their families.9 The inheritance of the sons of
Simeon was taken from the portion of the sons of Judah, for the share of the
sons of Judah was too large for them; so the sons of Simeon received an
inheritance in the midst of Judah’s inheritance.” - Joshua describes the lands given to the tribe
of Simeon via the “lot”
9. VS 19:10-16 - “10 Now the third lot came up
for the sons of Zebulun according to their families. And the territory of their
inheritance was as far as Sarid.11 Then their border went up to the west and to
Maralah, it then touched Dabbesheth, and reached to the brook that is before
Jokneam.12 Then it turned from Sarid to the east toward the sunrise as far as
the border of Chisloth-tabor, and it proceeded to Daberath and up to Japhia.13
And from there it continued eastward toward the sunrise to Gath-hepher, to
Eth-kazin, and it proceeded to Rimmon which stretches to Neah.14 And the border
circled around it on the north to Hannathon, and it ended at the valley of
Iphtahel.15 Included also were Kattah and Nahalal and Shimron and Idalah and
Bethlehem; twelve cities with their villages.16 This was the inheritance of the
sons of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.” - Joshua describes the lands given to the tribe
of Zebulun via the “lot”
10. VS 19:17-23 - “17 The fourth lot fell to
Issachar, to the sons of Issachar according to their families.18 And their
territory was to Jezreel and included Chesulloth and Shunem,19 and Hapharaim
and Shion and Anaharath,20 and Rabbith and Kishion and Ebez,21 and Remeth and
En-gannim and En-haddah and Beth-pazzez.22 And the border reached to Tabor and
Shahazumah and Beth-shemesh, and their border ended at the Jordan; sixteen
cities with their villages.23 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons
of Issachar according to their families, the cities with their villages.” - Joshua describes the lands given to the tribe
of Issachar via the “lot”
11. VS 19:24-31 - “24 Now the fifth lot fell to
the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families.25 And their
territory was Helkath and Hali and Beten and Achshaph,26 and Allammelech and
Amad and Mishal; and it reached to Carmel on the west and to Shihor-libnath.27
And it turned toward the east to Beth-dagon, and reached to Zebulun, and to the
valley of Iphtahel northward to Beth-emek and Neiel; then it proceeded on north
to Cabul,28 and Ebron and Rehob and Hammon and Kanah, as far as Great Sidon.29
And the border turned to Ramah, and to the fortified city of Tyre; then the
border turned to Hosah, and it ended at the sea by the region of Achzib.30
Included also were Ummah, and Aphek and Rehob; twenty-two cities with their
villages.31 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher
according to their families, these cities with their villages.” - Joshua describes the lands given to the tribe
of Asher via the “lot”
12. VS 19:32-39 - “32 The sixth lot fell to the
sons of Naphtali; to the sons of Naphtali according to their families.33 And
their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim and Adami-nekeb and
Jabneel, as far as Lakkum; and it ended at the Jordan.34 Then the border turned
westward to Aznoth-tabor, and proceeded from there to Hukkok; and it reached to
Zebulun on the south and touched Asher on the west, and to Judah at the Jordan
toward the east.35 And the fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer and Hammath,
Rakkath and Chinnereth,36 and Adamah and Ramah and Hazor,37 and Kedesh and
Edrei and En-hazor,38 and Yiron and Migdal-el, Horem and Beth-anath and Beth-shemesh;
nineteen cities with their villages.39 This was the inheritance of the tribe of
the sons of Naphtali according to their families, the cities with their
villages.”
