June 26, 2023
Big Idea
God's definition of success is faithfulness.
Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess." . . . Yet the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.
1 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess. 2 This is the land that yet remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites 3 (from the Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is counted as Canaanite; there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron), and those of the Avvim, 4 in the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the boundary of the Amorites, 5 and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath, 6 all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians. I myself will drive them out from before the people of Israel. Only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you. 7 Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”
8 With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh 1 13:8 Hebrew With it the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them: 9 from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland of Medeba as far as Dibon; 10 and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonites; 11 and Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah; 12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); these Moses had struck and driven out. 13 Yet the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.
14 To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no inheritance. The offerings by fire to the LORD God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to him.
15 And Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben according to their clans. 16 So their territory was from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland by Medeba; 17 with Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the tableland; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon, 18 and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath, 19 and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the hill of the valley, 20 and Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth, 21 that is, all the cities of the tableland, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses defeated with the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land. 22 Balaam also, the son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with the sword by the people of Israel among the rest of their slain. 23 And the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary. This was the inheritance of the people of Reuben, according to their clans with their cities and villages.
24 Moses gave an inheritance also to the tribe of Gad, to the people of Gad, according to their clans. 25 Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east of Rabbah, 26 and from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir, 2 13:26 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew Lidebir 27 and in the valley Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, having the Jordan as a boundary, to the lower end of the Sea of Chinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan. 28 This is the inheritance of the people of Gad according to their clans, with their cities and villages.
29 And Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was allotted to the half-tribe of the people of Manasseh according to their clans. 30 Their region extended from Mahanaim, through all Bashan, the whole kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities, 31 and half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. These were allotted to the people of Machir the son of Manasseh for the half of the people of Machir according to their clans.
32 These are the inheritances that Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. 33 But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the LORD God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them.
Do you ever let your circumstances keep you from following the Lord's commands? I know I do.
We are called to live for the Lord, to go and make disciples, but at times it can feel like our circumstances won't allow for that. In Joshua 13, the Lord shows us that our circumstances don't define us.
In our key verse, the Lord states that Joshua is very old, but regardless of his age, God still says there is more land to conquer. God implored Joshua to look past his old age and circumstances and obey. While Joshua may not have felt equipped as an old man, the Lord made it clear to him that his age did not define his purpose in God's kingdom.
This shows the way that our role as Christians is an ongoing one. We'll never be "done" with our work as believers, and the Lord's words to Joshua in this passage convey that limitations such as old age do not alter our need to follow the Lord's commands. That feels like an incredibly overwhelming idea, but I take solace in knowing that it does not come from my own strength, but instead from the Lord.
In Philippians 1:6 we see that, though our work as believers may not ever be "completed" on earth, one day it will be. Paul states, "[H]e who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ," which serves as a great encouragement to me, knowing that one day our earthly battles will be complete and result in eternal joy. This verse only emphasizes the importance of obeying God and living out His calling for us, unlike the Israelites who struggled to do so.
It's easy to get caught up in the difficulties of our own lives, sickness, loss, financial difficulties, and lose sight of what God has commanded. But in Joshua 13 the Lord encourages Joshua to persevere in the way that we all should, taking the focus off of our limitations and instead looking to what God has called us to do.
This month's memory verse
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1. What circumstances are you allowing to get in the way of what God has commanded? How can you avoid making excuses when it comes to your situations?
2. Where in your life do you see that there is "yet very much land to possess"? How can you move away from stagnancy and toward obedience?
3. What is the Lord commanding you personally and how can you best obey Him?
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Hugh Stephenson
Hugh Stephenson
Hugh Stephenson
Michael Sisson
Michael Scaman
Sue Bohlin
Amy Lowther