UNPOSSESSED LAND. Joshua 13. Joshua was about ninety years old and had seen and experienced a lot since his youth in Egypt under slavery. He had witnessed the miracles that led to freedom, such as the crossing of the Red Sea, and the miraculous survival of millions in an unforgiving wilderness. He remembered how close they came, forty years ago, to losing everything they now possessed. He had seen all those he knew in his youth buried, except Caleb. For around seven years, he served the Lord in a leadership role and enjoyed close fellowship with God as they conquered the land as a nation. Now, each tribe was to claim what was theirs by walking through every part of it, but they had not yet done so.
The heavenly king, who had conquered the land of Canaan, began to govern His territory by assigning specific places by name and position to each of the tribes of Israel. There was land that had not yet been taken, but it was allocated to them in anticipation of completing the work. God had clearly planned the conquest of Canaan because it was strategically brilliant. The defeat of the Amorites and Bashan on the east side of the Jordan River secured their position behind. Dividing the land in the middle at Jericho, Ai, Bethel, and Gibeon prevented the local tribes from forming a coalition of northern and southern tribes. Israel controlled the fords of the river, the plains near the river, and the roads. Gilgal was a key strategic location.
After the advance and conquest of central Canaan, the southern regions were captured as the people were driven out of the cities and settlements by hornets. Those who tried to defend what they had taken were killed in battle. With both the south and central parts of the land in Israel's possession, the northern tribes had united but were defeated by the mighty arm of the Lord.
To some of us, most of life’s battles are over. To others, most of life’s battles are yet to be fought. May we all be able to say when the journey is over, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” We are still able to serve God in old age, drawing on the benefits of wisdom and experience. Age brings an increased capacity for spiritual discernment. Discernment is a kind of knowledge that goes far beyond just the intellect. Age also fosters a greater appreciation for spiritual life—the eternal life we have received as a gift from God. We recognize that we have received this life when God saved us, but we also experience eternal life daily by living in fellowship with God through both the small details and the major moments of life, enhanced by experience and age.
Spiritual truth as food for the soul becomes more real as we learn by experiencing the truths in the scriptures and applying them to life situations. Spiritual desires are like a thirst of the soul for God; as we submit to the Lord, consecrate our lives and all we claim for ourselves to Him, and accept each blessing by faith. Spiritual blessings are easier to recognize when we understand that not all blessings will bring happiness immediately, but later, we can see the reasons behind blessings involving difficulties. We do not need to live in poverty or defeat when we have learned through experience that "all things work together for good."
Joshua, being an elderly man, knew it was appropriate that the allocation of conquered land to each tribe be made before he died. Although the land to the west along the Mediterranean coast and other areas had not yet been fully conquered, the property Moses described was assigned with the future in mind. The land claimed so far was on both sides of the Jordan River, from Beersheba in the south to Kedesh in the north. Some tribes to the west still remained unconquered.