“And they did not drive out
the Canaanites . . . .” – Joshua 16:10
God has given us “exceedingly great and precious promises”
(2 Peter 1:4). But it is possible to miss out on the fullness of those
promises. God had promised to give His people the Land of Canaan (Joshua 1). In
the New Testament Jesus promises abundant life (John 10:10). Why is it then
that our life as a Christian so often feels less than abundant? In Joshua 15
through 19 we are given insight into some of the causes of Missing the Fullness of God’s promises.
People miss out on the
fullness of God’s promises because of ingrained enemies. In Joshua 15 we
are reminded of the good example of Caleb who did experience the fullness of
the promise of God’s blessing in the conquest of the territory allotted to him
by God (Joshua 15:13-15). “Caleb drove out” the giant impediments to the
promise of God. But in verse 63 we are introduced by way of contrast to the
first reason why God’s people sometimes miss out on the fullness of His
promises. It states, “As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites
dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.” An ingrained enemy is one reason people
don’t’ live in the fullness of God’s blessing. Here we see one of the reasons people don’t live
in the fullness of God’s blessings. We are told that the children of Judah were
unable to drive out the Jebusites. The Jebusites inhabited Jerusalem. It was
historically a well-fortified city. The Jebusites were able to withstand efforts
to besiege the city because they had built a water shaft that kept the city
from dying of thirst. It wasn’t until the reign of David that the Jebusites
were defeated (2 Sam. 5).
There are
strongholds in our life that sometimes take a prolonged period of time and
effort to defeat. Victory is assured (e.g. Rom. 8:37-39). But victory may not
come instantaneously. This is one reason for people not experiencing the
fullness of God’s promises. Like Jerusalem under the Jebusites there may be a
tunnel that this enemy is using to funnel and feed itself so that it remains in
place. Like David we need to identify the source that the enemy is using to
feed itself and cut it off. Is there an enemy in your life? Are you allowing a
tunnel of some kind to feed it? The way to victory is to cut off the source of
feeding for your entrenched enemy.
People miss out on the fullness of God’s blessing
due to incomplete efforts. In Joshua chapters 16 and 17 we are given the boundaries of the Land of Promise
apportioned to the two tribes of Joseph. And in Joshua 16:10 it states, “And they did not drive out the Canaanites
who dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day
and have become forced laborers.” An incomplete work keeps us from the fullness of God’s blessing. In
verse 10 we are told the tribe of Ephraim did not follow God’s commandment to
completely remove the inhabitants of Canaan (Deut. 7). They allowed pockets of enemy presence to
remain in the land. We are not told this was because of a particularly strong
enemy resistance. We are simply told they did not drive out these Canaanites.
They settled to making them forced labor.
There are times when we think we know better than the Lord.
There are times when we think we can take and use those things God has
forbidden for us. That always leads to problems and less than God’s best. It
results in living in less than the fullness of God’s blessing. It’s important
to pay attention to and carry out God’s word in detail; in its fullness. Fully keeping the word of God is the way to
experience the fullness of His blessing. God doesn’t bless short cuts,
half-hearted, and incomplete sloppy efforts.
People miss out on the
fullness of God’s promises because of an eye-for-more. In Joshua 17:1-13
give us the boundaries of the half tribe of Manasseh who did enter the Promised
Land. (Remember that half of the tribe of Manasseh decided to take their
portion outside the Promised Land – Numbers 32:15). The half tribe of Manasseh
who did enter the Land and receive an allotment came to Joshua with a
complaint: “Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua,
saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit,
since we are a great people, inasmuch as the Lord has blessed us until now?” 15 So Joshua
answered them, “If you are a great people, then go up to the
forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the
Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for
you.” 16 But the children of Joseph said, “The mountain country is
not enough for us; and all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley
have chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth Shean and its
towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel.” 17
And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—saying, “You are
a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, 18
but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you
shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive
out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.” (Joshua 17:14-18). These verses show us
that, an eye for more can keep one from
experiencing the fullness of God’s blessing.
There are times
when we miss out on God’s blessing because we mistakenly seek more outside our
lot before we take what is ours in the land in which God has placed us. God had
given the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh their lot. They were dissatisfied with
what God gave them. They felt they deserved more. Therefore they went to Joshua
and complained and asked for a greater inheritance. Joshua’s response was to
acknowledge they were indeed a great people and that they would indeed be given
more land, but that the land they would be given was not elsewhere but right
where they were.
Sometimes we miss
the trees for the forest. Sometimes we fail to see what God is giving us right where we are because we are
looking (lusting) for more elsewhere. This is a version of the-grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side mentality. There are times
when we are looking for more land before we have completely taken and
experienced the fullness of what God has for us where we presently are situated. There are numerous example of this
in life. Like the child with two fists full of cookies who cries for
“More cookies! More!” There is the person who cries for a promotion before they
have proved themselves in their present position. There is the person who
church hops to find a spouse when God may have provided their mate right where
they are in their local church. There is the person who feels called to be a missionary to the world when they have failed
to win their local neighbors. This more-mindset
that keeps us from the fullness of God’s blessing is rooted in pride,
presumption, a pressure to achieve or get more, a spirit of entitlement, and a
general dissatisfaction with what God has given them.
