1 00:00:14,119 --> 00:00:17,359 Welcome to the Lansdale Life Church podcast. 2 00:00:18,379 --> 00:00:24,100 If you're seeking a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, this podcast is for you. 3 00:00:24,900 --> 00:00:27,079 Thank you for joining us today. 4 00:00:34,439 --> 00:00:36,200 All right, let's pray. 5 00:00:38,399 --> 00:00:43,020 Heavenly Father, we just we just give you glory here tonight, Lord. 6 00:00:43,359 --> 00:00:45,579 And we welcome you here, Lord. 7 00:00:45,759 --> 00:00:51,740 We are grateful that we can be here, Lord, and we just pray, Lord, that your 8 00:00:51,740 --> 00:00:57,820 spirit would make this place come alive, Lord, and just open up our hearts and our 9 00:00:57,820 --> 00:01:01,340 minds, God, to your word, to your scripture. 10 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:08,439 Give us a better understanding of who you are and draw us closer to you, Lord, 11 00:01:08,620 --> 00:01:10,799 through your word, Lord. 12 00:01:11,180 --> 00:01:15,640 We thank you, Lord, for the kingdom that surrounds us, Lord. 13 00:01:15,819 --> 00:01:21,219 We thank you, Lord, for the opportunity that you give us every day, Lord, to 14 00:01:21,219 --> 00:01:27,959 sow seeds in that kingdom, Lord, and to cultivate and to harvest that which you have prepared 15 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:29,000 for us, Lord. 16 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:34,120 We give you all the glory here tonight and all the praise, and we thank you. 17 00:01:34,420 --> 00:01:37,379 And we pray for those who couldn't be here tonight, Lord. 18 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,459 And we lift up all the needs within this body to you right now. 19 00:01:41,540 --> 00:01:47,420 They are many, and we know that you are going to answer them, Lord, and minister to 20 00:01:47,420 --> 00:01:48,780 your body in your time. 21 00:01:48,780 --> 00:01:51,340 We give you all the glory and thanks in Jesus' name. 22 00:01:51,579 --> 00:01:51,819 Amen. 23 00:01:53,579 --> 00:01:53,739 All right. 24 00:01:53,859 --> 00:01:56,719 So we are on Joshua 17. 25 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:10,740 So coming out of 16, Ephraim received its inheritance, and now Joshua 17 continues 26 00:02:10,740 --> 00:02:14,379 with the tribe of Manasseh. 27 00:02:15,180 --> 00:02:19,699 And this tractor is going to highlight a bunch of things. 28 00:02:19,860 --> 00:02:28,039 Mostly, we're going to spend a lot of time talking about Zeliphiad's daughters who 29 00:02:28,039 --> 00:02:31,740 came to make their claim for their land. 30 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:41,000 And we're going to talk about Ephraim and Manasseh who are struggling here to fulfill 31 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:42,080 and own their land. 32 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:43,280 And we got a little out of order. 33 00:02:43,879 --> 00:02:50,979 John did 18 last week because I had business travel that came up, and he was 34 00:02:50,979 --> 00:02:52,580 already working on 18. 35 00:02:52,879 --> 00:02:59,740 So we already saw in Chapter 18 where the remaining tribes got their allotment 36 00:02:59,740 --> 00:03:06,580 of the Promised Land and were challenged for delaying and the taking of their 37 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:07,060 inheritance. 38 00:03:07,580 --> 00:03:14,400 And there's this theme that's kind of emerging through this Promised Land 39 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,139 that they've been so waiting to get into. 40 00:03:19,239 --> 00:03:25,840 So let's start at we're going to go through verses 1 through 6. 41 00:03:26,479 --> 00:03:32,860 So this was the allotment of the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph's 42 00:03:32,860 --> 00:03:38,379 firstborn, that is, for Makir, Manasseh's firstborn. 43 00:03:39,020 --> 00:03:46,620 Makir was the ancestor of the Gilediites who had received Gilead and 44 00:03:46,620 --> 00:03:53,039 Basham because the Makirites were great soldiers. 45 00:03:53,259 --> 00:03:53,819 They were warriors. 46 00:03:54,759 --> 00:04:02,840 So this allotment was for the rest of the people of Manasseh, the 47 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,780 Assyriel, Shachem, Hefer, and Shemitah. 48 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:13,319 These are the other male descendants of Manasseh's son of Joseph by 49 00:04:13,319 --> 00:04:14,000 their clans. 50 00:04:14,539 --> 00:04:23,899 So now, Lizafed, son of Hefer, son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of 51 00:04:23,899 --> 00:04:29,139 Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters whose names were Maliah, 52 00:04:29,139 --> 00:04:32,800 Noah, Hagla, Nakala, and Tirza. 53 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:39,420 They went to Eleazar, the priest, Joshua, son of Nun, and leaders 54 00:04:39,420 --> 00:04:44,019 and said, the Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance 55 00:04:44,019 --> 00:04:45,300 among our relatives. 56 00:04:46,300 --> 00:04:50,339 So Joshua gave them the inheritance along with the brothers of 57 00:04:50,339 --> 00:04:53,040 their father, according to the Lord's command. 