Joshua 12&13

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Joshua 12:1-24

Introduction: There’s A Difference Between Inheritance And Possession

[Audio version: https://resources.ccphilly.org/detail.asp?TopicID=&Teaching=WED623]

“Joshua chapter 12, begins to give us a, both a summation and then into chapter 13 a picture of Israel taking their inheritance in the land. If we begin in verse 21 in chapter 11 it says “And at that time” now it’s not giving us an exact sequence, it’s giving us an era, it’s at that period that Joshua cut off the Anakim, we’re going to find out in chapter 14 that Caleb is still going to do some of this. But it’s at this time, “from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from the mountains of Judah, from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.” (verse 21) these are the remnants of the giants, we’ll talk about that as we move into the 14^th chapter. “There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod there remained.” (verse 22) Gaza was a trouble then. “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.” (verse 23) Now that’s a summation what we’re headed into now here as we move forward. And it tells us “Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east: Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;” (verses 1-2) we hear of Amman in Jordan today. “and from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east,” that’s the Sea of Galilee “and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the way to Beth-jeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdoth-pisgah:” (verse 3) now this is taking us from up near Jabbok, southern end of Gilead, all the way down, halfway down through the Dead Sea, the whole area basically of Jordan today was under the rule of Sihon. And then it says “and the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, and reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.” (verses 4-5) Now we know that in Gath and in Gaza there were still a remnant of the Anakims. Goliath was one of the Anakims, and he was only 9-foot-6. Isn’t that an interesting phrase, ‘Only 9-foot-6,’ because Og was somewhere about 13 foot tall. And again, that’s 13 foot Hulk Hogan, that’s not 13 foot skinny guy, that’s someone you don’t want to meet on a bad day. So Og of Bashan is notable, Og is even mentioned through the Psalms, this king and his kingdom and the force of his person, and the 60 cities of the giants he ruled over, so notable, that we find him mentioned through Israel’s history. So, an interesting personage for sure. “and the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, and reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half of Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.” (verses 4-5) who was south of him, “Them did Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the LORD gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.” (verse 6) So he enumerates, we’re going to look at these kings that are slain, there’s 33 kings named here, slaughtered. When we come to Joshua we’re going to have the names of 31 kings of cities that Joshua slaughtered, and we have 2 that Moses slaughtered. Now in all of this, this is telling us several things, first God, none of that was just war to him, he took note of every conquest, of every defeat of the enemy, of every bit of terrain of every city they ruled over, God names them, they are not forgotten, this is something that happened under, in at least in the land of Canaan under the leading of the Captain of the LORD of hosts. It is interesting as we move into this, please take note, because for you and I, to make application, we’re going to look at, there’s a difference between inheritance and possession. There is an inheritance that’s given to them. It doesn’t tell us, now as we go through these 31 kings that were defeated, it doesn’t say Joshua took possession of all of that. He certainly didn’t have enough of an army to garrison soldiers in every one of those 31 cities, but these were the major cities, this was the backbone of the land. There were still other smaller villages, smaller cities, and it wasn’t like there was one king reigning over all of Israel, which would have probably been a more formidable force for them. There’s certainly up in Hazor, was the king in the north who pulled together other kings, and the king of Jerusalem was certainly influential in the backbone of the nation there. But these are 31 separate king-cities that are defeated by Joshua, and yet what’s going to happen as he divides up the land, the tribes that receive those cities in their inheritance will have to possess them, and then have to defeat and possess smaller cities and villages in their area. So we have a very interesting picture here to make application in our own lives in regards to Christ. We have an inheritance in Jesus Christ. We have one now, as he has come to us, and we are in-Christ, he has given us victory, we’re no longer to live defeated. But again, we are beckoned to take possession. Sometimes you still see Christians that are still living in sin, they’re still living in fear, they’re still living in bitterness, they’re still living in legalism. And yet in Christ we’re told that we’re more than conquerors, that we’re a new creation, and what he beckons us to do is take possession of the things he’s given to us. He has given us the Sword of his Word, he’s mapped out the territory in his Word, and he’s told us that in Christ these things are ours. Now there is a time period, there is a process of getting hold of and possessing the inheritance that has been granted to us.

The two kings Moses defeated verses the 31 kings Joshua defeated, What Can We Learn From This?

“Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east: 2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon; 3 and from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the way to Beth-jeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdoth-pisgah: 4 And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, 5 and reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon. 6 Them did Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the LORD gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.” (verses 1-6) Now we have an interesting picture as we come in and we look at this, because it’s interesting, Moses is given to us as defeating two kings, Joshua is given to us defeating 31 kings. And the thing that we have to remember, you and I as we look at this, is the one who slays the many kings and the one who slays the few, is never judged in God’s books by the number, it is by the difficulty, it is by the prominence of that king that is slaughtered, it is by the exercise of faith necessary to have the victory, because Moses will have victory over Sihon and Og, and we will hear about them all through the Bible, you will never hear about these other kings again. Joshua may have victory over 31 lesser kings that are mentioned here, God doesn’t take them for granted, cities they ruled over were given to us, but Moses has victory over two that are spoken to us over and over and over. And sometimes we see that in people’s lives, you know, sometimes we’re handed something, we grow up in an abusive situation, we grow up in a situation where we could live the rest of our lives defeated and bitter, never trusting God because maybe of an abusive father that we’ve had, maybe someone was taken away from us with cancer, some huge painful circumstance, and you know for some of us we may have victory over two kings in our life. And they may be more notable than the 31 kings that someone else will bring down. Sometimes it’s huge, it’s an Og, a 13-footer for one of us to set aside bitterness, or fear, or depression, sometimes that’s a huge undertaking, and God takes note. It’s very interesting, as we watch Moses here, he’s associated with the defeat of two kings, but those two kings are so notable we’ll hear of those throughout the Old Testament all the way into the Songs of Israel in the Book of Psalms. Whereas Joshua, in obedience, led of the LORD, the Captain of the LORD’s host going before him will have victory over 31 kings, and I think they’re to be noted, by the way. They’re written out for us here, I don’t think it’s a bad idea sometimes for us to take inventory, what kings have we had victory over. I know I’ve had victory over, you know, a number of kings, cocaine, marijuana, immorality, fist-fighting, you know, pornography is not something that has a hold in my life, many men struggle. There are a number of kings, and it does good to write down, you know, what kings, if you’ve taken inventory, what victories are there in our lives? And to understand that they’ve only happened by God’s grace, not by any strength on our own part, not because we’re more righteous than somebody else. You know, sometimes I see people that are trying so hard to be Christian, trying so hard to have victory, they’re trying so hard to do this, and they’re under the worst kind of legalism, instead of settling into God’s grace and taking a deep breath and realizing all of the glory is his, he’s the one who leads, he’s the one who gives victory, he’s the one who makes the walls of Jericho fall down, he’s the one who makes the sun stand still in the Valley of Ajalon and so forth. And yes, there may be 31 defeats in all of that, but that’s his business and that’s how he leads us, and that’s how we’re to walk and that’s how we’re to obey. And it’s interesting to watch Moses here get credit, all of this print for two kings, and then if you’ll look at verses 10 down to 23, you kind of see 31 kings listed very quickly, two per verse. Not two perverse kings, but two kings per verse, I’m sure a lot of these were perverse, don’t get me wrong. But get me right, at the same time. But here Moses is just two kings, and all these verses given to Sihon and Og because of how notable they were.

“These Are The Kings Of The Country Which Joshua And The Children Of Israel Smote On the Side Of The Jordan On The West”

So, great victory, and their territory on the other side of Jordan would be given to Reuben, to Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, and then it brings us down here to where it says verse 7, “And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;” listen, “in the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:” (verses 7-8) If this trip to Israel comes off in February, if we stay on track, those of you who have never been there before, are going to be astounded at this land, basically the size of New Jersey, the lowest place on the face of the earth is there, the Dead Sea, you can be down there in April, it’s 120 degrees. On the northern part of Israel, you have Mount Hermon with its summit over 11,000 feet, and there’s people skiing there year-round. From snow-capped mountains, to extreme deserts, to waterfalls, to ocean, to the shore, the Jordan Valley today produces more agriculture per acre than any place in the face of the earth, there are mountains and springs and valleys, it’s almost as though the LORD, when he took his pallet and his colours and put together the land of Israel, for people, if you like snow you can be there, if you like heat you can be there, if you like mountains you can be there, if you like plains, everything is there, and he just splattered the rest of the world with all of that stuff, and it’s all there. Now, I don’t think that’s by mistake, because our inheritance is reflected in those things. As we go into this and we see, in our inheritance, and we’re all different, there are for some of us, springs, some of us, deserts, there are for some of us, mountains, for some of us, verdant valleys, for some of us, craggy peaks, but in all of those places God has his purposes. So all of this land here is described for us in a remarkable way, and then he starts to tell us, these are the ones that Joshua took, “The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;” he kind of starts at the central part, and now he gives us from verse 9 to 16, he gives us the names of 16 kings in the southern part of the country, “The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one;” (verses 9-16) all of these kings in the southern part of the country, then he gives us this, “The king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; the king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achsaph, one; the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one; the king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one; the king of the nations of Gilgal, one; the king of Tirzah, one; all the kings thirty and one.” (verses 17-24) So there’s 31 of them there before us. And look, as we read through this, and I probably murdered most of the names, you don’t know that, and for us, you read that during the week and think ‘I’ll skip Joshua this week, and I’ll come back when something’s going on.’ Look, for you and I, it means one thing to read through all these names. Try to understand, that for the children of Israel, these are the promises that were made to Abraham, the struggles of Isaac and Jacob, down into Egypt for 400 years, being in subjection as a Pharaoh arises who knew not Joseph [see https://unityinchrist.com/lamb/exodus1.html], and being persecuted and in bondage, coming out, the 40 years in the Wilderness, the battles with Og and Sihon, and then now all of these kings. All of this brings us to the possession of the Land of Israel by God’s chosen people, as promised hundreds of years before this. And to them, as they read through this and recorded this, every single one of these cities meant something to them, every one of these they pictured on a mountain or in a valley or in a desert, or in some cold precipice, to them every one these meant something. And listen, we can study the battles of Waterloo, World War I, World War II, the Civil War, this is the most important war that was ever fought, because this war determined the history of the world, because this moved God’s people into the Promised Land, where ultimately David will subdue Jebus in Jerusalem, and where ultimately the Messiah of his lineage would come and die on the cross, and defeat the greatest enemy in the greatest battle that time and eternity has ever known. And I’m sure for anyone who wanted to take the time to go through and study the roots of every one of these cities, I just don’t have the time, all Hebrew words have a verb at the root, and I’m sure they are very informative, none of this is by mistake or coincidence in God’s plan, so I’m sure if you study through there probably is even more significance, if you took it city by city and look to see what each one of them meant. But it’s all laid out before us.

