SCRIPTURE: Joshua 15
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, clan by clan. [Joshua 15:20] As I think about Judah’s inheritance, I think of Jesus, the messiah promised from the tribe of Judah [Genesis 49:9-10]. He would be the heir (ruler) over all the land. But how would He receive that land? By the sword, by political manoeuvring, by armies, by huge riches, by election by the masses? Jesus avoided all the normal means of acquiring wealth, land, success. His path was self-denial, sacrifice, grace and mercy.
Satan is always trying to distract and defeat God’s people, to keep them from enjoying the Lord’s blessings. He offers shortcuts to pleasure, which eventually turn into dead ends. Think of his attempt with Jesus: Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” [Matthew 4:8-10]. We should not forget how tempting Satan’s offer was. God was also offering Jesus the kingdoms of the world, but the price for that was huge – suffering and sacrifice. Satan offers a shortcut – simple one act of worship to him, and Jesus would welcomed into Satan’s demonic kingdom, with the whole world would bow before Him. Though Satan does not have the right to claim this authority, the reality is, Adam and Eve surrendered their proper role in God’s world to Satan, and became his slaves.
But for Jesus to take this offer would have ruined everything. It was a trap, and Jesus resisted. Away from me Satan! I need to take the same stand, tor refuse to compromise my commitment. Jesus stood firm, and in the end He received all authority in heaven and on earth from the Father [Matthew 28:18]. Its interesting to note that the tribe of Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites [Joshua 15:63]; it must be because they compromised (succumbed to Satan’s temptation) since the Lord promised them victory. It wasn’t until David that Jerusalem finally was taken [2 Samuel 5:6-10], because he was loyal to the Lord and the Lord was with Him.
There are no shortcuts to God’s blessing. Obedience and surrender to God are the only way. There may seem an easier path (lying, stealing, cheating, war, violence, etc.) but these short cuts are dead ends. The way of Jesus, the Son of David, of the tribe of Judah, is the only way. Like Jesus, we must refuse to go any other way than God’s way.
PRAYER:
Lord, strengthen my resolve to do nothing that would compromise my commitment to You and Your way. May I faithfully serve only You.
ok, that ending came out wrong … I do not desire to bash the generality of a gender here… please forgive me for that last statement ….
Perhaps, better stated would be “… and what was to be revealed was led by the Spirit of God”
Hi Jill
I know what you mean when we read these passages … my first reaction to a lot of it is “whoa, hang on for a moment here? What is that all about?”
But I find there is just so much more to the picture or context that we are not aware of. So much of what it felt like for the men and women of those times are not revealed here. All we have to work with are the basics principles of God’s love and justice and we are not given the added details that a jury would have to make sense of it all. We are not given the emotional security that women would have had understood in all these cultural circumstances. For the women at that time, their cultural upbringing and their status and well-being and provision was all embroidered into the fabric of their society. What deemed important and exciting and priviledged for them would not perhaps hold the same value to us in our society today.
I have to believe that the faithful men of Gods leaders held Gods principles of love and justice in their own society in how they conducted themselves. Whenever they walked outside of those principles, they were punished by God himself or by their own consequences in their own familylife.
Perhaps if the books of the bible were written by women, a wee bit more detail into the emotional side of understanding these contexts might have been revealed… but then again we are back to what God desired to be revealed … Deut 29:29 … and what was revealed was to be by the hand of men …
Do you know what jumped out at me in these verses?
[And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.]Joshua!5:16-17
It drives me crazy, it makes me feel like nothing! That a woman can be just given away to a strange man to reward him for an act of war! That a father could trade his daughter!
Is this what God wanted or is this just a bad choice that Caleb made? Is it that God did not want it but let it happen for some ultimate good we do not know?
It has been such hard work for me to come to the place where I trust God, that I am valuable to Him, that He loves women as much as He loves men.
Once again I have to choose to trust God with what I do not understand. That God is great and wise and knows all. That He does love and value me and that He created me to be a woman.
I will not give in to the voices that want me to lash out and to hate God for injustice.
He is my Lord.
This passage describes the inheritance of Judah – the details of the land promised and given to him. It was given to Caleb because of his faithfulness – carrying out the word of the Lord in his living for Jesus. I must do the same. I too need to be faithful carrying out His Word in my daily living. Do this and live – that’s what the Master has said – Do this and live!
Help me each day, Lord to walk in Your Way, in Your Sonshine as I continue my journey of joy in Your presence.
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me; No turning back, no turning back.
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.