58 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:58,800 Manasseh's share consisted of 10 tracts of land besides Gilead 59 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:03,639 and Basham, east of the Jordan, because the daughters of the 60 00:05:03,639 --> 00:05:06,480 tribe of Manasseh have received an inheritance among the sons, 61 00:05:06,980 --> 00:05:10,439 the land of Gilead belong to the rest of the descendants. 62 00:05:10,779 --> 00:05:13,860 So I have a little map we're going to look at in a little 63 00:05:13,860 --> 00:05:21,019 bit, gets a little confusing looking at the genealogy here. 64 00:05:21,019 --> 00:05:28,439 So just so we understand all of this, we have, you know, 65 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:35,220 Joseph, his firstborn, Manasseh, his firstborn, Makir, his 66 00:05:35,220 --> 00:05:42,459 firstborn, Gilead, and then here's kind of where it just 67 00:05:42,459 --> 00:05:46,000 kind of goes awry and I don't quite understand it. 68 00:05:46,019 --> 00:05:49,180 I tried to study and figure it out and I couldn't quite 69 00:05:49,180 --> 00:06:00,040 get to the wise, but Hefir is clearly not the firstborn of 70 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:00,540 Gilead. 71 00:06:00,879 --> 00:06:05,259 So how I understood it is that this is just kind of the 72 00:06:05,259 --> 00:06:11,019 breakdown of who got these allotted pieces of land. 73 00:06:11,199 --> 00:06:17,180 So it just so happened that Hefir didn't have any sons. 74 00:06:18,180 --> 00:06:25,540 So my suspicion is and what makes sense to me is that 75 00:06:25,540 --> 00:06:30,060 that this was extracted out so that so that God could 76 00:06:30,060 --> 00:06:34,319 make some points, which I'm going to try to to get to 77 00:06:35,079 --> 00:06:35,379 here. 78 00:06:37,079 --> 00:06:40,139 So these were these were the various clans in this 79 00:06:40,139 --> 00:06:44,279 particular scripture focuses in on the daughters. 80 00:06:47,499 --> 00:06:52,699 So the daughters are first introduced in Numbers 26, 81 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:59,160 and then they make their claim to the land in in 27. 82 00:07:00,459 --> 00:07:02,600 This is all the way back in Numbers that we studied. 83 00:07:02,980 --> 00:07:05,379 I didn't remember it until I kind of backtracked. 84 00:07:05,579 --> 00:07:08,160 It probably wasn't one of my weeks to teach that time. 85 00:07:09,740 --> 00:07:13,540 So now they're coming forward as the land is being 86 00:07:13,540 --> 00:07:18,319 being divided because Moses had promised it to them all 87 00:07:18,319 --> 00:07:22,819 the way back in Numbers and God actually will read in 88 00:07:22,819 --> 00:07:23,360 a little bit. 89 00:07:23,379 --> 00:07:27,279 God actually ruled that they should inherit the portion. 90 00:07:27,620 --> 00:07:31,300 So Joshua, Joshua's not making this decision on his 91 00:07:31,300 --> 00:07:35,540 own. He's simply faithfully honoring the decision that 92 00:07:35,540 --> 00:07:38,680 both Moses and and God made. 93 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,959 So I think it's, you know, it's being highlighted 94 00:07:41,959 --> 00:07:47,699 because the inheritance here, it demonstrates God's 95 00:07:47,699 --> 00:07:53,839 faithfulness to his covenant and to the land. 96 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:59,339 And this really becomes the focus of this chapter. 97 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:01,699 There's some other parts we're going to key in on. 98 00:08:02,319 --> 00:08:06,160 But, you know, understanding it back in this day and 99 00:08:06,439 --> 00:08:12,480 age, the land was always, always, always inherited 100 00:08:13,439 --> 00:08:13,920 by the males. 101 00:08:14,959 --> 00:08:16,459 So that's just how it was. 102 00:08:17,839 --> 00:08:21,699 It was just a cultural thing and, you know, families, 103 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:27,100 I mean, as we can see here, families had their identity 104 00:08:27,939 --> 00:08:32,559 in the land that they owned and women didn't typically 105 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:39,240 own the land, but a woman's future and security was 106 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:42,799 really dependent on, you know, the males and their 107 00:08:42,799 --> 00:08:45,840 relatives and the land, the land that they had. 108 00:08:46,019 --> 00:08:50,919 So this ruling here that God and Moses did with 109 00:08:50,919 --> 00:08:55,919 Zephila had daughters was really remarkable for its 110 00:08:55,919 --> 00:08:59,500 time for a number of reasons. 111 00:08:59,500 --> 00:09:03,200 It protected the family name and inheritance and it 112 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,919 also demonstrated, you know, that God is not locked 113 00:09:07,919 --> 00:09:10,340 into, you know, cultural norms. 114 00:09:11,460 --> 00:09:14,340 You know, he can look at this situation and say, 115 00:09:14,500 --> 00:09:18,299 yeah, I know as a society you don't let women do 116 00:09:18,299 --> 00:09:20,720 much, but guess what, we're going to make a little 117 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:22,580 shift in that right now. 118 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:25,820 So I found that just fascinating. 119 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:33,519 If we go back to Numbers, Numbers 27, it said the 120 00:09:33,519 --> 00:09:37,379 daughters of Zephila had sons of Heifer, the son of 121 00:09:37,379 --> 00:09:41,179 Gilead, the son of Mercur, the son of Manasseh, belonged 122 00:09:41,179 --> 00:09:44,000 to the clans of Manasseh, son of Joseph. 