Joshua 14 verses 1 through 5, but actually I'm going to be reading up through chapter 17, I'm going to be reading various portions of it as the Lord lays out the boundaries of the inheritance for the people of Israel. And I noticed after the first service that I hadn't listed all of the verses and the passages that I'm going to read. What I'll do as I read through, I'll just mention the verses and the chapters that I'll be reading, and then we'll just proceed through that. I hope to cover some of those portions that I don't read this time in the future as individually as sermon texts as well. So we're gonna begin with, Joshua Chapter 14, 1-5, and then the next portion of text will begin at Chapter 15. So here is the word of our God. These are the areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eliezer the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed as an inheritance to them. Their inheritance was by lot, as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses for the nine tribes and the half-tribe. For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe on the other side of the Jordan, but to the Levites he had given no inheritance among them. For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And they gave no part to the Levites in the land, except cities to dwell in with their common lands for their livestock and their property. As the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land." Chapter 15, verse 1. So this was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families. The border of Edom at the wilderness of Zin, southward, was the extreme southern boundary. And their southern border began at the shore of the Salt Sea from the bay that faces southward. Then it went out to the southern side of the ascent of Akrabim, passed along to Zin, ascended on the south side of Kadesh Barnea, passed along to Hezron, went up to Adar, and went around to Karka. From there it passed toward Asmon and went out to the brook of Egypt. and the border ended at the sea. This shall be your southern border. The east border was the Salt Sea, as far as the mouth of the Jordan. And the border on the northern quarter began at the bay of the sea, at the mouth of the Jordan. The border went up to Beth Hoglah and passed north to Beth Arba. And the border went up to the stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben. Then the border went up toward Debir, from the valley of Achor, and it turned northward to Gilgal, which is before the descent of Adumim, which is on the south side of the valley. The border continued toward the waters of the south side of the valley. The border continued toward the waters of Enchemish and ended at Enrogel. And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the southern slope of the Jebusite city, which is Jerusalem. The border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of Rephaim northward. Then the border went around from the top of the hill to the fountain of the water of Nephtoah and extended to the cities of Mount Ephron. and the border went around to Ba'ala, which is Kiryat Jairim. Then the border passed westward from Ba'ala to Mount Seir, passed along to the side of Mount Jairim on the north, which is Chesilon, went down to Beth Shemesh, and passed on to Timna, and the border went out to the side of Ekron northward. Then the border went around to Shikron, passed along to Mount Ba'ala, and extended to Japneo, and the border ended at the sea. The west border was the coastline of the great sea. This is the boundary of the children of Judah all around according to their families. Then going to verse 20. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families. The cities at the limits of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the border of Edom in the south were Kabziel, Eder, Jagur, Kinnah, Dimona, Abda, Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, Ziph, Telem, Baaloth, Hazor, Hadathah, Kerioth, Hezron, which is Hazor, Ammon, Shema, Moladah, Hazar, Gadah, Heshmon, Bethpelot, Hazar, Shuel, Bersheba, Bizjothja. Ba'ala, Einjim, Ezim, El-Tolad, Tezil, Horma, Ziglag, Madmana, Sansana, Lebeoth, Shilhem, Ayin, and Rimon. All the cities are 29 with their villages. In the lowland, Eshteo, Zora, Ashna, Zenoa, Enganim, Tapua, Enem, Jarmuth, Adulam, Soka, Azeka, Sha'arim, Adithayim. Gedera, and Gederathayim, 14 cities with their villages. Zenim, Hadasha, Migdal-gad, Delayim, Mizpah, Jokthel, Lakish, Bozkath, Eglon, Kabdon, Lamas, Kithlish, Gederoth, Bethdagon, Naama, and Makeda, 16 cities with their villages. Libna, Eter, Ashen, Jifthath, Ashna, Nezib, Kelaya, Ahzib and Marashah, nine cities with their villages. Ekron with its towns and villages. From Ekron to the sea, all that lay near Ashdod with their villages. Ashdod with its towns and villages. Gaza with its towns and villages. As far as the brook of Egypt and the great sea with its coastline. And in the mountain country, Shamir, Jatir, Shoka, Dana, Kiryath Sana, which is Debir, Eneb, Eshtemoth, Enim, Goshen, Holon, Gilo, 11 cities with their villages. Arab, Duma, Eshe'an, Janum, Beth Tapua, Afeka, Humta, Kiryath Arba, which is Hebron and Zior, nine cities with their villages. Ma'on, Carmel, Zif, Jeta, Jezreel, Jokdeum, Zenoa, Cain, Gebeah, and Timna, 10 cities and their villages. Halhul, Bethzur, and Gedor, Ma'arath, Beth-anoth, and Elqotot. Al-Tikon, six cities with their villages. Kiryath Ba'al, which is Kiryath Jairam, and Rabba, two cities with their villages. In the wilderness, Beth Arba, Midim, Sekaka, Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi, six cities with their villages. 