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Joshua 18-21
Promises Fulfilled
Psalm 34:11-22 Fearing and Following the God Who Delivers
11.Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.12.Who is someone who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?
13.Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies.
14.Depart from evil, and do good. seek peace, and pursue it.
15.Yahweh’s eyes are toward the righteous. His ears listen to their cry.16.Yahweh’s face is against those who do evil, to cut off their memory from the earth.17.The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.18.Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.19.Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but Yahweh delivers him out of them all.20.He protects all of his bones. Not one of them is broken.21.Evil shall kill the wicked. Those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.22.Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. None of those who take refuge in him shall be condemned."
Observation
34:11-22.Here David elaborates on the fear of God. It starts with wanting to be blessed and experience deliverance and goodness from God's hand. The next instructions are simple: don't say what is evil or false (which we're tempted to do in order to get some benefit from others), and depart from evil and do good (what is right in God's sight). Seeking peace is most likely the covenantal blessings God has promised (since there are no qualifiers and the verse is parallel to verse 12). Not only will those who fear God enjoy His prosperity, they will also enjoy His protection.
Application
In addition to the three bullet points in 12-14, this is a great verse to pray through, responding back to God, putting each verse in your own words. (Hint: every prayer you've seen thus far has been a response to the revelation in the text {=worship}. Here's a response to vv 12-14)
Prayer
Awesome and Fearsome God, I desire the good abundant life You offer; set a watch over my lips and heart so I speak only what is just and right and true; reveal where I'm tiptoeing in darkness, and give me grace to depart from it; guide me in doing what is good and right in Your sight; and help me keep perspective so I don't lose heart or motivation in pursuing the peace and prosperity You've promised in the Kingdom. Thanks for being so gracious to bless. Amen.
Proverbs 10:1-7 Blessings of the Wise and Righteous
1."The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.2.Treasures of wickedness (ill-gotten gain) profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death.3.Yahweh will not allow the soul of the righteous to go hungry, but He thrusts away the desire of the wicked.4.He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth.5.He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who causes shame.6.Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.7.The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.”Observation
10:1-7.A wise and righteous person has more than material blessings, Divine protection, and a good reputation, but avoids the consequences of folly as well. Wisdom chooses to work and reap rather than sleep and weep. Future Proverbs will sing the praises of diligence.
Application
Make hay when the sun shines.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thanks that I can trust You to supply for my needs. Help me diligently do what's wise rather than foolishly fritter away the minutes of my existence. Amen.
Joshua 18-21 Promises Fulfilled
The land west of the Jordan gets divided and distributed. Cities are allotted for the Levites and the Cities of Refuge as God had commanded. Not much excitement, unless you're a surveyor. Your spiritual life would be well served to focus on the Psalm, Proverb, and the first chapter below.
Joshua 18 Get What God Gives
1.The whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the Tent of Meeting there. The land was subdued before them.2.Seven tribes remained among the children of Israel, which had not yet divided their inheritance.3.Joshua said to the children of Israel, "How long will you neglect to go in to possess the land, which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you?4.Appoint for yourselves three men from each tribe. I will send them, and they shall arise, walk through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance; and they shall come to me.5.They shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall live in his borders on the south, and the house of Joseph shall live in their borders on the north.6.You shall survey the land into seven parts, and bring the description here to me; and I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh our God.7.For the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of Yahweh is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave them."8.The men arose and went. Joshua commanded those who went to survey the land, saying, "Go walk through the land, survey it, and come again to me. I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh in Shiloh."9.The men went and passed through the land, and surveyed it by cities into seven portions in a book. They came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.10.Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Yahweh. There Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions...21.Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho...twelve cities with their villages...28....fourteen cities with their villages.
Observations
18:3.Many blessings that God gives His people are not possessed due to neglect or fear.
Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must give the more abundant attention to the things we have heard, lest we drift (by our destination). 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved binding, and every transgression and disobedience received a just payback, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first announced by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him”
18:4-5.
Describing the task and dividing it into manageable portions is a good management procedure for getting a job done.
