Jos 13:7 | KingComments | STEP | The enemy’s main power is broken. Joshua has taken the whole the land ( ). From Joshua 13 onward, the tribes, starting with the two and a half tribes on the other side of the Jordan, are each apportioned their own inheritance. They have to take possession of it themselves. Through the work of the Lord Jesus, the Christian has been given earthly blessings and all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Yet there is a distinction in enjoying that blessing. Every Christian must take personal care to enjoy it. This can only happen by really experiencing the relationship with the Lord Jesus, by reading the Bible personally and prayerful. This chapter is the beginning of the second part of the book, which deals with the division of the land. It is a most important moment in the history of this young nation. After centuries of Egyptian slavery, after decades of wandering in a wild wilderness and after years of heavy fighting, the moment has now come when the Israelites will get their home. They can now work the land, build families and live in peace in their own land, enjoying the fruit that the land produces. In Joshua 1-12 we saw the entry into the land and its conquest. Joshua 13 is about the division, the apportioning of the land. When it comes to classification, God shows us the size it has in His eyes. That does not mean that it has all already been taken into possession. God speaks about it according to His purpose. Joshua 13 is the general introduction to the possession of one’s own inheritance by each tribe individually. First there is a reference to what remains to be possessed ( ) and then to the apportioning ( ). When we take possession of it, we can count on God’s power. What must be taken possession of is determined by lot. Taking possession and dividing are two things. The part that each tribe gets differs from each other tribe. So no two believers are equal. Every believer has his own character, gifts, possessions. The same applies to local churches. No two of them are equal. Nobody has everything, nobody has a total property. Every servant has his one-sidedness and each needs the other as a complement. In the apportioning God shows the great scope of His blessings. But that is something else than to take possession of it. Taking possession of the land as a whole they did together. After the apportioning, everyone must take possession of what God has entrusted him, because there are still enemies living there. God must tell Joshua that still “very much of the land remains” that must be taken into possession. Is he also sunk into rest? We no longer taste the atmosphere of spiritual energy to continue conquering. Eventually also Joshua did not bring the people into the promised peace ( ). The people will only be brought into the true peace by the Lord Jesus, of whom Joshua is often a picture, but not a perfect picture. God gives a description of what remains to be conquered. He wants them to see the value of those regions, what they can produce. In this way He wants to make them willing to fight again. We also need this encouragement regularly. To make us willing to continue the battle, God shows us the glory of heavenly blessings. He encourages us by saying that He will drive out the enemies, even though the blessings have already been given us as inheritance ( ). Conquering the land means that it is still in the hands of the enemy. In practical application, this means that we must drive out powers from our lives that still have ‘land’, so that we cannot yet enjoy certain blessings. The enjoyment of the land is linked to taking possession of it. Taking possession of them can only be done by chasing away the enemy. The enemies that still are present include the Philistines. They did not go through the Red Sea and the Jordan. They came into the land by the easy way. In them we have a picture of the nominal Christians, people who have a confession, but no new life. These people claim the land for themselves. We have to remove everything the Philistines speak of from our lives. There are also Canaanites in the land that need to be driven out. They have always lived in the land. They are a picture of the people of this world who want to prevent us from taking possession of the land. God’s promise is that He will drive out these enemies from before His people ( ). Always the people must take the initiative and then God helps. We must have the desire to drive the enemy out of our lives. When we see the promise of God that He will give us all the blessings of heaven to fully enjoy at the end of the battle, that is a great exhortation to cleanse the land that is not yet subject from enemies. The lot is the way God reveals His will to give Israel the land for an inheritance ( ; ). The casting of lots is the way God divides the land among His people. Each of us has his own possession in the land, his own enjoyment of the blessing. No one has the same enjoyment of the blessing as any other.

‏ Joshua 13:7

Introduction

The enemy’s main power is broken. Joshua has taken the whole the land (Jos 11:23). From Joshua 13 onward, the tribes, starting with the two and a half tribes on the other side of the Jordan, are each apportioned their own inheritance. They have to take possession of it themselves.

Through the work of the Lord Jesus, the Christian has been given earthly blessings and all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Yet there is a distinction in enjoying that blessing. Every Christian must take personal care to enjoy it. This can only happen by really experiencing the relationship with the Lord Jesus, by reading the Bible personally and prayerful.

This chapter is the beginning of the second part of the book, which deals with the division of the land. It is a most important moment in the history of this young nation. After centuries of Egyptian slavery, after decades of wandering in a wild wilderness and after years of heavy fighting, the moment has now come when the Israelites will get their home. They can now work the land, build families and live in peace in their own land, enjoying the fruit that the land produces.

In Joshua 1-12 we saw the entry into the land and its conquest. Joshua 13 is about the division, the apportioning of the land. When it comes to classification, God shows us the size it has in His eyes. That does not mean that it has all already been taken into possession. God speaks about it according to His purpose.

Joshua 13 is the general introduction to the possession of one’s own inheritance by each tribe individually. First there is a reference to what remains to be possessed (Jos 13:1) and then to the apportioning (Jos 13:7). When we take possession of it, we can count on God’s power. What must be taken possession of is determined by lot. Taking possession and dividing are two things.

The part that each tribe gets differs from each other tribe. So no two believers are equal. Every believer has his own character, gifts, possessions. The same applies to local churches. No two of them are equal. Nobody has everything, nobody has a total property. Every servant has his one-sidedness and each needs the other as a complement.

In the apportioning God shows the great scope of His blessings. But that is something else than to take possession of it. Taking possession of the land as a whole they did together. After the apportioning, everyone must take possession of what God has entrusted him, because there are still enemies living there.

Land Still to Be Possessed

God must tell Joshua that still “very much of the land remains” that must be taken into possession. Is he also sunk into rest? We no longer taste the atmosphere of spiritual energy to continue conquering. Eventually also Joshua did not bring the people into the promised peace (Heb 4:8). The people will only be brought into the true peace by the Lord Jesus, of whom Joshua is often a picture, but not a perfect picture.

God gives a description of what remains to be conquered. He wants them to see the value of those regions, what they can produce. In this way He wants to make them willing to fight again.

We also need this encouragement regularly. To make us willing to continue the battle, God shows us the glory of heavenly blessings. He encourages us by saying that He will drive out the enemies, even though the blessings have already been given us as inheritance (Jos 13:6a).

Conquering the land means that it is still in the hands of the enemy. In practical application, this means that we must drive out powers from our lives that still have ‘land’, so that we cannot yet enjoy certain blessings. The enjoyment of the land is linked to taking possession of it. Taking possession of them can only be done by chasing away the enemy.

The enemies that still are present include the Philistines. They did not go through the Red Sea and the Jordan. They came into the land by the easy way. In them we have a picture of the nominal Christians, people who have a confession, but no new life. These people claim the land for themselves. We have to remove everything the Philistines speak of from our lives. There are also Canaanites in the land that need to be driven out. They have always lived in the land. They are a picture of the people of this world who want to prevent us from taking possession of the land.

God’s promise is that He will drive out these enemies from before His people (Jos 13:6). Always the people must take the initiative and then God helps. We must have the desire to drive the enemy out of our lives. When we see the promise of God that He will give us all the blessings of heaven to fully enjoy at the end of the battle, that is a great exhortation to cleanse the land that is not yet subject from enemies.

The lot is the way God reveals His will to give Israel the land for an inheritance (Jos 13:6b; Pro 16:33). The casting of lots is the way God divides the land among His people. Each of us has his own possession in the land, his own enjoyment of the blessing. No one has the same enjoyment of the blessing as any other.