Day 1,064: Joshua 18- Persevere Into God's Promises

Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.
2 There remained among the people of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned. 3 So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? 4 Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may set out and go up and down the land. They shall write a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then come to me. 5 They shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall continue in his territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall continue in their territory on the north. 6 And you shall describe the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. 7 The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their heritage. And Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”
8 So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, “Go up and down in the land and write a description and return to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.” 9 So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, 10 and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord. And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, to each his portion.
The Inheritance for Benjamin11 The lot of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to its clans came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph.12 On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan. Then the boundary goes up to the shoulder north of Jericho, then up through the hill country westward, and it ends at the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13 From there the boundary passes along southward in the direction of Luz, to the shoulder of Luz (that is, Bethel), then the boundary goes down to Ataroth-addar, on the mountain that lies south of Lower Beth-horon. 14 Then the boundary goes in another direction, turning on the western side southward from the mountain that lies to the south, opposite Beth-horon, and it ends at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city belonging to the people of Judah. This forms the western side. 15 And the southern side begins at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim. And the boundary goes from there to Ephron, to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 Then the boundary goes down to the border of the mountain that overlooks the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is at the north end of the Valley of Rephaim. And it then goes down the Valley of Hinnom, south of the shoulder of the Jebusites, and downward to En-rogel. 17 Then it bends in a northerly direction going on to En-shemesh, and from there goes to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim. Then it goes down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, 18 and passing on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-arabah it goes down to the Arabah.19 Then the boundary passes on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-hoglah. And the boundary ends at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this is the southern border. 20 The Jordan forms its boundary on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin, according to their clans, boundary by boundary all around.
21 Now the cities of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to their clans were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Geba—twelve cities with their villages: 25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath-jearim —fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin according to its clans.

Meditation
God’s grace has given believers “all things pertaining to life and godliness” through relationship with Jesus Christ, granted the “precious promises of God” and made “partakers of Divine nature.” For this reason, believers must “make every effort” and “be diligent” to claim the power and promises of Christ (2 Peter 1:3-10).
 
As Christians have trouble claiming the promises and power made available through the finished work of Jesus, so too ancient Israel needed to be admonished to settle into the promised land. This call for perseverance in claiming God’s promises is empowered by the future grace and forever faithfulness of the Lord. God has delivered. God’s people must settle into the promises provided through His steadfast love.
 
Without fanfare, Joshua relocates Israel’s main camp from Gilgal to Shiloh, observing seven tribes remain without settlement in the promised land. Joshua admonishes the tribes before making a plan for them to settle and assigning final allotments (1-10). Godly leadership helps God’s people to claim God’s promises.
 
There is a linguistic echo of creation when God commanded Adam and Eve to “subdue the earth” by cultivating the garden for fruitfulness and fullness of life (Genesis 1:28). The remaining promised land “lay subdued” before Israel (1), prepared by God for His people to settle into His promises.
 
God has done the work for His people to persevere in participating in His promises. God has given us all we need for godliness and participation through Jesus. May His faithfulness fuel our effort to claim God’s promises and conform more to the image of Jesus.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Why do God’s people have difficulty in persevering in claiming the fullness of God’s promises?
 
-What is the role of the leader’s admonishment for God’s people to fully participate in God’s provision?
 
-Where do you need to more fully embrace the faithfulness of God through His finished work in Jesus?
 
Key Verses
3 So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?