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 Israel to this day. Continuing at verse 1, The lot fell to the children of Joseph from the Jordan by Jericho, to the waters of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goes up from Jericho, through the mountains to Bethel, then went out from Bethel to Luz, passed along to the border of the Arkais at Ataroth, and went down westward to the boundary of the Jephilites. as far as the country of Lower Bethhoron to Gezir, and it ended at the sea. So the children of Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim took their inheritance. The border of the children of Ephraim, according to their families, was thus. The border of their inheritance on the east side was Ataroth Adar, as far as upper Beth-horon. And the border went out toward the sea on the north side of Mikmath. Then the border went around eastward to Ta'anath Shiloh, and passed by it on the east of Janohah. Then it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and Naara, reached to Jericho, and came out at the Jordan. The border went out from Tapua westward to the brook Kana and it ended at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim according to their families. The separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. 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. There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph, namely for Machir, the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, therefore he was given Gilead and Bashan. And there was a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh, according to their families, for the children of Abiezar, the children of Helak, the children of Ezrael, the children of Shechem, the children of Hephir, the children of Shemida, these were the male children of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, according to their families. Then going to verse seven. And the territory of Manasseh was from Asher to Mikmethath, that lies eastward of Shechem. And the border went along south to the inhabitants of Entepua. Manasseh had the land of Tepua, but Tepua on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim. And the border descended to the brook Cana, southward to the brook. These cities of Ephraim were among the cities of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook, and it ended at the sea. Southward, it was Ephraim's. Northward, it was Manasseh's. And the sea was its border. Manasseh's territory was adjoining Asher on the north and Issachar on the east. And in Issachar and in Asher, Manasseh had Beth-she-an and its towns, Iblium and its towns, the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, the inhabitants of Endor and its towns, the inhabitants of Ta'anak and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, three hilly regions. Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, but the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. And it happened when the children of Israel grew strong that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out." Many believe that the mark of success is the number of things you possess. That is, the more you possess, the better. There's that phrase or that term, keeping up with the Joneses, that if the Joneses buy a new car, you've got to buy a bigger car, a faster car, a flashier car. If they buy a boat, you've got to buy a bigger boat or a flashier boat or a faster boat. Or if they buy a bigger house, you've got to buy a bigger house. Say, no, not a faster house. more expensive house because you've got to keep up with the Joneses. And the mark of success is the number of things that you possess. And people will go to any length to succeed. People will do anything that they can if they perceive that somehow they will get ahead. I've been told in the corporate world it's not uncommon for people to backstab and backbite you, to say things behind your back if they think that somehow they might be able to get a promotion. People will lie to get ahead. People will cut corners to get ahead so that they can make more money by spending less. If stealing is what is required, then they will steal. They'll take material goods, but not only material goods, they will be very willing to steal one's good name. We saw that in the most recent election cycle yet once again of an example of how important it is for many people to get ahead at all costs. If they can manipulate people in order to get what they want, in order to get ahead, they'll do that. It's very interesting the number of diaconal requests that churches receive and how many of them are simply to get something rather than being interested in hearing about the Lord Jesus Christ and having their greater need than their physical need satisfied the need for the knowledge of the Savior. But have you ever noticed this? that the mark of success is the number of things that one possesses. Is that really the mark of success? In our text we're reminded that God has given to us everything that we have. None of it, nothing of what you have is yours. None of what you have is, do