Joshua 13 Devotional

Promised but Not Yet Possessed

“All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim—all the Sidonians—I Myself will drive out before the Israelites. Be sure to divide it by lot as an inheritance to Israel, as I have commanded you.”Joshua 13:6 (BSB)

Joshua is old, and the LORD says so plainly. Much land still remains to be taken, from the Philistine territory to Lebanon (13:1-5). Then God says something surprising. He himself will drive out these peoples, and Joshua is to divide the land among the tribes anyway (13:6-7). Israel is told to assign as an inheritance land it does not yet hold, because the One who promised it has not changed his mind.

The chapter is honest about gaps. Israel did not drive out the Geshurites and Maacathites (13:13). Yet it also notes something better than land. The tribe of Levi receives no territory, because the LORD himself is their inheritance (13:14, 33). The story of God's people is often like this, with promises given in full and possessions received in part. Paul was sure that God would finish the good work he had started in his people (Philippians 1:6). Your life with God may look unfinished. He is still at work on what he has promised, and he does not abandon his work halfway.

To think about: Where does your life with God feel unfinished, and how does his promise to complete his work change how you see it?