Alrighty now. The
holidays are behind us and we have returned for our first week of Bible study,
and so it’s time for the weekly summary of our study lesson. Let’s see if I can remember how to do this!
Our study of the book of Joshua has moved from battles
and conquest to the division of the promised land among the tribes of the
Israelites. We began our look at Joshua
chapters 13 and 14 by reading entirely through chapter 13. Of course, reading through a chapter like
this is always such fun, with so many people and place names, and making sense
of where they are in relation to one another….
Haha, no, not really. This leads
me to the first quote from John Calvin which I shared related for this study:
“I again beg my readers to excuse me if I do not labor anxiously in describing the situation of towns, and am not even curious in regard to names.”
Our purpose in studying this chapter is not to gain a
working geographical knowledge of the real estate allocated to the tribes of
Israel, but to explore the faithfulness of our God, who brought them into the
land of their inheritance, just as he had promised.
We first explored this idea of inheritance a bit by
observing that that is indeed the term used to describe the land that God was
giving to the Israelites, and further learned that in the culture of their time
only a firstborn son was expected to receive an inheritance. We were sent to two different verses in the Old
Testament to learn how this applies to Israel.
“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Israel is my firstborn son…’” Exodus 4:22“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” Hosea 11:1
This clearly states that God considers Israel to be his
firstborn son, thereby qualifying Israel for the inheritance which the LORD is
giving them. As anyone who has read any
more of the Old Testament knows, Israel eventually proves to be an unfaithful
son to the LORD. The question is then
asked, who is God’s faithful Son and true heir?
The answer is, of course, Jesus, and we are sent for confirmation of
this to Matthew 3:16-17, “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up
from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a
voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
We are next reminded of what Paul wrote to the Galatian
church, “God sent his Son… to redeem those under the law, that we might receive
the full rights of sons… and since you are a son, God has made you also an
heir” (Ga 4:4, 5, 7b). Which leads to
the question, what is our inheritance as children of God? To find the answer we are sent to the sublime
passage of Revelation 21:1-4,7:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away… (and he who was seated on the throne said to me) “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”
What a glorious vision of the inheritance that lies in
store for all who are in Christ! As
heirs with him we shall live in the presence of God himself, where sin will
never again rear its head, and where we shall enjoy him fully in the splendor
of his holiness. No more tears, no more
death, no more mourning, crying, nor pain.
Perfect, glorious, luminous, fullness of joy in the presence of our
Savior is what awaits us. In Christ, we
have obtained this inheritance, and the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of it
until we acquire possession of it.
Already and not yet. Praise be to
God.
And now, even though we needn’t trace it all out on a map
for ourselves, we turn to consider what these detailed lists of places and
boundaries meant to the Israelites, given that these lands were their
inheritance. These were basically titles
to the land, actual real estate, that had been promised not only to them, but
to their forefathers as far back as Abraham, when, though he believed that the
Lord would give him a son, he couldn’t fathom how. Abraham’s descendants were now a nation of
millions of people and they had come through 400 years of slavery in Egypt, a
miraculous deliverance, another 40 years of wandering in the wilderness,
several years of warfare, and the time has come to take possession of the
promised inheritance. Call the
architect, choose paint colors, and figure out the landscaping, because, honey,
we’re moving in!
Have you ever waited for something for so long that when
it finally happens you can hardly believe it’s real? After nine long months of pregnancy, whether easy or miserable, when I held each of my babies for the first time it was almost unreal. Almost, numb, really. I imagine there must have been some of that
feeling going on with the people of Israel.
After all these years of wandering and warfare they are actually given
the deed to their property. After
generations of blood, sweat, and tears, chapter 14 ends with the simple
sentence, “And the land had rest from war.”
Here’s what it meant:
God kept his
promise.
At this point we are going to look a bit closer and pick
out one of the names mentioned among the conquered people listed in chapter
13. In verse 22 we read, “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.” Why, among lists of rulers of the slain
peoples, is this pagan diviner, who advised the Midianites in turning many
Israelites to idolatry, given special mention here? I’ll allow John Calvin to answer for us:
“…to make it still more clear that they (the Midianites) perished justly, it is told that among the slain was Balaam, by whose tongue they had attempted to wound the Israelites more grievously than by a thousand swords…”
As we have already observed in our study, the Lord God of
Israel considers idolatry to be the height of treason— adulterous, even. For the people of the Lord to be turned to
the worship of false gods would be worse than death in battle. Indeed, it is the very means by which the
nation ultimately falls. The one who
would tempt them away from their God is a foul enemy indeed, worthy of listing
among the defeated slain.
