Devotionary

Israel's story as a nation was filled with example after example of God’s gracious activity. They had no reason to brag. They had no cause to think highly of themselves. Their entire existence was the result of God’s grace.

Joshua knew that disobedience to the will of God would bring the discipline of God. And he longed for his people to remain true so that they could continue to enjoy the blessings of God for generations to come.

Poor decisions, coupled with even worse communication, led to a near disaster. The 12 tribes, having a common bond of heritage and a sharing a mutual inheritance in the land, found out that maintaining unity was going to be a real challenge.

God had done His part and fulfilled His promise to give them the land. Now it was up to them to clear the land of any and all enemies. But they should have been confident in their prospects because of the miracles God had already done for them.

God has always provided His people with spiritual leadership. Like sheep, they require guidance and instruction, protection and, at times, discipline. And the Levites had their work cut out for them.

There is an even more significant purpose for God’s creation of the cities of refuge. They point to Christ. They provide us with a picture of the refuge from guilt and condemnation that would one day come through Jesus Christ.

The eventual location of each and every tribe was predetermined by God and they all received exactly what God had deemed appropriate for their needs. There was no favoritism involved. And no tribe was treated unfairly or suffered inequity at the hands of God.

Jacob had lost a son and a wife. He had been forced to take his family to Egypt to escape a famine. But God would restore them to the land of Canaan, greater in number and with a special inheritance reserved for the son of his right hand.

The tabernacle, representing God’s abiding presence was to bring comfort and peace to His people as they continued their work of possessing the land He had given them. Their work was far from done, but they could rest in God’s presence and power.

God was willing to provide, but expected His people to do their part. And faith on the part of His people is always a major expectation of God for His people. They needed to trust Him enough to obey Him, doing their part in keeping with His faithful provision of their needs.

The goodness of God is never diminished, even by the godlessness of His own people. Yes, He disciplines and punishes them for their sin and rebellion, but He never fails to do them good.

Judah was powerless to possess the land. Which begs the question: Why? Was the enemy too strong or God too weak? What was the cause behind their failure to possess the land completely? Had God asked to much of them? Or were they expecting too little of God?

The land was intended to hold great value to the people of Israel, but it was never meant to have replace God in their hearts. God was not giving them the land as something to worship, but as a place in which to worship and live in obedience to Him.

Every now and then in the book of Joshua, we get introduced to a character whose life illustrates the kind of faith God is looking for in His people. They may seem few and far between, but they’re there. And Caleb is just such a character.

The tribe of Levi, which had been chosen by God to serve Him in the tabernacle, received no land, but were blessed by God with cities spread throughout the land of promise and the assurance that God would meet all their needs as a form of payment for service rendered to Him.