Joshua 13-14

Thursday Evening Bible Study

April 7, 2011

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision

The major battles involving the twelve tribes of Israel are winding down. There will be smaller battles that the individual tribes themselves will face, but the big battles are done.

We now begin the process of dividing up the conquered land among the twelve tribes.

Note: We are going to be seeing a lot of names of places. I will not try and stop and talk about each one – but one of the things I like to do when I’m reading through my Bible and I come to passages like this – I like to test myself and see how many of the places I recognize. I look for the places I know. We’ll try to do that as we go…

Joshua 13 – Eastern Tribes

13:1-7 Land remaining

:1 Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the LORD said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.

:1 You are old

Joshua lived to be 110 years old. He might be 100 years old here.

:2 This is the land that yet remains: all the territory of the Philistines and all that of the Geshurites,

:3 from Sihor, which is east of Egypt, as far as the border of Ekron northward (which is counted as Canaanite); the five lords of the Philistines—the Gazites, the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites;

:3 the five lords

As you’re reading your Bible, these will become familiar enemies of Israel, particularly during the days of King Saul and King David, about four hundred years later.

(see map) The names of the cities are: Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkalon, Gath, and Ekron

:4 from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians as far as Aphek, to the border of the Amorites;

:5 the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath;

:6 all the inhabitants of the mountains from Lebanon as far as the Brook Misrephoth, and all the Sidonians—them I will drive out from before the children of Israel; only divide it by lot to Israel as an inheritance, as I have commanded you.

:7 Now therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”

:7 half the tribe of Manasseh

Manasseh is often referred to in these sections as a “half tribe”. It’s confusing because Manasseh is a “half tribe” in several aspects.

Technically, Manasseh is half of the tribe of Joseph, but that’s not the point here.

Here, the point is that half of the tribe of Manasseh will settle on one side of the Jordan River, half will settle on the other side.

:2 the land that yet remains

Even though Joshua conquered the majority of the land we call Israel, there were still places yet to be conquered.

(see map). The areas in the south were where the Philistines were. To the north was the Phoenicians. Geshur is in the northeast.

Lesson

There’s more work to do

There are promises that God has for you, things that He considers are your property, but things that you haven’t yet quite taken possession of.

Peter talks of God having given us “all things”

(2 Pe 1:3 NKJV) as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue

God has “given to us all things” that we need for life.

Paul talks about God having …

(Eph 1:3b NKJV) blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Yet if we’re honest, some of these “blessings” aren’t exactly in our lives right now. Maybe they’re stuck in heaven. How are you doing with that “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness …” stuff?

Peter, after telling us that we’ve been given “all things”, goes on to tell his readers that they still have some work to be done:

(2 Pe 1:5–8 NKJV) —5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In reality, there’s lots of room to grow.

A problem we run into as Christians is to begin to think that we’ve “arrived”. We can begin to think that we’ve gotten as far as anybody can get.

Illustration

Signs you’ve arrived:

1. The sermons are predictable. You’ve heard all his illustrations, twice.

2. I know all the songs. The worship leader keeps picking out the same songs over and over and over.

3. I know the Bible. Whenever you pick up your Bible, nothing new ever jumps out at you.

Be careful here. These aren’t signs you’ve “arrived”. These are signs that you’ve “stalled”.

I know that at my age, I’ve learned a lot of things.

I look at people half my age and can sometimes see the mistakes they’re making because I’ve made those same mistakes many, many, many times.

But from time to time I become painfully aware of how much farther I have to go.

A few weeks ago, one of my daily email devotionals I subscribe to (Tozer) began a month long emphasis on prayer. Each day the devotional starts out with the same paragraph:

“To pray successfully is the first lesson the preacher must learn if he is to preach fruitfully; yet prayer is the hardest thing he will ever be called upon to do and, being human, it is the one act he will be tempted to do less frequently than any other.”

I have a long way to go.

