An Incomplete Obedience

Hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning we're going to talk about the land on the east side of the Jordan River and something that's wrong. Something goes wrong in this story. So Joshua chapter 13, we're going to be looking at the second half of this chapter and we're going to start at verse 8, go through the end of the chapter and look at some land divisions, but also what went wrong. Let's have some coffee.
We'll pray and get into God's Word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. We thank you for the joy that you have set before us in Jesus Christ. And Father, we pray that you would please bless us as we read your word. Please teach us, instruct us in your ways. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. All right, here we go, Joshua chapter 13, beginning at verse eight.
With the other half-tribe of Reubenites and Gadites, I'm sorry, with the Reubenites and the Gadites, received their inheritance which Moses had given them beyond the Jordan eastward, and Moses, the servant of the Lord, had given them, from Aror, which is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the town that is in the midst of the ravine, and all the plain of Medeba, as far as Debon, all the cities of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the border of the children of Ammon, Gilead, and the border of the Gesherites and Maccathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan, as far as Asalka, all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashteroth and Endre, Edri, sorry, who remained of the remnant of the giants, for Moses had defeated and cast out these. Nevertheless, the children of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maccathites, but the Geshurites and the Maccathites dwell among the Israelites until this day. Only to the tribe of Levi he had given no inheritance. The sacrifice of the Lord God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said to them.
I'm going to jump over here on the map because we're going to start looking from south to north on the Transjordan side here. What are these different lands that were given to them? So I think it's helpful to kind of see what's going on here rather than just talk about it. So we're going to go ahead and read through this. So it's going to start in the south with Reuben, verses 15 through 23, and then go to the land of Gad, verses 24 through 28, and then finally, the half-tribe of Manasseh on the east side of the Jordan, verses 29 to the end. I do want to point out, if you're wondering about this land, right? They had conquered this land.
We can look at Deuteronomy chapter 2 and chapter 3, or Numbers chapter 21, where we're able to see these battles described and what's happened. So if you forgot about that, feel free to go check that out later. I'll try to remember to put a link down in the comments somewhere on that. Here we go, verse 15. Starting in the south with Reuben.
And Moses had given to the tribe of the children of Reuben an inheritance according to their families. Their territory was from Aror, which is on the bank of the river Arnon, in the city that is in the midst of the ravine and all the plain of Medeba, Heshbon and all its cities that are in the plain, Debon, Bemothbol, Bethbol, Meun, Jahaz, Kedmoth, Mephath, Kirijathim, Sibma, Zareth-Sahar, on the mountain of the valley, Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-Jeshamash, all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses had struck with the princes of Midian, who were princes of Sihon dwelling in the country. The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of B or the soothsayer among those who were killed by them. And the border of the children of Reuben was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben, according to their families, the cities, and their villages." So if we look here on the map, we're able to see this here. So here's Reuben, and we read about Zahaz, we read about Mount Nebo. Mephath, Bezer, Heshbon, right? So we read this is the area there.
Interesting to note, as the kingdom of Moab had tried to enlist Balaam to come and cast his spells, his curses on them. God wouldn't let him. And yet he still fights with them. And so we notice that the princes of Midian are killed, Evai, Rechem, Zur, Hur, Reba, right, and then Balaam also with them, right, even though he's pronouncing blessing on them because God keeps him from his curses, he still tries to trick them up with the women of the Midianites.
You can read that in the previous sections. All right, let's go on to the middle nation here, or the middle tribe. This is Gad in the middle here in the darker green. Here we go. Moses also had given an inheritance to the tribe of Gad, to the children of Gad, according to their families. Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the tribe of the Ammonites, as far as Oror, which is before Rabah, and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betanim, and from Mahanaim and Zippon, Sorry, from Mahanaim to the border of Debir and in the valley of Beth Haram, Beth Nimra, Sokoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon, king of Heshbon, with the Jordan as its border, as far as the edge of the Sea of Chinareth, on the other side of the Jordan eastward. This is the inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families, the children the cities and their villages. So this is this area that they're saying belongs to Gad.
Interestingly, they're saying from the sea up to the Sea of Chinneroth, I think, if I'm remembering correctly, that's up here. So maybe they imagined that the land went all the way kind of up here, possibly. The Sea of Chinneroth, maybe the Sea of Galilee. So the Dead Sea up to there possibly on the map we have by the way, this is just a free one. I got online Most good maps are copyrighted. This one is It's free to use so I'm not violating copyright.
