Living in the Promised Land: A study in the book of Joshua
A 24-week series given in 2021
To view this online as a video:
Lesson Thirteen: Inheritance lessons
A. Introduction
1. Greetings
2. Overview. [For those online, see this book overview from The Bible Project (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOqJlFF_eU )
B. Today’s lesson: Chapter 13: Inheritance lessons
Today we start the third section of the book of Joshua, this time entitled “Possessing the Land.” We have already entered the land and last week concluded the second section labelled “Taking the land.” Now we start section 3. And today I want to share with you three lessons from the inheritance reading of chapter 13. It may seem like a history lesson, one with Joshua, the hero, turning about 90 years old as the Jewish people finish taking possession of the land, but seriously, have you watched the news the last fortnight? Israel/ Palestine/ war/ rumours of cease fire. The subject of territory and possession, of military conquests and rights and wrongs… it’s very much in the news. By saying that, I’m telling you that I believe the lessons we see unfolding in the Bible are still valid for us and the principles are useful for us in living our lives in 2021 and beyond.
This chapter divides into two sections. First the setting.
Joshua is old and advanced in years.
זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים
When I read this last week, I thought of my Bar Mitzvah portion. Chaye Sarah was my parsha. Yes, my haftorah was from 1 Kings chapter 1, where we read King David was old, advanced in years. The idiom is fascinating, by the way.
בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים
Literally, it says, “Coming (or going) in days.” It’s a great phrase that reminds those Aussies in the 1B category of covid vaccination that they are working on days rather than years remaining. That puts every day into real perspective. I like that. My days are running out. What will I do with what I have left?
I spoke with some Jewish friends in the US on Monday and Tuesday. The reason was that I turned 50 that day. Yes, I’m actually 69, but I was celebrating 50 years of walking with Yeshua. 5 decades of being born again. It’s a great ride, to be sure. My sister was among those on the zoom call. Then a day later, she was driving her car along, minding her own business, when the car in front of her suddenly changed course, and in fact, performed a U-turn. The reasons were personal and reasonable, but the accident that followed caused great grief to those on the scene. My sister suffered a concussion and has been in hospital since. Our days, our times, our moments are in God’s hands.
Some of you know I lost a dear friend in the US state of Iowa last Saturday. He was unwell from Covid for only the last fortnight, and just as suddenly as he began his diminishing, he succumbed to the disease and died Saturday night. We just don’t know how long we have, so we have to make the most of our days, while we have days.
I know ‘advanced in years' is the English idiomatic equivalent of Ba bayamim, but it’s days, not years that matter at this point in Joshua’s life, and in my life. And maybe in yours. Don’t boast about tomorrow as both Proverbs (27.1) and James (4.13-17) remind us. I’m not trying to be morbid; I’m very convinced of the reality of our own terminus.
My wife read me a story yesterday of a cyclist in the US state of Colorado. A woman and her husband were both national champions in cycling in their age brackets. She was 47. She was killed on a very familiar stretch of road outside Denver two days ago. (https://www.bicycling.com/news/a36463435/gwen-inglis-killed-by-colorado-driver/) Her husband was with her. This could appear random and perhaps you see it that way, but honestly, the truth is none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Let’s make the most of today. Not in reveling and debauchery, but in generosity to our neighbor, in support of our congregations and mission agencies, in prayer for our pastor and those near us, and in speaking truth in love. Don’t waste a day. Don’t imagine you have years. Days are coming.
Lesson one in inheritance then is “Don’t put off to tomorrow; follow God today.”
Now as Davis says, “the mortality of God’s servants never handicaps the everlasting God.” (page 115). Even though Joshua is aging, and his responsibility is not set aside, his lack of ridding the land from the Canaanite peoples is evident. Yes, he won a lot of victories over many years. Yes, he and the people of Israel took a significant area of what we call Israel today. Even so, they didn’t take it all. I like to say their victories were comprehensive, but not complete. The reality of leftover folks showed in these main three geographic areas: 1) Gaza along with their southern ‘allies.’ (verses 2-3), 2) The Phoenician coast (verse 4), and 3) the mountain country of Lebanon (verse 5). Realistically, those areas are really on the edges of Israel, so Joshua could feel good about his taking care of business in the interior, but again that was comprehensive, but not complete.