In the last week I’ve had to make a couple decisions as the pastor of the church, and even though I hope I’ve eventually come to the right decision, I pity the people who are along for the ride with me – I’m not the best leader in the world – far from it. I have a lot to learn.

Frankly, sometimes it seems like the things God wants us to do are just too big, too impossible.

Play “Airplane Building ” clip

Does it ever seem to you like you’re trying to do the impossible?

The good news is that God promises to help us to take possession of these things (“them I will drive out…”)

Some of my favorite verses along these lines (these are “keepers”):

(Php 1:6 NKJV) being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

God is not going to stop working in us until the day we see Jesus.

(1 Th 5:24 NKJV) He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

God is faithful. He’ll help us.

(Php 2:13 NKJV) for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

God works in our lives to give us the desire to do the right thing as well as the power to help us do it.

13:8-14 Eastern Land Divided

(don’t forget to look for names you might recognize)

:8 With the other half-tribe the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses had given them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the LORD had given them:

:9 from Aroer which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and the town that is in the midst of the ravine, and all the plain of Medeba as far as Dibon;

:10 all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the border of the children of Ammon;

:11 Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salcah;

:12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants; for Moses had defeated and cast out these.

:13 Nevertheless the children of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maachathites, but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.

:14 Only to the tribe of Levi he had given no inheritance; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as He said to them.

Recognize any names???

:13 Geshurites

Geshur is just east of the Sea of Galilee

One of King David’s wives was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai the King of Geshur. Their son was Absalom. (2Sam. 3:3). Guess where Absalom ran to the first time he got into trouble with dad? Geshur.

(2 Sa 3:3 NKJV) —3 his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur;

13:15-23 Reuben’s Land

:15 And Moses had given to the tribe of the children of Reuben an inheritance according to their families.

:15 Reuben

Reuben was the firstborn son of Israel, so it’s kind of appropriate that his tribe was listed first as the land is being divided up.

:16 Their territory was from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the ravine, and all the plain by Medeba;

:17 Heshbon and all its cities that are in the plain: Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon,

:17 Heshbon

The capital of Sihon’s kingdom

:18 Jahaza, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

:19 Kirjathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the mountain of the valley,

:20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth—

:20 Pisgah

The mountain where Moses caught a glimpse of the Promised Land.

:20 Beth Peor

This is the same as Baal-peor (“lord of the cleft”), now known as Beth Peor (“house of the cleft”).

I’m guessing that someone famous used to live here who was known for their cleft chin, perhaps someone like Kirk Douglas… J

Do you remember the story back in Numbers 25 where the young Moabite and Midianite girls came into the Israelite camp and tempted the Israelite men into having sex with them and worshipping their god Baal Peor?

It ended poorly for Israel with a plague that killed 24,000 people.

It was all done at the counsel of that “rent-a-prophet” named Balaam.

Lesson

The past is behind

The blessings of living in conquered territory

It is no longer called “Lord of Peor”, but “House of Peor”.

The Baal influence is gone (for now).

Paul wrote,

(Php 3:13 NKJV) Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

It's a wonderful thing when the things of your old life are no longer the threat they used to be.

For some of you, this is the challenge ahead of you, to let God conquer those enemies for you.

:21 all the cities of the plain and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses had struck with the princes of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, who were princes of Sihon dwelling in the country.

:22 The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, among those who were killed by them.

:22 Balaam

Balaam didn’t escape the judgment of God for his part in Baal Peor. He was killed as Israel conquered the land.

:23 And the border of the children of Reuben was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben according to their families, the cities and their villages.

:23 the inheritance of the children of Reuben

(see map) Their land was the southernmost tribe on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

13:24-28 Gad’s Country

I found out on the internet that this is located in Colorado – oops, that’s “God’s Country”.

For time’s sake, I’ll just show you the map and we’ll skip vs. 24-28

:24 Moses also had given an inheritance to the tribe of Gad, to the children of Gad according to their families.

:25 Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer, which is before Rabbah,

:26 and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir,

:27 and in the valley Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, with the Jordan as its border, as far as the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth, on the other side of the Jordan eastward.

