Joshua 18:1

Joshua 18:1 says, And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.  All the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh, where they set up the tabernacle.  The promised land had been subdued, and now they were gathered to worship God.  We need to make sure that we remember and worship God when we have success in the world and not just enjoy the rewards of our success.  Verse two states,  And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.  So far, only five of the tribes had received the land that was to be their inheritance.  Still, they were all gathered together before the tabernacle.  It may seem that some Christians are more blessed than others today, but we cannot allow that to keep us form worshipping God together.  Of course, we will not be together physically, but we must be together spiritually, and need to remember that this world will never be our inheritance.  Verse three asks,  And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?  Evidently the people of the other tribes were in no hurry to claim the land, and Joshua asked them how long were they going to wait to possess it.  I believe that today that it is important to gather to worship God, but it is even more important that we go into the world to share the gospel, so that others might possess the promise of salvation through faith in Christ.  God may be asking how long we are going to wait.  Verse four states, Give out from among you three men for each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me.  Joshua told the remaining tribes to supply three men each to go into the rest of the land and to describe it according to the inheritance to them, and then come back and report to him what they found.  Joshua did not send all the people of the tribes, just as we don't all go to the same place today to spread the gospel.  Sometimes, a few, like the missionaries, may go alone, physically, but they should never go alone spiritually.  They represent all of God's people.  Verse five adds, And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coasts on the north.  These men were to divide the rest of the land into seven parts, acknowledging the land that was already given to others.  Verse six continues, Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.  They were not to claim certain areas for their particular tribe, but were to come back to Joshua and he would cast lots before the LORD to divide the land.  We need to be content with allowing God to bless us according to His will and should not attempt to claim what He has blessed others with nor be jealous of what they have.  Verse seven declares, But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.  Once more, Joshua said that the tribe of Levi were to receive no land because being priests of God was their inheritance.  As followers of Christ today, this is also our inheritance.  Anything we gain in this world is going to one day be left behind, but our relationship with Christ is everlasting.  Verse eight says, And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.  The men arose and went to do as Joshua had commanded them to do.  We today as Christians need to arise each day and do what God instructs us to do.  Verse nine adds, And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.  This concludes that the men went and described the land in seven parts which were written in a book.  Again, they made no claims on any particular part, but were just united in describing it.  Verse ten concludes, And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.  Joshua cast lots before the LORD to divide the land after they returned with the descriptions of the seven divisions of the land.  We today need to bring all our cares and concerns before God and allow Him to bless us as He so desires.  Once more, I don't believe that we can simply decide what we want and then ask God to give it to us.  We must be content with what God blesses us with.

Joshua 17:12

Joshua 17:12 says, Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.  The children of Manasseh were unable to drive the people out of Canaan.  We are not really told why, but it either had to be a lack of faith and/or commitment on their part, or the fact that God didn't want them to  I would have to go with one of the first two, and that is what Matthew Henry says, since God had told them to drive all the people out.  I do know that we cannot afford to allow things contrary to the will of God to continue to exist in our lives.  Verse thirteen states, Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute; but did not utterly drive them out.  We need to remember that the children of Israel were not relying on their strength, but on the strength of God, so it was not a matter of becoming strong enough, but of being faithful enough.  Then, instead of driving the Canaanites out, the Israelites forced the Canaanites to work for them.  We can never hope to subject sin for our own purposes, but we must totally eliminate it from our lives.  Verse fourteen declares, And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?  The children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, complained to Joshua about the size of their inheritance.  They said they were a great people, and therefore should have more land, even though they had failed to drive the Canaanites out.  We may often think that we deserve more from God because we believe that we are great in His sight, but we are instead to simply be thankful for what God has blessed us with.  Verse fifteen says, And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.  Joshua told them if the land was too small then they should go up into the mountains and claim the land of the Perizzites and the giants for themselves.  This was evidently not a part of the land that was being divided.  In effect, Joshua told them if they wanted more land they could fight for it.  I don't believe that we should expect God to bless us more than anyone else simply because we are a Christian.  We are called to live by faith and fight against the evil in the world.  Verse sixteen states, And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Bethshean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.  The children of Joseph then said that the land was not enough and that the Canaanites lived there and that they had chariots and iron.  Once more, the children of Joseph were looking at the problem instead of looking to God, as the people of Israel often did.  I believe that today we often concentrate on the problems around us instead of simply following Christ by faith.  Verse seventeen declares, And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only:  Joshua told Manasseh and Ephraim that they were a great people and had a great power, so they would not have just one lot.  Then verse eighteen adds, But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.  Joshua told them that they would have the mountain, once they had driven the Canaanites out.  If they were going to declare themselves a great people, then it was time for them to put their faith in God and not worry about the chariots of the people of Canaan.  If we want more blessing from God today, we may first need to rid our lives of the things that shouldn't be there and put all our faith in God.  Eevn then, we should not attempt to specify what God will bless us with.

