Bible Commentaries
Joshua 13

Verses 1-33

Chapter 13

In chapter thirteen,

Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; [It means that he was beginning to be a little feeble. The idea of "stricken in years" refers to more or less the feebleness that oftentimes accompanies old age.] ... and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed ( Joshua 13:1 ).

This, as I said, was one of their tragedies, is their failure to continue until they had taken all of the land that God had promised. Now there is a sequel to that in our own spiritual lives. As I have told you before, coming into the land of promise, and taking the land of promise as a spiritual sequel, the life of victory, the walking in the Spirit that God wants you to know, the victory over the flesh and the old flesh life.

Now God has promised you victory over your flesh life. It is a victory that all you have to do is go in and claim, lay claim to it. "Every place you put your foot, God has given it to you for a possession."

Now the tragic thing with so many Christians is they start off in the Spirit in a very powerful way. They make great initial spiritual strides in their lives. But then they will hit a spiritual plateau where a complacency will settle over them, and they're no longer eager for conquest. They're no longer really striving towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God, but they begin to sort of kick back in spiritual ease and resting upon the past victory. So that oftentimes when you talk to them their conversation is always of some past spiritual victory and blessing that they experienced in their life. But there's nothing fresh and up to date. Most of the spiritual victories are relegated to some historic period in their own walk and experience, and they're always remembering the glory days of the past, "Oh, I can remember the days of the tent." Glorying in the work of God in my life while we were in the tent. Or "the days in the little church", but it is always a sign of spiritual stagnation when you've got to look back to relate some vital experience with God. God wants you to have an up-to-the-moment experience of His grace and power and love in your life, and His victory.

Now they came to the place where they were satisfied, they were content; they didn't press on to the full victory. Beware of spiritual plateaus. Beware of that spiritual complacency where you come to the place where you're spiritually satisfied, "This is as far as I need to go, far as I desire to go. As far as the rest of the things in my life, I can live with them." Whenever you can start living comfortably with your flesh, you are in danger spiritually. Our flesh is a constant enemy to our walk in the Spirit. "The spirit is lusting against the flesh, and the flesh against the spirit, and these two are contrary"( Galatians 5:17 ), the scripture said. They're opposed to each other. Thus, how important that we press on to the full possession of that which God has promised unto us. But there remained yet very much land to be possessed. So it tells the territories that they had not yet conquered.

Now God had told them to "divide it by lot to the Israelites for an inheritance as I have commanded you."

Verse fourteen,

Only unto the tribe of Levi there is no inheritance; the sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said unto them. Now Moses gave to the tribe of the children of Ruben the inheritance according to their families ( Joshua 13:14-15 ).

He describes the borders on the other side of the Jordan River that belonged to Reuben. Then to the tribe of Gad he describes in verse twenty-five to the end, the borders of the area that were given to Gad, again on the other side of the Jordan River east from Jericho.

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