Joshua 18

The land lay subdued before them.
Cursed is the ground … There will be thorns and thistles … for dust you are and to dust you will return. (Genesis 3)

These verses came together for me today. Lord, I know this is referencing the physical territory, fields and farming and such; but I am also picturing me, pure human condition, in these words. Cursed is the flesh, humanity; my innate desires, knee-jerk reactions and inclinations will be thorns and thistles to me. (Not discounting the enemy and the world, too); I am naturally gifted at growing the piercing crop of weeds and briars. It’s in my nature. In this natural state, I will return to dust ~ apart from Christ, my work and life will be nothing. But if, by the Spirit, I put to death the deeds of the body that I may glorify Him who saved me, I will live. I just need to have the land (ME) subdued before Him.

Father, I confess I do not always want to have myself subdued. Often I just want what I want, when and how I want it. But I do choose You over that. Please help me in my weak flesh to lay still on the altar of living sacrifice that I may, only by the power and grace of Your Perfect and Holy Spirit, assassinate the deadly deeds of my dust-originated form that I may pursue that abundant life You promise and deliver on. May I recognize, physically, supernaturally, emotionally, cerebrally that everything is a choice and may I choose You. Grant me that enhanced comprehension to have Your scope of vision as it relates to the decisions of my days and nights. and the spiritual gumption to stick with the holy in all ways. Lord, I desire that my flesh would lay subdued before You, everyday and every night, that I might bring You glory. And I praise You that You have removed the boundary lines between Thee and me.

Joshua 17

Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, “You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only, but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites,though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.”

Holy Spirit, help me to receive gratefully from Your hand that which You are pleased to dispense. Keep my mouth and my heart from grumbling or comparing. But also, help me to ask for that which You desire me to request. Lord, I want a heart of thanksgiving and a life of fulfillment. and when You grant me an exploit, strengthen me and give me wisdom and understanding that I may possess all You have promised, to the praise of Your great Name.

Joshua 16

The allotment of the people of Joseph…The people of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance.

The long lost younger son receives a double portion as the firstborn son would have. I had never caught the subtle double portion blessing that Joseph and his people welcomed in the dispensing of the Promise.

God, You are so creative in Your blessing. I appreciate Your reversing the blessing on even Ephraim and Manasseh through Jacob, way back when, too. And the fact that Jake was a younger who superceded the elder…. Thank You for drawing my attention to the work of Your hand. You are not predictable, You are not limited, You do what You want and it is good. Sometimes curious and other times hard to fathom, but You do as You please. I am amazed. Please continue to show me Your handiwork in Your Word and in my life. Soli Deo Gloria!

Joshua 15

She said, “Give me another gift. You have already given me land in the Negev; now please give me springs of water, too.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

If I never had a need, I wouldn’t know that you would meet it. I praise You God that You allow me to know needs, that You may meet them. Please help me to ask all that You would be pleased to do. May I not grow passive, lazy, complacent or indifferent to what You have allowed me to know or seek.
~~~
(Gen. 15: 18-21: On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— the land of the Kenites, KENIZZITES (as in Caleb’s heritage!) , Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”)

The LORD commanded Joshua to assign some of Judah’s territory to Caleb son of Jephunneh (the Kenizzite, a descendant of Esau!).

LORD God, this is so precious to me, a child adopted by Your grace. I praise You that You raised up one from not of the ranks of Your specific, chosen line to be mighty for You, to bring You much glory through His faith and choosing You and to partner with Your chosen ones in Your divine plans of Promised Land Possession. He was a witness to Your people from within the group of the doubters and nay-sayers. God, he was from the enemy’s camp and entitled to be driven out. But You exalted Caleb as he yielded to You. He got property in the Promised Land. His kids were established in the Promised Land. Lord, You are not prejudiced, You examine the heart. May my heart beat as fiercely for You and this tireless warrior-believer, may my obedience be as abrupt and complete as Caleb’s, may I believe You as fully as he did that I may take possession of the Promised Land (whatever that is) in my lifetime and that my children will be established and fully occupying it as well. To the praise of Your great Name.
~~~
(Deut. 20:17: Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you.)

But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day.

Lord, where the enemy occupies territory in my life, give me spiritual vision to see, strategies to employ and come to my aid that he would be completely driven out. Please don’t let me co-exist, be tolerant, be passive, even sympathetic to anything the enemy is doing, has done or plans to do in my life or my family’s. Let that holy and righteous anger well up into spiritually-sanctioned battle mode that he may be destroyed. Completely. To the praise of Your exceedingly great and glorious Name. Be famous in my life and my legacy.

Joshua 14

“… I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD said.”

Caleb never agreed with popular opinion, he was ready to take on the giants in the land when he first encountered them, he was not old nor in decline. He, at 85, was strong and battle-ready, even after all the years of waiting and warring; even hungrier for his allotment, the fulfillment of the LORD’s promise. And he desired to go and drive out the Anakim – those that the enemy successfully used to eclipse the favor and faithfulness of the Lord God Almighty amongst Caleb’s peers – that he would possess that prominent land of Hebron. No where have I seen or read of him bemoaning the wait, the wilderness or God’s call on how this thing played out. He has not whined or commented on the fact that he could have been in that land for 45 stinking years. He could have been established, connected, retired. He simply has been Caleb, agreeing with God, believing God and acting on what God says. Holy Spirit, keep me from popular opinion, status quo, trends determined by man. God, I want what You have for me, no matter the time, the wait, the travel, the fight; keep me from caving in to the verdicts of man and the pressure of culture. Your way, not mine. Your thoughts, not mine (or any others). Your fame, not mine. God, be glorified in and through me and my little life. I praise You, Holy One of the Promised Land.

Joshua 13

When Joshua was an old man, the LORD DID NOT say to him, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, be of good courageous and vigorous in spirit.”
I praise You, Lord God, that You grew Josh up in You and Your plans accounted for his immaturity and lack. I am grateful You extend the same graces today. Very grateful. May I extend them after Your glorious example, as I need them so much myself.

Joshua 12

These are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel defeated, and whose land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun …

The enemies were defeated and the land possessed. God, I want this testimony to be true for me. God, help me follow You into triumph over our enemies, and let me P.O.SS.E.SS. the land, not merely inspect it or know about it. God I want to dwell in victory and fully occupy that which You have for me and to the praise and glory of You. Be famous in my life and the land.

On the other side of the Jordan. Now that they are in the Promised Land, the former familiar is now ‘the other side’ ~ God, keep me from trying to bring the other side with me. Focus me that I may view everything in the perspective of Your glorious and risen Son.