Joshua 22-24 wraps up the story of Israel entering into the Promised Land. The Promised Land was the name given to ancient Canaan after God promised to Abraham that his descendants would one day inherit the territory as their own. Hundreds of years had transpired from the time of the initial promise until it actually takes place. Entrance into this land was evidence that God keeps His word.
Sidetracked
The story of the Israelites moving into the Promised Land is one about delaying God's best. About 40 years previous to the events described in Joshua the Israelites stood on the brink of receiving the promise when they rejected it and chose to live in the desert. They made this decision based on fear, lack of confidence, and the personal wisdom. Had they chosen to set aside fear, had they chosen to be confident in the Lord, had they chosen to walk in His wisdom and not their own, they could have received the promise an entire generation sooner.
Completion of a Plan
The book of Joshua is one that many people have trouble with due to the war narratives and seemingly capricious nature of God. Sometimes it is hard to make out what actions are the result of directives from God and which ones are from man. Ultimately, the story is about the fulfillment of a plan that God had for His chosen people - a people not chosen on merit, but chosen on account of the faithfulness of their ancestor Abraham. What God begins, he completes.
An Inheritance
Joshua 24:28 tells us - So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance. The reception of the Promised Land is recorded in Joshua with the final note being this word about their receiving their inheritance. When I think of an inheritance, I usually imagine someone just getting it. There does not usually seem to be any work involved. So if the Promised Land was an inheritance, why did they have to conquer it? In looking at the entrance into the Land, it seems that when they did try to do so on their own terms they suffered humiliating defeats or made inappropriate compromises. When they followed God's plan it was sort of like just accepting an inheritance. This leads me to conclude that maybe they kept trying to make things harder that they actually were. The Land was already given to them. All that they had to do was go and possess it. Yet even this they turned into a matter of hard work as if to prove how worthy they were to receive it.
A Purpose for Every Person
I am convinced that God has a plan for everyone, a purpose for every person, and that His plans have our best in mind. Sometimes we don't realize them until later. We just have to wait.
What promises from God are you waiting on right now?
What hopes in God are you clinging to right now?
Hang on. Don't give up. Be faithful and the Faithful One will act.
Ask yourself,
How am I being sidetracked from God's best for me?
Am I truly willing to wait until God completes His best for me?
Will I accept His inheritance?
What is my purpose in this world?
No comments:
Post a Comment