Joshua 13:1

Joshua 13:1 says, 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 was getting old, but there was still a lot of land that Israel was to possess.  God was not saying that it was time for Joshua to quit, but that he still had a lot to do.  As long as we live, we should be willing to allow God to work through us, no matter how old we may be.  Verse two states, This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,  God then began to tell Joshua what land yet remained to be conquered.  Joshua did not just decide that the people of Israel would conquer this additional land, but God told them that they would.  We should never allow our own wants and desires to motivate us, but we should always seek God's will for our life.  I don't believe that this means that we are to decide what we want and then pray until God gives it to us.  Verse three adds, From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:  Verse four continues, From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians, unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites:  Verse  five adds, And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baalgad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath. Then verse six concludes, All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.  There was a lot of land yet to be conquered, but God told Joshua that He would drive out the people before Joshua.  Then, Joshua was to divide the land among the people of Israel according to God's directions.  God was still to be in control.  When we are spiritually victorious today, we will only be so by the power of God, and we should follow His leadership even in the victory.  Verse seven says, Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh,  The other nine and a half tribes were to divide the land for an inheritance.  Two and a half tribes already had their inheritance on the other side of the Jordan.  I believe that we can say that many people have already gone on to their inheritance in heaven today, but the rest of us should continue to work for God's glory and share the blessings that God gives us.  Verse eight adds, With whom the Reubenites and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them;  God simply stated that the two tribes, plus half of another not mentioned, had already received the land promised to them by Moses on the other side of the Jordan.  Of course, they did fight with the rest of the people of Israel to defeat the enemy on this side of the Jordan.  We cannot take the attitude that we have our blessings from God and that nothing else matters.  We as followers of Christ are all in the fight against the forces of Satan as long as we live.  Verse nine states, From Aroer, that is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain of Medeba unto Dibon;  Verse ten adds, And all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, unto the border of the children of Ammon;  Verse eleven continues, And Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salcah;  Verse twelve concludes, All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out.  God reminded Joshua of the people that Moses had led the people of Israel to defeat and had promised to the two and a half tribe.  God honored the promise made by Moses because Moses had made it in God's name and under God's leadership.  If we make promises today in God's name and by His leadership then He will honor the promise.  We cannot make promise in God's name without knowing for sure that it is His will for what we promise to happen.  The one thing that I know for sure that we can promise is everlasting life for anyone who accepts Christ as his or her Savior and Lord.  Verse thirteen declares, Nevertheless the children of Israel expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites: but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.  The people of Israel honored the agreement made with those who had deceived them.  Though God did not lead them to make this decision, He did lead them to honor it.  We need to be careful what we promise in God's name, because He may not always honor our promise as He did at this time.