Elisabeth Elliot, at Urbana 76, told of her brother Thomas
Howard. Their mother let him play with paper bags she’d
... More
Disobedience
One prevailing theme of this chapter is not finishing the work. Israel was ready to divide up the land among the tribes, but we find there were enemies yet to be conquered in the land (13:1). It appears that some of the Israelites wanted to spare the Canaanites because of a false sense of mercy. Many of the enemy to be killed were women and children. It seemed humanitarian to spare them. This thinking was faulty because of several reasons: (1) God always does what is right, (2) other people had been completely destroyed by God. Only Noah and his family survived the flood. Another example is God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24-25).
Throughout this section of Scripture, you will notice that God’s people did not drive out the enemy as He had commanded (16:10; 17:12). It is hard to understand how they could be so blatantly disobedient. Perhaps one reason was because of their materialistic mind set. They thought more about what money could do for them than in being obedient to the Lord. As a result, many of the Israelites captured the people and put them to work (v. 10). Another possible reason the Israelites did not completely destroy their enemy was that they wanted to receive God’s blessing without exerting themselves. An example of this was when the children of Joseph complained that they were not given enough land for being such a great people. Joshua told them that if they wanted more land, they would have to earn it (17:15).
Application
Do I have an inflated view of myself and feel I deserve more than I am getting? Am I willing to forget myself and give myself diligently to the work of the Lord with His glory in mind? I want to make a conscious effort to have a better spirit and attitude and to be diligent about the work of the Lord.
Joshua 16:1-10 (English Standard Version)
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It is Not What Seems Right But What God Says
Joshua 16:1–10
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Elisabeth Elliot, at Urbana 76, told of her brother Thomas Howard. Their mother let him play with paper bags she’d ... More
One prevailing theme of this chapter is not finishing the work. Israel was ready to divide up the land among the tribes, but we find there were enemies yet to be conquered in the land (13:1). It appears that some of the Israelites wanted to spare the Canaanites because of a false sense of mercy. Many of the enemy to be killed were women and children. It seemed humanitarian to spare them. This thinking was faulty because of several reasons: (1) God always does what is right, (2) other people had been completely destroyed by God. Only Noah and his family survived the flood. Another example is God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24-25).
Throughout this section of Scripture, you will notice that God’s people did not drive out the enemy as He had commanded (16:10; 17:12). It is hard to understand how they could be so blatantly disobedient. Perhaps one reason was because of their materialistic mind set. They thought more about what money could do for them than in being obedient to the Lord. As a result, many of the Israelites captured the people and put them to work (v. 10). Another possible reason the Israelites did not completely destroy their enemy was that they wanted to receive God’s blessing without exerting themselves. An example of this was when the children of Joseph complained that they were not given enough land for being such a great people. Joshua told them that if they wanted more land, they would have to earn it (17:15).
Application
Do I have an inflated view of myself and feel I deserve more than I am getting? Am I willing to forget myself and give myself diligently to the work of the Lord with His glory in mind? I want to make a conscious effort to have a better spirit and attitude and to be diligent about the work of the Lord.
Joshua 16:1-10 (English Standard Version)
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