Today's Scripture
Joshua 14:1-2
Today’s Reading Schedule: joshua 12-15- Click to read
Now these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel allotted to them. Their inheritances were assigned by lot to the nine-and-a-half tribes, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
Devotion
What Does the passage Mean to Me/US?
The preceding chapters in Joshua are a rather brutal account of conquests of Israel over various tribal groups. It’s not dissimilar to the violence that is still the norm in parts of the world today. To our modern interpretation of scripture, it is disturbing to see God as an integral part of these conquests. For the Hebrew people, God was the center of their historical narrative. This was in contrast to other groups at the time. These conquests represented God’s power and the Promised Land was seen as a gift from God and not necessarily as a result of Joshua’s military prowess.
Chapter 12 opens with a list of defeated Kings, which is impressive from the number noted. In spite of all these conquests, God still tells Joshua that there are areas of land to be taken. We see very clear divisions of land east and west of the Jordan for various tribes except for the tribe of Levi, who would be the priestly group and sacrifices would be their inheritance. These allotments are all done in compliance to the promise that God made with Moses.
What can we glean from this passage of names and allotments? Certainly that God is all powerful, loves and provides for His people. The Hebrew people needed to remember that the Promise Land was provided to them not on their own merits. In our humanness, that can be difficult to remember especially with the passage of time.
In our own lives, we all have various “battles” to conquer and like to think that our own strength has been sufficient. However, we often fail to realize that God is ever present with us providing strength and guidance as we proceed through our daily lives.
Prayer
Lord, we often fail to recognize your power in our lives. Thank you for your love and provision that we frequently take for granted. We pray that we might be more mindful of your presence in our daily lives.
In Jesus Christ. Amen.
Contributed by Luci Wright
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