Joshua 17:1

Joshua 17:1 says, There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph; to wit, for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.  This verse begins to tell of the inheritance of the tribe of Manasseh, who had half of his inheritance on each side of the Jordan.  First, we are told of Machir, who was a man of war.  Verse two states, There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.  We are told that here was also an inheritance for all the male children of Manasseh, who were named.  Verse three adds, But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.  One of Manasseh's great-grandsons, Zelophehad, had no sons, but had five daughters.  They were not listed among those receiving an inheritance, since males were generally the ones to receive the inheritance.  We today may feel that this is totally unfair, but it was the nature of the law then.  There may be things today that we see as unfair in the world, but we will never be able to make everything totally fair, but we should always do our best to overcome them with God's guidance and under His power.  Verse four declares, And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our  brethren.  Therefore according to the commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.  The daughters went to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua, claiming the promise that Moses had made that they would receive an inheritance along with their cousins.  Eleazar and Joshua represented God to the people of Israel, so it was only right that these daughters went to them for help.  We today should go to God, and even those that are His spokesmen in the world, the preachers, if we have problems with someone else.  We should not have to look to the leaders of the lost world for guidance, but we should be able to settle our disputes ourselves under the guidance of God if we are followers of Christ.  Verse five says, And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side Jordan;  The land of Manasseh was divided into ten parts on this side of the Jordan, as well as being divided in two parts on the other side of the Jordan.  Verse six adds, Because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons: and the rest of Manasseh’s sons had the land of Gilead.  The daughter's of Zelophehad received an inheritance together, and not a separate inheritance for each daughter.  Verse seven states, And the coast of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethah, that lieth before Shechem; and the border went along on the right hand unto the inhabitants of Entappuah.  Then verse eight adds, Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah: but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim;  These verse again establish the boundaries of the land of Manasseh, given to his descendants.  It bordered on the land of Ephraim at times.  Verse nine says, And the coast descended unto the river Kanah, southward of the river: these cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh: the coast of Manasseh also was on the north side of the river, and the outgoings of it were at the sea:  We are once again told that some of the cities of Ephraim were in the land that Manasseh owned.  We might not have divided it that way, but this was done by the guidance of God, so we can say it was done for His purpose.  Though each tribe had their own inheritance, they also intermixed with each other, because they were all God's chosen people.  Even if we have our own land today, wherever we may be in the world, as followers of Christ, we are all God's people and none is more valuable than another.  Verse ten states, Southward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea is his border; and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east.  Verse eleven adds, And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.  This verse just further states the fact that the lands had some intermingling of the inheritance given to the different tribes.

Joshua 16:1

Joshua 16:1 says, And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel,  This chapter deals with the inheritance of the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim.  Joseph himself never left Egypt, but his descendants did, and they received an inheritance.  Verse two states, And goeth out from Bethel to Luz, and passeth along unto the borders of Archi to Ataroth,  Verse three adds, And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are at the sea.  This specified the land that Manasseh and Ephraim were to receive.  It may or may not have been the land that they would have chosen, but it was the land that God had for them.  We may or may not get everything we want in life, but if it is what God blesses us with, then we should simply thank Him.  Verse four declares, So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.  Manasseh and Ephraim took their inheritance, just as we should take what God blesses us with joyfully today.  Verse five says, And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the upper;   These verses begin to specify the land that Ephraim got for themselves.  They were two different tribes of Israel.  Even though we may be united in our worship of God as followers of Christ, we have our separate lives.  Verse six states, And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward unto Taanathshiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah;  The next few verses simply define the boundaries of Ephraim.  Verse seven adds, And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan.  Verse eight continues, The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.  Then verse nine declares, And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.  Some of the cities that were given to Ephraim were with the territory given to Manasseh.   Sometimes, what God blesses us with may overlap what He has blessed someone else with.  If so, we should just all be thankful.  Verse ten declares, And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.  They did not drive out all the Canaanites, and the Canaanites remained among them.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we must drive out all the foreign influences that exist in our lives.