This hindrance to the fullness of God’s blessing also
involves a subtle laziness or lack of passion to take the land God has given you. Ephraim and Manasseh
didn’t want to put in the effort to take land that would require a battle
against giants. They had to be reminded by Joshua that, “You are a great people, and have great power; you shall not have only
one lot, but the mountain country shall be yours” (Joshua 17:17). In other
words Joshua said, “You are great and you will receive more, but you will have to work for it in the
power the Lord has provided.”
It is also rooted in a misunderstanding about how greatness is defined. Alan Redpath
correctly comments:
“Greatness . . . has everything to
do with faithfulness to the Lord and constant, persistent endeavor after
holiness of life. . . . Are you constantly discontented with your present lot?
Do you often pine for greater opportunity to serve the Lord? Is your heart set
on some mission field? For it may be that the searchlight of God’s Word will
disclose that the enemy is still deeply entrenched in your soul. May the Spirit
of God point out to you that perhaps you have not really possessed the lot
which God has given you. . . .
As God speaks to you today, do you not see
that the real trouble in your life may be, not that you have not enough scope
for your gifts, but that you are not living to capacity where you are? Satan is
still sharing the land with you. You may want to leave him behind and move on
to greater things, but that is never God’s way. You can strain at the leash
just as long as you like, but God’s Spirit will hold you back and focus the
searchlight of the Word on your life. He will keep you where you are until you
have occupied and lived to capacity just there, and until – in the place in
which you are serving, in the lot that He has given you, up to the capacity of
your heart for Christ - the enemy has been vanquished. [1]
Have you been seeking greater land from the Lord, different
land? Seeking an escape from what God has given you? Perhaps He has work for
you to do right where you are.
People miss the
fullness of God’s promises because of neglecting to apply those promises. In
Joshua 18 it states, “Now the whole congregation of the children of
Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting
there. And the land was subdued before them. 2 But there remained
among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their
inheritance. 3 Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: “How long
will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?) Joshua 18:1-3). The tribes assembled to
worship at the tabernacle of the Lord. But Joshua said there was something
wrong; something was left out. They came
to worship but they neglected to apply what God had told them. It is good
and very important to attend church, worship the Lord, and take in the teaching
of His word. But if what is taught is never applied it becomes worthless! Joshua identifies this lapse
and problem and exhorts the seven tribes who hadn’t yet taken possession of
their allotted land to do so.
We can attend church and study the word of God regularly, but if we never
apply in the Spirit what the Spirit has shown us, it is worthless. Without
applying what the Spirit teaches and what God promises in His word, we are
rendered impotent; a gelding; we become spiritually constipated and bloated. We
have to apply in life what is learned in the sanctuary or in our quiet times
with the Lord and His word. Failing to apply God’s word in life will result in
missing the fullness of the promises of God in life.
Joshua countered the neglect of the seven tribes by sending out three men
from each of the seven neglectful tribes to survey the land (Joshua 18:4-7).
When we fail to apply or take hold of the promises of God we need to survey the land; restudy what God has
promised; and be re-inspired by remembering just what God has promised us.
Joshua sent out
the surveyors and they “wrote the survey
in a book” (Joshua 18:8-10). It’s a
good thing to write down and record God’s allotted land and promises of God.
That helps us know just where we are to apply those promises.
Joshua 19 provides the boundaries for the remaining tribes. Joshua’s personal
boundaries for his allotment of land are given in the last part of Joshua 19
(verses 49-51). Notice that Joshua
took his allotment last; after the other tribes had received their allotment
from the LORD. Joshua was a servant
leader. He led by serving God’s people. He was not out to fleece the flock
of God but to feed them the promises of God. That is the way of a godly leader.
When the Spirit is leading through a leader, that leader will be driven to
serve and sacrifice for those God calls them to lead. That is the way a leader
leads his people into the fullness of God’s blessing. And that is the way we
will experience the fullness of God’s promises and blessing.
More often than not we miss out on
what God has for us because of self-centeredness, greed, pride, the flesh. It’s
fitting that Joshua received his portion last. He becomes a beautiful
Christ-type here as he fulfills the New Testament exhortation to, “Let nothing
be one through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem others better than himself” (Phil. 2:3). This is the Christlike mindset
we should have (cf. Phil. 2:5-11). Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after
Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For
whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for
My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole
world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” (Luke 9:23-25). God has more than
Land for you to possess. His purposes are more than temporal; they are eternal.
Ask yourself, “What are God’s eternal purposes for me?” Seek His will and ask
that question, and you’ll experience the fullness of His blessing.
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