June 28, 2023

The Land and Its Boundaries

Joshua 15

Karrington Slaydon
Wednesday's Devo

June 28, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

June 28, 2023

Big Idea

God's definition of success is faithfulness.

Key Verse | Joshua 15:16-17

And Caleb said, "Whoever strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife." And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.

Joshua 15

The Allotment for Judah

The allotment for the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans reached southward to the boundary of Edom, to the wilderness of Zin at the farthest south. And their south boundary ran from the end of the Salt Sea, from the bay that faces southward. It goes out southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, passes along to Zin, and goes up south of Kadesh-barnea, along by Hezron, up to Addar, turns about to Karka, passes along to Azmon, goes out by the Brook of Egypt, and comes to its end at the sea. This shall be your south boundary. And the east boundary is the Salt Sea, to the mouth of the Jordan. And the boundary on the north side runs from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan. And the boundary goes up to Beth-hoglah and passes along north of Beth-arabah. And the boundary goes up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. And the boundary goes up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, and so northward, turning toward Gilgal, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the valley. And the boundary passes along to the waters of En-shemesh and ends at En-rogel. Then the boundary goes up by the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the southern shoulder of the Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem). And the boundary goes up to the top of the mountain that lies over against the Valley of Hinnom, on the west, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. Then the boundary extends from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and from there to the cities of Mount Ephron. Then the boundary bends around to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim). 10 And the boundary circles west of Baalah to Mount Seir, passes along to the northern shoulder of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), and goes down to Beth-shemesh and passes along by Timnah. 11 The boundary goes out to the shoulder of the hill north of Ekron, then the boundary bends around to Shikkeron and passes along to Mount Baalah and goes out to Jabneel. Then the boundary comes to an end at the sea. 12 And the west boundary was the Great Sea with its coastline. This is the boundary around the people of Judah according to their clans.

13 According to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the people of Judah, Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). 14 And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the descendants of Anak. 15 And he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir. Now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher. 16 And Caleb said, “Whoever strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife.” 17 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. 18 When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she got off her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” 19 She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.” And he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans. 21 The cities belonging to the tribe of the people of Judah in the extreme south, toward the boundary of Edom, were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25 Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27 Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet, 28 Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon: in all, twenty-nine cities with their villages.

33 And in the lowland, Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, Gederothaim: fourteen cities with their villages.

37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad, 38 Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah: sixteen cities with their villages.

42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah: nine cities with their villages.

45 Ekron, with its towns and its villages; 46 from Ekron to the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages.

47 Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; to the Brook of Egypt, and the Great Sea with its coastline.

48 And in the hill country, Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir), 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh: eleven cities with their villages.

52 Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior: nine cities with their villages.

55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah: ten cities with their villages.

58 Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon: six cities with their villages.

60 Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah: two cities with their villages.

61 In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, 62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, and Engedi: six cities with their villages.

63 But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive out, so the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.

S2:123 Joshua 15

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Joshua 15

Often, I'm tempted to skim through or skip over passages like this because I don't plainly see how its contents apply to my life today. However, the issue with this hesitancy is in my finite thinking rather than an issue with God's decision to reveal what He has. God tells us that every Word of Scripture is not only inspired but profitable for teaching (2 Timothy 3:16). He has something for us even in chapters such as this.

Joshua 15:1-12 traces the boundaries of the land the tribe of Judah inherited. The very boundaries the Lord promised to Abraham in Genesis 12. The very boundaries that point toward the fulfilment of Jacob's prophecy in Genesis 49. This specific land included the place that would become Jerusalem. When the Lord gave Judah this land, the people couldn't have known all that would transpire there. Especially the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ—the One who would atone for the sins of all people.

Joshua 15:20-62 describes the cities, villages, and regions occupied by the clans of the tribe of Judah. These clans were not just heirs of their fathers but heirs of God, denoting eternal connection. The inheritance the Lord gives the clans of Israel is a foreshadowing of an eternal inheritance that will last forever.

In the middle of the chapter, we find Caleb driving out the sons of Anak. Caleb then offered to give his daughter Achsah as a wife to the man who took the land of Kiriath-sepher, showing a father's loving concern for his daughter and fulfillment of God's command to Israel. Caleb's nephew, Othniel, responded to the challenge, took the city, and was given Achsah as a wife—showing that he, too, had a fearless confidence in God.

We see, however, that Othniel's victory is tempered by the notice in Joshua 15:63 that Judah didn't rid themselves of the Jebusites and thereby gain complete occupancy of the land. Despite all the blessings, this chapter ends in failure, showing us our need for a Savior who is better—an eternal Savior who is a complete fulfillment of God's promises.

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 Corinthians 15:58

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think the Israelites failed to fully obey the Lord?

2. When are you most tempted to take control and not fully trust the Lord's commands in your life?

3. What problems do you anticipate Israel's failure to obey completely the Lord's commands will cause for Israel in the future?