The long listing of names may be something you have previously skipped over, but listen to Matthew Henry on this section:
“We are not to pass over these chapters of hard names as useless. Where God has a mouth to speak, and a hand to write, we should find an ear to hear, and an eye to read; and may God give us a heart to profit!”
I like that. Uselessness is not in my Bible. Today may not be the day when it all comes to the light for you, but one day it will. Keep your ear to the Lord and your eye to what he is doing and saying. Does that make sense?
Look at verse 6. It’s hard to get away from the chorus of God’s promises. He made these promises of land to Abraham some 500-800 years earlier. He reiterated the promise of land to Isaac, to Jacob, and then of course both to Moses and to all Israel. As the book of Joshua began, God gave great assurance to Joshua that the land would be his. “Every place your foot trods” (Joshua 1.3) is God’s assurance of conquest and victory. To this day, Jewish people reflect on the land of Israel in daily prayers and in conversation. It’s a centrepiece in Jewish literature and even this Sunday there will be parades and rallies across our region and probably around the world. (For more on Israel, see Jewish Virtual Library: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-bible-on-jewish-links-to-the-holy-land )
If God will do it, then Joshua, you had better listen up. Verse 7 says ‘get to the apportionment’ and divvy up the land. In the same way we read in Genesis 15.18 so it should be noted here.
“It is interesting to note that the Hebrew verb used in the Scriptures is natati, meaning "I have given" (past tense). This passage implies that God had already given the land to the Jews at some earlier time, though this is the first record of such a promise. Rabbinic commentators suggest, however, that God had set aside the land of Israel for His people already at the time of Creation.” (from the aforementioned Jewish Virtual Library)
Natati, therefore implies already done, but like we commented on last week, now and not yet are two very different time frames. What I mean is that God’s timing is not our timing, and what he sees as done and dusted, we often have to endure or accomplish. One day we will live in heaven in perpetual and eternal life, and our Fitbit watches will be removed once for all.
Inheritance lesson two then for today is If God promised it, he will bring it to pass. (Isa. 14.27)
The second section of our chapter begins in verse 8.
As the first section is for old people, the 2nd section is designed to remind all Israel of our failure. Look at verse 13. “But the sons of Israel did not dispossess the Geshurites and the …so they…dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.” That punishing sentence will haunt Israel then, ‘to that day’, and in the First Century, and to this day. Our failure in eradicating the enemies of the Jews is ever present in 2021. I am NOT recommending that Israel now moves to comply with the historic and previous biblical mandate in our lifetime. I am NOT saying that Israel ought to remove all the foreign peoples of the Land today. What I am saying is that when God issues commands, we ought to follow through and make it happen.
Otherwise, the remnant of the failure will linger longer than the stench of a three-day old durian. Add to the failure the guilt and shame. Add to the guilt the remorse, and the inability to shake it. Add to the remorse the never-ending self-loathing. This is a spiral that only ruins a person’s life. Failure breeds more failure. So the question has to be asked, ‘Why does God keep bringing this up?’ Is he trying to make us feel like failures?
Not even close. He reminds us of our failure AND OF HIS PROMISE together, so that we will trust him the next time. We all fall short; we all sin; we all need to repent. Then we can actually hear these words from the youngest of Yeshua’s disciples, John, who said, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1. 6-7)
What confidence we can have. Not because we are so righteous. Not because we are so biblically obedient and never fail. The reason we have confidence is that God initiated a buy-back system and redemption is available to all people. Even me. Even you.
So when you fail, and you repent, and then you keep listening, you can actually hear the Almighty say to you, “You are not a failure. You simply failed that time. I still love you. I want you to win. And I will come alongside you to make that happen. Do you trust me? Will you trust me on this one occasion?”
Lesson three about inheritance today is “God has your back; don’t turn your back on him.”
