Known By What He Did

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 15:20-44.  Let’s go!

Joshua 15:20-44 (NIV) 
20  This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, clan by clan: 
21  The southernmost towns of the tribe of Judah in the Negev toward the boundary of Edom were: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 
22  Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 
23  Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 
24  Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, ……

On verses 20-44:  Here we start to get a list of the towns and villages that were included in the southlands and western foothills given to the tribe of Judah.   While some of these towns are only ever mentioned here in Joshua 15 and not anywhere else in the Bible, other towns would become famous because of what David would later do in these towns.  For example, when King Saul was on a hunt to kill David, David went into hiding in the Desert of Ziph (v24; see 1 Samuel 23:14).  When running away from Saul, David found favour with the Philistines and was given control of the town of Ziklag (v31), which at the time was under Philistine control (1 Samuel 27:6).   When Keilah (v44) was under attack by the Philistines, David inquired of the Lord and then went with his men to rescue Keilah (1 Samuel 23:1-5).

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Ask Big, Dream Big

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 15:13-19.   Let’s go!

Joshua 15:13-19 (NIV) 
13  In accordance with the LORD’s command to him, Joshua gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah–Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) 
14  From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites–Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai–descendants of Anak. 
15  From there he marched against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). 
16  And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” 
17  Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. 
18  One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?” 
19  She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

On verses 13-19:  I get a kick out of watching Caleb and his family.  Not once but twice (once in Joshua 14 and again here in Joshua 15), the book of Joshua describes how land is being distributed to the various tribes of Israel when this very formal process seems to be informally interrupted by Caleb and his family suddenly appearing and asking for land.  

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Make the Most of What You’ve Been Given

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 15:1-12.  Let’s go!

Joshua 15:1-12 (NIV) 
1  The allotment for the tribe of Judah, clan by clan, extended down to the territory of Edom, to the Desert of Zin in the extreme south. 
2  Their southern boundary started from the bay at the southern end of the Salt Sea, 
3  crossed south of Scorpion Pass, continued on to Zin and went over to the south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it ran past Hezron up to Addar and curved around to Karka. 
4  It then passed along to Azmon and joined the Wadi of Egypt, ending at the sea. This is their southern boundary. ……

On verses 1-12:  Having allotted land east of the Jordan River to 2.5 tribes of Israel (Joshua 14:1-5), here starting in Joshua 15 we read of how Joshua divided the land west of the Jordan River among the remaining 9.5 tribes of Israel.  We start with the tribe of Judah in verses 1-12.  According to historians, Judah, being the largest tribe in Israel, received the largest portion of the promised land.   Notice that the land given to Judah was flanked on different sides by water (for example, its eastern boundary was the Salt Sea (v5), its northern boundary was the bay at the mouth of the Jordan River (v5), and its western boundary was the “Great Sea”, or the Mediterranean Sea (v12)).  However, the land also had its share of deserts, like the Desert of Zin in verse 1.   The land had plenty of mountains and hills (v9-11) and also many valleys (v7-8). 

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To Follow the Lord Wholeheartedly, You Need to Do These 2 Things

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 14:10-15.  Let’s go!

Joshua 14:10-15 (ESV) 
10  And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. 
11  I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. 
12  So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORDwill be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said.” 
13  Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 
14  Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel. 
15  Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba. (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.) And the land had rest from war.

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How to Be Uncommonly Blessed

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 14:1-9.  Let’s go!

Joshua 14:1-9 (NIV) 
1  Now these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel allotted to them. 
2  Their inheritances were assigned by lot to the nine-and-a-half tribes, as the LORD had commanded through Moses. 
3  Moses had granted the two-and-a-half tribes their inheritance east of the Jordan but had not granted the Levites an inheritance among the rest, ……

On verses 1-9:  The previous chapter (Joshua 13) described the lands east of the Jordan River that would belong to two and a half tribes of Israel (Reuben, Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh).  Now here in Joshua 14, attention turns to the lands west of the Jordan River that would belong to the remaining nine and a half tribes of Israel.  Before describing in detail how the lands west of the Jordan would be divided among the nine and a half tribes, Joshua 14 first notes three important facts that would affect how the land west of the Jordan would be divided:

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Your Forever Inheritance

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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.”

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The Treasure In Your Hands

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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.

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The Story Will Continue

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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).

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Kings to Conquer

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 12:9-24.  Let’s go!

Joshua 12:9-24 (NIV) 
9  the king of Jericho, one the king of Ai (near Bethel), one 
10  the king of Jerusalem, one the king of Hebron, one 
11  the king of Jarmuth, one the king of Lachish, one 
12  the king of Eglon, one the king of Gezer, one 
13  the king of Debir, one the king of Geder, one 
14  the king of Hormah, one the king of Arad, one …….

On verses 9-24:  What can we learn from this list of 31 kings that Joshua and the Israelites defeated?    As I look at this list of conquered kings, I am reminded that we all have certain kings to conquer in our lives.  Maybe it’s a king called worry, a king called laziness, a king called pride, or self-centeredness? Maybe it’s the king of negativity and complaining? Maybe it’s the king of jealousy or bitterness?  Which king poses the biggest threat to you at this time?

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Don’t Get Caught Up In Comparisons

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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.

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