you deserve it? Nevertheless, the Lord gives to us what he promises, what he says he will do. We're looking at the book of Joshua. As you know, the book of Joshua records the conquest of the people of Israel as they take into their possession the promised land, the land that the Lord had promised to give their forefather Abraham. And not only did it cover the conquest of the land, but it also described the division of the land. And that's the portion of text in which we find ourselves today. As you will have noticed, it was a rather lengthy reading, a whole list of cities, a whole list of landmarks. But brothers and sisters, if we believe that the entire word of God is inspired, then even these lists of cities are inspired and ought to be read by us in our worship of the Lord. And so, Joshua and the people of Israel had conquered the land. They had, we were told that in chapter 13, end of chapter 13, that the land had rest from its war. And, or actually at the end of chapter 11. And now they can take that land and parcel it out. You see the first half of the book of Joshua, if we were to divide it up, demonstrates and gives proof of the Israelites' right to possess the land. And the second half of the book provides proof of their possession of the land. They had battled against mighty hordes, men without number, men like the sand of the seashore we are told and they had prevailed for the Lord had given them the strength. The Lord was the one who fought the battle for them and it was the Lord who judged the nations for their sin and demanded that Israel utterly destroy the people of the land, the promised land, the Canaanites, the kingdoms in that land lest they teach the people of Israel to worship other gods. This morning in my devotions, I was reading in the Book of Kings about Solomon. And right at the end of Solomon's life, this man who was most wise, the most wise man in the world, told that he turned away from serving God. And why did he turn away from serving God? Because he began to worship the Ashtoreth, and he began to worship Molech, the gods of his wives, for they turned his heart away from serving the Lord and it is precisely for this reason that Israel was to wipe out these nations. And did you notice as we read through this text that a number of times at the end of each of those chapters, at the end of those lists we're told that the children of Israel did not wipe out the nations like they were supposed to. They remained within the land to be a thorn in the flesh to test the people. and to ensure that they continue, well, to see if they would serve the Lord. Last week, we saw that God, by reflecting on God's promises, fulfilled promises, it provides incentive for you to carry on. And this week, you will see that everything believers have has been given to them by the Lord. Everything believers have has been given to them by the Lord. You'll see the inheritance distributed and the inheritance divided by God. First of all the inheritance distributed to the tribes. Our text begins, these are the areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan. Well, what are those areas? Those are those areas that we read in chapter 14, 15, and 16. All of those cities, all of those villages, all of those landmarks, comprise the boundaries of what would become the possession of each of the tribes of the Israelites. These are the areas which were given to the people of Israel to the nine and a half tribes in the land of Canaan. Notice he says, these are the areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan. These are the villages and the cities that are within the boundaries of that land which the Lord had promised to Abraham some 400 years before that this is going to be your land, I give this land to you as a possession. And so this land as a possession is described by its landmarks and by its towns. And as we mentioned previously, One of the important uses of these lists is that it provides a record of the inheritance of the tribes. It provides a record so that we know that this land, this area, these cities, these landmarks belong to this tribe, and these cities in this area and these landmarks belong to that tribe, and so on and so forth, so that there was no city within the promised land of which it could not be said, this is in no man's land, this belongs to no tribe. For the Lord completely divided the land as an inheritance. And that's, I think, one of the important things to keep in mind as you read these lists. Yes, they're long and they can be somewhat tedious to read as you try to scratch your head and think, where are these cities and why does it seem that some of these cities' names are repeated? But have you ever noticed within our own land how many different Springfields there are within this country? I'm sure there are others. That's the only one that I could think of that came to my mind right away. There are so many different places which have the same name and you have that even here. within the land of Canaan, I believe Hazor was one of them that was mentioned a number of times. Now there's Hazor way in the north but there was also a Hazor in the south. The Lord is very careful to record the inheritance of the people of Israel and without this record the inheritances could be contested because there was nothing in writing but now the