Joshua 13:1-33

“Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. 2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri, 3 from Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathithites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittitites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites: 4 from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians, unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites: 5 and the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baal-gad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath. 6 All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee. 7 Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh, 8 with whom the Reubenites and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them; 9 from Aroer, that is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain of Medeba unto Dibon; 10 and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, unto the border of the children of Ammon; 11 and Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salcah; 12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnants of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out. 13 Nevertheless the children of Israel expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites: but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day. 14 Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said unto them. 15 And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben inheritance according to their families. 16 And their coast was from Aroer, that is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain by Medeba; 17 Heshbon, and all her cities that are in the plain; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Bathbaal-meon, 18 and Jahaza, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath, 19 and Kirjathaim, and Sibnah, and Zarethshamar in the mount of the valley, 20 and Beth-peor, and Ashdoth-pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth, 21 and all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Bekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, which were dukes of Sihon, dwelling in the country. 22 Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them. 23 And the border of the children of Reuben was Jordan, and the border thereof. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and the villages thereof. 24 And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families. 25 And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabah; 26 and from Heshbon unto Ramath-mispeh, and Beto-nim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir; 27 and in the valley, Beth-aram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of Chinnertheth [Galilee] on the other side Jordan eastward. 28 This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages. 29 And Moses gave inheritance unto the half tribe of Manasseh: and this was the possession of the half tribe of the children of Manasseh by their families. 30 And their coast was from Mahanaim, all of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, three score [60] cities: 31 and half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were pertaining unto the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even one half of the children of Machir by their families. 32 These are the countries which Moses did distribute for inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the east side Jordan, by Jericho, eastward. 33 But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them.”

Joshua Is ‘Stricken In Years,’ Time Hasn’t Been Kind To Him, Yet He Has To Press On--A Lesson For Us Grandparents About Time

