I have been freshly impressed with the geographical content of the Book of Joshua. It’s nearly an atlas of the land of Canaan, the Promised Land!

In fact, chapter after chapter is given to delineating the land allotments of the various Tribes of Israel. With some specificity, I might add!

But today I’d like us to notice that of all the Tribes, JUDAH is discussed first!

Here’s how Joshua chapter 15 begins: “This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of JUDAH by their families; even to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south coast.”

My question today, why Judah?

Really, why Judah first?

Maybe because of the bold little hero named Caleb! He was one of the twelve spies dispatched by Moses to investigate the Land. He (along with Joshua) also had faith enough to believe God could defeat the enemies and give Israel her rightful (based on God’s promises) Land. And Caleb wanted the area around Hebron, which was promptly awarded him!

Faith achieves much in God’s economy!

Oh yes, and Caleb was of the tribe of Judah. I’m thinking Judah was given her land (at least it was listed) first because Hebron is in her allotment.

Then another reason might have been the sheer size of the tribe of Judah! According to Numbers 26:22 Judah was the largest of all the tribes! (With 76,500 young men able to fight in the army!) Perhaps the lesson is this … the MORE you sacrificially give to God … the MORE prominence God pours upon you and your family! Judah, whose very name means “praise,” lavishly served God. At least at times he did.

Then last of all, but likely the number one reason, Judah was to be the royal tribe of Israel. Her kings were to issue from that branch of the Israelites. David was of Judah. Really all the legitimate Davidic Kings were. And Jesus our Saviour was out of the tribe of Judah as well!

Genesis 49:10 long ago prophesied such. These are among Jacob’s last words: “The sceptre shall not depart from JUDAH, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Amen!

Wow!

I think First Samuel 2:30 properly sums our Lesson today. “Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, THEM THAT HONOR ME I WILL HONOUR, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”

Amen!

Honor God … He will honor you!

Encouraging!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

 

His name was Caleb.

And he was old, eighty-five to be exact.

Yet he still longed to serve his God!

Still had a little “fight” in him, too!

Here’s the story, from Joshua chapter 14 anyway, a great example of faith.

“Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and CALEB the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea. ⁷ Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. ⁸ Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I WHOLLY FOLLOWED THE LORD MY GOD. ⁹ And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. ¹⁰ And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I AM THIS DAY FOURSCORE AND FIVE YEARS OLD. ¹¹ As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. ¹² Now therefore GIVE ME THIS MOUNTAIN, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims (giants) were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: IF SO BE THE LORD WILL BE WITH ME, then I SHALL BE ABLE to drive them out, as the Lord said. ¹³ And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh HEBRON for an inheritance. ¹⁴ HEBRON therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁵ And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.” Joshua 14:6-15

What a man, Caleb.

Songs have been written about him.

Sermons preached.

Verses applied to his life of steadiness for the Lord. Psalm 92:13-14 come to mind as I sit here and type, for example. “Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still BRING FORTH FRUIT IN OLD AGE; they shall be fat and flourishing.” Wow!

Be sure and read the whole Paragraph above, the Joshua Text.

What a life, dedicated to the Lord God Almighty!

What an impact for “good!”

Oh, did I tell you?

The name “Caleb” literally means “dog” in Hebrew!

The root word is “keleb,” meaning “to yelp, bark … or attack!”

Yes, “dog!”

My point today being … God can use an old “nobody,” just a “dog” in the eyes of the world … and do with him (or her) great things!

In fact, we are all (who have believed in Jesus) simply “sinners” … but now “saved” by Grace!

Once wild dogs, craving vomit … but now (miraculously) transformed into sheep, lambs … eagerly following our Shepherd to lush, green pastures and clear, still waters!

Dogs!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

 

It’s only been 12 chapters so far, into the Book of Joshua, yet today we read: “Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.” Joshua 13:1

Yes, Joshua the young warrior, the anointed military leader of Israel … now an old man. He lived to be 110 years old.

But even at that advanced age, he still had “much to do” in the area of progress, new ground to be covered in the work of the Lord!

