Explore the Bible Lesson Preview June 24, 2012 The Loyalty Dare Background: Joshua 13:1 22:34 Lesson: Joshua 14:6-15; 15:14-17 Motivation: What difference does claiming God s promises make in your life? Caleb s life is an excellent case study for the results of being a fully devoted follower of God. Examination: I. Senior Highlights (13:1 15:63) A. Allotment of the Territory East of the Jordan (13:1-33) 1. Longevity Joshua was now old, getting on in years, and the Lord said to him a great deal of the land remains to be possessed. (1) Joshua is a great example of finishing strong. He served Moses for most of his life and led Israel to the end. J. Vernon McGee estimates that he was about eighty years old when God called him, and now is over one hundred years old. ( Thru the Bible, vol. 2, p. 28) a. Don t retire, refire! There s really no Biblical concept of retiring from God s service. When God is finished with us, He can call us home. (II Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10, 11:15; Dan. 7:14; I Cor. 6:3) b. Don t give up, give over Joshua was effective because he desired to be fully devoted. 1 / 7
He obeyed God in every detail. Having been almost constantly at war for about seven years, the task still looked enormous. But there was Joshua, still involved in God s service. 2. Lapse But Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites live in Israel to this day. (13) Joshua had carried out God s plan in three phases; but individual tribes were left with the mopping up, operations. This is the first hint in Joshua that God s instructions were not going to be carried out completely. Because of this, Israel would suffer many future problems. 3. Levites The Levites were to value the Lord above land. (14) 4. Land These are the proportions Moses gave them (32) Joshua s commission was not only to conquer but also to distribute the land (1:6). This chapter contains the detailed distributions east of the Jordan. B. Allotment to Caleb (14:1-15) (cf. Num. 34:17-29) 1. God s Promises Are Recorded You know what the Lord promised Moses, the man of God (6) We don t have to wonder about the blessings God has for us; they re recorded in His word! Caleb is referencing the promise God made to him and Joshua (Ex. 14:30) when they brought back the only positive reports among the twelve spies. God s people have the delightful opportunity to look up God s promises and claim them (Eph. 1:3) 2. God s Promises Are Rejuvenating I was forty years old (7) here I am today eighty five years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out (7, 10-11b) Now here s hope for all of us! (I Cor. 15:19; Eph. 2:12; Col. 1:27; Heb. 6:18-20; Titus 2:11-14; Rom. 15:13) We may dismiss this as a supernatural exception, or we may apply the Spiritual principle. Psychologists have confirmed the phenomenon that a reason to live produces stamina, strength and longevity. Victor E. Frankl did a groundbreaking study of concentration camp survivors entitled Man s Search for Meaning. He found that those who lived had an unfinished goal in the future. It is a peculiarity of man that he can only live by looking to the future. Paul writes much the same thing in Philippians 3:12, 14 2 / 7
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me But this one thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind, and reaching I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 3. God s Promises Are Redirecting you have remained loyal to the Lord my God (9) What does it mean to be a fully devoted follower of Christ? As we see in the life of Caleb, it involves redirecting some priorities. Whereas the majority of the spies, and by extension the people, made decisions based on sight, Caleb walked by faith. He identified what God expected him to do (in our case, worship, evangelism, discipleship, service and stewardship) and endeavored to do it in God s power. (2 Tim. 1:7) We may each lack talents, gifts or natural abilities. But nothing can keep us from being fully devoted to Him except ourselves! 4. God s Promises Are Reassuring As you see, the Lord has kept me alive these 45 years (10a) God s promise made a difference in the way Caleb lived! Imagine what happened in those forty-five years! Caleb saw every family member and friend (except Joshua) die. In battle, he saw warriors to the left and right killed before his eyes. Yet through it all, Caleb didn t have to fret or worry. He clung to God s promise! 5. God s Promises Are Rewarding My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then. (11b) Don t you hope you can say this when you re eighty-five? People who live in the promises of God (rather than in the worry and stress of circumstances (Phil. 4:6) are rewarded with a better state of mind, a better attitude and a spiritual perspective of life. (Ps. 1:27) 6. God s Promises Are Releasing Now give me this hill country the Lord promised me on that day because you heard then that the Anakim are there, I will drive them out as the Lord promised. (12) In 11:21-22 we read that Joshua s army drove the Anakim (giants) out of Israel and they resettled among the Philistines along the coast. (I Sam. 17:37, 46_47) Caleb s capture of Hebron is recreated in 15:13-19. Trusting in God s promises releases us to do the hard jobs. Caleb said, Look, I have a promise from God that He will give me the land where you have set foot (9) Since these giants and their fortified cities seem to make people so fearful, just let me and God take care of 3 / 7