123 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:47,980 The names of the daughters were Mala, Noah, Hagla, 124 00:09:48,460 --> 00:09:49,960 Micah, and Tirzah. 125 00:09:50,419 --> 00:09:54,879 They came forward and stood before Moses, Eleazar 126 00:09:54,879 --> 00:09:58,240 the priest, and the leaders of the whole assembly 127 00:09:58,779 --> 00:10:01,919 at the entrance of the tent of meetings, and they 128 00:10:01,919 --> 00:10:05,019 said, our father died in the wilderness. 129 00:10:05,639 --> 00:10:09,120 He was not among the chorus followers who banded 130 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:12,820 together against the Lord, but he died for his 131 00:10:12,820 --> 00:10:15,220 own sin and left no sons. 132 00:10:16,039 --> 00:10:19,720 Why should our father's name disappear from his 133 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,139 clan because he has no son? 134 00:10:22,139 --> 00:10:25,860 Give us the property among our father's relatives. 135 00:10:26,519 --> 00:10:29,580 So Moses brought their case before the Lord and the 136 00:10:29,580 --> 00:10:33,980 Lord said to him, what Zevahalah's daughters are 137 00:10:33,980 --> 00:10:35,200 saying is right. 138 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:39,500 You must certainly give them the property as an 139 00:10:39,500 --> 00:10:42,700 inheritance among their father's relatives and give 140 00:10:42,700 --> 00:10:44,639 their father's inheritance to them. 141 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:51,059 That's a powerful, I mean, these ladies had some 142 00:10:51,059 --> 00:10:54,360 courage, or as the Jews like to say, they had 143 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:55,820 some chutzpah, right? 144 00:10:56,019 --> 00:11:00,379 I mean, they went in there and they didn't shy 145 00:11:00,379 --> 00:11:00,860 back. 146 00:11:01,139 --> 00:11:05,740 So they weren't begging for charity from Joseph at 147 00:11:05,740 --> 00:11:08,879 this time or from Moses when they went before 148 00:11:08,879 --> 00:11:09,940 Moses and the priest. 149 00:11:10,279 --> 00:11:13,120 I mean, they went boldly before them. 150 00:11:13,299 --> 00:11:17,740 These are leaders of millions of people, leaders, 151 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:20,019 and we all know what a leader Moses was. 152 00:11:20,019 --> 00:11:26,019 But they went boldly before him and claimed this 153 00:11:26,019 --> 00:11:31,639 land knowing full well that women didn't own land 154 00:11:31,639 --> 00:11:32,620 back then. 155 00:11:33,039 --> 00:11:36,120 So it's a powerful, powerful state and again, 156 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:38,659 they're not asking for charity here. 157 00:11:38,679 --> 00:11:41,779 They're asking for a promise that was already 158 00:11:41,779 --> 00:11:42,360 giving. 159 00:11:42,580 --> 00:11:46,220 They're saying, give us what God already said belongs 160 00:11:46,220 --> 00:11:47,080 to us. 161 00:11:47,919 --> 00:11:48,720 Powerful, powerful. 162 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:53,519 We're going to later see the contrast of this when 163 00:11:53,519 --> 00:11:57,139 we look at look at Manasseh later, you know, the 164 00:11:57,139 --> 00:11:59,860 daughters were bold and confident, you know, and 165 00:11:59,860 --> 00:12:03,940 later the men of Manasseh later became fearful 166 00:12:03,940 --> 00:12:04,919 and hesitant. 167 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,899 So they were bold pushing forward and then some 168 00:12:07,899 --> 00:12:10,860 of the men in the clan were basically fearful 169 00:12:11,420 --> 00:12:13,320 and pulling back. 170 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,580 There's a great progression here that that you 171 00:12:16,580 --> 00:12:17,580 should look up on your own. 172 00:12:17,580 --> 00:12:21,039 I'm not going to take the time to do this. 173 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:26,179 But in Numbers 27, what we just read, the promise 174 00:12:26,179 --> 00:12:28,899 is given to the daughters. 175 00:12:30,159 --> 00:12:34,120 In Numbers 36, we're not going to read that now. 176 00:12:34,460 --> 00:12:36,220 The promise is protected. 177 00:12:37,419 --> 00:12:41,620 In Joshua 17, where we are tonight, the promise 178 00:12:41,620 --> 00:12:46,419 is fulfilled and then later in 1 Chronicles, the 179 00:12:46,419 --> 00:12:48,399 promise is remembered. 180 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,480 So this was a big deal to them. 181 00:12:53,940 --> 00:12:57,360 And I think God was making it a big deal, which 182 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:01,500 is why he didn't emphasize these other clans. 183 00:13:02,639 --> 00:13:08,940 So let's keep going here into 7 through 13. 184 00:13:09,539 --> 00:13:13,920 So says the territory of Manasseh extended from 185 00:13:13,919 --> 00:13:17,340 Asher to Milcath east of Shechem. 186 00:13:17,980 --> 00:13:22,120 The boundary ran southward from there to include 187 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:25,019 the people living at En Tapu. 188 00:13:25,820 --> 00:13:30,620 Manasseh had the land of Tapu, but Tapu itself 189 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:35,120 on the boundary of Manasseh belong to Ephraimonites. 