“Now look what it says, now it tells us, ok, there’s this great defeat, the backbone of the land has been broken, it’s before the children of Israel. Now the issue is taking possession of all of this, and subduing what remains there. And it tells us there “Now Joshua was old and stricken in years;” and the LORD confirms that, “and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years,” and the bad news is “and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.” (verse 1) You know, we have a very interesting picture here, as we move into this. Moses, it tells us, in Deuteronomy chapter 34, verse 7, ‘was a hundred and twenty years old, his eye was not dim, and his natural forces were not abated.’ Joshua died at a hundred and ten, we’ll find that at the end of the book, he’s somewhere around a hundred now. Moses twenty years older, and Moses was still good to go, his eye was not dim, his natural forces were not abated, Moses was ready to win a thousand more battles, if need be. Isn’t it interesting? Moses was still vital, he was still vibrant, he was still alive, and yet it was God’s time, and he told Moses ‘Come on up on mount Pisgah and die there.’ Moses could have said ‘Are you kidding, look at what shape I’m in!’ It was God’s time for him. And now here’s Joshua on the other end of this, he’s old, not old just by years, because Moses was twenty years older chronologically, Joshua is old, and it describes that to us, “stricken in years.” It’s ok if you’re massaged by the years, that’s not so bad. When you’re “stricken” by the years, it’s been hard. And look, isn’t it interesting, as I watch Presidential elections, somebody was just talking to me the other day, the picture of Abraham Lincoln going into the White House, and then the picture of him before he was assassinated, how his hair had turned white and gray. You look at George W. Bush going in eight years ago, and he looks like he’s aged 30 years since he’s been in there. You watch Barak Obama closely, he’s already getting gray at the store, I guarantee you. Who would want the job? we should pray for him every day, just as the Scripture says, because he’s come into a world that just the intelligence briefings on the daily level are going to age him. Knowing the things that I know, I’m glad for the things I don’t know, just knowing what I do know, and I can’t tell you, nah! [he laughs] But I tell you this, everything I hear I would say to you “Be ready, because Jesus Christ is coming, the world is unraveling, Jesus is close to returning, I’m convinced with all of my heart.” [Comment: and prophecy shows us that when World War III, the tribulation starts, if Jesus didn’t return when he promised to, mankind with their advanced weapons systems, would kill off the entire human race. As it is, prophecy shows only one tenth of humanity survives World War III, and that is the same as professional military estimates for a third world war.] And Joshua was just the kind of man that was worn by it. He had been through these wars of Canaan, he had all of this responsibility upon himself. Now we know why in the first chapter it told him over and over, ‘Joshua, be strong, be of good courage, fear not, trust the LORD, Joshua, be encouraged,’ because he was of a different nature than Moses. Moses at 120 was still iron, he was still good to go, Joshua is worn, he’s no doubt more tender in his nature, he’s internalized things. Those men who had died going up to Ai without him praying, he was responsible in some ways for the deaths of 36, the only casualties of the wars of Canaan, the only ones. I think that weighed on him every day of his life. [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is very real, and being in battle affects some soldiers far more than others. Also, before God called Moses, for the last twenty years before he had to flee Egypt, secular history shows he was a general in the Egyptian army, and had conquered down into the Sudan. Most real generals, that have been in battle, are battle hardened, especially if they are wars without God involved. Moses saw actual combat, twenty years of it, before fleeing into Midian. Sensitive people are far more prone to PTSD and its aging effects.] And isn’t it interesting, God says to him, ‘Joshua, I mean you look bad, bro, you know, the years have not been kind,’ and Joshua might have thought, ‘That’s depressing,’ and the LORD said ‘No, what’s depressing is you’ve got a whole lot to do, and you don’t look very good right now.’ Isn’t it interesting, you know, Moses looks great, but God said ‘You’re done,’ he said to Joshua ‘Man, you look bad, but there’s still a lot to do here, take up your sword, we’re not done.’ And look, what an exhortation to those of you that are over 60, over 70, I doubt if there’s many of you over 100, but if you are, apply it, I mean, that is where we are. [And if you’re over 70, you have sooo much more wisdom to help pass on to the younger generation in the church you’re a part of, our youth are virtually starved for the wisdom you possess, a lot of it learned the hard way, if you’re like me.] When is it time to lay down your sword? When is there not still territory to take? When are you finished? When are you, at 60, 70, 80 done with the Lord’s work? When can’t you look into the eyes of someone younger and encourage them? When can’t you look into the eyes of a 3-year-old and a 4-year-old and talk to them about Jesus? When can’t you sit down with your grandchildren and try with all of your heart to reach their hearts and let them know how great your God is? [That’s my job right now, as well as trying to finish up this website for all those new-believers that the Lord will bring into the Body of Christ during his coming promised Revival (see