POSSESSING OUR POSSESSIONS. Joshua 12. This is a summary of the conquest of the promised land, which held great potential for the children of Israel. The first six verses recount the conquests and victories under Moses’ leadership on the east side of Jordan. From verse seven through twenty-four, we see the conquests under Joshua’s leadership within the promised land itself, on the west side of the Jordan River. Sometimes in life, it is good to pause and reflect on what we have experienced and what has been done for us by God's grace. With a humble and grateful heart, take time to look back on the past years and remember where God's grace has brought victory. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” [Rom.5:20]
He, who controls the universe, used hornets to do for the Israelites what the combined armies of northern Canaan could not accomplish, and they were defeated. A swarm of hornets can stop powerful horses in their tracks and make them uncontrollable. Strong and brave soldiers cannot win against a swarm of hornets stinging them, causing them to run and hide. Even today, stinging insects can cause chaos if they get inside a tank, airplane, vehicle, or ship.
It is very important and reassuring that the One who controls His creatures and His creation is our gracious, heavenly Father. We belong to His family and can respectfully say to Him, “Abba Father, we approach Thee in our Savior’s precious name.” Victories are definitely reasons to be happy and thankful to God, especially when we can see His hand doing for us what we could not do ourselves or would never be able to do.
It seems that the Lord allowed some of those enemies in the conquered territory to hide from the Israeli soldiers to test their commitment to God and their faithfulness in carrying out His commands. Moses had instructed them before he died, and it was written down in Deuteronomy chapter seven that the Israelites were to totally “detest and abhor the accursed things.” God’s intention was for His enemies to be completely destroyed.
It seems that those in the east of Jordan were not fully committed to eliminating all nations that practiced idol worship and everything associated with it. They gradually assimilated into those nations and practices they should have overcome. Moses was the leader during that conquest. As a type of the law and what it can do for us, it reminds us that although the law is good and holy in its purpose, we cannot rely solely on our own resolutions to claim what is ours. Our spiritual blessings can only be maintained when we are in fellowship with the Lord and guided by the Holy Spirit. We do not have the strength to possess our possessions on our own, even with our greatest efforts.
To summarize simply: the potential of the 2 ½ tribes on the east side of Jordan, who took little part in Israel's national life, was quickly lost along with their inheritance. They became absorbed by the nations they were meant to conquer. Moses, the lawgiver, gave them the land that was eventually lost. Anything we try to hold onto by our own resolve will ultimately slip away, and we will inevitably fail. The deepest blessings of our spiritual life can only be found in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. [Eph.1:3]
The Israelites could only possess the land of promise because of the Lord's mercy, grace, love, and power. “It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was Your right hand, and Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You loved them” [Psa.44:3]. God’s promise to redeem Israel and bring them back to Himself continues to be written about in Isaiah’s prophecy. The time will come when Zion is restored again with the Lord in holy fellowship as “Beulah.”
God will give them a new name, symbolizing a renewed relationship, just as He changed Jacob's name. From the name that means “crooked; a supplanter,” to Israel, which means “a prince with God,” the difference is as great as a name change can be. From “Forsaken” to “Hephzibah” (My delight is in thee), and from “Desolate” to “Beulah” (married), it reflects a completely new perspective on the people of Israel in God’s eyes. On that day, the Lord will delight in His earthly people as a bridegroom finds joy in his bride. Zion will serve as a visible sign to the world of Christ’s righteousness. Israel will truly become a holy nation.
For Christians who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord has defeated the powers of darkness and evil. Satan has been conquered but still contends with those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, trying to cause their downfall. Our responsibility is to “go in and possess the land” that was given to us. The land of “Beulah” is a place of blessings from our Lord that are too many to count.
The true bride of Christ today, the church, is a “a peculiar people, zealous of good works,” that has been redeemed from all iniquity. Our role in the world today is that of a bride preparing for the wedding day and as servants calling out to those indifferent to the One who wants them to share eternal life with Him. So, we go into the world and preach the Gospel, in essence saying, “Come, for all things are now ready!”
