January 20, 2020

Completion of the Book of Joshua

Happy Monday. 
Chapter 14-19 is Joshua dividing the land

Chapter 14

• God had already allotted to Moses how to divide up the land 
• Each tribe was to receive a lot.
• There was nine tribes and one half tribe.
• Out of Joseph existed two tribes (Manasseh and Ephraim)
• They were among the first to receive According to the word of the Lord.

           Chapter 15               

•  Judah received the border of Edom and the wilderness; also the Jebusites lived there. They were the inhabitants of Jerusalem before the children of Israel took the land. Judah could not drive them out so they lived among them even till this day. 
• Some tribes inherited land and springs.
• The children of Israel called there land a blessing. 
• We use the term blessing for anything we think is good. 

My Notes: 
They were in Egypt for years some lost fanily in the wilderness. Here is the children of Israel in this beautiful land. Just think there will be no wicked rulers treating them as slaves or as property to be misused. At that moment in history there is no president or government. Just God. They could do what they pleased according to God's word. I hope I am understood for what I mean but as I think about life; I know that it is really hard to be a Christian under certain types of authority. Just think it is not natural for us to do right and how much harder is it when your neighborhood is bad. All you see is bad around you. It doesn't feel like there's a God. Just think with me sonetimes whomever is over us has the potential to be wicked or good.  Life can be good or bad. The devil DOES NOT LIKE God. He DOES not LIKE Christian people. So you get saved and the devil over you is not happy. We have to be delivered too.  Of course we are in a different time of history but if look through history we find that when the devil or the Bible says an evil spirit went into a person and it caused problems. At the end of the day its about the devil breaking us and getting us to renounce God. He puts us through hell. If God say you bless he wants to create hell circumstances for you. 

My personal testimony.
I love my home state; and I love my city. I attended a baptist church on 7 mile and evergreen as a young girl. I saw lots of negative things within the inner city but we all try to live above it. As an adult I found myself doing hard labor and difficulty getting good job placements and opportunities. In 2014 I was given an invitation to journey to Texas and I packed up and brought a ticket. I didn't have anything to lose. The people who went before me came to me and said this is a good land. It has this, it has that. I wanted to experience the good of the land because at a young age we all had experience bad in our city. We desired better. Our parents were doing okay but we needed to build a life. Secondly I like to travel and see other land. When I arrived I felt a great peace. I also had opportunities arise that would never happen in my city.  Doors were opening fast. It was so great I stayed for three years. Today I find myself comparing those lands. Once city does great and people do better and become better while another city people go down and it makes unhappy people.  I am not saying everyone in a city is bad but the Devil will not allow  you to be blessed under his ruling. If a place has wickedness in high places; naturally what happens to the Christians in low places. Just think on it. It would take God putting good men in high places. But so much had been allowed and lots of people suffer in certain regions and areas. We think its some type of sin that keeps us begging God and nothings happening but sometimes its above our heads and its wickedness in high places. I have seen people commit sin in one place and move to another and change. Something about they could not break free in some areas it took moving to another place. Some people may disagree with me but I want to ask? Would Egypt ever let Israel be blessed there?

My answer:
I say no, they consider them to be less than human. They did not think that they were people. They took them into slavery and they mocked them. They had no respect for their God. Lastly God wanted nothing to do with Egypt. God is a first serve God. He took them to a new land. He could have cleaned up Egypt but since Egypt had gods he took them to a better place where they could serve him. He didn't want to be the god of Egypt. He is the God of Israel he always compared himself to the false gods to show the difference between him and them.

As you read the chapters the children of Israel gives the hard labor to the people who linger in the land. They have the right to do it they are in charge of the land. Is God bigger than people. Yes. But God will not overrule an order he put into place. Naturally we hook up the people we like and those that follow our God. This is a natural thing to do. It is not a sin. It is smart because it keeps them in control of the land. To make sure they have the upper hand. If the other get more money and better jobs they going to take over.

Chapter 16

• The children of Joseph received the lot by the Jordan river & the Jericho wilderness. It ran through the mountains to Bethel. 
• The children if Epraim had a lot among the inheritance of the children if Manasseh
•  They could not drive out in Gezer so they lived among them even to this day. They were forced to do the hard labor.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE PROMISED LAND?

If you are in your promise Land what does that look like for  you. Do you think it will be a place of hard labor.  I would once again encourage you to go where God bless u at. Maybe another city or another state. But look at the patterns of the children of Israel. 

Chapter 17

The children of Abiezer; the children of Israel, the children of Hepher, the children of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, and many more received their lots. 

The remaining Canaanites were also put to force labor because they could not drive them out. 

Egypt was force labor for them

The wilderness was wild.

The promise Land was rest.

What land do you dwell in?

Chapter 18

THE TABERNACLE

The whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled at Shiloh. There they set up the tabernacle meetings. There was tribes who had not received their inheritance.

Joshua says go pick the land you want .

1. Pick three men
2. Survey the area
3. Bring back the survey
4. Then they would cast lots for land

We have to survey the land we desire. 

 God knows whats going on in every city. He knows what the officials are doing. He knows what the churches are doing. He knows what the people doing. He knows the secret things. I am not afraid to travel or cross a sea to get to a place of rest. How about you? As a Christian you will only catch hell in a wicked ungodly city. Or a wicked neighborhood. Be careful where you go.  Your church might be saved but the devil is ruling over those around you. Then we will not be free to serve God. Of course we do it anyways but deep down inside when you are hurting we question God. When things are bad do you want to go to church? Of course we go but do you want to worship when you are bowed down by a wicked enemy? Do you feel like he is faithful when you hungry? It is hard and what I am saying is a good land with peace allows you to have a honest and sincere relationship with God. Because you are praying and believing but things are not changing because we wait for God to change people and cities but be open to instructions to look up and go out.