https://unityinchrist.com/prophets/Zephaniah/RestorationAndRevival.htm). And it’s very difficult because my adoptive and read kids are not real believers, and I’m walking on eggs, trying to teach their kids, my grandkids, about Jesus and not totally estrange my kids in the process. Grandparents, that’s our battlefield, take it seriously, there’s real spiritual warfare out there for the very minds and hearts of our grandkids. If I push too hard, I’ll be cut off from my grandkids, if I’m not firm enough when they ask me about my beliefs and Jesus, the world will win. It’s a battle, and a war we grandparents are in, there’s no doubt about it.] When are we past that stage where it tells us in the Psalms that even when we grow old, yet in the courts of the LORD we’ll still be bearing fruit? And here’s Joshua, 100 years old, very much different than Moses at an older age, he is old, and he is stricken in years, and yet there still much to do. I think of how important the way we handle time is, you know it tells us in Ephesians that we should walk circumspectly, the days are evil, that we should be good stewards of the time, we should work, literally the word is “akribos,” you know what an acrobat is, walking on the tight-wire, we should be walking that way, knowing the days are evil, knowing that we should be good stewards of our time. You know why? Because time catches up to everybody. [I know I’ll get slapped for this, but I once heard a man say “Time waits for no man, and very few women.”] Joni Eareckson [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joni_Eareckson_Tada] said “Time is a slippery substance, time in God’s providence humiliates all human ambition.” Time in God’s providence will humiliate all human ambition in the final analysis. So it’s just so much more wonderful to get our marching orders each day, to be part of his plan, because here’s what we have to understand, the whole process is moving toward his inheritance, and his possession. Along the way there are things that we are to be stewards over. But the Psalmist tells us “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth, they set themselves, and the rulers take counsel against the LORD,’ it’s all over the news today, ‘and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, let us cast away their cords from us, but he sitteth in the heavens and shall laugh, the LORD shall have them in derision, then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, he will vex them in his sore displeasure, and he will say Yet will I have set my King on my holy hill, Zion, I will declare the decree, the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen--the nations--for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” (Psalm 2:1-8) So all inheritance and all possession is simply part of this long string of time that is moving towards his inheritance, and his possession. But the wonderful thing is in his heart, you are his inheritance and his possession. We look at the world today, look, don’t be freaked out. OK, be freaked out a little bit, but don’t be freaked out. It’s good for us if it sobers us, but nothing’s out of control. As we go through these chapters, and I’m amazed to stand in them and look at the inheritance granted, the way the lots fall out, there is no real spoil of war, because wars are described in here before they take place, who will win and who will lose. There is no real major mistake in human history, because it is written out in these pages. There is no real thing that is left to human endeavor without God’s sovereignty superintending. And we sit in a place tonight, and we watch the news, and when we see what’s going on in the world and the economy of this country, the things that we have to understand is he holds everything in his hand. Your well-being and my well-being, we are his purchased possession, you and I are the most expensive things in the universe, we have been paid for in the blood of his own dear Son, and he will care for us until he brings us into glory, and then on into eternity. He will care for us. So in this scene as we look at this here, yes, Joshua’s old, he’s stricken in years, but the LORD says “there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed” ‘there is still much to do.’ You know, major strongholds are taken in our lives sometimes, but even, I’m 58 years old, you know what, God has taken the major strongholds, there’s been major victories, and I know that’s through him, I don’t want to take any credit for that, but there’s still stuff he’s dealing with me about, there’s still little villages and there’s still little rascals running around, there’s still things that need to be straightened out, there’s still things, you know, that I could hand over. And I’m reminded all the time of Billy Graham interviewed by Larry King, and Larry King said “How do you feel when you look at what’s happened around the world, and the hundreds of thousands of people that have come to Christ, and all of your crusades?” and Billy Graham said “I feel like a failure,” and Larry King said, “Oh come on Bill, that’s false humility, I just want to have a conversation,” Billy Graham said, “Ya, ya, ya, I know what you mean, I know what you mean, and God has done amazing things,” but he said “but when I look at what he has done, I think what might have happened if I’d have yielded to the Holy Spirit every minute.” he said, “I am overwhelmed with what has happened, but when I look at what has happened, I think what might have happened if I’d have been a better steward over every moment he gave to me.” And there’s an exhortation in all of this for us. Because, if we keep breathing we’re going to be old and well-stricken in years, and it may not be time, even then to lay down the sword. There may still be much to do.