those. the Lord will be with me expresses humility rather than doubt. Perhaps 7. God s Promises Are Reliable Gave him Hebron as an inheritance (13) God said it. I believe it. That settles it. is a popular bumper sticker. Theologically, it s settled when God says it! In chapter fifteen, we hear the clanging of swords and clashing of warriors (13-19), but in God s plan, the issue was settled when He made the promise. 8. God s Promises Are Redeeming, HCSB, p. 370; 15:13-19 These verses continue the account of 14:6-15. Here are the details appear with the names of specific places within Caleb s inheritance and the bequeathing of these to his children. Thus the general part is followed by the specific part. This anticipates the allotment of Judah. Joshua 15:1-12 constituted the general places, describing only the borders of the land. While verses 20-63 will deal with the specific places within those borders. Caleb s allotment represents the premier example of all the allotments of Judah. It is so important because it is the allotment of the most faithful Judahite of his generation. It also describes the acquisition of Hebron, David s first capital (2 Sam. 2:1-11). II. Complacency, Compromise and Complaint (16:1 17:18) But the descendants of Joseph said, The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who inhabit the valley area have iron chariots, both at Beth-shean with its towns and in the Jezreel Valley. (17:14) Judah s land was extensive. The half-tribe of Ephraim received land just north of Judah (chapter 16). The attitude of complaint from Ephraim and Manasseh (17:14) is in stark contrast to the servant attitude of Caleb (14:12). III. Commitment Renewal (18:1 19:51) HCSB, p. 373: 18:1-4 This is the first mention of the tent of meeting in the book of Joshua. Shiloh (modern Khirbet Seilun) lay to the south of Shechem and was situated in the middle of the earliest settlement of Israel in the hill country. It would remain a center for Israel s worship until the time of Samuel (1 Sam. 1-4). From this secure area, mapmakers were sent out. The proximity to the tent of meeting, the symbol of the presence of God, suggests that all 4 / 7
was done in agreement with the Lord s will. The recurrence of the tent of meeting at the end of these allotments (Josh 19:51) implies that God s will was upheld in this activity. IV. Safe Places (20:1 21:45) These cities of refuge were commended in Numbers 35:9-15, 22-28. In chapter 21 special designations were made for Levitical cities. 21:43 summarizes chapters 13-21: So the Lord gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. V. Conflict Resolution (22:1-34) Verses 1-9 record the departure of the tribes who settled east of the Jordan. Distance created a divide which led to a separate place of worship (10). What the eastern tribes meant as a witness (27) of their devotion to God, the remaining tribes viewed as treachery (16) and planned to go to war (12). Phinehas the priest (30) investigated the matter and the conflict was resolved (33). Application: 1. Claiming God s Promises enables us to be bold. 2. Claiming God s Promises encourages us to be positive. 5 / 7
3. Claiming God s Promises exposes our faith and trust. Explore the Bible Leader Pack Item 5: Handout: Consequences for Sin Illustrator: p. 73: Israel as Tribes Notes: **You may access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: www.hfbcbiblestudy.or g Dates 2012: 5/31 8/2 METRO Live, Thursdays; 6/16 Joel Rosenberg Simulcast; 6/17 SPF Father s Day Luncheon; 6/13-23 Philippine s Choir Trip; 6/23 SPF Summer Kickoff; 6/25-29 VBS; 7/1 Patriotic Service, normal sched.; 7/4 July 4 th Holiday, church offices closed; 7/8-13 Houston Project; 7/15 Lord s Supper in all Services; 7/16-20 Summer Week of Choir; 7/21-28 Rush Week; 7/27-28 First Place Summit; 8/1 Summer Rush Celebration; 8/2 - MetroLIVE ends; 8/17 6 / 7
Daycation ends; 8/19 Back to school Sunday; 8/20 FBA Orientation; 8/21 FBA Classes begin; 8/24 Parents Night Out; 9/2 Labor Day Weekend, norm. sched; 9/3 Labor Day Holiday, church offices closed; 9/9 Parent Commitment; 9/9 Make it Your Church Orientation; 9/14 Summit Celebrates @ 7:00, chapel; 9/16 Fall LBS Leadership Lunch; 9/21-22 Men s Ministry Special Event; 9/28-29 KHCB 50 th Anniv. Celebration; 9/28-30 SPF Camp. 7 / 7