:28 This is the inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families, the cities and their villages.

:28 This is the inheritance of the children of Gad

(see map) Their land was the in the middle of the land on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

13:29-33 Manasseh’s Land

:29 Moses also had given an inheritance to half the tribe of Manasseh; it was for half the tribe of the children of Manasseh according to their families:

:30 Their territory was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair which are in Bashan, sixty cities;

:31 half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, for half of the children of Machir according to their families.

:29 an inheritance to half the tribe of Manasseh

(see map) Their land was the northern section on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

:30 their territory

Lesson

Knowing the boundaries

We’re going to be going through CHAPTERS of this stuff.

Why describe all this stuff?

These are like those legal documents describing the exact plot your house is sitting on.

This is the legal document that settles disputes.

There will be a time during the life of Jephthah (Judg 11) when the Ammonites will make war against Israel because they claimed that Israel took away all their land.

They were claiming the land that is described as having been given to these very tribes.

In life, it is kind of important to know where your “boundaries” are.

Have you ever had someone invade your “personal space”?

It’s that person that stands too close to you. It’s worse when they have bad breath.

Don’t you wish they had learned proper “boundaries”?

When you’re working with other people, it’s important to know where the boundaries are.

It’s not fun when someone starts doing your job for you – if it’s a job you like to do.

It’s not fun when another salesman starts making calls in your territory.

In our relationships, it’s important to know the “boundaries”

Some people won’t accept their responsibilities. They keep expecting other people to bail them out financially. They keep coming to you for help, but the truth is they need to learn their boundaries.

:32 These are the areas which Moses had distributed as an inheritance in the plains of Moab on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho eastward.

:32 on the other side of the Jordan

I hear a lot of us preachers talk about these 2 ½ tribes as if they are a picture of the carnal Christian. They come close to the Promised Land, but don’t choose to settle there.

The problem I have with this is that I’m not sure that God is unhappy with these tribes settling on the east of the Jordan.

Moses’ only concern for these tribes was that they help the other tribes conquer the land west of the Jordan, which they did.

:33 But to the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as He had said to them.

:33 Levi … the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance

We’ll see that the tribe of Levi will be different from the other tribes.

The other tribes will get a defined territory.

The Levites would be given cities to live in and pasture lands around the cities, but that was only for basic living needs. They didn’t get the large possessions of land like the other tribes.

Instead, God said their main support would be through their portion of the sacrifices from God’s altar.

Lesson

Where’s your treasure?

God said something similar to Abraham:

(Ge 15:1 NKJV) After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

I’d have to say that the Levites had the better deal.

We have the same deal.

It’s not just the things that God gives us that are good.

It’s God Himself. He is our inheritance.

Joshua 14

14:1-5 Western Land Divided

:1 These are the areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed as an inheritance to them.

:1 Eleazar … Joshua …and the heads

Sounds like a punk rock band.

These are going to be the chief guys involved in setting up of the tribal boundaries for the “western” tribes.

Eleazar was the high priest at the time, the head of the religious community.

Joshua was in charge of everything.

The heads of the tribes are there to represent the tribes.

:2 Their inheritance was by lot, as the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes and the half-tribe.

:2 inheritance was by lot

They would decide who got what by the casting of lots, kind of like rolling dice.

According to Jewish tradition, the names were drawn randomly from one urn, while the territories with their borders were drawn from a different urn.

As haphazard as this sounds, God used it to make sure His plan came about.

(Pr 16:33 NKJV) The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.

It also was one way of impartially making decisions. Nobody could complain that Joshua was playing favorites.

(Pr 18:18 NKJV) Casting lots causes contentions to cease, And keeps the mighty apart.

:3 For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe on the other side of the Jordan; but to the Levites he had given no inheritance among them.

:4 For the children of Joseph were two tribes: Manasseh and Ephraim. And they gave no part to the Levites in the land, except cities to dwell in, with their common-lands for their livestock and their property.

:5 As the LORD had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did; and they divided the land.