God Divided Up The Promised Land By “The Casting Of Lots”--What Lot Has He Given To Us?

He says “there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. This is the land that yet remaineth:” listen, “all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri, from Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittitites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:” (verses 1c-3) the five cities of the Philistines, still there to be subdued. Notice God told Joshua and the children of Israel that Gaza was theirs, just in case you have a question about that. “From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians,” now this is the south looking all the way up to Sidon “unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites: and the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baal-gad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath. All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians,” notice what God says, “them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.” (verses 4-6) Now, the word “inheritance” we’re going to have 50 times in the second half of this Book of Joshua, and we’re going to hear of it being divided by lot 22 times in the second half of the Book. God is saying to them ‘I’m going to drive them out,’ he told us in Exodus, he told us in Numbers, ‘little by little, I’m not going to drive them out all at once or in one year, because then you won’t be able to subdue the land, this is going to be a long process,’ and God says ‘I am going to give you victory so that you are able to handle that, maintain that, I’m not going to drive everybody out at once.’ Notice in your life sometimes, things don’t change as quickly as we’d like them to, and sometimes God’s wisdom is in that. As long as we are changing, we’re moving in the right direction. Let me ask you a question, the things you pick up to do, what direction do they move you in? ‘Oh, it’s ok if I drink a little of this,’ well really? What direction is that moving you in? [Comment: the Calvary Chapels started out as a spiritual healing ministry for all the Hippies God was calling during the late 1960s who were strung out on drugs and alcohol, so they teach abstinence from drugs and alcohol, even though their pastors know full well that the Bible teaches alcohol consumption is ok if done in extreme moderation. But in their churches they teach abstinence, which is ok for them to do, considering what their ministry is all about and who it reaches out to.] ‘Oh, it’s ok if I smoke a little of this,’ really? What direction is that moving you in? ‘Oh, I don’t need to forgive them now,’ really? What direction is that moving you in? Holiness is a direction, we’re being conformed into his image and likeness, that’s an eternal process, even in the ages to come we will still be approaching and never arriving, because he is infinite, we are finite. But as long as we are moving, God is working, we’re moving in that direction, we are yielding things, we are conquering things, we are moving in that direction, then God’s work is going on in our lives and it’s a process of holiness, and it’s wonderful, and there’s rest there, and there’s relief there, even when we’ve been stricken by the years, we’re able to find something in him that we can find nowhere else. He says here ‘I’m gonna drive them out before you, this is the inheritance, I promised it, it’s gonna come to you,’ “only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.” (verse 6b) Now we’re going to watch this process, it’s very interesting. You know, this sounds very strange to you and I, you know, cast the lot, it kind of sounds like the lottery, it kind of sounds like maybe there’s some gambling going on here. Not to the children of Israel, Solomon wrote “The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.” The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Again he wrote “The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty.” You find all the way through the Law, the Old Testament, there was the lot. And it was initially with the Urim and Thummim no doubt, but the lot was cast, and to the children of Israel it was never a gamble, because they prayed, they believed, they were doing it in obedience to God, and when they cast the lot, they trusted that the way it fell out was God’s direction and God’s sovereignty. We obviously don’t do that today, we don’t put out fleeces, we don’t cast lots. But we’ll follow that all the way to Acts chapter 1, where they’re trying to decide whose going to take the place of Judas, and it says the lot fell on Mathias, still even there. Now not after that in the Book of Acts though, but even to that point. So there was no gambling here, it isn’t like the lottery, they trusted that the way this fell out was the way the LORD wanted it to fall out. Now this is the interesting thing we’re gonna see as we move on in these chapters, and we find out how the lot fell out to each tribe, you’re going to be able to go back to Genesis chapter 49, where Jacob, on his deathbed, begins to speak about each of the tribes of Israel. He says to Levi ‘You’re not going to have any inheritance in the land,’ well we’re going to read that tonight, Levi didn’t. Because Levi stood by the LORD in Exodus 32 in the situation with the golden calf, yet there was a blessing given to them. He pronounced a double blessing on Joseph, we’re going to find out Ephraim and half the tribe of Manasseh get a double portion in the land. We’re going to find out that the dice are loaded. [Comment: as stated by Jacob in Exodus 49, those promises to the 12 tribes were also prophetic for the end times, describing the nations each tribe would become by the time of the end-times. Now the modern-day Jews don’t like to hear this, even though it’s a part of their Torah, because they want to think of themselves as the one and only ones making up Israel, even though they’ll debate about where the other tribes disappeared to historically amongst themselves in private, because the other 10 tribes during the Assyrian captivity became historically lost. But they are not lost in God’s eyes, he knows right where they are. We will find out later, after the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ, when he regathers all 13 tribes back into the Promised Land. While the promise of kingship, and the promise of the coming Messiah was prophecied by Jacob to come through the tribe of Judah, the birthright promises given throughout Genesis ended up being promised to Joseph and his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. These birthright promises, if you trace them out in Genesis, were for great material and national wealth, going to a “nation and company of nations” which would end up possessing “the gates of their enemies,” military choke points (cf. Genesis 35:9-12; Genesis 48 & 1^st Chronicles 5:1-2). Israel, all 12 tribes, are going to inherit the Promised Land, as we’ll see in the rest of