Gold for the heart - Joshua 16-18

Joshua 16

God told Israel who got what property by casting lots

1 And the allotment of the children of Joseph went out from Jordan by Jericho, to the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goes up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel, 2 And goes out from Bethel to Luz, and passes along to the borders of Archi to Ataroth, 3 And goes down westward to the coast of Japhleti, to the coast of Beth-horon the nether, and to Gezer: and the boundary is at the sea. 4 So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.

This was not like the lottery, random chance, but as it pleased God.
The things God does are from His infinite goodness, and for our best good.
He loves man too much to do anything less than the very best for man that could ever be.
As a parent delights to find good gifts for a beloved child, much more so does God delight to give the best to His children.

Psalm 135:6 Whatever the LORD pleased, that is what he did in heaven, in the earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

He gave them the glory of all lands—a place of beauty and plenty

5 And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was this: the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, to Beth-horon the upper; 6 And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went around eastward to Ta'anath-shiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah; 7 And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and on to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan. 8 The border went out from Tappuah westward to the river Kanah; and its boundary was at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families. 9 And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. 10 They did not drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day, and serve under tribute.

God told the people in Exodus 23:27, 34:13 that they were to destroy the people of the land because they had polluted the land with their idolatry which leads to eternal death.
The land that is being divided is the best on earth, described in Deuteronomy 8:7, 8.

Deuteronomy 8:7-8 the LORD your God brings you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; 8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

John 3:16-18 God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Joshua 17

1 The next allotment was for the tribe of Manasseh; he was the firstborn of Joseph; Machir was the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: he had Gilead and Bashan because he was a man of war. 2 There was also an allotment for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families; for the children of Abiezer, for the children of Helek, for the children of Asriel, for the children of Shechem, for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.

God told of creation of heaven and earth in one chapter.
God tells of His gift of the Promised Land in 7 chapters.
This was the best land on earth, lush, fruitful, and full of fountains, springs, mountains, seacoasts (Ezekiel 20:6, Deuteronomy 8:7, 8).
The land of Gilead and Bashan was given to a warrior tribe because it bordered enemy territory.
The firstborn in scripture received by birthright the inheritance, a double portion, and the priesthood or leadership of the family.
These are all true of Christ. The firstborn inherits all that the father has:
John 16:15 All things that the Father has are mine…

3 But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 They came to Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and to the princes saying, The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers. So according to the commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father. 5 Ten portions went to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side Jordan; 6 Because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons: and the rest of Manasseh's sons had the land of Gilead. 7 And the coast of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethah that lies before Shechem; and the border went along on the right side to the inhabitants of Entappuah. 8 Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah: but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim; 9 And the coast descended to the river Kanah, south of the river: these cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh: the coast of Manasseh also was on the north side of the river, and the boundary was at the sea: 10 To the south it was Ephraim's, and northward it was Manasseh's, and the sea is its border; and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east. 11 And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, three countries/heights.12 But the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; the Canaanites desired to dwell in that land. 13 But when the children of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to tribute; but did not utterly drive them out.

God has given us victories to claim by faith.
God fights our battles.
But if there is sin in our lives, like at Ai in Joshua 7, then He withdraws help and we lose the battle until the sin is cleaned out of our lives.
The main sin is unbelief.
Our overt sins are the result of our unbeleif, our lack of the knowledge of how much God loves us.
We don't believe that God can or will provide in that area.
We disobey/not believe to our own harm.
Thats why reading the Bible is crucial to our daily lives because Romans 10:17 tells us that faith come from hearing the word of God.

1 Samuel 17:47 And all this assembly will know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

I John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

God blesses

14 And the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua saying, Why have you given me just one allotment, one portion to inherit, since I am a great people, for the LORD has blessed me this far? 15 And Joshua answered them, If you are a great people, then go up to the forest, and cut down for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim is too narrow for you. 16 And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those of Bethshean and her towns, and those in the valley of Jezreel. 17 And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh saying, You are a great people, and have great power: will not have only one allotment: 18 The mountain will be yours; for it is a forest, and you will cut it down: and its boundary will be yours: you will drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they are strong.

This was the most fertile part of the land.
His children were ungrateful and complained.

Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who is against us?

Joshua 18

God subdued the land for them

1 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them. 2 And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes that had not yet received their inheritance. 3 And Joshua said to the children of Israel, How long are you going to wait to go possess the land that the LORD God of your fathers has given you?

Deuteronomy 20:4 for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’

4 Take three men for each tribe: I will send them, and they will rise up, and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they will come again to me. 5 And they will divide it into seven parts: Judah will stay in their boundary on the south, and the house of Joseph will stay in their boundary on the north. 6 You will map the land into seven parts, and bring the description here to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.

God said who got what piece of property.
He knows us best.
No one will give you anything better than God.
Joshua had to prod them to get them to claim their inheritance.

7 But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.

The priests had God who made all things for their inheritance.
He has made us kings and priests to God.

Revelation 1:6 And has made us kings and priests to God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 5:10 And have made us kings and priests to our God: and we will reign on the earth.

8 And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged those that went to describe the land saying, Go, walk through the land, map it, and come again to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh. 9 And the men went and passed through the land, and mapped it by cities into seven parts in a book, and returned to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh. 10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions. 11 And the allotment of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their alottment came out between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. 12 Jordan was their border on the north side; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and its boundary was at the wilderness of Bethaven. 13 And the border went over from there toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar near the hill that lies the south side of the lower Beth-horon.14 And the border was drawn there, and turned around the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lies before Beth-horon southward ending at Kirjath-baal, which is Kirjath-je'arim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the western boundary. 15 And the southern border was from the end of Kirjath-je'arim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah: 16 And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lies before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi/Jerusalem on the south, and descended to Enrogel, 17 And was drawn from the north, and went out to Enshemesh, and went out toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben, 18 And passed along toward the side opposite the northern Arabah, and went down to Arabah: 19 And the border passed along to the side of Beth-hoglah northward: and the end of its border was at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the southern coast. 20 And Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by its surrounding boundary, according to their families. 21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, and the valley of Keziz, 22 Betharabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar-haam'monai, Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with their villages: 25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26. Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.

Ezekiel 20:6… a land that I had saw for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:

Deuteronomy 8:7-10 For the LORD your God brings you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; 8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; 9 A land where you will eat bread without scarceness, you will not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig brass. 10 When you have eaten and are full, then you will bless the LORD your God for the good land that he has given you.

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SUMMARY: Joshua 16-18

God has a vast inheritance for us
He makes us able to claim it
He keeps us alive
He sets the boundaries of the nations
He did it for Israel by casting lots
He gave Israel the glory of all lands
He has always and only desired to bless everyone