Achsah’s blessing

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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Achsah’s blessing

Joshua 15:13-19 (JDV)

Joshua 15:13 He gave Caleb son of Jephunneh the following portion among the descendants of Judah based on Yahveh’s instruction to Joshua: Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron; Arba was the father of Anak).
Joshua 15:14 Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak.
Joshua 15:15 From there he marched against the inhabitants of Debir, which used to be called Kiriath-sepher,
Joshua 15:16 and Caleb had said, “Whoever attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher, I will give my daughter Achsah to him as a wife.”
Joshua 15:17 So Othniel son of Caleb’s brother, Kenaz, captured it, and Caleb gave his daughter Achsah to him as a wife.
Joshua 15:18 When she arrived, she persuaded Othniel to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”
Joshua 15:19 She replied, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me the springs also.” So he gave her the upper and lower springs.

Achsah’s blessing

Achsah was not going to sit back and let her husband lose out on the blessing. She spoke up and asked not only for the land, but also for the springs to water it.

Thank you, Lord, for wise wives, who are not only a blessing themselves, but pursue blessings by their wisdom.

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hell and the holy city

Posted on September 28, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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hell and the holy city

Joshua 15:1-12 (JDV)

Joshua 15:1 Now the allotment for the tribe of the descendants of Judah by their clans was in the southernmost region, south to the Wilderness of Zin and over to the border of Edom.
Joshua 15:2 Their southern border began at the tip of the Dead Sea on the south bay
Joshua 15:3 and went south of the Scorpions’ Ascent, proceeded to Zin, ascended to the south of Kadesh-barnea, passed Hezron, ascended to Addar, and turned to Karka.
Joshua 15:4 It proceeded to Azmon and to the Brook of Egypt and so the border ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This is your southern border.
Joshua 15:5 Now the eastern border was along the Dead Sea to the mouth of the Jordan. The border on the north side was from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan.
Joshua 15:6 It ascended to Beth-hoglah, proceeded north of Beth-arabah, and ascended to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.
Joshua 15:7 Then the border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning north to the Gilgal that is opposite the Ascent of Adummim, which is south of the ravine. The border proceeded to the Waters of En-shemesh and ended at En-rogel.
Joshua 15:8 From there the border went up Ben Hinnom Valley to the southern Jebusite slope (that is, Jerusalem) and ascended to the top of the hill that faces Hinnom Valley on the west, at the northern end of Rephaim Valley.
Joshua 15:9 From the top of the hill the border curved to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, went to the cities of Mount Ephron, and then curved to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim).
Joshua 15:10 The border turned westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, went to the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), went down to Beth-shemesh, and proceeded to Timnah.
Joshua 15:11 Then the border reached to the slope north of Ekron, curved to Shikkeron, proceeded to Mount Baalah, went to Jabneel, and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.
Joshua 15:12 Now the western border was the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. This was the boundary of the descendants of Judah around their clans.

hell and the holy city

Verse 8 mentions, in passing, two places that would become very significant spiritually and eschatologically. The Ben Hinnom valley would become so attached to the idea of destruction and mortality that the Greek translation (Gehenna) would become one of the New Testament words for final punishment. Then, there is “the southern Jebusite slope” which would become the place for the holy city, Jerusalem.

I think it is significant that these two places are so close to each other that they can be mentioned in the same sentence.

We look forward to the holy city — New Jerusalem, which will come down from the sky after all things defiled and destructible will have been destroyed in Gehenna.

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honoring his promise

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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honoring his promise

Joshua 14:6-15 (JDV)

Joshua 14:6 The descendants of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what Yahveh promised Moses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about you and me.
Joshua 14:7 I was forty years old when Moses Yahveh’s servant sent me from Kadesh-barnea to scout the land, and I brought back an honest report.
Joshua 14:8 My brothers who went with me caused the people to lose heart, but I followed Yahveh my God completely.
Joshua 14:9 On that day Moses swore to me: ‘The land where you have set foot will be an inheritance for you and your descendants forever, because you have followed Yahveh my God completely.’
Joshua 14:10 “As you see, Yahveh has kept me alive these forty-five years as he promised, since Yahveh spoke this word to Moses while Israel was journeying in the wilderness. Here I am today, eighty-five years old.
Joshua 14:11 I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then.
Joshua 14:12 Now give me this hill country Yahveh promised me on that day, because you heard then that the Anakim are there, as well as large fortified cities. Maybe Yahveh will be with me and I will drive them out as Yahveh promised.”
Joshua 14:13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as an inheritance.
Joshua 14:14 Therefore, Hebron still belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance today because he followed Yahveh, the God of Israel, completely.
Joshua 14:15 Hebron’s name had been Kiriath-arba; Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. After this, the land had rest from war.

