Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: "How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?(Joshua 18:3)
This chapter and the next chapter are the
processes of the second division of land. Over time, relying on the power of
God, the three tribes of Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh among the twelve tribes
of Israel have all allocated their land east of the river. The other two and a half tribes who live on
the west side of the river are about to return to their land. The tribe of Levi
did not divide the land and the remaining seven tribes were slow to move,
indifferent to the land they deserved.
Joshua inherited Moses' desire to serve God
exclusively-to move the Tabernacle from Gilgal to Shiloh (in the territory of
Ephraim), the center of Canaan. Because God's tabernacle is among the elect,
the elect can be blessed by it.
While the entire congregation was gathered
in Shiloh, he rebuked the seven tribes and ordered them to quickly form a
"21-person task force." This team must travel all over those places
without fear of difficulty; The distribution and other information are drawn
into a map. Divide the land into seven so that Joshua can draw lots for them
before God.
The idleness and inaction of these seven
tribes are like when we lose our watchful heart after receiving the truth and
think that we are still spiritually rich, but in fact, we no longer follow the
Lord exclusively and humbly. On the surface, I believe in the Lord. But I still
love the world in my heart. I have the mark of the Holy Spirit on my body, but
I don’t want to make progress. If you still harden your heart and insist on
going your way, the Holy Spirit will treat us as lukewarm water and will
eventually spit out by the Lord Jesus.
(Romans 12：11-12)
11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in
spirit, serving the Lord;12 rejoicing in hope, patient in
tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
There is a sister who lives overseas. After
believing in the Lord, she did not read the Bible and pray for a while as she
need to study, work, and take care of her family. She even joked to God:
"Lord Jesus! You know I haven’t read the Bible for a long time?”. Until
one day she had a dream in which she was one of five foolish virgins. Knowing
in her heart that the lamp in her hand is out of oil, she still waits for the
Lord Jesus with everyone. Suddenly someone knocked on the door and shouted:
"The Lord Jesus is coming soon!" At this time, she noticed her lamp.
Not only was there no oil in it, but there was also a thick layer of ash. After
waking up, she was ashamed and kept asking God for forgiveness. If it were not
for the mercy of the Lord Jesus, she might have already been punished for
offending God. This was the Lord Jesus’ warning to her and also reminded us
that the Lord’s Day is at the door. His delay is still waiting for us who are
lost, hurry us back to the right path.
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