:4 the children of Joseph were two tribes

This explains how the tribe of Levi doesn’t get a portion, yet the land is still divided into twelve parts.

Because of Joseph's faithfulness, his father Jacob gave him the position of "firstborn son", and hence he would get a double portion of the inheritance. (Gen.49:26; 48:22)

When Joseph brought his two sons (Manasseh and Ephraim) to Jacob to be blessed, Jacob made each of them as equal to their uncles, hence they each became a tribe.(Gen.48:5)

14:6-15 Caleb’s Inheritance

As Joshua and his team are getting ready to divide up the land, Joshua sees an old friend standing at the front of the line…

:6 Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: “You know the word which the LORD said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea.

:7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart.

:8 Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God.

:6 you and me in Kadesh Barnea

Caleb is going to take his old friend Joshua on one of those sentimental journeys, going back 45 years.

At that time, Joshua was about 60 years old and Caleb was a mere 40.

Joshua and Caleb (Num. 13) were among the twelve spies sent out to survey and report back on the “Promised Land”.

They had good news and bad news.

Good news: it was a land flowing with milk and honey.

Bad news: There were giants in the land. The other spies were confident that the Israelites would not be able to defeat the giants (even though the Dodgers just did).

Lesson

Positive faith

Caleb’s advice was not like the other spies:

(Nu 13:30 NKJV) Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

You’re going to see that Caleb was a man who had a strong faith in what God could do. He was positive that God was able to help them.

Illustration

This Is Good!

I heard the story told recently about a king in Africa who had a close friend that he grew up with. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, “This is good!” One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!”. To which the king replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and proceeded to send his friend to jail. About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way. As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. “You were right” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. “And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.” “No,” his friend replied, “this is good!” “What do you mean, ‘this is good’! How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year.” “If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you.”

Caleb was “positive” that it was good, that God would help them defeat even the giants.

:9 So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’

:10 And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.

:10 eighty-five years old

This gives us an idea as to how long it took to conquer the land of Canaan. It took them five years.

:11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.

:12 Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said.”

:13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.

:14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.

:15 And the name of Hebron formerly was Kirjath Arba (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim). Then the land had rest from war.

:12 give me this mountain

When the spies were sent out, apparently they all went in several groups, and in various directions.

That's how twelve guys were able to cover the entire area of land in forty days on foot.

Caleb was promised by God through Moses that he would inherit the portion of land that he had individually spied out.

(Nu 14:24 NKJV) But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.

Apparently, one of the places that Caleb personally had spied out was the city of Hebron.

Hebron was known as a city of giants.

In fact, in the report sent back from the spies, the only giants that the spies specifically identify are those living in the city of Hebron.

When they went through the land, it was recorded that they went through Hebron, and saw the giants, the sons of Anak.

(Nu 13:22 NKJV) —22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

The descendants of Anak, the “Anakim”, were the giants.

It's not that there weren't any other giants, but the ones in Hebron are the only ones we know they saw. In other words, Caleb is the only spy we know that definitely saw the giants.

Isn’t it interesting that of all the places to choose, Caleb picks Hebron?

He asks for the giants.

Lesson

Facing the giants

Sometimes there are things in our lives that just seem to be too difficult.

We are facing a “giant”.

Play “Facing the Giants – Death Crawl”

I found it interesting when the coach blindfolded Brock how much better he did.

It’s an example of what “faith” is all about. Faith is learning to trust in something or someone that you “don’t see”.

We tend to do better when we learn to trust God despite what we “see”.

When faced with giants, I need to find out:

Has God called me to do this? He’s my “coach”.

There is always a possibility that God's trying to stop you.

But if God has called you, and if there are still negatives, let the negatives just drive you closer to the Lord, because that's where your victory will come from.

(2 Co 12:7–10 NKJV) —7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul knew that when it looked like he wasn’t strong enough to face something, when the giants looked overwhelmingly large, then it was time for God’s strength to be even greater, and a time for Paul to learn to trust even stronger in the Lord.