We now turn to chapter 14, noting first a change in the
line-up of tribes for the allocation of property. In verses 3 and 4 we read, “…Moses had given
an inheritance to the two and one-half tribes beyond the Jordan, but to the
Levites he gave no inheritance among them.
For the people of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And no portion was given to the Levites in
the land, but only cities to dwell in, with their pasturelands for their
livestock and their subsistence.” The
people of Israel consists of the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali,
Joseph, and Benjamin. In the division of
the land, however, Levi is not to inherit one single tract of property as the
rest do, and we don’t read anywhere of a tribe of Joseph, but of the tribes of
his two eldest sons.
In Genesis 48:5 we find the reason for Manasseh and
Ephraim taking their places in the nation of Israel rather than simply a tribe
of Joseph. Near the end of his life, the
time came for Jacob to give his blessing to his sons. But first, he asks Joseph to bring his two
sons to him. “And now your two sons, who
were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine;
Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.” And just like that, Jacob adopted Ephraim and
Manasseh, thus adding them—in place of their father— to the assembly of his
sons, placing them in line for an equal portion of inheritance with the
rest.
On the other hand, the tribe of Levi will not inherit a share of the land,
as had been made clear to them in the time of Moses, and we are reminded again
in this week’s reading.
“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 them… the LORD God if Israel is their inheritance…” Joshua 13:14, 33
The tribe of Levi had been consecrated to the
Lord as the firstfruits of the people, ordained to serve him in the Tabernacle
(and later, the Temple), wholly given to him, and therefore wholly dependent on
him. The rest of the tribes of Israel,
in bringing their own tithes and offerings, provided for the needs of the
Levites. The Levites, therefore could be
entirely focused on and devoted to their service to the Lord and to the
people. As John Calvin tells us:
“Although the sacrifices were not equally divided among the Levites, their subsistence was sufficiently provided for by all the firstfruits and the tithes. Moreover, as God allures them by hire to undertake the charge of sacred things, so he exhorts the people in their turn, to be faithful in paying the sacred oblations by declaring that their sacrifices are the maintenance of the Levites.”
I wonder if the fact that the Levites
were scattered throughout the entire land of promise, given towns within the
inherited properties of the rest of the tribes, served to keep them closer to
all the people who were supporting them materially. But also, remember, the function of the priesthood
was to stand between the people and their God, representing God to his people,
and the people to their God. If they
were segregated all to themselves, living only within a single portion of the
land, how could they sufficiently do this?
How could they know the people they were to be serving if they didn’t
live among them? (Brings to mind the
intent of the House of Representatives… doesn’t it?) But more vitally, how could they remind the
scattered and forgetful people of the promises of God and the grateful
obedience they justly owed him if they lived apart from them? If this is the case, then the fact that they
were not given their own parcel of land for an inheritance was a mercy to the
whole nation.
The next question in our study draws our
attention to the method by which the portions of land were matched with the
tribes to inherit them. In our day,
choosing something by lot, by a “throw of the dice” as it were, is to rely on
chance. “Lady Luck” gets the credit for
the outcome of the cards or dice, for making or breaking one’s fortunes. Yet this clearly is not how the Bible views
the use of the lot as described here in the book of Joshua. The Israelites are relying on the drawing of
the lot to show them God’s will in the matter before them, and their attitude
is clarified in the following Scripture passages:
“The lot is cast in the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” Proverbs 16:33“He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves.” Psalm 47:4“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” Psalm 16:5-6
The voices in our world which cry out
against belief in God would have us believe that our lives, indeed, the entire
universe, is governed by chance. To
believe that this universe, from the immensity of the planets and solar
systems, down to the minute fine-tuning of the physics on our planet to allow
the sustenance of life, is the result of unguided, undirected processes
requires a faith of the sort I do not possess. (*see note at the bottom of the post) Belief
that our lives are governed by chance only leads to despair. Rather, let’s place our faith in the Lord who
assures us with these comforting words:
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31
He holds our lot, indeed, in Christ, we
have a beautiful inheritance.
