{"id":13219,"date":"2020-12-25T21:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-12-26T04:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/joshua_13_1-7-copy\/"},"modified":"2020-12-20T15:57:49","modified_gmt":"2020-12-20T22:57:49","slug":"joshua_13_8-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/joshua_13_8-23\/","title":{"rendered":"The Treasure In Your Hands"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joshua 13:8-23\u00a0 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Joshua 13:8-23.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Joshua 13:8-23 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The 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\u00a0LORD, had assigned it to them.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0It 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,
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and all the towns of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, out to the border of the Ammonites.
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0It also included Gilead, the territory of the people of Geshur and Maacah, all of Mount Hermon and all Bashan as far as Salecah–
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0that is, the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had survived as one of the last of the Rephaites. Moses had defeated them and taken over their land.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But the Israelites did not drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance, since the offerings made by fire to the\u00a0LORD, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, as he promised them.
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Reuben, clan by clan:
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The territory from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and the whole plateau past Medeba
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0to Heshbon and all its towns on the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon,
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley,
\n20\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0–all the towns on the plateau and the entire realm of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled at Heshbon. Moses had defeated him and the Midianite chiefs, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba–princes allied with Sihon–who lived in that country.
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination.
\n23\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The boundary of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan. These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the Reubenites, clan by clan.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 8-23:\u00a0\u00a0These 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).\u00a0\u00a0Verses 15 to 23 describe the lands allotted specifically to the tribe of Reuben.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Make the most of every blessing.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Notice what verse 13 says:<\/p>\n

13\u00a0<\/em><\/sup>\u00a0But the Israelites did not drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.<\/em><\/p>\n

God had given the Israelites the land belonging to the people of Geshur and Maacah, but because the Israelites did not drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah from the land, the people of Geshur and Maacah continued to occupy the land.\u00a0\u00a0The lesson here is that when God blesses you with something, you want to take it over and use it fully.\u00a0\u00a0If you don\u2019t, others will take it over and use it, and you will have forfeited your use and enjoyment of that blessing.\u00a0\u00a0Is there a blessing, a talent, an opportunity that God has given you that you are not using to the fullest?<\/strong><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The greatest treasure in your hands is your relationship with God and your calling from Him.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Notice what verse 14 says about the inheritance given to the tribe of Levi:<\/p>\n

14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance, since the offerings made by fire to the\u00a0LORD, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, as he promised them.<\/em><\/p>\n

Whereas the other tribes of Israel got real estate, the tribe of Levi got something else: the Levites got to be the priests and worship leaders for all of Israel, representing all the other tribes before God.\u00a0\u00a0In addition, the offerings that the Israelites gave to the Lord by fire belonged to the tribe of Levi (Deuteronomy 18:1).\u00a0\u00a0For those of you who like owning land, you might think, \u201cLevi got the short end of the stick.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0But the Levites received a calling and a closeness with God that the other tribes did not get to enjoy (Numbers 16:9-10).\u00a0\u00a0The treasure of this kind of relationship with God was more valuable than any land the Levites could receive.<\/p>\n

Similarly, all of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ are called priests in God\u2019s kingdom: \u201cBut you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.\u201d (1 Peter 2:9)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As priests in God\u2019s kingdom, we have a calling and a closeness with God that is unique and qualitatively different from what the rest of the world has.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s a reminder that\u00a0the greatest treasure we will ever have in life is not our material possessions or the land that we own, but the calling and relationship with God that we get to have.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also, just as the tribe of Levi did nothing to earn this calling and relationship with God, so we did not earn this calling and relationship with God by our own good works; rather, it\u2019s because of God\u2019s special grace and mercy on our lives.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t put money over God and God\u2019s people.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Notice what verse 22 says:<\/p>\n

22\u00a0<\/em><\/sup>\u00a0In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Balaam was a sorcerer who practiced divination.\u00a0\u00a0In exchange for money from Balak king of Moab, Balaam on numerous occasions agreed to try to place a curse on the Israelites.\u00a0\u00a0However, God thwarted Balaam\u2019s attempts to curse the Israelites and turned his attempts to curse Israel into blessings spoken over Israel (Numbers 22).\u00a0\u00a0From then on Balaam would be known for his love of money (2 Peter 2:15).\u00a0\u00a0In the end Balaam\u2019s life came to a bloody end.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0You can either use money and love God and people, or you can love money and use God and people.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0If you use money and love God and people, your life will be blessed.\u00a0\u00a0If you love money and use God and people, you will end up living in regret.<\/p>\n

Heavenly Father, thank You for every blessing, talent and opportunity You have given me.\u00a0\u00a0May I not take them for granted or let them go to waste, but may I use them and enjoy them to the fullest.\u00a0\u00a0Thank You also that the greatest treasure I have is my relationships: first of all, my relationship with You, and secondly, my relationships with others.\u00a0\u00a0May I not prioritize money over my relationship with You.\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Joshua 13:8-23.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Joshua 13:8-23 (NIV)\u00a0
\n8\u00a0\u00a0The 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\u00a0LORD, had assigned it to them.\u00a0
\n9\u00a0\u00a0It 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,\u00a0
\n10\u00a0\u00a0and all the towns of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, out to the border of the Ammonites.\u00a0
\n11\u00a0\u00a0It also included Gilead, the territory of the people of Geshur and Maacah, all of Mount Hermon and all Bashan as far as Salecah–\u00a0……<\/p>\n

On verses 8-23:\u00a0\u00a0These 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).\u00a0\u00a0Verses 15 to 23 describe the lands allotted specifically to the tribe of Reuben.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13219"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13220,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13219\/revisions\/13220"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}