Dig a Little Deeper

Day one hundred eighty-eight

As I was listening to the radio yesterday a song came on that caught my attention.  In the lyrics were the words "I want to bring you hope today".  Those words have been floating around in my head since I heard the song and I have come to the conclusion that this would be a great motto to have.  What a great day we could all have if we were trying to fill each other with hope!  So I prayed about hope this morning.  I started with gratitude for having the message of hope in my life and for the opportunities I have to bring hope to others. I shared my plan for bringing hope to others:  Invite the Spirit to be with me, listen to the promptings I receive, and follow through with a message of hope!  This is going to be a great day!

Joshua 12-13

There are some chapters in the scriptures that you come upon and you have to stop and ask yourself, Why would the author put this information in?  What significance does this information have?  These are great question when you get to chapters like 12 and 13. 

Chapter 12 is basically a list of 33 kings that Israel has conquered; 2 kings on the east of the Jordan and 31 on the west. It even breaks them into those conquered during Moses' leadership and those under Joshua's leadership. At first, it merely seems to be historical information as you read it, but if you look a little deeper there are some spiritual lessons that can be found in this chapter.

God Keeps His Promises  
This is an impressive list of conquests for any people, but this isn't just any people, this is about God's people.  He made a promise to the Israelites that they would have the land of Canaan and this list of conquered kings is a reminder that He kept this promise.  The conquering began with Moses, but it didn't end when he was taken, the Lord continued to keep His promise through Joshua.  The Lord always keeps His promises!

Power of Perseverance
Imagine being Israel and knowing that you are promised this land, but there is a huge list of kings and their people that you must conquer first. Today most of us are overwhelmed by our list of chores and errands we must accomplish in one day, how would you feel looking at years of battles and war?  The list of the conquered kings is a statement to the perseverance Israel must have shown to accomplish the Lord's work.  It reminds us that through perseverance we can accomplish the Lord's work in our own lives.

Chapter 13 starts by informing us that Joshua is old and stricken in years (v 1), but there still remains lands to be possessed. Why include Joshua's old age at the beginning of this chapter?  What lessons could we learn from this verse?

Service to God
Perhaps it is to give us a sense of the time it has taken Israel to get to this point. Sometimes we forget that what takes us a few minutes to read can cover many years.  Many years of battling for the Lord supports the perseverance principle found in chapter 12 and leads into another thought.  Maybe it is a reminder that we are to be like Joshua and dedicate our lives to the service of God, even into our older years.  Serving the Lord is a lifetime pursuit!

The Benefits of Obedience and Faith
It is in this chapter that the division of the land of Canaan among the twelve tribes of Israel begins.  Their obedience and faith to God is paying off, they are receiving their reward!  Notice in verses 8, 14, and 33 that the Lord or His prophet Moses is mentioned when dealing with the inheritance of the land.  The Lord had made it clear early on what the rewards would be if Israel would be obedient and faithful. 

The same is true for us, we benefit from our obedience and faith.  The Lord has made promises to all His children if they will obey and be faithful.  The blessings He gives us are not a surprise, they are a sure thing if we choose to do His will.  The inheritance is there for us.  Are we living a life that allows us to have a portion of the inheritance?  A good question for us all!

There were some great lessons hidden in what appeared to be some less than exciting chapters.  To be honest, these are chapters that I would have skipped in the past in search of something more exciting.  A great lesson for me:  Dig a little deeper!