And now we turn to Caleb, who has
faithfully and patiently waited for more than 45 years for his promised
inheritance, after being one of the two spies (the other being Joshua) who gave
a faith-filled report of the promised land way back when the
Israelites first came to the border of Canaan (Numbers 13-14). In fact, as I re-read the account, Caleb did
most of the talking as Joshua backed him up!
Basically, it happened like this: the
ten spies said, “Giants in the land!” the crowd lost their minds, and Caleb and
Joshua said, “But God!”
As a reward for wholly following the
Lord, God promises Caleb then and there that he will be given the very land
that they had spied out. (Joshua was
rewarded with the leadership of the people after Moses death.) Fast forward to Joshua chapter 14 and Caleb
steps up to remind Joshua of the conversation concerning this promise, to which
Joshua may now be the only other living witness. Caleb had withstood the pressure of the other
ten spies and the overwhelming response of the crowd and held fast his belief
that God would deliver on his promise to drive their enemies out and settle
them in the land. He is now ready to go
into the very land that had so frightened the others, with the giants still in
residence and, with the help of his God, drive them out. Just listen to him:
“…behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. 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. 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 LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said.” Joshua 14:10b-12
Can’t you just see him beating his chest
as he speaks?! As he describes his
remaining strength and vigor and readiness for battle I can’t help but picture
a character from the movie, Braveheart (1995, directed by Mel Gibson, distributed by Paramount Pictures). Wallace’s
friend, Hamish, had a fighting-tough father who was on the front line of every
battle, and if he is struck with an arrow, then, by golly, pull it out and let’s
keep fighting! Don’t stand in Caleb’s
way, because he’s ready to get in there and claim his inheritance! Giants?
No worries— his God is bigger!
Which leads us to what may be an
uncomfortable question in our study.
Considering that Caleb is 85 years old and Joshua is at least that but
probably older, how do we view old age now?
Now, of course, there will be a variety of answers, but the Bible’s view
of old age is quite clear.
“You shall stand up before the gray head, and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:32“The righteous flourish like the palm treeand grow like a cedar in Lebanon.They are planted in the house of the LORD;they flourish in the courts of our God.They still bear fruit in old age;They are ever full of sap and green,to declare that the LORD is upright;he is my rock, and there isno unrighteousness in him.”Psalm 92:12-15“Gray hair is a crown of glory;it is gained in a righteous life.”Proverbs 16:31
In Scripture it is abundantly clear that
those who have reached old age are to be respected and given honor. The righteous are still fruitful in old age,
and their wisdom is worth seeking out.
This should be an encouragement to us to seek not merely to age “gracefully,”
but righteously and wisely. For much
more than I can say on this topic, please take the time to visit the website of
Tim Challies, where he has written a five-part series on Aging Gracefully, it
will be time well spent.
As we wrap up this lesson we are
encouraged to consider the promises of God to drive out the inhabitants of the
land, renewed in Joshua 13:6, along with his command in verse 7 for Joshua to
go ahead and divide the land, though unconquered, among the Israelites. God is telling his people that even as he was
with them for the conquest which is behind them, so he will still be with them
as they take possession and move in to the land. He is trustworthy and will continue to faithfully
fulfill his promise to them. They need
only to believe his promises and boldly step forward into the land of promise.
What promises in Scripture are
especially encouraging to you? There so are
many from which to choose, and, personally, different circumstances drive me to
different passages for encouragement.
And, as the apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “…all the
promises of God find their Yes in (Christ).
That is why it is through him we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”
*Thinking about the difference between
the arguments for creation of the universe by a good and wise God rather than
evolution by undirected processes gets me thinking about my favorite apologist
for Intelligent Design, Dr. Stephen Meyer.
The following links will take you to an interview at Socrates in the
City with Eric Metaxas, and a lecture he gave at the Ligonier Ministries
National Conference in 2012. Both are
worth watching, but give yourself time, the interview is 1 hour 25 minutes and
the lecture is 1 hour 3 minutes. Worth
every minute.
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