LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?
THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
(A) The true and greater Joshua, based on Joshua 19:49-50. Joshua and Jesus have the same name in Hebrew ("Yehoshua"). Joshua was originally named Hoshea, but Moses renamed him "Joshua" [meaning "the Lord saves"] shortly before he went as one of the original spies of Israel to inspect the land (Numbers 13:16). Why did Moses rename him? Many Christian commentators dating back to the early church have said that this was because Joshua was meant to foreshadow the work of Jesus. Although Joshua brought God's people into the land of rest, only through Jesus can we truly enter into the rest that God has for his people. Although Joshua led his people into an earthly inheritance, Jesus leads us into a heavenly one.
(B) Simeon's inheritance within the inheritance of Judah in Joshua 19:1-9. As we have seen so far in our readings up to this point, even when the tribe of Judah is not in the limelight, God is putting the tribe front and center in various ways of his own. Through the life and leadership of Caleb the Kenizzite, we see Judah as the tribe through which the nations can find an inheritance among God's people. And here in the portioning out of the land, we see Simeon, a tribe of Israel, whose inheritance can be found entirely within the inheritance of the tribe of Judah--showing that within Judah's inheritance (the tribe through which the Promised Deliverer will come) the fullness of Israel will also receive their inheritance. Just like all they had was within the inheritance of the coming King, all that we truly have is within Jesus.
(C) The tragic story of Dan's inheritance in Joshua 19:40-48. In the words of Richard Pratt, this section of the narrative "focuses on a terrible set of circumstances that took place with the tribe of Dan. Dan’s original allotment was in the south near Judah, but the tribe of Dan was not able to take its originally allotted territories (see Judg 1:34; 18:27–31). So, the people of Dan left that allotment and 'went up and fought against Leshem . . . and settled in it, calling Leshem, Dan' (19:47). It was also called 'Laish' (Judg 18:27, 29)... In all likelihood, our author reports the migration of Dan to call for all the tribes to insist that Dan turn back to the Lord and return to their original inheritance." I think that there is a spiritual lesson here: Dan's inheritance was originally supposed to be in the south, which would have located them near the territory of the tribe of the Messiah. But they failed to take hold of the promise, and so moved on far away from the land of their inheritance, which was near to the throne of God's chosen Messiah, and in their moving on eventually became a people whose story was filled with idolatry and regret.
(D) Valuing the less prominent brother in the section on portioning out the land. This is also from the words of Richard Pratt, "Future generations of Israel faced many difficulties in maintaining and re-establishing the allotments given to the smaller tribes in Cisjordan, but our author insists that it was their sacred duty to do so. Although these tribes did not have the prominence of Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh, they were to be counted among the people of Israel. In the Christian church, we must also be careful to honor those who do not receive much prominence. Every manifestation of the firstfruits of the Spirit is essential to the well-being of the body of Christ (see 1Cor 12:1–26), so that 'if one member suffers, all suffer together' (1Cor 12:26). We are also to strengthen the weak and strive for peace in the church to ensure that 'no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble' (see Heb 12:12–15)."
RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?
How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In our worship we can apply these things to our own lives by running towards Jesus. In his inheritance, we find our inheritance. By following in his wake, we enter into our true and heavenly rest. Let us not, like the tribe of Dan, turn aside from the difficulty that comes with walking into God's promises, to settle for an easier and less fulfilling inheritance that is far away from the promise of Jesus. And as we run towards Jesus, let us encourage one another to not grow weary and to keep up the pace.
PRAY | HOW DOES THIS LEAD US TO CONNECT WITH GOD?
Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "Dear Jesus, all that I have is in you. You are my rock and my shield. You are my captain. Give me the courage to follow you into every difficulty and battle that I might face in this life, knowing that as long as I am with you, you will lead me into rest."
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