190 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:40,720 Then the boundary continued south to Cana Ravine. 191 00:13:41,420 --> 00:13:45,059 There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among 192 00:13:45,059 --> 00:13:47,139 the towns of Manasseh. 193 00:13:48,019 --> 00:13:51,820 But the boundary of Manasseh was the northern 194 00:13:51,820 --> 00:13:56,860 side of the Raven and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. 195 00:13:57,799 --> 00:14:03,419 On the south, the land belonged to Ephraim on 196 00:14:03,419 --> 00:14:04,840 the north to Manasseh. 197 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:08,340 The territory Manasseh reached to the Mediterranean 198 00:14:08,340 --> 00:14:13,799 Sea and bordered Asher on the north and Issachar on 199 00:14:13,799 --> 00:14:18,460 the east. Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also 200 00:14:18,460 --> 00:14:24,799 had Beth Shein, Iblim, and the people of Dour-Endour, 201 00:14:25,460 --> 00:14:27,480 Tanakh, and Medayo. 202 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,820 Together with their surrounding settlements, the 203 00:14:31,820 --> 00:14:34,740 third in the list of Nepath. 204 00:14:35,740 --> 00:14:39,500 Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these 205 00:14:39,500 --> 00:14:44,539 towns for the Canaanites were determined to live in 206 00:14:44,539 --> 00:14:48,539 the region. However, when the Israelites grew stronger, 207 00:14:48,700 --> 00:14:53,399 they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor, but 208 00:14:53,399 --> 00:14:55,799 did not drive them out completely. 209 00:14:56,639 --> 00:15:01,139 So really hard to follow when you're just kind of 210 00:15:01,350 --> 00:15:07,389 seeing it like that. And I don't have a laser pointer, 211 00:15:07,909 --> 00:15:14,470 sorry, but you can see here the two parts on either 212 00:15:14,470 --> 00:15:18,070 side of the Jordan River that were the Manasseh clan. 213 00:15:18,330 --> 00:15:23,029 So if you look at the red and purple areas, right 214 00:15:23,029 --> 00:15:28,110 underneath those areas were all of these Canaanite 215 00:15:28,110 --> 00:15:33,250 towns or Canaanite strongholds that they mentioned 216 00:15:33,250 --> 00:15:36,669 in this verse. And I think one of the important 217 00:15:36,669 --> 00:15:43,710 things to point out here was it follows a path all 218 00:15:43,710 --> 00:15:46,950 the way across to the Mediterranean, the Mediterranean 219 00:15:46,950 --> 00:15:50,929 Sea, which is really, really important. 220 00:15:51,330 --> 00:15:53,509 We're going to get to that in just a second. 221 00:15:53,509 --> 00:15:58,330 But the problem as scripture outlines here is that 222 00:15:58,330 --> 00:16:02,789 it was not an unwillingness. In other words, 223 00:16:02,970 --> 00:16:08,450 they weren't, it wasn't an inability of Manasseh 224 00:16:08,450 --> 00:16:11,870 to kind of take possession of it. They were given 225 00:16:11,870 --> 00:16:14,409 this land and they could have gone in and take it. 226 00:16:14,649 --> 00:16:18,809 It was an unwillingness. So verse 12 kind of makes 227 00:16:18,809 --> 00:16:24,509 it sound like weakness to a point. But verse 13 228 00:16:24,509 --> 00:16:27,950 reveals that they eventually became strong enough 229 00:16:27,950 --> 00:16:32,769 to, they just weren't doing it. So really what 230 00:16:32,769 --> 00:16:37,350 that boils down to is the Canaanites to them represented 231 00:16:37,910 --> 00:16:42,190 economic opportunity. This pathway, as you can see 232 00:16:42,190 --> 00:16:44,789 here, which goes to the Mediterranean where all 233 00:16:44,789 --> 00:16:47,690 the trade was happening. It really consisted 234 00:16:47,690 --> 00:16:51,110 of, you know, there was a labor force in place 235 00:16:51,110 --> 00:16:54,009 so that they could work with the Canaanites. 236 00:16:54,350 --> 00:16:58,009 There was pre-existing trade routes where they 237 00:16:58,009 --> 00:17:01,129 could take goods out there and there was trade 238 00:17:01,129 --> 00:17:05,910 relationships that the Canaanites had. So they 239 00:17:05,910 --> 00:17:11,970 chose to kind of manage the situation over removal. 240 00:17:12,349 --> 00:17:16,230 So we've run into this quite a bit in the last 241 00:17:16,230 --> 00:17:20,210 last few books where, you know, God gives the 242 00:17:20,210 --> 00:17:23,849 Israelites very specific directives to deal with 243 00:17:23,849 --> 00:17:28,430 people who are unclean, unsavory, and just bad 244 00:17:28,430 --> 00:17:32,569 people. Don't tolerate them. We've got to eradicate 245 00:17:32,569 --> 00:17:36,349 this. And time and time again, the Israelites 246 00:17:36,349 --> 00:17:41,250 kind of just do this part way. And, you know, 247 00:17:42,250 --> 00:17:46,390 they did not drive them out. And this is something 248 00:17:46,390 --> 00:17:51,690 that we see in Joshua. We saw it in Judges. We've 249 00:17:51,690 --> 00:17:54,690 seen it all the way through this journey of 250 00:17:54,690 --> 00:17:59,490 theirs. And it becomes this pattern that they've 251 00:17:59,490 --> 00:18:04,950 followed that what they tolerate as a society, 252 00:18:05,089 --> 00:18:08,430 what they allow to kind of infiltrate their 253 00:18:08,430 --> 00:18:12,269 community of God and the holiness and the society 254 00:18:12,269 --> 00:18:15,309 that God is building, what they're allowing to 255 00:18:15,309 --> 00:18:19,170 come in, eventually begins to influence from the 256 00:18:19,170 --> 00:18:23,329 inside what God is doing there. So we've seen 257 00:18:23,329 --> 00:18:25,910 that countless times again, and we've talked, 258 00:18:26,009 --> 00:18:28,710 you know, we've talked a lot about it. So they 259 00:18:28,710 --> 00:18:32,390 were, again, choosing to manage this instead of 260 00:18:32,390 --> 00:18:35,529 removing it and eliminating it. They were, 261 00:18:35,769 --> 00:18:37,990 this was going to lead to compromise. They 262 00:18:37,990 --> 00:18:40,829 had seen it time and time again. They cannot 263 00:18:40,829 --> 00:18:44,470 coexist with evil. God does not want them. He 264 00:18:44,470 --> 00:18:49,150 does not want us to coexist with evil. But this 265 00:18:49,150 --> 00:18:54,670 becomes the foundation for future failures. 