Back into the deep dive into scripture; Joshua. Joshua 14:1-6 and Joshua18:1-8.
We had previously, last year, looked at Joshua and the defeat of Jericho, we had journeyed that far in the Old Testament, my first few sermons of 2025 were about living victoriously in Christ. But back to Joshua the nation of Israel entered the Promised Land. That being the land that was promised to (who?) Abraham and his descendants, around 400 years earlier, Genesis 12:7. This is a declaration that God reiterates with Issac, Jacob and Moses. Remember that the land was not given immediately to Abram as he was known then because, “The sin of the Amorites had not yet reached its full measure.” The reference for that is Genesis 15:16. Note that God exists outside of space and time as well as in it, he knows the future and was merciful, loving and longsuffering. The Amorites sin took another 400 years to reach its full measure. There are a few fairly heavy concepts in just that paragraph. Don’t get stuck there let’s move on.
The Hebrew people had crossed into The Promised Land, we remember that as they put their feet into the Jordan River the water backed up all the way to a place called Adam. Then they went onto conquer many cities, including the city of Ai and here you were thinking AI was a new thing. There is lots of depictions of what happened in the book of Joshua, warfare, defeat of the inhabitants of the land apart from one cunning group called the Gibonite’s who came up with a cunning plan, that was so cunning it could have in Edmond Blackadder’s words; “Have been a Fox, who was just appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University.” You can read about that in chapter nine.
Straight up, the Hebrew people, this newish nation of the descendants of Jacob, AKA Israel, were going through the promised land AKA Canaan, following the instructions of The Lord clearing out those who were in the land and establishing their own territory. The book was written most likely between 1400 and 1370 BC by Joshua son on Nun, yip the man himself.
So we come through much conquering of the Canaanite peoples, taking of land, this is fairly gruesome stuff but they took the Promised land. Eventually, the Amorites time was up.
We come to chapter 14, and it is quite an interesting read. We get a description of the division of the land of Isreal; this is tied to how Moses had divided the land. We will come back to this soon when I discuss chapter 18. In verse 6 of chapter 14 this old bloke called Caleb, old I said, well he’s 85 years old, there might be a few here who consider that youngish. Well Caleb rocks up to Joshua and reminds him of an earlier time, back when they were in their early forties. Remember back in Numbers 13, there were 12 men sent into spy out the land, including Hoshea of the tribe of Ephriam and Caleb from the tribe of Judah. Moses changed Hoshea’s name to Joshua. Caleb was the one out of two spies who reported that, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” When the others chickened out. As a result, Caleb is given the land that God had promised him he would have, some forty-five years earlier. That land was Hebron. So, we have had this man of courage, of determination come to the leader of the people ‘Joshua’ and remind him of an historical promise of God.
Right then we see another of God’s promise fulfilled, it may have taken time. The negativity of other people may have interfered with that promise, but the promises of God are always fulfilled, they are (will be) landed, they are (will be) completed. That’s two in this message already. The nation of Israel scores the Promised land, and Caleb scores Hebron. There were other promises fulfilled as part of these being landed also. Promises to Isaac, Jacob and Moses. A condition for these promises being fulfilled was connected to what God said to Joshua in Chapter one of Joshua, verses 5b-7 “I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them….being careful to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you; turn not to the right hand or the left, that you may have good success wherever you go….etc.”
I started with a comment about chapter 14 with the land was divided between the tribes, it all appears to be a done deal, but if we look at chapter 18, it’s a bit murkier than that, not quite straight forward. As the first two verses of Chapter 18 state. “The whole assembly/congregation of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. The country was brought under their control, but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.” The revised stand version of the scriptures has Joshua saying, ”How long will you be slack to go in and take possession of the land, which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?” These people had just been called slackers by their leader, not a good reputation to have or image to carry.