Application
Don't miss out on any of the blessings God wants to give, by not diligently giving attention to His instructions. (Check out 2Pt 1:1-12 for stuff to add to your faith, and what happens if you do or don't add it.)
Prayer
Giver of all that is good, thanks for Your great and precious promises, may I diligently pursue them to posses all You've promised. Amen.
Joshua 19 Distribution and Fulfillment
1.The second lot came out for Simeon...5.thirteen cities with their villages7.(plus) four cities with their villages;9.Out of the part of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon; for the portion of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.10.The third lot came up for the children of Zebulun15....twelve cities with their villages.17.The fourth lot came out for Issachar22....sixteen cities with their villages.24.The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher30....twenty-two cities with their villages.32.The sixth lot came out for the children of Naphtali38....nineteen cities with their villages.40.The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan47.The border of the children of Dan went out beyond them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and lived therein48....these (17) cities with their villages.49.So they made an end of distributing the land for inheritance by its borders. The children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun in their midst.50.According to the commandment of Yahweh, they gave him the city which he asked, Timnathserah in the hill country of Ephraim; and he built the city, and lived there.51.These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before Yahweh, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. So they made an end of dividing the land.Observations
19:9.Simeon farthest south gets some of Judah's larger territory just north of them. This is viewed by some as fulfilling Jacob's prediction (Gen 49) that Simeon's descendants would be scattered. For the fulfillment of Levi's descendants being scattered (in a positive sense due to faithfulness at the Golden Calf) see chapter 21.
19:50.
The promise God made to Joshua (and Caleb) in Numbers 14:30 is fulfilled.
Joshua 20 Cities of Refuge
1.Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying,2."Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Assign the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses,3.that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.4.He shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city. They shall take him into the city with them, and give him a place, that he may live among them.5.If the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbour unintentionally, and didn’t hate him before.6.He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days. Then the manslayer shall return, and come to his own city, and to his own house, to the city he fled from.’"
Observation
20:1-6.As specified in Numbers 35. Nothing new.
Joshua 21 Levites Distributed, All Promises Fulfilled
1.Then the heads of fathers’ houses of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel.2.They spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, "Yahweh commanded Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for our livestock."3.The children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of Yahweh, these cities with their suburbs.8.The children of Israel gave these cities with their suburbs by lot to the Levites, as Yahweh commanded by Moses...11.They gave them Kiriath Arba, named after the father of Anak (the same is Hebron), in the hill country of Judah, with its suburbs around it.12.But they gave the fields of the city and its villages to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.41.All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their suburbs.42.Each of these cities included their suburbs around them. It was this way with all these cities.43.So Yahweh gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give to their fathers. They possessed it, and lived in it.44.Yahweh gave them rest all around, according to all that he swore to their fathers. Not a man of all their enemies stood before them. Yahweh delivered all their enemies into their hand.45.Nothing failed of any good thing which Yahweh had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.
Observations
21:1-8.It's interesting that the Levites had to ask for what God had promised them. If folks were careful to remember all that God had said, there might not have been the need. God's plan was to distribute the Levites throughout the land to teach and interpret the law, setting up what amounted to a theocracy (Dt 17:11).
21:43-45.
Because Israel diligently obeyed, God was able to fulfill all His promises.
Application
When Israel didn't obey, they didn't get the land; when they diligently obeyed, they got the promises of God fulfilled in their lives. Coincidence or causality?
Prayer
God, I praise You for being the God who always keeps His promises; may I obey all the way, so I may experience all the good things you've spoken. Amen.
Digging Deeper
God in a nutshell: God promises and delivers good things to His people. He has specific instructions for them to follow, and He won't bless them until they do. He makes the unlikely and impossible happen to glorify Himself. He is concerned about justice and wants people to understand His ways.
Us in a nutshell: Unlike Caleb, we are frequently content to enjoy rest without reward, stopping short of God's full blessing and losing our rest in the process. Diligent attention to knowing and doing what God specified is necessary to gain what He's promised.
Where to go for more
Truthbase.netBiblical Survey of Prayer
Groaning in the Garden