Joshua 15:13

Joshua 15:13 says, And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron.  Caleb was given a part of the land of Judah, according to the commandment of God.  This was not something that Caleb demanded as being due to him, but it was something given by God to him.  Even though Caleb had always put his faith in God, he could not demand specific blessings, and I don't believe that we can today either.  Verse fourteen states, And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.  Caleb drove out those in the land.  He had requested the mountain to conquer and by the power of God he did so.  As stated already, he was not just looking for a gift of the land, but a place to conquer.  We need to be just as ready to conquer the enemies of God today and not just to be content to sit back awaiting our heavenly home.  Verse fifteen says,  And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher.  Then verse sixteen adds,  And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.  Caleb said he would give his daughter as a wife ti the one who conquered Kirjathsepher.  I believe he did this to ensure that his daughter would have a husband who was not afraid to fight for her.  We should always want what is best for our daughters when they marry.  I believe that by defeating this enemy, the person would also be showing that they put their faith in God, since when the people of Israel went under their own power they failed.  Verse seventeen declares, And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.  Caleb's nephew took the city and was given Achsah, Caleb's daughter, as his wife.  Marriage of first cousins was not uncommon in that day, though it may be illegal in some places today.  Verse eighteen adds, And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou?  Achsah wanted her husband to ask Caleb for a particular field as well.  When she came to Caleb, he asked her what she wanted.  I don't believe that it was greed that led her to do this, but simply a desire to have what would benefit her husband and her.  She did not demand, but asked.  Expecting more is not necessarily wrong of those who are followers of Christ today, but demanding more is.  Verse nineteen declares, Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.  Achsah asked Caleb to give her springs of water as well as the land he had given her, and he did so.  Water was needed to make the land productive.  We today are given a heavenly home as Christians, but we need the Living Water of Christ in our lives if we are to be productive.  Verse twenty says, This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.  The next several verses simply repeat the description of the land of Judah.  Verse twenty-one states,  And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,  Verse twenty-two says, And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah,  Verse twenty-three states, And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan,  Verse twenty-four says, Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth,  Verse twenty-five says,  And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor,  Verse twenty-six states, Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,  Verse twenty-seven  says, And Hazargaddah, and Heshmon, and Bethpalet,  Verse twenty-eight says, And Hazarshual, and Beersheba, and Bizjothjah,  Verse twenty-nine states, Baalah, and Iim, and Azem,  Verse thirty adds, And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah,  Verse thirty-one says, And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah,  Verse thirty-two states, And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages:  Verse thirty-three adds, And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,  Verse thirty-four says, And Zanoah, and Engannim, Tappuah, and Enam,  Verse thirty-five adds, Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,  Verse thirty-six,  And Sharaim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages:  Verse thirty-seven, Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdalgad,  Verse thirty-eight, And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel,  Verse thirty-nine, Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon,  Verse forty, And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish,  Verse forty-one, And Gederoth, Bethdagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages:  Verse forty-two, Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan,  Verse forty-three, And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib,  Verse forty-four, And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages:  Verse forty-five, Ekron, with her towns and her villages:  Verse forty-six, From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages:  Verse forty-seven says, Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof:  Verse forty-eight adds, And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh,  Verse forty-nine states, And Dannah, and Kirjathsannah, which is Debir,  Verse fifty, And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim,  Verse fifty-one, And Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages:  Verse fifty-two, Arab, and Dumah, and Eshean,  Verse fifty-three, And Janum, and Bethtappuah, and Aphekah,  Verse fifty-four, And Humtah, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages:  Verse fifty-five,  Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah,  Verse fifty-six, And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah,  Verse fifty-seven, Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages:  Verse fifty-eight, Halhul, Bethzur, and Gedor,  Verse fifty-nine, And Maarath, and Bethanoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages:  Verse sixty says, Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, and Rabbah; two cities with their villages:  Verse sixty-one states, In the wilderness, Betharabah, Middin, and Secacah,  Verse sixty-two adds, And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and Engedi; six cities with their villages.  Verse sixty-three then declares, 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 unto this day.  We are not told why the people of Israel could not drive out the Jebusites, only that they couldn't.  I can say that we may not always be able to totally drive the enemies of God out of the world today, and they will be with us until the return of Christ.

