January 12 - Joshua 13:8-32
8 With the other half of
the tribe of Manasseh the Reubenites and the Gadites received their
inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses
the servant of the Lord gave them: 9 from
Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in
the middle of the valley, and all the tableland of Medeba as far as
Dibon; 10 and all the cities of Sihon king of the
Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the
Ammonites; 11 and Gilead, and the region of
the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to
Salecah; 12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who
reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the remnant of the
Rephaim); these Moses had struck and driven out. 13 Yet
the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, but
Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.
14 To the tribe of Levi
alone Moses gave no inheritance. The offerings by fire to
the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to him.
15 And Moses gave an
inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben according to their
clans. 16 So their territory was from
Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that
is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland by Medeba; 17 with
Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the tableland; Dibon, and
Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon, 18 and Jahaz, and
Kedemoth, and Mephaath, 19 and Kiriathaim,
and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the hill of the valley, 20 and Beth-peor,
and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth, 21 that
is, all the cities of the tableland, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of
the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses defeated with the
leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of
Sihon, who lived in the land. 22 Balaam also, the
son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with the sword by the
people of Israel among the rest of their slain. 23 And
the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary. This was the
inheritance of the people of Reuben, according to their clans with their cities
and villages.
24 Moses gave an inheritance
also to the tribe of Gad, to the people of Gad, according to their clans. 25 Their
territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the
Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east of Rabbah, 26 and
from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the
territory of Debir, 27 and in the valley Beth-haram,
Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of
Heshbon, having the Jordan as a boundary, to the lower end of the Sea
of Chinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan. 28 This
is the inheritance of the people of Gad according to their clans, with their
cities and villages.
29 And Moses gave an
inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was allotted to the half-tribe of
the people of Manasseh according to their clans. 30 Their
region extended from Mahanaim, through all Bashan, the whole kingdom of Og
king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty
cities, 31 and half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and
Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. These were allotted to the
people of Machir the son of Manasseh for the half of the people of Machir
according to their clans.
32 These are the
inheritances that Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the
Jordan east of Jericho. 33 But to the tribe of Levi
Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their
inheritance, just as he said to them.
When I was a
young child, I could not understand why the tribe of Levi was left without
land, etc. I read and read again and again and it made no sense. My heart hurt
for this group of Israelites. Now, upon further study, I realize that as
priests they had the best provision of all the tribes. Verse 33 explains fully
what God had in mind for the Levites: But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no
inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just
as he said to them.
As I have
grown in my relationship to the Lord, I have put away my childish thoughts. I
now know that God is my everything. However, due to my human nature, I
sometimes find myself forgetting that God is my everything. This lack of focus
on God is painful and I ask for forgiveness and turn my thought to God once
again.
Is it
possible that you have moments that cause you to take your eyes off the Lord?
Are you
continually amazed by the provisions God has blessed you with? I don’t mean
only the physical provisions.
Salvation
belongs to all believers. Have you claimed yours today?
Heavenly
Father, Debbie makes such a good point here about our focus not staying on those
things that are Your priority. I
struggle day by day and minute by minute with keeping my attention on tings that
matter. It just now struck me that I
just have to focus on You to focus on wht matters. You are going to know what item needs to take
priority. I don’t have to decide
that. Please help me keep my eyes on You
and let You guide me in where my attention needs to be. I know this is much easier said than done,
but I also know You are a God of the impossible, not just the easy, so I know if
I keep my focus on You, listening for Your voice to tell me what is next, You
will guide my every step.
In Jesus’
name.
Amen!
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