266 00:19:00,190 --> 00:19:04,410 Matthew 5, 29, 30, where Jesus says, 267 00:19:04,410 --> 00:19:08,210 if your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it 268 00:19:08,210 --> 00:19:12,029 out and throw it away, it is better for you to 269 00:19:12,029 --> 00:19:14,769 lose one part of your body than for your whole 270 00:19:14,769 --> 00:19:17,589 body to be thrown into hell. And if your right 271 00:19:17,589 --> 00:19:20,930 hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and 272 00:19:20,930 --> 00:19:24,109 throw it away. It is better for you to lose a 273 00:19:24,109 --> 00:19:26,069 part of your body than for your whole body to 274 00:19:26,069 --> 00:19:30,710 thrown into inhale. So what Jesus is trying to 275 00:19:30,710 --> 00:19:32,410 communicate here, and again, this is not a 276 00:19:32,569 --> 00:19:36,730 literal thing. Jesus is 100% not saying to cut 277 00:19:36,730 --> 00:19:40,230 limbs off, just to be perfectly clear. He's 278 00:19:40,230 --> 00:19:45,890 basically saying, deal decisively, definitively 279 00:19:47,069 --> 00:19:51,369 with anything that leads us away from Him. If 280 00:19:51,369 --> 00:19:54,789 there are things in our lives that pull us away 281 00:19:54,789 --> 00:19:59,069 from Him, deal with them decisively and 282 00:19:59,069 --> 00:20:02,490 definitively. No matter how valuable it is to 283 00:20:02,490 --> 00:20:07,329 us, no matter how important it is to us, we 284 00:20:07,329 --> 00:20:09,470 have to get rid of it. And this is what He was 285 00:20:09,470 --> 00:20:12,390 saying to the Israelites, get rid of the 286 00:20:12,390 --> 00:20:14,890 Canaanites. It's just not going to lead. So 287 00:20:14,890 --> 00:20:18,829 the lesson is that, you know, our relationship 288 00:20:18,829 --> 00:20:23,109 with God, our relationship with Jesus is 289 00:20:23,109 --> 00:20:26,809 worth more than any type of comfort that these 290 00:20:26,809 --> 00:20:29,569 things might bring, any type of convenience, 291 00:20:30,289 --> 00:20:34,589 anything that hinders us from being in a 292 00:20:34,589 --> 00:20:38,269 relationship with Jesus, you know, has got to 293 00:20:38,269 --> 00:20:42,069 go. And the partial measure just doesn't 294 00:20:42,069 --> 00:20:45,750 cut it. We've seen this time and time again 295 00:20:45,750 --> 00:20:48,150 with the Israelites, that they kind of go 296 00:20:48,150 --> 00:20:51,589 three-quarters of the way, and then they 297 00:20:51,589 --> 00:20:55,170 refuse to deal with this one particular 298 00:20:55,170 --> 00:21:01,170 piece. And it always, always comes back to 299 00:21:01,170 --> 00:21:05,269 get them. And many of us as believers, we 300 00:21:05,269 --> 00:21:08,569 do this same thing. We have a tendency to 301 00:21:08,569 --> 00:21:13,490 want to manage issues or manage sin or 302 00:21:13,490 --> 00:21:17,130 manage things rather than completely 303 00:21:17,130 --> 00:21:19,889 eradicating it. We want to hang on to 304 00:21:20,150 --> 00:21:22,990 maybe just a little bit, just like, just 305 00:21:22,990 --> 00:21:26,369 like, what if? You know, like I remember, 306 00:21:26,630 --> 00:21:35,769 I was a little bit heavier in my, when we 307 00:21:35,769 --> 00:21:38,609 were raising our kids. So, I mean, I was, 308 00:21:39,150 --> 00:21:42,990 you know, wasn't eating right, wasn't 309 00:21:42,990 --> 00:21:46,350 working out, and I was probably at my 310 00:21:46,349 --> 00:21:50,069 heaviest, probably about 210 pounds. So, 311 00:21:50,289 --> 00:21:53,970 my waistline on my jeans were about 312 00:21:53,970 --> 00:22:00,430 30, 38 inches. So, you know, when I got 313 00:22:00,430 --> 00:22:03,490 into my 40s, I started, you know, working 314 00:22:03,490 --> 00:22:08,049 out and getting back in shape. But I 315 00:22:08,049 --> 00:22:10,289 packed away my fat jeans just in case, 316 00:22:11,089 --> 00:22:15,849 you know? I put them, you know, I put 317 00:22:15,849 --> 00:22:17,569 them in my chest and said, well, you know, 318 00:22:17,769 --> 00:22:19,609 you know, just in case I ever, you know, 319 00:22:19,730 --> 00:22:21,410 put on weight again, I'll have these just, 320 00:22:21,569 --> 00:22:24,109 you know, well, you know, I hung on to 321 00:22:24,109 --> 00:22:25,730 them probably for about 10 years, and I 322 00:22:25,730 --> 00:22:27,109 said, you know what? I'm throwing these 323 00:22:27,109 --> 00:22:29,609 things out because I don't really want to 324 00:22:29,609 --> 00:22:32,190 ever go back, go back to that. But we 325 00:22:32,190 --> 00:22:35,190 have a tendency to do that, don't we? 326 00:22:35,470 --> 00:22:37,990 Is to hang on to things that we don't 327 00:22:37,990 --> 00:22:40,630 want to completely get rid of all 328 00:22:40,630 --> 00:22:47,230 together just in case. So, that's what 329 00:22:47,230 --> 00:22:49,809 Manasseh, the tribe of Manasseh was doing 330 00:22:49,809 --> 00:22:51,890 is they were hanging on to these things 331 00:22:51,890 --> 00:22:54,089 that the Canaanites had because it 332 00:22:54,089 --> 00:22:56,450 brought them benefit and made things a 333 00:22:56,450 --> 00:23:00,269 little bit easier for them in their 334 00:23:00,269 --> 00:23:03,230 journey. And it's just not what God 335 00:23:03,230 --> 00:23:09,829 calls us to do. Verses 14 through 18 336 00:23:09,829 --> 00:23:17,710 So, the people of Joseph said to 337 00:23:17,710 --> 00:23:21,230 Joshua, why have you given us only one 338 00:23:21,230 --> 00:23:23,869 allotment and one portion of an 339 00:23:23,869 --> 00:23:28,369 inheritance? We are numerous people and 340 00:23:28,369 --> 00:23:33,269 the Lord has blessed us abundantly. If 341 00:23:33,269 --> 00:23:36,710 you are so numerous, Joshua answered, and 342 00:23:36,710 --> 00:23:39,509 if the hill country of Ephraim 343 00:23:39,509 --> 00:23:43,809 is too small for you, go up into the 344 00:23:43,809 --> 00:23:46,869 forest and clear the land for yourselves. 345 00:23:47,809 --> 00:23:51,190 They're in the land of the Parisites 346 00:23:51,190 --> 00:23:55,309 and Raphites. The people of Joseph 347 00:23:55,309 --> 00:23:59,410 replied, the hill country is not enough 348 00:23:59,410 --> 00:24:02,630 for us and all the Canaanites who live 349 00:24:02,630 --> 00:24:05,910 in the plain have chariots fitted with 350 00:24:06,069 --> 00:24:09,930 iron, both those of Beth Shean and its 351 00:24:09,930 --> 00:24:12,710 settlements and those of the Valley of 352 00:24:12,710 --> 00:24:16,309 Jezreel. But Joshua said to the tribes 353 00:24:16,309 --> 00:24:20,890 of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, you 354 00:24:20,890 --> 00:24:24,690 are numerous and powerful. You will 355 00:24:24,690 --> 00:24:27,750 have not only one allotment, but the 356 00:24:27,750 --> 00:24:30,490 forested hills in the country as well. 357 00:24:31,210 --> 00:24:34,230 Clear it and its farthest limits will 358 00:24:34,230 --> 00:24:36,990 be yours. Though the Canaanites have 359 00:24:36,990 --> 00:24:39,549 chariots fitted with iron and though 360 00:24:39,549 --> 00:24:42,450 they are strong, you can drive them out. 361 00:24:44,229 --> 00:24:47,430 So the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh 362 00:24:47,430 --> 00:24:52,069 are essentially saying, we are great 363 00:24:52,069 --> 00:24:56,049 people and there's a lot of us, but 364 00:24:56,049 --> 00:24:58,269 there's not enough land and we need 365 00:24:58,269 --> 00:25:01,829 more territory. And the irony is, you 366 00:25:01,829 --> 00:25:03,990 know, they're saying we are numerous 367 00:25:03,990 --> 00:25:07,549 that God has blessed us with many, but 368 00:25:07,549 --> 00:25:10,029 in the same conversation they're saying 369 00:25:10,029 --> 00:25:12,329 okay, we don't have the manpower to do 370 00:25:12,329 --> 00:25:18,230 this. And Joshua basically doubles down 371 00:25:18,230 --> 00:25:21,410 on that and says, go clear the forest, 372 00:25:21,930 --> 00:25:24,309 go take the hill country, drive out the 373 00:25:24,309 --> 00:25:27,029 Canaanites. In other words, use what 374 00:25:27,029 --> 00:25:30,150 God's already given you. Take the 375 00:25:30,150 --> 00:25:34,569 land, you know, that God has given you. 376 00:25:34,750 --> 00:25:39,049 And Joshua repeatedly uses these action 377 00:25:39,049 --> 00:25:42,529 oriented words, go up, clear it, 378 00:25:42,970 --> 00:25:46,509 possess it. And what Joshua is saying 379 00:25:46,509 --> 00:25:50,190 in essence is faith requires action. 380 00:25:50,769 --> 00:25:55,289 It just simply does. So this is just 381 00:25:55,289 --> 00:26:00,069 a very, very practical lesson that 382 00:26:00,069 --> 00:26:03,130 Joshua is trying to teach the tribes. 383 00:26:03,869 --> 00:26:06,329 You know, easier land, additional 384 00:26:06,329 --> 00:26:08,730 blessing, you know, fewer obstacles. 385 00:26:09,130 --> 00:26:11,589 And Joshua tells him, your problem isn't 386 00:26:11,589 --> 00:26:15,170 lack of opportunity. Your problem is lack 387 00:26:15,170 --> 00:26:18,210 of faith and not wanting to put the 388 00:26:18,210 --> 00:26:21,130 work in. And the people then respond in 389 00:26:21,130 --> 00:26:23,609 fear. Well, the Canaanites have iron 390 00:26:23,609 --> 00:26:26,809 chariots and, you know, this was the 391 00:26:26,809 --> 00:26:29,150 equivalent of ancient technology. 