Jos 18:8-10 | KingComments | STEP | There are still seven tribes that have not received any inheritance. It seems that they have remained slow. Maybe they didn’t feel like fighting as a tribe alone for the conquest of the inheritance. It may have been a good idea for them to stay together and they don’t like it to be separated. This is why Joshua is going to help the people. They must supply three men per tribe. He sends them out to describe the remaining land, to map it out, so to speak. This will give them an impression of what remains to be taken into their possession. As an application we can think of the following. When the believers have got an eye for the heavenly blessings of the church, especially in the revival at the beginning of the nineteenth century, these believers have inherited richly. If we compare them to Judah and the Josephites, they have conquered much of the land. They have written down the riches of it. We can read about it and so enjoy it. But is there still something for ourselves which can be divided? Those who lived before us and took possession of land by battle, have certainly inherited richly. But also for us there is a portion. God wrote it in a book to show us what is left. We only find blessings in the Book, the Word of God. Paul prays – and we may do so as well – that we will learn to know our blessings ( ). We will then say with the psalmist: “The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me” ( ). We are not in a position comparable to that of Judah and the sons of Joseph, but to that of the other tribes. When we ask God to show us the spiritual blessings, He also gives us blessings to enjoy. We did get them, but we may also make them our own. The letters of the New Testament to believers who live in an end-time, show the part that is also there for them. That part we see par excellence in the letters of John. This is about the eternal life, which is for us the blessing of the land. God has put everything in order for us, so that we too, in our time, can take possession of land. The land is described “according to their inheritance” ( ). Everyone gets the appropriate part of the land. For us, “to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift” ( ). The land is also described “by cities” ( ). If we can see a picture of local churches in the cities, then we see in this description that the blessing of the remaining land is also given in a church context. Joshua casts the lot, in dependence on God, before Him, and assigns the seven parts of the land to the seven tribes. Joshua has no successor, but the priest Eleazar does. Priests have always been there. That’s how it is with us. We no longer have apostles, but we do have the priestly family. As long as there are believers who want to practically experience their priesthood by gathering as a priestly people at the tent of meeting, their inheritances will also be made known.

‏ Joshua 18:8-10

The Land Not Yet Divided

There are still seven tribes that have not received any inheritance. It seems that they have remained slow. Maybe they didn’t feel like fighting as a tribe alone for the conquest of the inheritance. It may have been a good idea for them to stay together and they don’t like it to be separated. This is why Joshua is going to help the people. They must supply three men per tribe. He sends them out to describe the remaining land, to map it out, so to speak. This will give them an impression of what remains to be taken into their possession.

As an application we can think of the following. When the believers have got an eye for the heavenly blessings of the church, especially in the revival at the beginning of the nineteenth century, these believers have inherited richly. If we compare them to Judah and the Josephites, they have conquered much of the land. They have written down the riches of it. We can read about it and so enjoy it.

But is there still something for ourselves which can be divided? Those who lived before us and took possession of land by battle, have certainly inherited richly. But also for us there is a portion. God wrote it in a book to show us what is left. We only find blessings in the Book, the Word of God. Paul prays – and we may do so as well – that we will learn to know our blessings (Eph 1:18 ; Eph 3:18-19). We will then say with the psalmist: “The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me” (Psa 16:5-6).

We are not in a position comparable to that of Judah and the sons of Joseph, but to that of the other tribes. When we ask God to show us the spiritual blessings, He also gives us blessings to enjoy. We did get them, but we may also make them our own. The letters of the New Testament to believers who live in an end-time, show the part that is also there for them. That part we see par excellence in the letters of John. This is about the eternal life, which is for us the blessing of the land. God has put everything in order for us, so that we too, in our time, can take possession of land.

The land is described “according to their inheritance” (Jos 18:4). Everyone gets the appropriate part of the land. For us, “to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Eph 4:7). The land is also described “by cities” (Jos 18:9). If we can see a picture of local churches in the cities, then we see in this description that the blessing of the remaining land is also given in a church context.

Joshua casts the lot, in dependence on God, before Him, and assigns the seven parts of the land to the seven tribes. Joshua has no successor, but the priest Eleazar does. Priests have always been there. That’s how it is with us. We no longer have apostles, but we do have the priestly family. As long as there are believers who want to practically experience their priesthood by gathering as a priestly people at the tent of meeting, their inheritances will also be made known.