Finally today we revisit the Levites. Remember that’s the family of Moses and Aaron. They were selected from the children of Israel who would be the clergy if you will. They were to function as priests among a people who were called to be a kingdom of priests. They were to be available to the whole people, and they were not to have their own inheritance like all the other tribes.
Moses, we read, distributed the land east of the Jordan to the 2 and a half tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Menasheh. Then we are (re)told that the Levites would receive no territory. (verse 33)
In a way, the Levites were to lead by example that God would be everyone’s portion. (Psalm 142.5, Psalm 73.26, Lam. 3.24) so that if we don’t have the land, or if we do, we still have our eyes fixed on him, and not on the benefits of him.
Invitation
Dear friends, do you have such a sense of God’s presence today? Have you met the one who was cursed on the Roman tree for you in Jerusalem? if you have never asked Yeshua to be your Saviour, today as we keep learning from Joshua, would you choose to believe the Lord of life? Would you be willing to take a stand for him who took a stand and died on a Roman cross for you? We love Yeshua because in his death he accomplished salvation for all people. He took the curse we deserved to give us his righteousness which he deserved. Forgiveness is available because of the death of our messiah.
If you’d like to receive him today, just now, join me as we pray.
Say something like this: “Father in Yeshua’s name, forgive me my sin, I was wrong to dismiss you and to disbelieve in you. I need your mercy. I deserve punishment but you are kind and merciful and I receive your grace. I repent. I receive Yeshua as my saviour and Lord. I will live because of my faith in Messiah Yeshua. Amen.
If you prayed that, please let us know of your profession by writing straightaway, won’t you? Bob@JewsforJesus.org.au We’d love to hear from you.
Conclusion
We are delighted you have joined us today. Please join us next week and learn with the others how you can stay on track in 2021 and beyond. I hope to see you next week as we continue our studies in Joshua. You will certainly see yourself in the readings and in the lessons. Next week we will look at chapter 14, in what I call “For example” and see what lessons we can draw for ourselves from the events there!
Hope to see you then… until then, Shabbat shalom!
Bibliography
Butler, Trent C., Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 7. Joshua. Word, Waco, 1983.
Davis, Dale Ralph, Joshua: No Falling Words, Christian Focus, Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland, 2019.
Hess, Richard. Tyndale Commentary Complete.
Meyer, F.B., Joshua and the Land of Promise, Christian Literature Crusade, Ft Washington PA, 1977.
Pritchard, James, “The Bible reports on Gibeon.” Penn Museum, Expedition, 1961. Volume 3, Issue 4.
Sanders, J. Oswald, Promised-Land Living, Moody Press, Chicago, 1984.
Toms, Paul, This land is your land. Gospel Light Publishing, Glendale CA, 1977.
Weirsbe, Warren. Be Strong: Putting God's Power to Work in Your Life. David C. Cook Publishing, Colorado Springs, 2010.
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D-Groups for this week
1) Monday 11 am Sydney time. Led by James Howse
2) Monday 7 pm, Sydney time, led by James White
(Contact our office for zoom details)
If you’d like to host a D-Group either online or in person, please contact bob@jewsforjesus.org.au for further details. It’s time to step up. Ponder this—who will be in your D-Group?
The Book of Joshua: Outline.
C. Entering the Land (Chapters 1-4)
a. Chapter 1: A funeral and a promise (Leadership Lesson 1)
b. Chapter 2: A harlot saves the day
c. Chapter 3: Go against the flow (Part 1)
d. Chapter 4: Go against the flow (Part 2)
D. Taking the Land (5-12)
a. Chapter 5: Roll away iniquity: a study in sacraments
b. Chapter 6: Joshua fit d’battle ob Jericho
c. Chapter 7: Getting it very wrong: Achan and his mistakes
d. Chapter 8: Combat and Covenant
e. Chapter 9: Common sense is not so common
f. Chapter 10: Southern dominance
g. Chapter 11: How not to win
h. Chapter 12: God is faithful
E. Possessing the Land (13-21)
a. Chapter 13: Inheritance lessons
b. Chapter 14: For example
c. Chapter 15: Geography lesson
d. Chapter 16: Trends of note (Part 1)
e. Chapter 17: Trends of note (Part 2)
f. Chapter 18: Apportionment (Part 1)
g. Chapter 19: Apportionment (Part 2)
h. Chapter 20: Provisions (Part 1)
i. Chapter 21: Provisions (Part 2)
F. Retaining the Land (22-24)
a. Chapter 22: Can an altar alter anything?