392 00:26:29,150 --> 00:26:31,789 So, you know, basically they're saying 393 00:26:31,789 --> 00:26:33,970 that, hey, our enemies have superior 394 00:26:33,970 --> 00:26:37,829 weapons, even though God has shown his 395 00:26:37,829 --> 00:26:40,970 ability time and time and time again to 396 00:26:40,970 --> 00:26:44,869 them in their ability to put, you know, 397 00:26:45,430 --> 00:26:47,869 God, when you put God first, he's going 398 00:26:47,869 --> 00:26:52,289 to deliver you from these. So this 399 00:26:52,289 --> 00:26:57,289 was just, Joseph is trying to, Joshua 400 00:26:57,289 --> 00:27:00,730 is trying to instill wisdom and they're 401 00:27:00,730 --> 00:27:04,069 coming back with excuses and with 402 00:27:04,069 --> 00:27:07,109 fear. And I think, you know, again, 403 00:27:07,569 --> 00:27:11,789 this is so relatable to us, you know, 404 00:27:11,789 --> 00:27:14,230 as believers, you know, how many times, 405 00:27:14,490 --> 00:27:16,029 you know, do we say, you know, if 406 00:27:16,029 --> 00:27:19,430 only I had more resources to do the 407 00:27:19,430 --> 00:27:22,289 work God is calling me. More time, 408 00:27:22,789 --> 00:27:26,089 more opportunity, more money, more 409 00:27:26,089 --> 00:27:30,210 support, more talent. Meanwhile, God 410 00:27:30,210 --> 00:27:33,809 is saying to us, you know, you haven't 411 00:27:33,809 --> 00:27:37,430 fully used the portion that I've 412 00:27:37,430 --> 00:27:40,089 given you, that I've entrusted. You 413 00:27:40,089 --> 00:27:41,470 haven't, in other words, you haven't 414 00:27:41,470 --> 00:27:45,410 fully possessed the land that I've 415 00:27:45,410 --> 00:27:47,109 given you. When, you know, when we 416 00:27:47,109 --> 00:27:49,690 think about possessing the land, 417 00:27:51,290 --> 00:27:54,130 it's not necessarily physical land like 418 00:27:54,130 --> 00:27:56,970 God was talking about with the 419 00:27:56,970 --> 00:27:59,269 Israelites here, but it's the land 420 00:27:59,269 --> 00:28:01,349 that he's entrusted to us and that 421 00:28:01,349 --> 00:28:03,789 land might be in our homes, in our 422 00:28:03,789 --> 00:28:06,450 neighborhood, in our workplace, in our 423 00:28:06,450 --> 00:28:08,569 ministry, wherever it is. This is what 424 00:28:08,569 --> 00:28:10,549 the, this is the promised land that 425 00:28:10,549 --> 00:28:13,230 God has given us to work within, the 426 00:28:13,230 --> 00:28:15,309 context of what he's given us to work 427 00:28:15,309 --> 00:28:17,470 within. And oftentimes we're saying, 428 00:28:17,509 --> 00:28:18,809 well, we can't do it because we don't 429 00:28:18,809 --> 00:28:21,450 have this and God's saying, you need 430 00:28:21,450 --> 00:28:24,990 to just fulfill this here. So it 431 00:28:24,990 --> 00:28:28,390 becomes a lack of possession, you know, 432 00:28:28,390 --> 00:28:31,349 and you can see here that the tribes, 433 00:28:31,630 --> 00:28:35,190 their focus shifted from what God 434 00:28:35,190 --> 00:28:38,089 had promised them to the enemy's 435 00:28:38,089 --> 00:28:39,630 resources. So they were kind of 436 00:28:39,630 --> 00:28:42,849 blame shifting here. And, you know, 437 00:28:42,849 --> 00:28:45,910 I immediately thought of, you know, 438 00:28:46,349 --> 00:28:48,170 you know, Peter's story, you know, 439 00:28:48,269 --> 00:28:50,609 of, of walking, you know, on the 440 00:28:50,609 --> 00:28:52,069 water, you know, when Pete, when 441 00:28:52,069 --> 00:28:54,809 Peter was focusing on Jesus and 442 00:28:54,809 --> 00:28:56,609 focusing on the promise and 443 00:28:56,609 --> 00:28:58,410 believing when God, when Jesus 444 00:28:58,410 --> 00:29:00,650 said, Hey, come to me, he was 445 00:29:00,650 --> 00:29:02,829 moving. But when he focused on 446 00:29:02,829 --> 00:29:04,549 the wind and when he focused on 447 00:29:04,549 --> 00:29:06,269 the things that were around him, 448 00:29:06,609 --> 00:29:08,670 and when he focused on, on all 449 00:29:08,670 --> 00:29:10,309 of this stuff that was going on, 450 00:29:11,089 --> 00:29:13,069 he began to sink. And it's the 451 00:29:13,069 --> 00:29:14,930 same thing with the tribes there, 452 00:29:15,390 --> 00:29:17,609 you know, instead of looking to 453 00:29:17,609 --> 00:29:19,750 God and saying, Lord, we trust 454 00:29:19,750 --> 00:29:20,950 that you are going to make a 455 00:29:20,950 --> 00:29:22,450 way here because you've made a 456 00:29:22,450 --> 00:29:24,089 way all the way from out of 457 00:29:24,089 --> 00:29:25,849 Egypt for us, instead of looking 458 00:29:25,849 --> 00:29:27,809 at that, they looked at the 459 00:29:27,809 --> 00:29:30,009 chariots and they really, they 460 00:29:30,009 --> 00:29:31,950 really missed out on, on what 461 00:29:31,950 --> 00:29:34,710 God had for him. So when you 462 00:29:34,710 --> 00:29:36,089 look at, look at the basic 463 00:29:36,089 --> 00:29:38,349 themes throughout, out this 464 00:29:38,349 --> 00:29:41,250 chapter here, we've got, you 465 00:29:41,250 --> 00:29:44,109 know, faith, faith claims what 466 00:29:44,109 --> 00:29:46,710 God has promised. So the 467 00:29:46,710 --> 00:29:49,269 daughters Zephiel had 468 00:29:49,269 --> 00:29:51,150 demonstrate their faith. They 469 00:29:51,150 --> 00:29:52,470 were bold. They had that 470 00:29:52,470 --> 00:29:54,190 chutzpah where they just kind 471 00:29:54,190 --> 00:29:56,170 of came forward and said, you 472 00:29:56,170 --> 00:29:57,750 know, this is what God has 473 00:29:57,750 --> 00:29:58,829 for us and we need it. And 474 00:29:58,829 --> 00:30:00,869 they weren't afraid to stand 475 00:30:00,869 --> 00:30:03,170 up and say it to Moses and 476 00:30:03,170 --> 00:30:04,569 to the priest and then to 477 00:30:04,569 --> 00:30:06,190 claim it, you know, from, 478 00:30:06,190 --> 00:30:07,930 from Joshua. And it was 479 00:30:07,930 --> 00:30:08,890 just, that was just an 480 00:30:08,890 --> 00:30:11,809 amazing story. Partial 481 00:30:11,809 --> 00:30:13,829 obedience creates future 482 00:30:13,829 --> 00:30:15,390 problems. How many times have 483 00:30:15,390 --> 00:30:17,970 we used that analogy here as 484 00:30:17,970 --> 00:30:19,009 we're studying these Old 485 00:30:19,009 --> 00:30:20,890 Testament Israelite? The 486 00:30:20,890 --> 00:30:23,390 Israel allowed the Canites 487 00:30:23,390 --> 00:30:27,450 to influence them. Convenience, 488 00:30:27,730 --> 00:30:29,630 you know, today becomes 489 00:30:29,630 --> 00:30:31,170 compromise of tomorrow. 