Archive for month: December, 2020

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 13:24-33.  Let’s go!

Joshua 13:24-33 (NIV) 
24  This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Gad, clan by clan:
25  The territory of Jazer, all the towns of Gilead and half the Ammonite country as far as Aroer, near Rabbah;
26  and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir;
27  and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth and Zaphon with the rest of the realm of Sihon king of Heshbon (the east side of the Jordan, the territory up to the end of the Sea of Kinnereth)…….

On verses 24-33:  Verses 24 to 28 describe the lands that Moses had allotted to the tribe of Gad, and then verses 29 to 32 describe the lands that Moses had allotted to half of the tribe of Manasseh.  But then verse 33 makes a contrast between what Gad and Manasseh got and what the tribe of Levi got.  Just as verse 14 did earlier, here verse 33 tells of how the tribe of Levi did not receive any land from Moses.  Instead the inheritance given to the tribe of Levi was that they got to be priests who enjoyed a special relationship and closeness to God.  As verse 33 says, “to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them.”

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 13:8-23.  Let’s go!

Joshua 13:8-23 (NIV) 
8  The other half of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites had received the inheritance that Moses had given them east of the Jordan, as he, the servant of the LORD, had assigned it to them. 
9  It extended from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and included the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon, 
10  and all the towns of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, out to the border of the Ammonites. 
11  It also included Gilead, the territory of the people of Geshur and Maacah, all of Mount Hermon and all Bashan as far as Salecah– ……

On verses 8-23:  These verses as well as verses 24-33 describe the land east of the Jordan River that was given to 2.5 Israelite tribes, namely, Reuben, Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. Moses had led the Israelites in conquering these lands, taking them from kings like Og king of Bashan (v12) and Sihon king of the Amorites (v10).  Verses 15 to 23 describe the lands allotted specifically to the tribe of Reuben.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 13:1-7.  Let’s go!

Joshua 13:1-7 (NIV) 
1  When Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the LORD said to him, “You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over. 
2  “This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and Geshurites: 
3  from the Shihor River on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite (the territory of the five Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron–that of the Avvites); 
4  from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians as far as Aphek, the region of the Amorites, 
5  the area of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath. 
6  “As for all the inhabitants of the mountain regions from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, that is, all the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out before the Israelites. Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have instructed you, 
7  and divide it as an inheritance among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh.”

On verses 1-7:  The Lord speaks to Joshua in his old age and tells him that there are still very large areas of land that the Israelites have yet to take over. After describing these remaining lands (v2-5), God promises to Joshua that He Himself will drive out the Sidonians living in the mountain regions (v6).  In other words, God would do this part without Joshua.  God tells Joshua to allocate this area to Israel, dividing it among the nine and a half tribes of Israel that would be living west of the Jordan (v7).

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 12:1-8.  Let’s go!

Joshua 12:1-8 (NIV) 
1  These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern side of the Arabah: 
2  Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge–from the middle of the gorge–to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites. This included half of Gilead. 
3  He also ruled over the eastern Arabah from the Sea of Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), to Beth Jeshimoth, and then southward below the slopes of Pisgah. ……

On verses 1-8:  In listing some of the kings and lands that the Israelites conquered, these verses show us how much each of Moses and Joshua accomplished from a military perspective.  It leads me to this question:  Do you ever feel like you’re living in someone else’s shadow? Do you often compare yourself, or do others often compare you, to someone you grew up with who accomplished great things? Maybe it was your sibling, your parent, your cousin, your spouse, a peer at school?

Joshua probably felt the burden of comparisons for a while. He was Moses’ assistant for many years.  When Joshua finally succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelites, he probably compared himself, and others probably compared him, to his predecessor Moses and wondered how he could possibly fill such big shoes.