b. Chapter 23: Staying on edge
c. Chapter 24: Three funerals and Renewing the covenant
The Seven Nations
1. Amorite
2. Canaanite
3. Girgashite
4. Hittite
5. Hivite
6. Jebusite
7. Perizzite
Josh. 13:1 Now aJoshua was old and advanced in years when the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed. 2 “This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and all those of the aGeshurites; 3 from the Shihor which is 1east of Egypt, even as far as the border of Ekron to the north (it is counted as Canaanite); the afive lords of the Philistines: the Gazite, the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite, the Gittite, the Ekronite; and the Avvite 4 1to the south, all the land of the Canaanite, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as aAphek, to the border of the bAmorite; 5 and the land of the aGebalite, and all of Lebanon, toward the 1east, bfrom Baal-gad below Mount Hermon as far as 2Lebo-hamath. 6 “All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon as far as aMisrephoth-maim, all the Sidonians, I will 1drive them out from before the sons of Israel; bonly allot it to Israel for an inheritance as I have commanded you. 7 “Now therefore, apportion this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
Josh. 13:8 With 1the other half-tribe, the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance which Moses gave them abeyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the servant of the LORD gave to them; 9 from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, with the city which is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain 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 border of the sons of Ammon; 11 and aGilead, and the 1territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salecah; 12 all the kingdom of aOg in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); for Moses bstruck them and dispossessed them. 13 But the sons of Israel did not dispossess the Geshurites or the Maacathites; for Geshur and Maacath live among Israel until this day. 14 aOnly to the tribe of Levi he did not give an inheritance; the offerings by fire to the LORD, the God of Israel, are 1their inheritance, as He spoke to him.
Josh. 13:15 So Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the sons of Reuben according to their families. 16 Their 1territory was afrom Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, with the city which is in the middle of the valley and all the plain by Medeba; 17 Heshbon, and all its cities which are on the plain: Dibon and Bamoth-baal and Beth-baal-meon, 18 and aJahaz and Kedemoth and Mephaath, 19 and aKiriathaim and Sibmah and Zereth-shahar on the hill of the valley, 20 and Beth-peor and the slopes of Pisgah and Beth-jeshimoth, 21 even all the cities of the plain and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses struck with the chiefs of Midian, aEvi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land. 22 The sons of Israel also killed aBalaam the son of Beor, the diviner, with the sword among the rest of their slain. 23 The border of the sons of Reuben was the 1Jordan. This was the inheritance of the sons of Reuben according to their families, the cities and their villages.
Josh. 13:24 Moses also gave an inheritance to the tribe of Gad, to the sons of Gad, according to their families. 25Their territory was aJazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the sons of Ammon, as far as Aroer which is before Rabbah; 26 and from Heshbon as far as Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim as far as the border of 1Debir; 27 and in the valley, Beth-haram and Beth-nimrah and Succoth and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, with the Jordan 1as a border, as far as the lower end of the Sea of 2aChinnereth beyond the Jordan to the east. 28 This is the inheritance of the sons of Gad according to their families, the cities and their villages.
Josh. 13:29 Moses also gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh; and it was for the half-tribe of the sons of Manasseh according to their families. 30 Their territory was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all athe 1towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities; 31 also half of Gilead, with aAshtaroth and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh, for half of the sons of Machir according to their families.
Josh. 13:32 These are the territories which Moses apportioned for an inheritance in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan at Jericho to the east. 33 But ato the tribe of Levi, Moses did not give an inheritance; the LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as He had 1promised to them.
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