I think today I’ll make this observation. WE AS CHRISTIANS NEVER GET SO OLD, SO ADVANCED, SO “MATURE” … BUT WE HAVE YET THINGS TO LEARN! SPIRITUAL GROWTH TO ACHIEVE! SINS TO BE OVERCOME! KNOWLEDGE TO BE GAINED! PRAYERS TO BE PRAYED!

At least that’s the first thing that I saw when looking at our verse this morning. “Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.”

“Very much” yet to do!

Last night in the Revival Meeting I preached on the great Servant of God named Job. Even after his great (one-of-a-kind) testimony was given by God, and even after all that (undeserved) suffering he triumphantly endured … God STILL taught Job many things in the closing chapters of that great Book! Job 38-42, God’s longest Speech in all the Bible!

That spiritual giant Job apparently still had … much room to grow!

The same with Paul. Who after 35 or so years living for Jesus … still wanted “to know” Him better! Hungry to cover new ground in his relationship with the Lord!

Even Jesus, the sinless Son of God … “Though he were a Son, yet LEARNED HE OBEDIENCE by the things which He suffered; and being made perfect, He became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him; called of God an High Priest after the order of Melchisedec.” Hebrews 5:8-10

Wow!

Yes, for sure … Jesus “possessed” every square inch of the Land the Father assigned him! Even while still (physically) young, age 33 or so!

My challenge to you today, to us all … map out an area of life where there’s yet land for you to possess! Set a spiritual goal or two … and go “get” it, “achieve” it … to the Glory of God!

Amen!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

One is never too old to be an overcomer for Jesus!

Let’s not get “lazy” in the fight!

 

Midway through the Book of Joshua (containing a total of 24 chapters) is a “record” of the conquests God has given the little Nation of Israel.

“Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east ….” Joshua 12:1, a written record!

Then for the rest of the chapter (23 more  verses) name after name occurs! For example: “The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; the king of Shimronmeron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one.” And so on … with verses 10-21 being cited here … one defeated foe after another!

My lesson thought today …

Occasionally set down and make a record of the “victories” God has given you!

The prayers He has “answered!”

The loved ones He has “saved!”

The various “crises” through which He has brought you!

Then … when the devil tries to discourage you … get out your “list” and ponder the great things God has done … in your life!

Lesson over.

Now let’s go get a pen or pencil and a piece of paper!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings wealth can never buy,
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

Amen!

Yes, the Lord (miraculously) aided Israel in conquering the land of Canaan. The Lord worked supernaturally for His people, even to this extent: “And I (God Himself) will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.” Exodus 23:28, amazing!

Yet the battle indeed had to be engaged!

The fighting was a necessity.

So in a summary verse, Joshua 10:18 tells us, God Himself actually speaking: “Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.”

The term “made war” involves two Hebrew words, a verb and a noun. The verb (“asah”) means “to construct, design, fashion, prepare, execute,” clearly indicating preponderance. The noun (“milchamah”) means “extended conflict, prolonged battle,” being translated “eat” five times in the King James Version!

Yes, there was an enemy (plural really, enemies, many) to be defeated.

So, again … “Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.”

“Long time!”

The Hebrew here (“rab yom”) actually says “many days!”

God allowed the Jews, His “chosen” Nation, to fight and fight and fight … as if the battle would never be over, or so it must have seemed to them. “Long time.”

And this verse becomes today a parable to us.

We also are involved in conflict, warfare, as Christians.

But Paul preached: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

And … “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.” 2 Corinthians 10:4

And I might quickly add … we shall (also) be in our battle a “long time!”

I’m thinking … until we die!

It was only then, virtually on his deathbed, that Paul finally claimed: “The time of my departure (decease) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:6-7

Did you notice that?

“I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT!”

Battle over … Heaven is in view!

All those years as a saint of God … “Paul made war a long time” … against the devil and his minions.

So did Joshua.

So must we!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

But, good news … there’s Victory in Jesus!

He, our Saviour, is even more effective than a swarm of hornets!