Today's Passage: Joshua 21-22
Buried in this list of names and places are two strong stories of faithfulness. Chapter 21 mentions all the places the tribes settled in the promised land, and if you are not careful, you'll miss a remarkable statement in verses 43-45. This is the official end of the wandering that started back with Moses and Pharoah...a journey of plagues, crossing the Red Sea, wandering in the desert for 40 years, and conquering through Joshua. This marks the point at which the Israelites are finally home...they took possession of the land and had peace on every side of them. And verse 45 sums up the journey this way: "Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled."
No matter what happened, God was faithful to his promise. Every wrong turn, every step of disobedience, every fear-filled decision....ultimately, God was faithful to the promise of this beautiful land, even when the people struggled to get there. He remained faithful to the people, and to those who remained faithful to Him, He blessed them with a home to call their own. The journey could have been so much easier for the Israelites if they had just stayed faithful to God!
You may not remember the circumstances that lead to Chapter 22, but as a refresher, the Reubenites and a few others wanted to settle just outside the promised land across the Jordan River. Moses granted their request on the condition that the men of the tribes help conquer the promised land. This is the fulfillment of that promise...the tribes had been faithful, so they were granted the request in full. When they went back to this land, they built an altar...the Israelites were afraid they had turned against God, but on the contrary, they built an altar to remind themselves that they should always trust and be faithful to the Lord. Their faith was strong enough to fight, strong enough to live, and strong enough to remember...and God blessed them!
If we have a faith that is strong enough to fight the kingdom of this world...strong enough to live a life that is not in our eternal home...strong enough to remember that the Lord is God...God is going to do some amazing things right before our eyes. Let us remain faithful to the One who is ever faithful to us!
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