Settling In or Settling Down?

Reading Joshua 21 and 22

There are two things we can see chapter 21 of Joshua. First, the family heads of the Levites, those who served the Lord in worship and with presenting sacrifices to God, approach Israel’s leadership asking for what the LORD had commanded Moses—that towns and pastureland would be allocated for the Levites across the territories of Israel.

Now, perhaps this is reading into Scripture, but perhaps this has been placed on the back burner or even forgotten until this point. It can be the case in our Christian maturity that giving to the LORD can often be the last thing that comes under His reign. Bringing our tithes, offerings, and ourselves in service of the LORD shouldn’t come last, like it seems to in the book of Joshua, but should surely come first. There are some serious blessings that are promised when we give to the LORD, such as Malachi 3:10-12. Let us be a generation that gives to the LORD first and not last.

Secondly, we see in verse 44 that the Lord gave them rest on every side. I pray that, having journeyed through this process of prayer and fasting and having gone through a fresh process of aligning our lives to God’s plans and purposes, this will bear fruit in the form of rest in your life on every side.

There is a rest to be found—a serenity, a peace that passes all understanding—when our lives are more and more placed under the reign of Christ. Let us pray for rest on every side for our own lives, our families, our churches, our workplaces, etc...

As peace descends, we see some settle in but remain attentive to the Kingdom, but we also see others "settle down".

In chapter 22, we see that having fought faithfully alongside the other Israelite tribes, Joshua now summons the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh and lets them go back to their lands on the other side of the Jordan with this beautiful charge:

Joshua 22:5 NIV– “But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you; to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”

After giving them this charge, he blessed them and sent them on their way. As they approached the Jordan River to cross over to their territory, they made an altar, and it caused utter uproar. The people thought they were abandoning the Lord, making a new religion by making an altar of sacrifice there. However, it appears, at least, that they were in fact doing the opposite—they wanted to leave well. They wanted a monument to prove to the generations to come that they are part of the inheritance of Israel and not at odds with the wider community. They didn't want to give future generations an excuse to abandon the Lord, so they built something to speak to the generations to come.

It is beautiful to see that these Israelite tribes were already thinking of the generations to come and their relationship with the LORD. They were not merely focused on their own needs but looked towards the needs of future generations. They wanted to build something that would help the generations to come after them. He is, after all, the God not just of Abraham, but of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Meditation

1. Have you put giving to the LORD—in time, talent, and treasure—first or last in your life?

2. Think about those words Joshua gave to these groups of Israelites in Joshua 22:5. Meditate on them throughout the day.

Prayer

Lord, I pray that You please forgive me when I have given to You as an afterthought. Forgive me when I have put other things before You. Help me to be a cheerful giver, giving You what You rightfully deserve as my Creator, LORD, and Saviour.

Lord, I also pray that You would bring rest on every side—not only for myself but for my friends, family, church, community, and workplace. May I truly enter into the fullness of Your rest.

Lord, I desire to hold fast to You, and to serve You with all my heart and all of my soul. I pray that You will continue to bring me to full maturity in Christ by not only causing me to develop my own deep-rooted relationship with You, but also to cause me to focus on the spiritual growth of others—even the future generations that are yet to come. Touch my heart. Give me a passion for the salvation and discipleship of children and young people. Help me to play my part in setting them up to thrive in their relationship with You. I ask this in Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Remaining in but not of the World

Reading: Joshua 23 and 24

In these final chapters of Joshua, we read verses which remind us of Joshua 1:7. Joshua, before his departure, wanted to leave a godly legacy in the land he had helped take possession of. He proclaims in verse ten that, “one of you routs a thousand because the LORD your God fights for you just as He promised.”

Friends, it’s impossible for one person to kill a thousand people, particularly with the limited weapons of warfare the Israelite army possessed at that time—and yet they did it because the LORD fought for them.

When we walk with the Lord, impossible things happen. When we trust Him, amazing things take place. As we move into a new season, will we stir up faith that, as we trust in the LORD, we too can expect to see impossible things take place?

However, Joshua also warns of what will happen if they align themselves with the many evil practices around them. How true this is! Over time, Christians and churches can assimilate to the customs and practices of the world around us. The book ends with a warning: after all the struggles to gain this ground, don’t lose it through complacency. And as we find in the next book of the Bible (Judges), the biggest cause of complacency is the blessing of God. Can God trust you with more?

We see Joshua recount to the people all that the Lord has done for Israel as a people, from choosing Abraham to the present day of having taken possession of the Promised Land. In our lives, and at this point in our prayer and fasting journey, let us also recount all that the Lord has done in our lives thus far. Let us remember all He has done—from our birth to our salvation, and to the present day—and give Him glory, praise, and adoration.

Then Joshua gives the people an important charge: to be devoted to the Lord, to fear Him, and to serve Him. He gives the people a choice of whether they want to be fully devoted to the Lord or to choose a false idol instead to serve. And still today, the LORD gives us that choice. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua is ending well. Some make their biggest mistakes at the beginning, others in the middle, and others at the end. Joshua is a great example of ending well – may you experience the same.

Meditation

1. Are you ready for the LORD to do miraculous things in your life as you fully surrender your life to Him this new season? Can you declare, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"?

2. Prevention is better than cure, they say; therefore, be sure that you focus in and focus on Jesus. Never stop being a God chaser. You may need to adjust your pace, but never change direction. God first, last, and always. If others quit, keep going; if others drop, keep standing; if others stop believing, believe for more. The power behind you is greater than the task ahead of you. You will become what you focus on.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank You that You want to do the impossible in my life, and I welcome this as I fully surrender to Your Lordship in this new season.

Please help me to trust You more and more, and for my faith muscles to grow exponentially. Lord, please protect me from being enticed to partner with people or practices that are wicked and might lead me away from You and the inheritance You have for me as a child of God.

Help me to finish strong. I ask this in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.