So that's why we're using this one Let us go ahead and keep on moving to the end of the chapter this last one moving up north to the to the tribe of Manasseh remember this is the Half the tribes the other tribes gonna get the other hand side. This one's getting the eastern side.
So here we go Moses also had given an inheritance to half the tribe of Manasseh. It was for half the tribe of the children of Manasseh, according to their families. Their territory was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, and all the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan. and all the towns of Jer, which are in Bashan, sixty cities, half of Gilead and Astaroth and Edri, cities of the kingdom of Og and Bashan, were for the children of Makir, the son of Manasseh, for half of the children of Makir, according to their families. These are the areas which Moses had distributed as an inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho eastward. But to the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance. The Lord God of Israel was their inheritance. he had said to them." So this tribe, half-tribe of Manasseh, this is one of Joseph's sons, as Mahanaim read here, all the way north.
So this is the area of Og, of the Amorites. So Ammonites, Amorites up here. And so we have this plain down here which had been Sihon's area. So that's the three tribes on the Transjordan, the east side of the river, is the land that Moses had given to them before they had crossed the Jordan River and taken Jericho and started the conquest. So that's what chapter 13, this is talking about here, verses 8 through the end is that side of the Jordan. So what went wrong? I want to point out something that we could have passed over easily, verse 13.
Nevertheless, the children of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maccathites. But the Geshurites and Maccathites dwell among Israelites until this day. This is a problem. This is going to be a problem, especially as we get to the book of Judges.
The Israelites kind of lose steam as they're dispossessing or disinheriting the people of the land, right? They were given a job to do and to take the land, to take all of it. and they were to drive out all the people or else the people would become snares to them, thorns in their side. We might say leaven in the lump, yeast in the batch. And we'll find that they become this perpetual snare to the people and even turn their hearts to idolatry.
So I think that's one of the things that's going on here as we see this. So that's one thing that goes wrong. So they do amazing things. These people do amazing things. they accomplish amazing feats, they keep the covenant, they go to battle, they cross over the Jordan River like they had promised Moses. And yet, And yet we find them still humans just like us, struggling. So what are we called to do?
I want to just point out Levi doesn't get any inheritance. Did you notice that? Verse 14, only of the tribe of Levi he had given no inheritance. And then it says it again in verse 33, but to the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance. Why? Because the Lord God of Israel was their inheritance as he had said to them.
That's where I want to pick up on our sea calling, right? I think this land isn't necessarily the main point, though I think this is a historical document. I really think the conquest did happen. I think that these lands were divided up by lot and that this was historical. But the land isn't the end story.
The inheritance of the promised land was meant to be this picture of God giving the earth to his covenant people. He would be the king and he would reign perfectly forever. And that's the inheritance that we see we're waiting for. Our inheritance is kept safe in heaven, 1 Peter 2. We know that God has elected us, saved us, and made us his children to receive this inheritance, Ephesians 1.
And we're looking forward to the new heavens and the new earth, when Jesus will reign perfectly, when there will be no more half-hearted dispossessing of the land, but Jesus will dispossess the land. See, the Reubenites, the Gadites, the half-tribe Manasseh, they were strong warriors. And yet they couldn't ever fully do what God commanded, but Jesus has. And when Jesus comes, He will do it perfectly.
So we look forward to Him. We look forward to that great day. We look forward to our inheritance, the kingdom that's not of this earth. but is in heaven. So let's look forward to that inheritance. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much. You've placed us in a land. You've given us citizenship here on earth in our countries that we live in. And yet, Lord, we know that you have also called us sojourners and pilgrims. We don't perfectly fit in, but God, you're good.
Father, we pray that you would please help us to follow after you. Lord, we pray that you would let us turn our eyes to heaven and that we would be serious about the sin in our lives, that we would get rid of the little leaven that leavens the whole lump, the little yeast that messes up the whole batch. God, we pray that we would take sin seriously and drive it out, that we would, Lord, give it no quarter, but fight against even our own sinful proclivities. And Lord, as we do so, we pray that we would look to heaven that we would trust you knowing that our inheritance is kept safe, secure by you there. Thank you. Thank you, Lord, that you are our inheritance, that we get you forever. In Jesus's name, amen. Well, may God bless you. May you walk in the peace and joy of Jesus Christ, and I'll see you next time. Bye.