Old Testament Reading – Psalm 16:1-11
New Testament Reading – Acts 17:22-31
Victorious Christian Living
“Claiming God’s Promises by Faith”
Joshua 15:1-63
Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor
The purpose of this chapter is to show God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to the Israelites, and the God-designed orderliness in which that land was divided among the people.
- It is estimated that God made more than 3,000 promises to all mankind in the Bible – some estimate to be more than 7,000.
- However, according to those who calculate such things, over 1,000 of them are limited to those who receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, and therefore, they are claimed by faith.
- In Ephesians 1:3, Paul wrote: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.”
When we receive Christ as our Savior and Lord, we also receive innumerable spiritual blessings, including the pure righteousness of Christ, which results in our justification, adoption, acceptance, sanctification, redemption, pardon, hope, power, peace, strength, access to God, the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, the whole armor of God and an eternal inheritance in heaven.
- Just as the Israelites had to take possession of the land physically, believers are called to claim the spiritual inheritance given to us in Christ, which includes our victory over sin, self, and Satan.
- Just as Judah’s inheritance was not given to them randomly but was tied to their obedience and trust in God, so it is with God’s blessings – they are equal to our obedience and aligned with our submission to His perfect will.
- The left map shows the Promised Land the 12 tribes inherited, which extended beyond the Jordan River to include what is now Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Some estimate that ancient Israel was a nation of 56,000 square miles.
- However, the map on the right shows the nation of Israel as it is today, with the Jordan River as the border. The size of Israel today is about 8,500 square miles.
- Modern Israel is a narrow, long country, measuring about 263 miles from north to south, and from a maximum of about 71 miles at its widest point to less than 10 miles at its narrowest.
1. The Four Boundaries – Joshua 15:1-12 – VS. 1 – “So, this was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.”
- While the names of those places do not mean much to us, they certainly meant a lot to the Tribe of Judah, for they were hearing the names of the places where these families could settle down for the first time in 40 years.
- Joshua 15 takes us back to Genesis 15:7, where God told Abraham, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”
- For 40 years, these people had lived in hope for the land God had promised Abraham, and now, at long last, they were hearing where their allotment was; where they would be able to settle down in the land that flowed with milk and honey.
2. The Story of Caleb – Joshua 15:13-19 – VS. 13 – “Now to Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a share among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, namely, Kirjath Arba, which is Hebron. (Arba was the father of Anak).
- Anak was the chief of the Anakin; people who were between 9-13.5 feet tall. These were the giants the spies saw when they first entered Canaan. Ten of the spies said the Israelites could not defeat them, however, Joshua and Caleb said, with the Lord’s help, they could, and in verse 14, Joshua said, “Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak.”
- Caleb’s dedication and faith saved his life, gained him an inheritance, overcame the enemy, and enabled him to enrich his own family for years to come.
- Caleb offered his daughter, Achsah, to the man who would conquer the city of Kirjah Sepher, also called Debir, which was known as the “city of books,” or the “city of learning.”
- But this was more than just conquering another city.
- This was Caleb’s way of finding a suitable husband for his daughter, for the man who would be able to conquer that city would realize he could not do it himself and he would have to put his trust in the Lord, just as Caleb did in everything.
- Othniel not only proved himself to be a worthy husband for Achsah, but his work was an illustration of the work of Christ.
- As Othniel smote the city of false knowledge, Jesus Christ smote the lies of the devil with the truth of His Word, and spoiled the principalities and powers of darkness by triumphing over them.
- As Caleb gave his daughter to the one who smote Kirjah Sepher, God the Father gave the Church to be the Bride of Christ to His Son.
- As Caleb gave Achsah an upper and lower spring for her dowry, in John 4:10-14, Jesus said those who believed in Him would never thirst, “But the water I shall give him will become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
3. The Cities of the Inheritance – Joshua 15:20-62 – VS. 20 – “This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.”
- From verse 10-62, 29 cities are listed in the Southern district, 39 cities in the Shephelah, 38 cities in the Hill Country, and 6 cities in the wilderness, for a total of 112 cities.
- By naming each of them, God illustrated His divine sovereignty in dividing the land equitably among the tribes, and that He is concerned with ever facet of our lives.
4. A very sad ending – Joshua 15:63 – “As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.”
- Judah conquered over 100 villages and cities, but they chose not to yield to God’s power to defeat the Jebusites, which was a very costly act of disobedience.
- If there is only one area of our lives where we have not allowed the Holy Spirit to purge us from our sins, including that sin that so easily besets us, that act of unbelief will plague us forever.
- While it may not rob us of our eternal home in heaven, it does have the power to rob us of the joy of the Lord, and since the joy of the Lord is our strength, we cannot enjoy living the Victorious Christian Life that our Lord desires us to have, as His witnesses.
- Walking by faith means making every life decision on the basis of the promises of God’s Word, rather than relying upon our own understanding of the circumstances and human desires.