Joshua 15:1

Joshua 15:1 says, 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.  The next few verses simply give the boundaries of the land of the tribe of Judah  Verse two states, And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward:  Verse three says, And it went out to the south side to Maalehacrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadeshbarnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa:  Verse four states, From thence it passed toward Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt; and the goings out of that coast were at the sea: this shall be your south coast.  Verse five says, And the east border was the salt sea, even unto the end of Jordan. And their border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the uttermost part of Jordan:  Verse six states, And the border went up to Bethhogla, and passed along by the north of Betharabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben:  Verse seven says, And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of Enshemesh, and the goings out thereof were at Enrogel:  Verse eight adds, And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:  Verse nine states, And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjathjearim:  Verse ten adds, And the border compassed from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side, and went down to Bethshemesh, and passed on to Timnah:  Verse eleven continues,  And the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward: and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to mount Baalah, and went out unto Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea.  Then verse twelve concludes,  And the west border was to the great sea, and the coast thereof. This is the coast of the children of Judah round about according to their families.  This was to be Judah's part of the promised land.  We, as followers of Christ, will not live in a divided promised land, but in a united heaven.  Still, though we may live in different parts of this world, we are all a part of God's family if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

Joshua 14:1

Joshua 14:1 says, And these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them.  Joshua wasn't alone in distributing the land to the tribes of Israel.  Eleazar the priest was also involved.  Joshua was the head of the army, but the priest would also represent God.  Verse two states, By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe.  The nine and a half tribes chose their land by lot as God had instructed Moses to do.  The leader may have changed, but God's plan had not, nor will it today as one spiritual leader passes away and another arises.  Verse three adds, For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and an half tribe on the other side Jordan: but unto the Levites he gave none inheritance among them.  This was already discussed.in the last few verses.  Verse four continues, For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance.  The two sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephram were two of the tribes that received land on the other side of the Jordan, and the Levites received no land, making the total number of tribes that received land twelve.  Verse five declares, As the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land.  Though the land was distributed by lot, it was still done in accordance with God's will.  I don't believe that we can us this as a justification for gambling today though, because this really wasn't gambling.  It was following God's instructions to Moses.  Verse six states,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.  The tribe of Judah came to Joshua and Caleb, the other spy who had said they could take the land, spoke to him.  Caleb reminded Joshua of Moses' promise to them.  Joshua and Caleb were the only two of their generation to enter the promised land.  God will always reward faithfulness.  Verse seven adds, 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.  Caleb said that he was forty when he went to spy on the land for Moses and brought him the good report based on what was in his heart.  I believe we can say that he had faith in God, and we must today no matter what the situation may be.  Verse eight declares, Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.  Caleb said that the majority of his brethren opposed his report, and they won.  In this case, the majority was not right, and we will find ourselves in the minority as followers of Christ today in most cases.  Verse nine states, 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.  Caleb said that Moses had promised him the land that his feet trod on as an inheritance forever, because of his faithfulness to God.  We have an everlasting inheritance today as followers of God, though we will never be able to claim it in this lifetime.  Verse ten continues, 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.  Caleb gave God the credit for keeping him alive for the forty five years since they had first reached the promised land.  We can be certain that God is keeping us alive today if we are doing His will and following His purpose in our life.  Verse eleven declares, 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.  Caleb said that he was still as strong as ever.  We may not be physically as strong as we once were, but we need to be spiritually as strong.  Verse twelve adds, Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims 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.  Caleb did not say since he was old and the LORD  had made a promise to him to give him an easy place to settle.  He said give him the mountain where some strong people lived, and that if God was with him, he would drive them out.  I believe that too often we, as Christians, want the easy and prosperous way, instead of asking for a greater challenge to show that we live by faith in God.  Verse thirteen declares, And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.  Joshua granted Caleb's request and gave him Hebron.  Verse fourteen adds, 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.  Caleb's inheritance came, not because of his age, but because he had totally followed the will of God, just as our everlasting inheritance will come today.  Verse fifteen concludes, And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.  Hebron had a different name at one time, before it was defeated by Arba.  Now, it would belong to the tribe of Judah, because of God and Caleb's faith in Him.  No matter how great our enemy may be, if we put our faith in God we will always be victorious spiritually.