the Book of Joshua, but they also will be brought back into that very same inheritance, the Promised Land, right after the tribulation, World War III, by none other than Jesus Christ himself, right after his return to earth.] And sometimes people get offended by that, I find great consolation in it. You know, it’s one thing if you’re playing Black Jack or you’re gambling somewhere, or roulette. But when you’re throwing things that are eternal, I don’t want you throwing them, I want him throwing them. When this is about our eternal well-being, and the eternal well-being of my children, and my grandchildren, and what goes on here at church, I want to know that he’s the one whose casting the lots. And the remarkable thing as we watch, what we’ll see is, they fall out just the way Jacob said they would. Now, our question is, in the Old Testament it says a prophet was called a “seer” because he was seeing things. Was Jacob actually able to see the way the lots would fall out under Joshua’s care, was he watching it, and just describing what he was seeing, or was God, or was God just putting the words rolling out of his mouth, true, because God of course is not bound by time and knows the future, but Jacob must have seen something. And these lots will fall out when they’re cast, in a way Jacob said they would, hundreds of years before this. [Fulfilled prophecy is one of the greatest proofs that the Bible is God’s inspired Word, and is 100 percent accurate and true. It’s also one of the central proofs of God’s very existence (see https://unityinchrist.com/ProofOfTheBible-FulfilledProphecy.htm).] Now here’s the interesting thing, tradition tells us that when it came time to do this, Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh got their land on the east side of Jordan. On the west side, in the land of Canaan, the nine and a half tribes, it says that Jewish tradition tells us, that they had two urns, and that the priest would put his hand in the one urn which had the names of the nine and a half tribes, and then he would put his hand in another urn that had the lot with all kinds of geographical descriptions, and he would pull out one out of each urn. And the lot that he pulled out would go with the name of the tribe that he pulled out. But the interesting things is, God said the larger tribes would get the greater inheritance, the smaller tribes would get the smaller inheritance, not only does that happen numerically the way God said it would, but it also happens the way Jacob said it would 400 years before this. Lesson, it’s the lesson in this. Listen, I heard Joni Eareckson talking about the lot that fell out to her in her daily devotional. And she said “I ended up paralyzed in this wheelchair, and I thought ‘God, where is your love? How could this lot ever fall out to me?’ And she said, ‘When I looked at the lot that was mine,’ she said ‘it looked like a lot abandoned in some urban area, filled with beer bottles and cans and weeds and dirt, and tire rims, she said, my lot looked like nothing.’ She said, ‘But as time went on and I realized that God superintends all things, and that the lot does not fall out by chance or by fate, but by the providence of a loving God,’ she said, ‘now I’ve reached millions of people through this pulpit, this wheelchair, that I never would have reached before.” She said, “Would I trade back?” she said, “No. Did I think that came overnight? No, I think it took years,” because she’s honest about her struggles. But the point is, maybe to you, the lot has fallen out to you, and you feel like ‘Man, this is desert, God’s given me some barren existence, I’m lonely, I don’t see any fruit in this, I don’t see how any of this can be cultivated, I don’t know what could happen here.’ [I feel that way right now] But I would ask him, because there’s treasure there, there are wonders there. And you see what we want to do, we look at somebody who got a waterfall, ‘That’s not fair! They got a waterfall and I got a desert.’ And what we want to do is we compare, we let envy get involved, we become jealous, and in all of that what we’re saying is ‘God, either you’re not sovereign or you’re not wise.’ Because one man at 120 is strong as iron, ready to go, another man 20 years younger is stricken and worn, and yet the battle’s not over. One person, his lot falls out in the south, but it was told 400 years before that, that it’s exactly where it would have fallen, another one in some mountain area. And it tells us in Ephesians 2, verse 10, ‘that there are good works foreordained, that we should walk in them,’ that we are his poema, his workmanship, his poetry, this word only used twice in the New Testament, when God has decided to express himself through us. We are some work of art to the lost world, whereby God, we’re living Epistles that he would work through us, and in each of our lives there are good works foreordained. Are we going to possess those things? There is an inheritance that’s fallen out to us, and the lot that’s fallen out to us is not a gambling lot, it’s not a by chance lot, it’s not by fate, it’s by his power, by his love, and by his wisdom, and he’s allowed those things to come to us. That doesn’t make them easy to swallow, it doesn’t mean that we can easily put them in some category that makes them more palatable. It means we bring those things before him in our hearts, and we wrestle there, not accusing, but being honest, ‘Lord, this is hard, what do I do with this? How do I grow here? How could this ever be fruitful? What will you get out of this, Lord? I long to know.’ We know that in Exodus 20, the last commandment said “Thou shalt not covet,” ‘your neighbors land, your neighbors wife, your neighbors’ house,’ because he’s got something else for you, that we shouldn’t spend our lives doing that. And then Paul tells us in 2^nd Corinthians chapter 10, verse 12, ‘that those who compare themselves among themselves are not wise, we dare not make ourselves of those.’ That’s not the deal, look, we’re being conformed into his image and likeness. If you want to compare somebody, you compare yourself to him. It’s easy for us to look around at other Christians and say ‘Well that guy’s a sap, I’m glad I’m not like him.’ God is not grading on a curve, what are you doing with your inheritance, what are you doing with it? what stewardship are you exercising with what he’s given you? It’s gold, the potential of it is never measurable, your life, your purpose, your calling, and it’s all a gift. But as far as comparing ourselves, if we want to compare ourselves, let’s compare ourselves with the One whose image we’re being conformed into, because that’s where Isaiah fell down and said ‘Woe is me,’ that’s where Daniel said ‘All of my beauty turned to ashes,’ that’s where John the apostle fell down and said ‘Woe!’ when he saw him. Don’t compare ourselves among ourselves, we’re all on the same team, we’re all a family, we’re all in this together.