490 00:30:32,170 --> 00:30:34,130 Absolutely. God's people 491 00:30:34,130 --> 00:30:36,690 often underestimate what 492 00:30:36,690 --> 00:30:38,390 God has given. So we don't 493 00:30:38,390 --> 00:30:40,470 see the big picture and 494 00:30:40,470 --> 00:30:42,450 they most definitely didn't 495 00:30:42,450 --> 00:30:44,750 see the big picture. Ephraim 496 00:30:44,750 --> 00:30:47,990 and Manasseh believed they 497 00:30:47,990 --> 00:30:49,470 lacked land. He thought they 498 00:30:49,470 --> 00:30:51,809 didn't have enough. And 499 00:30:51,809 --> 00:30:53,089 Joshua believed they just 500 00:30:53,089 --> 00:30:54,609 lacked courage and lacked 501 00:30:54,609 --> 00:30:56,849 faith to possess the whole 502 00:30:56,849 --> 00:31:00,170 of what they had. Obstacles 503 00:31:00,170 --> 00:31:02,349 are often opportunities in 504 00:31:02,349 --> 00:31:05,690 disguise. And I know this 505 00:31:05,690 --> 00:31:07,130 is true in my life. 506 00:31:07,230 --> 00:31:08,490 Sometimes when I get to 507 00:31:08,490 --> 00:31:09,970 an obstacle, I can't see a 508 00:31:09,970 --> 00:31:11,869 way over. Can't see a way 509 00:31:11,869 --> 00:31:13,450 around that. I can't see 510 00:31:13,450 --> 00:31:16,390 what God has for us and for 511 00:31:16,390 --> 00:31:18,650 me until he opens my eyes 512 00:31:18,650 --> 00:31:20,049 until I allow him to open 513 00:31:20,049 --> 00:31:21,730 my eyes and see what's 514 00:31:21,730 --> 00:31:22,750 there. They saw the hill 515 00:31:22,750 --> 00:31:24,089 country that looked 516 00:31:24,089 --> 00:31:26,029 impossible. They saw the 517 00:31:26,029 --> 00:31:27,490 iron chariots that looked 518 00:31:27,490 --> 00:31:29,710 intimidating. But those 519 00:31:29,710 --> 00:31:31,710 obstacles were exactly 520 00:31:31,710 --> 00:31:34,470 what God wanted them to 521 00:31:34,470 --> 00:31:35,710 see so that they could 522 00:31:35,710 --> 00:31:37,809 trust in him and not in 523 00:31:37,809 --> 00:31:40,049 their own ability. And 524 00:31:40,049 --> 00:31:41,950 Joshua simply said, you 525 00:31:41,950 --> 00:31:44,069 already have, you have 526 00:31:44,069 --> 00:31:46,569 enough. Go and possess 527 00:31:46,569 --> 00:31:48,589 it. Possess it fully. 528 00:31:53,769 --> 00:31:59,569 Oops. So, you know, 529 00:31:59,950 --> 00:32:01,690 Joshua 17, I mean, the 530 00:32:01,690 --> 00:32:02,890 chapter was just loaded 531 00:32:02,890 --> 00:32:04,069 with great stuff. I mean, 532 00:32:04,190 --> 00:32:05,509 my favorite, my favorite 533 00:32:05,509 --> 00:32:06,569 portion is the daughter. 534 00:32:06,730 --> 00:32:08,150 So I just, I just love that. 535 00:32:08,470 --> 00:32:11,109 I loved how God just used 536 00:32:11,109 --> 00:32:13,710 that story to just break 537 00:32:13,710 --> 00:32:15,650 down the stereotypes of 538 00:32:15,650 --> 00:32:19,509 culture of the time. You 539 00:32:19,509 --> 00:32:21,450 know, I think it reminded 540 00:32:21,450 --> 00:32:24,809 me, the chapter as a whole 541 00:32:24,809 --> 00:32:27,569 reminded me that the 542 00:32:27,569 --> 00:32:30,529 blessings that God has for 543 00:32:31,210 --> 00:32:34,130 me are there. And sometimes 544 00:32:34,130 --> 00:32:35,869 I've just got to get 545 00:32:35,869 --> 00:32:39,250 beyond the obstacles and 546 00:32:39,250 --> 00:32:40,250 the things that are in 547 00:32:40,250 --> 00:32:41,049 front of me and the 548 00:32:41,049 --> 00:32:42,490 temptations that are there 549 00:32:42,490 --> 00:32:44,690 to avoid them. You know, 550 00:32:44,789 --> 00:32:46,150 there's plenty of forests 551 00:32:46,150 --> 00:32:48,410 that need to be cleared in 552 00:32:48,410 --> 00:32:49,730 the land that he's 553 00:32:49,730 --> 00:32:52,049 promised you. You guys 554 00:32:52,049 --> 00:32:53,250 can relate to this, right? 555 00:32:53,369 --> 00:32:54,289 You got a lot of woods 556 00:32:55,309 --> 00:32:56,609 around where you're at 557 00:32:56,609 --> 00:32:57,650 that the clearing never 558 00:32:57,650 --> 00:33:00,650 ends, right? So, you 559 00:33:00,650 --> 00:33:01,789 know, we don't 560 00:33:01,789 --> 00:33:03,750 necessarily need to spend 561 00:33:04,450 --> 00:33:06,569 our time praying for 562 00:33:06,569 --> 00:33:09,930 more inheritance. We need 563 00:33:09,930 --> 00:33:11,450 just pray for wisdom and 564 00:33:11,450 --> 00:33:15,349 faith to use what God has 565 00:33:15,349 --> 00:33:17,950 blessed us with. So I 566 00:33:17,950 --> 00:33:18,970 think since we have such 567 00:33:18,970 --> 00:33:20,789 a small group tonight, 568 00:33:21,009 --> 00:33:23,190 we'll just maybe gather 569 00:33:23,190 --> 00:33:25,329 all together around up 570 00:33:25,329 --> 00:33:28,670 here and just chat about 571 00:33:28,670 --> 00:33:31,809 the chapter. All right. 572 00:33:35,549 --> 00:33:37,210 Thanks for joining us 573 00:33:37,210 --> 00:33:38,549 at Lansdale Life Church 574 00:33:38,549 --> 00:33:40,049 as we praise God and 575 00:33:40,049 --> 00:33:42,029 discuss His Word. Don't 576 00:33:42,029 --> 00:33:43,250 forget to join us for 577 00:33:43,250 --> 00:33:44,470 Worship Lives Sunday 578 00:33:44,470 --> 00:33:45,930 mornings at 10 a.m. 579 00:33:46,250 --> 00:33:48,309 Eastern on YouTube. Be 580 00:33:48,309 --> 00:33:49,950 blessed and have a great 581 00:33:49,950 --> 00:33:50,329 day.