honoring his promise

Caleb’s strength continued as long as God’s promise remained unfulfilled. He expected God to honor his promise, and Joshua was given the honor of seeing it done.

Our God has promised hope and renewal and forgiveness to the nations of the planet. It is our honor to see to that these blessed with the promise have an opportunity to receive what has been promised to them. That is why he sends us to them.

Lord, help us to reach the nations you have determined to bless.

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preparing for the coming kingdom

Posted on September 26, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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preparing for the coming kingdom

Joshua 14:1-5 (JDV)

Joshua 14:1 The Israelites took possession of these portions that the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes gave them in the land of Canaan.
Joshua 14:2 Their inheritance was by lot as Yahveh commanded through Moses for the nine and a half tribes,
Joshua 14:3 because Moses had given the inheritance to the two and a half tribes beyond the Jordan. But he gave no inheritance among them to the Levites.
Joshua 14:4 The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. No portion of the land was given to the Levites except cities to live in, along with pasture-lands for their cattle and livestock.
Joshua 14:5 So the Israelites did as Yahveh commanded Moses, and they divided the land.

preparing for the coming kingdom

The land had been granted to the the twelve tribes as a gift, with it accompanying responsibility to make it a fruitful representation of the God who had given it by his grace. The kingdom would come later. By taking possession of the land, they were preparing for the coming kingdom.

Later, our Lord would tell his apostles that he had been given all authority over all the nations, and that they were commissioned to make those nations fruitful representatives of the coming kingdom.

This story is a rehearsal for us — a reminder of our present mission that comes with our status as citizens of Christ’s coming kingdom.

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our present inheritance

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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our present inheritance

Joshua 13:33 (JDV)

Joshua 13:33 But Moses did not give a portion to the tribe of Levi. Yahveh, the God of Israel, was their inheritance, just like he had promised them.

our present inheritance

Did the Levites get short-changed? No, not at all. In fact, they are a foretaste of you and me. You see, we are born into a dominion that has not yet taken hold of its domain. Until our King comes, not one inch of land really belongs to any of us. We may be fortunate enough to “have” property, but even that possession is only temporary. We will soon lose anything that we have because our lives are temporary. We are mortal. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

But the good news is that we can access our true inheritance today, just like the Levites did. Our God is our inheritance. Serving him and serving others are ways that we access that inheritance.

Lord, thank you for the rich abundance of our present inheritance.

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under new management

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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under new management

Joshua 13:24-32 (JDV)

Joshua 13:24 To the tribe of the Gadites by their clans, Moses gave
Joshua 13:25 this as their territory: Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites to Aroer, near Rabbah;
Joshua 13:26 from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir;
Joshua 13:27 in the valley: Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon– the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. Their land also included the Jordan and its territory as far as the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth on the east side of the Jordan.
Joshua 13:28 This was the inheritance of the Gadites by their clans, with the cities and their settlements.
Joshua 13:29 And to half the tribe of Manasseh (that is, to half the tribe of Manasseh’s descendants by their clans) Moses gave
Joshua 13:30 this as their territory: From Mahanaim through all Bashan – all the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, including all of Jair’s Villages that are in Bashan – sixty cities.
Joshua 13:31 But half of Gilead, and Og’s royal cities in Bashan – Ashtaroth and Edrei – are for the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh (that is, half the descendants of Machir by their clans).
Joshua 13:32 These were the portions Moses gave them on the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan east of Jericho.

under new management

I couldn’t help but think as I read about “all the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, including all of Jair’s Villages that are in Bashan – sixty cities” — that phrase “under new management.” No matter how great Og’s kingdom was, it was now lost entirely.

God is not against our doing great things and building monuments and creating a heritage. But those personal kingdoms will not last. The only permanent kingdom will come down from the sky, and Christ is its king.