So, after this stir along up they get moving, dividing up their inheritance, the long awaited land, their future, their inheritance, the PROMISED LAND. The book of Joshua is one that is a reminder of God’s promises being fulfilled, that the timing of God is perfect, that sometimes God’s promises take a long time to be complete and that he has his reasons for this occurring. As He says in Chapter 24: 12-13; “ I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’” What we have just heard is that God is faithful, God does establish some boundaries for us just as I mentioned a few weeks back when I was talking about victorious living, He is the Shepherd, the Good Shepherd and we are metaphorically his sheep. We may wander off, but he comes looking for us.
Today we live in an age of selective truth, in that people believe that ‘their rights’ are right and that they are able to dictate terms of understanding for themselves when God has established paths to travel in safety. Remember what God told Abram about the Amorites, “their sin had not yet reached its full measure.” What he told Joshua, “being careful to do according to all the law which my servant Moses commanded you; turning not to the left or right.” (slightly paraphrased.)
Who is infinitely wise? Only God, the promises of God are always fulfilled, they are (will be) landed, they are (will be) completed. One thing I know of God is that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” (1 Corinthians 3:19). If we wander away from God’s course and on our own, away from his direction from his truth and take on the wisdom of this age we will like the people of Israel be slack in taking up our inheritance, we may miss out on it altogether. I’ve said before; “it’s all fun and games until someone misses out on eternity.”
A couple of weeks ago I referred to John 10:10, This has something to do with Jesus being the gate for the sheep and yip I’ve already referenced The Good Shepherd. just prior to John 10:10 Jesus says this: “ Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.” And in verse ten he says and this is a promise: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Here’s a question for you?
Don’t answer this yet. Who wants to have life to the full? Let me tell you a couple of things before you answer and here’s another couple of promise of Jesus; “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). Did you know that Jesus had just told his disciples he was leaving them, but because he was, The Counsellor, The Holy Spirit was coming to them, and he would convince the world of sin and righteousness and of judgment of sin. (refer John 16:7-8). The peace they would have would be in Jesus, the trials would come, there would be sorrows but the peace they would have, the peace we can have, is in Jesus. This is a spiritual thing, The Holy Spirit was coming.
This abundant life is not always a physical abundance, sometimes the people who live the most abundant lives in Christ have very little, excepting abundance of Jesus, a closeness of relationship with and through the Holy Spirit, we certainly are wrong if we believe that things bring joy into our lives, for joy is a fruit of knowing the Holy Spirit. Joy is ours through a deeply rooted relationship with Christ. Part of that abundant living in relationship with Jesus, for that is what he promised and what he came for, Peace in Him.
We are involved as believers in a spiritual battle.
Like the nation of Israel, God has given all we need, there are things prepared for us we have no concept of until we are willing to take possession of them, that life in abundance that Jesus promised us. Remember that Jesus came that we may have life in all its abundance. The promises of God are always fulfilled, they are and will be landed, they are and will be completed. Are you entering into them?
Like the nation of Israel all we need do is respond and enter in and take possession of what God has for us, and like the nation it won’t be problem free. But it will be the greatest relationship we have entered into. There will be things to address, targets in our lives that we have missed that God will want us to hit, sins that will need sorting out, there will be trials and sorrows. But we can take heart in this because Jesus, God incarnate has told us that he overcome the world.
The result is eternal.
Joshua as a leader knew that God was faithful, he addressed the slackness of the people of Israel and God’s promise to Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Moses and actually many who were with them and have come since were fulfilled as they established themselves in The Promised Land. Caleb, knowing God’s faithfulness gained his promised inheritance also. Remember this is part of God’ rescue plan for all of humanity through Jesus.
We see that though the whole land was Promised and given by God, some tribes were slack in taking up their land, just as many believers today struggle in taking up the abundant life that Jesus has promised, that deep abiding relationship with Him and freedom from sin. Just as the Israelites were called to step into their inheritance, we too are called to enter into the spiritual inheritance Jesus has secured for us. Though the path may have challenges, like the Israelites, we are promised victory, peace, and eternal life with Christ.
God’s promises are always fulfilled.
