Joshua 19 “Taking Possession”

Joshua 19 – Brandon Hatmaker “Taking Possession”
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

“These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. And so they finished dividing the land.” – Joshua 19:51

Just one chapter ago, and one day ago, we read about the Levites finding contentment and their peace in getting no inheritance beyond serving the Lord. For us, the lesson was not about possession or pursuit... instead it was a lesson about heart and perspective. In Chapter 19, however, we are reminded of the peoples calling to move forward and take what the Lord had given them. It’s a lesson to us about the movement forward building on that heart and perspective. As children of God living under the New Covenant we are called to be a sent people, a people of action, not of apathy or neutrality… most certainly not a people in “limbo”.

Matthew Henry put it like this, “After a year or more, Joshua blamed their slackness, and told them how to proceed. God, by his grace, has given us a title to a good land, the heavenly Canaan, but we are slack to take possession of it; we enter not into that rest, as we might by faith, and hope, and holy joy. How long shall it be thus with us? How long shall we thus stand in our own light, and forsake our own mercies for lying vanities? Joshua stirs the Israelites up to take possession of their lots. He is ready to do his part, if they will do theirs. (Jos 18:11-28)

What is our part? Are we taking possession? And better yet, where is our heart in this pursuit?