Lord, may your kingdom come, and grant by your grace that we are a part of it.

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time’s up for Balaam

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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time’s up for Balaam

Joshua 13:15-23 (JDV)

Joshua 13:15 To the tribe of Reuben’s descendants by their clans, Moses gave
Joshua 13:16 this as their territory: From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plateau as far as Medeba,
Joshua 13:17 with Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau– Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon,
Joshua 13:18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,
Joshua 13:19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley,
Joshua 13:20 Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth –
Joshua 13:21 all the cities of the plateau, and all the kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. Moses had killed him and the chiefs of Midian – Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba – the princes of Sihon who lived in the land.
Joshua 13:22 Along with those the Israelites put to death, they also killed the diviner, Balaam son of Beor, with the sword.
Joshua 13:23 The border of the Reubenites was the Jordan and its plain. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites by their clans, with the cities and their settlements.

time’s up for Balaam

The Geneva Study Bible comments on verse 22: “So that both they who obeyed wicked counsel and the wicked counsellor perished by the just judgment of God.”

We have to remember when we study the conquest of Israel that everyone who died as a result of the Israelite invasions were already judged and condemned by God. It was not just that Balaam and the Midianites were unlucky to be in the land at the wrong time. Their time had been given to them by God’s grace, and now their time was up.

Lord, teach us to use our time wisely, and always to seek your counsel.

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sweet benefits

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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sweet benefits

Joshua 13:14 (JDV)

Joshua 13:14 He did not, however, give any inheritance to the tribe of Levi. This was their inheritance, just like he had promised: the offerings made by fire to Yahveh, the God of Israel.

sweet benefits

As Joshua later explains, the Levites do not get land “because their inheritance is the priesthood of Yahveh” (18:7).

Serving God and leading worship in his name comes with its own sweet benefits, even today.

Lord, thank you for the benefits of serving you.

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unfinished victory

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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unfinished victory

Joshua 13:8-13 (JDV)

Joshua 13:8 With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites and Gadites had received the inheritance Moses gave them beyond the Jordan to the east, just like Moses Yahveh’s servant had given them:
Joshua 13:9 From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, all the Medeba plateau as far as Dibon,
Joshua 13:10 and all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the Ammonites;
Joshua 13:11 also Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah –
Joshua 13:12 the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei; he was one of the remaining Rephaim. Moses struck them down and pushed them out,
Joshua 13:13 but the Israelites did not push out the Geshurites and Maacathites. So Geshur and Maacath still live in Israel today.

unfinished victory

There are a number of accounts like this in Joshua, indicating that in some respects, the Israelites failed to completely eliminate their enemies.

I think the reason behind these reminders is that the people of Israel could have accomplished their mission, but didn’t. They had God’s power behind them, but failed to follow him completely. Thus there was victory, but it was not complete victory.

Such passages should motivate us to be wholeheartedly committed to God and his plan, but also to realize that final and complete victory will be at his hands, not ours.

God of our victory, we trust you to finish what you started.
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faith allots a future

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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faith allots a future

Joshua 13:1-7 (JDV)

Joshua 13:1 Joshua had become old, advanced in age, and Yahveh said to him, “You have become old, advanced in age, but a lot of land remains to be possessed.
Joshua 13:2 This is the land that remains: All the districts of the Philistines and the Geshurites:
Joshua 13:3 from the Shihor east of Egypt to the border of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory) – the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvites
Joshua 13:4 in the south; all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians to Aphek and as far as the border of the Amorites;
Joshua 13:5 the land of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon east from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath –
Joshua 13:6 all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, all the Sidonians. I will drive them out in front of the Israelites, only distribute the land as an inheritance for Israel, as I have commanded you.
Joshua 13:7 Therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”

faith allots a future

Like their ancestor Abraham, the Israelites had to trust God’s promise to give them the land. Even though they had won many battles and had already possessed much land, there was still much of the land that could be allotted, but was not yet possessed.

Believers in Christ are in a similar condition today. Our king has come, and has drawn us to himself. He has given us many promises, but he calls on us to take those promises by faith. We have yet to inherit our inheritance. Faith allots a future inheritance.

God of our inheritance, we claim the nations for you.
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