4. What does this passage teach us about the dangers of compromising our faith today?

5. Have you ever tried to catalog your blessings? Why not do so today? Write down as many good things as you can think of that God has given to you. Then use your list to thank and praise God.

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning Karrington! THANK YOU for all the ways you bless so many of the ministries you help support. Your skill and talents are a great gift to all of us. Q1. Why the Israelite Failure? Probably the same reason as my failure. My clue to this is the same as the success of Caleb- except I did not “wholly [follow] the LORD, the God of Israel”. Q2. This is a HAHA question…because the answer is I ALWAYS am tempted to take control. Q3. Their failure will cause big problems. It’s a 100% certainty. Achan’s action in Joshua 2 are a preview. Other previews are in the golden calf in Exodus 32, the failure of the spies in Numbers 12, & criticism of Moses in Numbers 20. As Ravi Zaccharias notes “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” The irony of this quotation being attributed to him is stunning. Q4. Does Satan want to make a fair deal? An armistice? Create a DMZ? Sign a treaty of non-aggression? God demands and commands purity for a reason. There is no compromise. Period. 100% of my failures are to be confessed to the LORD. If I am seeking to follow Him wholly then my sin should disgust me. It does. Proverbs 4:23 Q5. Great call Karrington. In my morning dog walk I regularly use that time for praise and gratitude. It’s a life changing exercise.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

What to make of this chapter? I see some of God primary attributes conveyed: -God is just. The inheritance was determined by casting lots, guaranteeing against favoritism. https://www.gotquestions.org/casting-lots.html -God is sovereign. He calls me into partnership with Him, (Genesis 1:26-28). Joshua, Eleazer and the heads of the tribes are called and assigned to this task. https://www.gotquestions.org/creation-mandate-cultural.html "The people of God are not called to act on their own initiative and desire, nor to set their own goals. God has set the goals and issues the commands which lead to their achievement." https://www.gotquestions.org/Eleazar-in-the-Bible.html https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Joshua.html -God is faithful. He makes promises and keeps them. Caleb gets His land just as promised. His faithfulness and fearlessness is rewarded materially and eternally. -God gives me examples from which I can draw hope; Joshua and Caleb -God is about love, not war. He hates sin and will drive it out. He tells us how sin enables Satan to steal, kill, and destroy, (John 10:10, Genesis 4:7, Numbers 32:23). -God will not save me from the consequences of my sin. Judah’s turn to leadership and his faithfulness are rewarded for many generations. The consequence of Simeon’s sin and rebellion is a generational one also. https://www.gotquestions.org/Judah-in-the-Bible.html https://www.gotquestions.org/tribe-of-Judah.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Simeon-in-the-Bible.html https://www.gotquestions.org/tribe-of-Simeon.html
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Sue Bohlin

Thanks so much, Karrington! I liked finding this insight from Dr. Constable: "Acsah’s request for the springs is reminiscent of Rebekah’s meeting with Isaac (Gn. 24:61-67) in which she also (1) approaches riding on an animal; (2) descends; (3) makes a request; and (4) receives the desired result from the person whom she approaches. Both accounts involve an inheritance of the blessing that God had promised to Abraham. This is probably the reason for the inclusion of this particular note.” The fact that Acsah is a woman matters because of how little status women had in that culture, but women have always been influencers--by the design and pleasure of God, I think. The challenge is to use our influence for good and for service and not for self-serving. This story reminds me of a word of wisdom I heard some years ago that I have repeated to countless people: healthy people ask for what they want and need. Healthy people don't resort to manipulation to get what they desire. That's what Acsah did, bless her heart. Good on her!
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Michael Scaman

Othniel would become the first Judge. His brother rubbing off on him would make him a good judge. Since Othniel was brother of Caleb who was 85 I'm wondering how old Othniel was? In that culture I suppose an older man marrying a younger wife was ok. Ashcish was a bit assertive and diplomatic 'give me a blessing' and how could her father turn her down. She recognized a problem. The land of negeb probably pretty dry. Negev (sometimes translated Negeb ) is derived from the Hebrew root "dry land." Springs would definitely be needful .
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Amy Lowther

1. The Israelites would not be as powerful if they listened to the Lord. 2. Currently, I trust the Lord a whole lot. 3. The Israelites will have less peace. 4. It’s best to not compromise faith. It’s best to follow the Lord. 5. No, but that sounds like a great idea. God has blessed me with a new job that has great opportunities to offer others. Prayer: God thank you for blessing me with a new job filled with great opportunities and great people. May we listen to you and make healthy decisions. Amen.
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Mattie Louise Lata

Correct me if I’m wrong but I think Othniel was Calebs’ nephew-his father ‘Kenez’ was Calebs’ brother? Yes it’s so good that God Is Sovereign in all the affairs of men !