The Inheritance Going To The Two And A Half Tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Half Tribe of Manasseh

Verse 6 says, “All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee. Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh,” [now verse 8 which follows changes or switches over to subject of whom the land was going to for inheritance to the two and a half tribes on the eastern side of the Jordan River, and from verses 8 to 33, this is all about their inheritance going to them, after Moses and they conquered the two kings, Sihon and Og. As Pastor Joe said before, the conquering of these two kings was tougher, and God through Joshua here is devoting more Scripture to describing the conquering and giving of inheritance to these two and a half tribes by their conquering the two kings, Sihon and Og.] And again, it describes the two and a half tribes from Aroer, which is on the bank of the river Arnon, then you can read through all of those places, describing the territory that was given to that tribe. “When the Reubenites and Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of LORD gave them; from Aroer, that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain of Medeba unto Dibon; and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, unto the border of the children of Ammon; and Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salcah; all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out. Nevertheless the children of Israel expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites that dwell among the Israelites until this day. (verses 8-13) Verse 14 tells us this, “Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said unto them.” Verse 15, “And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben inheritance according to their families.” It’s going to describe their inheritance, there on the other side of Jordan [the eastern side, all these verses from 6 to 33 are describing the inheritances on the eastern side of the Jordan]. It gives you this remarkable area that’s described, you look on the map on your Bible, you go through these names, and you see the area that was given first to the tribe of Reuben, and then down to verse 22, it actually mentions Baalam, interesting we study somebody and think they’re done with him, it’s never gonna be brought up again. No, Revelation 20, the books will be opened, even Baalam, God never loses track of the rebels and so forth, ah, nobody gets away with anything. “And their coast was from Aroer, that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain of Medeba; Heshbon, and all her cities that are in the plain; Dibon, and Bamothbaal-meon, and Bethbaal-meon, and Jahaza, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath, and Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and Zareth-shahar in the mount of the valley, and Beth-peor, and Ashdoth-pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth, and all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, which were dukes of Sihon dwelling in the country. Baalam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them. And the border of the children of Reuben was Jordan, and the border thereof. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and villages thereof.” (verses 16-23) Verse 24, “And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families. And their coast was from Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead,” up in that beautiful area where Elijah would come from, from Gilead, and it describes that down to verse 28, “and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah; and from Heshbon unto Ramath-mizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir; and the valley, Beth-aram, and Bethnimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan his border, even unto the edge of the sea of Chinnereth [Galilee] on the other side Jordan eastward. This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages.” (verses 24-28) And then it says “And Moses gave inheritance unto the half tribe of Manasseh: and this was the possession of the half tribe of the children of Manasseh by their families. And their coast was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescores cities:” way up in the Golan Heights towards Damascus today, that beautiful area, its plain is very plush, “and half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were pertaining unto the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to the one half of the children of Machir by their families. These are the countries which Moses did distribute for inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the other side Jordan, by Jericho, eastward.” (verses 29-32) Now again, interesting, “But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them.” (verse 33) Now look, no inheritance in the land, you know we were hearing of these beautiful areas. And if you understand that side of the Jordan River, some of them are plush, some of them today still incredibly beautiful, and then it says “But Levi” no inheritance. And how people can be envious and bitter. You know, what we do find out about Levi, and Levi has up to 48 cities, Levi ends up with all of the suburbs of them, they’re not allowed to own them or sell them, but they’re given to them. But the LORD says ‘I am the inheritance of the children of Levi, I am their inheritance, and they’ll live off the offerings that are offered to me,’ And they end up, you know David I’m sure, would much rather have been a priest than a king, it was just never given to him. He was a prophet and a king, but he would have stayed his whole life in the courts of the LORD, and led worship, if it had been dealt that way. You know for some of us, it doesn’t seem like in this world we get what others in this world get. And don’t get me wrong, I’m glad there are Christian millionaires, I’m glad there are Christian billionaires, I hope they tithe, I hope they give half, you make a hundred million a year, give 50 million, you can, if you can’t live on 50 million a year that’s your problem. But there are others, you watch them struggle, they never seem really to have anything in this life, but you get to know them and you realize they are so wealthy spiritually, ‘You ever sit and talk to this woman, you ever sit and talk to this guy? Have you ever heard what they’ve been through? You ever see the tears come so fast to their eyes? You hear them talk about Jesus, you ever hear them talk about the time they spend with him, the wisdom they have in God’s Word, and you realize they have inheritance that’s other-worldly that outweighs, it outweighs.’ The Bible tells us we’re a royal priesthood, that he’s given those things to us. Now, we have one minute left, so read ahead. We’re going to come to, as we move into these areas, Caleb a Kenizite, we’re really moving at a rapid pace, even in the last chapters 10 and 11, the victories, the victories, and then we come to the…and all of a sudden we come to Caleb, and the whole thing comes to s screeching halt, the son of Jephunah, as Kenizite, this guy’s not even a Jew, he’s a Kenizite. He ends up with the tribe of Judah, but he’s not originally of the tribe of Judah. And it’s almost as if before God shows us everything else in the land, he comes to a screeching halt, and he says to all of us, ‘no one is excluded, no one is excluded from the blessing I would bestow on anyone who will turn to me.’ Because here is this Kenizite, not even a Jew, Caleb, who gets to pick his portion in the land, and he choses Hebron, which means “fellowship, communion,” it’s the place of giants, and he’s like 85 years old. And he’s said, ‘I was really bugged 38 years ago when we turned away from here, I was ready to go then, I was making plans of conquering giants, I just know if you stab ‘em in the knee and they go down and go ‘Aaah,’ you stick ‘em in the eye, I was ready to go then,’ and he says to Joshua ‘I’m as fit now as I was then,’ he’s a guy like Moses, his natural forces are not abated, his eyes are not dim, he’s ready to whack giants! He said ‘I want this area of Hebron, communion.’ Let me tell you something, for you and I, that’s where the giants are, aren’t they. Because you go to draw close to Jesus and the first thing you hear is ‘You hypocrite, the way you acted today, you’ve been backslidden, you’re a prodigal, who do you think you are, don’t even talk like the rest of them,’ the giants are there, but Caleb says ‘Give it to me, let me at ‘em, let me at ‘em, because I want Hebron, I want it, I want communion, I want fellowship.’ And in all of that, God brings everything to a halt and says ‘Look at this guy, this guy here, weird old Kenizite, not even a Jew, and the richest part of it all is available to him, he’s of faith, it’s because of faith.’ Let’s have the musicians come, we’ll sing a last song, and you know, I would encourage you, if you’re here alone tonight and nobody knows what you’re going through, maybe you’re here with people who really know what you’re going through, I don’t know which is worse sometimes, and maybe as we sing this last song as we finish again, instead of saying ‘Ok, we’re done, let’s run off,’ but maybe it’s time for you to say to some folks around you ‘You know what, I have been griping and complaining, I have never been thankful for the portion the Lord has given me, I’ve been ambitious, I’ve been wishing I, I’ve been trying to force myself into ministry God’s never called me towards,’ or maybe you need to just say to someone ‘I’ve been trying to get victory over this one king for a long time, and I never seem to get it, and I really want to understand, if this is my inheritance, what do I do to possess this? will you pray for me, because this is no little 31 king guy, this is an Og, this is a 13-footer, would you pray for me, tonight, that God would give me some direction here? Because I know it’s his strength, it’s his sword, the Word of God, it’s the power of his Spirit, I know no flesh is going to glory in his presence, and I know if he grants this to me, it’s something that I could never deserve, never earn, I know it comes by grace, but it’s…’ for some of us we need to say ‘it’s so hard for me to receive grace,’ and that’s a terrible struggle. So let’s stand, let’s pray, let’s lift our voices, and our hearts please, but then you gotta go, I understand, if you’re inclined, because you already have a couple people who know you who are already thinking ‘I hope they ask for prayer, because I really know I need to pray for them,’ some of you can’t escape, sorry I didn’t do that on purpose, I’m not a manipulator, just I think the Lord just told me to say that, ah, let’s pray, let’s worship, and maybe look to each other a little bit…[transcript of a connective expository sermon on Joshua 12:1-24 and Joshua 13:1-33, given by Pastor Joe Focht, Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, 13500 Philmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19116]