There will be faithful prophets and preachers during the coming tribulation who will intercede for the Jews and share the Gospel with them. Many will be saved through their efforts, and others will be killed because of their faith in Christ during that time. These thousands of faithful preachers will proclaim the day when Jerusalem will become a place of praise instead of contrition and contention. They will assure the Jews that the covenant between God and Abraham will be fulfilled, and those who personally trust in the coming Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, will be saved for eternity. These preachers will be like “watchmen,” faithful trusted individuals who will preach and pray with urgency and persistence until God's kingdom is established on earth.
It is solely by God's grace that anyone can be saved. His grace will also bring about that future restoration. On that day, God's people will be adorned with a holy beauty by the Messiah of Israel. We should be especially grateful today that Christ has made us righteous and that, as holy people, we can now fellowship with our Savior and Lord. We can call the Almighty God “Abba, Father,” and approach Him confidently in our Savior’s precious name.
In the coming day Isaiah prophesied about, there will be no more invasions of Israel or famines that take the lives of those who belong to the Messiah. The “standard” that will be raised high will be the banner of Christ's finished work on the cross. They will be saved by accepting Christ's work on their behalf, just like born-again people of all ages. People living in Jerusalem during the millennium will be called “The holy people.” This is a very different description from what they were during Isaiah’s time and for the prophets who followed him. They were unholy people, idol worshippers, and in bondage to those who would come and conquer them. They had turned away from the Lord and would face the consequences of idolatry and apostasy.
Isaiah could foresee what would happen in the future, and like all faithful preachers, he warned the people that the promise of sin to offer something for nothing is an empty promise because, by its very nature, sin takes, not gives. Furthermore, it takes from us what we should never give. The opposite is true for righteousness, which, when invested, yields much more than it costs. Investing in righteousness results in far greater returns because the Lord guarantees it.
During the perilous years of tribulation, those who preach the Gospel will faithfully serve the Lord by warning the people. They will keep them looking forward and beyond current events to the fulfillment of the Lord’s promised victorious return and victory over their enemies. The lives of God’s people will no longer be marked by ongoing struggles for survival caused by the influence of sin. On that day, the people of the Lord will live fulfilled lives as they serve Him. In the restored Zion, they will be called “the redeemed of the Lord, sought out, a city not forsaken.”
Is there anything I can truly call my own, anything I’m not borrowing or paying interest on through a loan? The ground I walk on certainly belongs to someone else. The house we built is taxed, or we wouldn’t even be able to stay here. The children we claimed as ours grew more independent as they got older, and now they are gone. They are “next of kin” to someone else. Actually, they came to us as a gift from God. They were ours to nurture, care for, and learn from until their education was complete. But really, I hope they understand that they’re His in thought, deed, and word.
When I was young, God gave me a wife of His choosing. It’s been nearly 60 years of happiness sharing life together, so we are united now, but even that will end sometime soon. In heaven, we are not married because God has a different role for each of us in His eternal plans. We belong to each other only during this lifetime.
When God gave me life, I became a living soul with a mind to think, emotions to love, and a will to obey. When by His grace, I was born again by the Spirit of God and the word of God, I was made whole as a person. Now I belong to my Lord—body, soul, and spirit. I’m alive eternally, but in a sense, I possess myself—I am God’s, and I am me. The most real possessions are the intangible things in my life. Not the so-called “possessions" I can touch, taste, or feel, but things like hope—sure and certain—along with many others I possess through faith.
Many God-given possessions are the result of His saving grace. Eternal life – what a possession! Mine at the highest cost to Him, but without cost to me. It is mine, now and forever – without it, I’d be lost. God made it possible for me to possess this great gift as a free and personal blessing from Him, one of many gifts given to me when Christ’s death provided this salvation. In this land of Beulah, which is now my home, I can live in rest and peace, enjoying my possessions, though this is not my final dwelling. Here in this land of pleasantness, while the war continues around me and across the world, God Himself has driven out the enemies that threaten me, setting me on holy ground.