Title Draw your picture (Joshua 18:1-7)
Contents
Subject: Draw your picture
Bible: Joshua 18:1-7
Pascal said, “Man was created to think. Human dignity and worth lies in thinking. And our job is to think when we have to think.” At the root of the lazy person is laziness of thinking. The laziness of thinking that does not look back on one's life before God eventually makes our hands and feet helpless and leads to a life that is worthless.
Today's message is God's rebuke for the indolent lives of the seven tribes who did not receive land during the conquest of Canaan. When you look at the people of Israel, they look like people who have no idea. The important task they should consider now was to conquer the land of Canaan, which God had promised, and to receive the land to return to them as the precious inheritance of their ancestors. In the face of such an important event, Joshua presents a new vision with rebuke to the seven tribes of Israel as they gather the spoils that have fallen before them and live each day satisfied with it.
Today, through an event in Israel's history, God gives us a valuable lesson about the impact of differences of opinion on our lives.
1. The delayed Israelites
The text shows the people of Israel who are hesitant. We found ourselves hesitant to come before God in the image of the Israelites, who were not able to acquire land because of their hesitation, even though they had the opportunity to conquer the land of Canaan, which they had been hoping for since their forefathers, and fulfill the inheritance of their ancestors. You can. Abraham's father Terah left Ur of the Chaldeans after receiving the promise of Canaan from God, but he was blinded by the splendor of Haran and delayed. Eventually, he could not reach Canaan and died. The Bible testifies that there is a dark shadow over the house of Abraham, who stayed in Haran despite having to go towards the Promised Land. “Sarai was barren, so she had no children.” The saints called by God must be where they should be in order to receive God's blessing. Life is a series of choices, and life of faith is a series of decisions. God had asked for Isaac as a burnt offering to confirm Abraham's choice.
Saints! While we live on this earth, we cannot remain in any place, and we must not take our heart from any place in the world. Whatever the circumstances, we must choose God and do not hesitate to approach God.
2. Caleb's Victory
Among the land of Canaan occupied by the Israelites, the land of Hebron deserves special attention. Hebron, a city located 30km south of Jerusalem, was a fertile land with abundant water, and from the fact that the descendants of Anak lived in it, it can be seen that it was the best land in Canaan. It was especially meaningful because of the cave of Machpelah, the tomb of the ancestors of the faith of the people of Israel. Among the descendants of Yuja, Caleb took possession of this good land. (Joshua 15:13)
As we examine the reason Caleb was able to acquire this land of Hebron as an inheritance, we must use it as a model for our religious life today.
First, because of Caleb's holy greed.
“Give me this mountain. I will drive them out according to the word of the Lord” (Joshua 14:12). These words were spoken by Caleb before Joshua when he was 85 years old. Despite his old age, Caleb's holy lust for God led him to inherit Hebron, the best land, and to pass on the good land to his descendants. Because of his holy lust for the Lord, Peter was able to become the protagonist of the miracle as he walked on the sea with a great storm. Greed for the world gives birth to sin, but holy lust for God and the church allows us to experience the great grace of God that others have not experienced.
Second, it was the victory of Caleb's thoughts.
Caleb was filled with thoughts about Hebron for 45 years after he witnessed Hebron while spying out Canaan as a representative of the tribe of Judah at the age of 40. Caleb's victory in faith was ultimately the victory of his thoughts. Good thoughts make us good people, and positive thoughts make us live an active life. However, the saints will go beyond good thoughts and become powerful people when they think of Jesus.
3. You need to draw a concrete picture.
To the hesitant seven tribes, Joshua appointed three representatives from each tribe, and commanded them to go through each land and draw a considerable amount of their inheritance. It was an order to draw a picture, but to draw a picture in detail after going to see it and research it. According to Josephus, it took about seven months for each tribe to search the land and return. It was never an easy task, but it must be done to obtain the Promised Land.
God's command to “draw your picture” was not to rebuke them, but to bless them. It was difficult and dangerous, but when they obeyed and drew a picture, God recognized their idea and distributed the land according to the picture. Barry Faber, who has made a sensation in the United States with his 'self-development program', says in his book Start Now, "If you want to be successful, you have to envision a success scenario in your mind."
Saints! God speaks to us today. “Draw your picture”. After drawing a detailed picture of how to obey God and live before God, how to serve for the church, and how to live in faith, I hope that you believe in the promise and give it to God.