- Joshua describes the lands given to
the tribe of Naphtali via the “lot”
13. VS 19:40-48 - “40 The seventh lot fell to
the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families.41 And the territory
of their inheritance was Zorah and Eshtaol and Ir-shemesh,42 and Shaalabbin and
Aijalon and Ithlah,43 and Elon and Timnah and Ekron,44 and Eltekeh and
Gibbethon and Baalath,45 and Jehud and Bene-berak and Gath-rimmon,46 and
Me-jarkon and Rakkon, with the territory over against Joppa.47 And the
territory of the sons of Dan proceeded beyond them; for the sons of Dan went up
and fought with Leshem and captured it. Then they struck it with the edge of
the sword and possessed it and settled in it; and they called Leshem Dan after
the name of Dan their father.48 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the
sons of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.” - Joshua describes the lands given to the tribe
of Dan via the “lot”
14. VS 19:49-50 - “49 When they finished
apportioning the land for inheritance by its borders, the sons of Israel gave
an inheritance in their midst to Joshua the son of Nun.50 In accordance with
the command of the Lord they gave him the city for which he asked,
Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. So he built the city and settled
in it.”
- Joshua tells us that the children of
14.1.
It has been pointed by many commentators how that the inheritance that
was given to Joshua showed something both about Joshua as well as the children
of
14.1.1. It showed how selfless
Joshua really was in that he was content with whatever was left over after all of the
other tribes received their inheritance.
In being selfless in this way, Joshua again acted as a type of Jesus
Christ.
14.1.2. I have read that this city
that was designated to Joshua was really not much of a place to own as might be
guessed since it was one of the leftovers after the tribes of
14.1.3. It showed how thoughtless
and insensitive God’s people can sometimes be to their leaders and servants in the church.
14.1.3.1.
I’ve seen this many times myself.
14.1.3.1.1.
A friend of mine who was on staff with Campus Crusade was asked by a
man to bring his family up to Alaska to do a summer project with a team of
college boys, and the man said that he would provide my friend’s family an
apartment to live in for the summer.
However, when my friend and his family arrived, the man took them to the
apartment and then proceeded to tell them that he wasn’t going to turn on the
electricity to the apartment because he believed that people serving in the
ministry ought to be making a vow of poverty.
14.1.3.1.2.
I have also known of a couple different men who faithfully served in a
church as a pastor for many years where the church had promised to take care of
them when they retired, however when they got too old to pastor any more the
church refused to take care of them.
They didn’t have lights or air conditioning for the whole summer in the
sultry weather of
15. VS 49:51 - “51 These are the inheritances
which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the
households of the tribes of the sons of Israel distributed by lot in Shiloh
before the Lord, at the doorway of the tent of meeting. So they finished
dividing the land.” - Joshua tells us that these
were all of the lands which were allotted to each of the tribes as they stood
in the doorway of the tabernacle there in
16. CONCLUSION:
16.1.
I would ask you today to ponder this man Caleb and seek to have him as the
role model for your life.
16.1.1. We have seen how Caleb had
such zeal for the Lord, let’s do whatever our hand finds to do for the Lord
with all of our might.
16.1.2. We have seen how Caleb was
steadfast in being faithful and obedient to the Lord, let’s be steadfast and
obedient to the Lord in our life and calling.
16.1.3. We have seen how Caleb was a
man who never lost his focus on the hope that was before him in that land that
was promised as his reward, and thus let’s not lose our focus on the
inheritance and rewards that we are to receive in heaven when the Lord returns
for us.
16.2.
I would ask you today to avoid the attitudes of laziness and
indifference which the remaining eight tribes displayed in our study by how
they procrastinated in even getting an allotment of land, and then in going
about conquering the people’s within their allotted territories.
16.3.
I would ask you today to allow the Lord to do the work in your life
that He is desiring to do today. He
wants to minister to you and perform in you that work that will give you that
extra capacity for being used in the way that the Lord desires to use you.
16.3.1. Let’s let the Lord have
“full” control of our lives today, and not leave a single enemy within the land
allotted to us.
16.3.2. Let’s let the Lord:
16.3.2.1.
Mold us into the image of Jesus.
16.3.2.2.
Make within us the heart of a servant,
16.3.2.3.
Work within our hearts all of the spiritual gifts that He wants to give
us and use through our lives.