Thursdays with Joshua

Read Joshua 18:4-7 – “Pick out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; they shall rise and go through the land, survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me. And they shall divide it into seven parts. Judah shall remain in their territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their territory on the north. You shall therefore survey the land in seven parts and bring the survey here to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. But the Levites have no part among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of theLord gave them.” (NKJV)

Can you let God choose your inheritance? The division of land among the tribes of Israel was a critical step in establishing the nation. Just as defining boundaries between states and nations seems like a big deal to us, God’s people needed a clear sense of His plan for their inheritance. Among the directions given was the mandate that the Levites not possess land for themselves. Instead, as the priesthood, God intended His people to care for the Levites needs and provide for them from among their portions—not unlike His plan for the offerings of His people to care for those who serve His house today. But just as the Levites needed to trust God for their provision, the people needed to be faithful to God’s command to provide just that. One can imagine that if the people didn’t do their part, the Levites would feel forced to act on their own behalf and ultimately abandon God’s intent for their lives. Similarly, if we aren’t faithful to support our local church, we may encourage those who care for our spiritual needs to try and care for themselves, and thus abandon their true responsibilities. Our faithfulness in caring for these is critical if we are to inherit the life of blessing God desires to give us.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.