Israelites had no excuse. Reuben or maybe I should say the tribe of Naphtali could not say to the tribe of Judah, this land is ours and fight over it and come to blows. No, that could not happen. You see the Lord is very detailed and very careful in giving to his people exactly what he promises and he makes it known to them what it is that he has given to them. But notice he says, this is the land which the children of Israel inherited. And that idea of inheritance is very interesting. It comes through over and over and over again in the text. The children of Israel inherited. This was their inheritance. Well, what is an inheritance? Well, an inheritance is an estate of another that becomes yours. and that is passed down from generation to generation, oftentimes the inheritance becomes yours at the time of death, when I believe it's the testator is the one who dies, that whatever estate whether it be land, whether it be house, whether it be car, whether it be possessions, is not taken with them to the grave, but is passed along to the next of kin, to the husband or to the wife, to the children, to the grandchildren, to whomever is the closest relative. Well, this land in the land of Canaan is an inheritance of the Lord. It's something that is passed down to them. and it's something that they are to pass down to the following generations. Remember that the year of Jubilee which occurred once every 50 years, anyone of the Israelites who had property and sold it would receive that land back. Why? Because it was their inheritance. It was given to them by the Lord. This land is an inheritance to the people of Israel. But how can it be their inheritance? They had to fight for it. They didn't live there. The Canaanites lived there. It belonged to them. Well, it's their inheritance because ultimately it was God's. It was God's land to give. It was God's land to take. But more importantly, it was their inheritance because God said to Abraham, this is your land. God promised it to them. You see, the Canaanites might have had possession of the promised land, but they did not have ownership of it. God gave the possession and the ownership of the land to his children, the people of Israel. Brothers and sisters, this is a reminder to you and to me that everything that we have belongs to the Lord. God is the creator who made everything as we've referenced a number of times in this worship service and we often reference in our worship together that everything belongs to the Lord because he is the creator, he is the one who made it. Last night my children did something very special. They were going to, they set up a restaurant as it were. And one of the neat things they made last night for the restaurant was their badges. Very nice badges. Those badges belonged to them. It was their possession. Why was it their possession? Why did it belong to them? Because they were the ones that made it. They created it as it were. And because they created it, if I tried to take it or one of their siblings tried to take it, well, World War III was about to break out. Why? Because it was theirs. So also everything that you and I have, everything that is in the world, everything that we possess, everything that you see around us belongs to God by virtue of the fact that He created everything, not to mention that He continues to sustain it and to uphold it. Remember what Paul said to the Corinthians as they were wondering, should we eat meat that has been offered to idols, meat that's sold in the marketplaces? And Paul says, don't ask any questions. He says, whatever is sold in the market, ask no questions for conscience sake. Why? For the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness. In other words, everything belongs to the Lord, even this meat that may have been sacrificed to the idols. But he said, if somebody says to you, this food was sacrificed to idols, then you need to say, I cannot eat of this food. Why? For the very same reason that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. You see, when they would offer sacrifices to the idols, they were saying to the idols, this belongs to you, this is yours. And God said, don't eat if you know that it's a sacrifice. Why? Because it doesn't belong to that idol, it belongs to me. Everything that you and I possess, everything belongs to the Lord. He has given us possession of it. He has given it to us as it were, as an inheritance to be used, but to be used for His glory. And that's why we, when we meet and worship, meet together and worship every Lord's Day, we offer our, we give our tithes and our offerings as a token of thankfulness for what God has done for us, that His work might be continued and might be brought to completion. And so this land was given to the children of Israel as an inheritance, as something that was passed down to them by God who owned it, but also something to pass down from generation to generation. And so you see, what was the inheritance? It was the land. But notice the agents who distributed the land. It says, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed as an inheritance to them. Did you notice something about this list? Whose name is listed first? Eliezer, the priest. We're looking at the book of Joshua. And in the book of Joshua, you think that Joshua would take the lead role in all of this. But why is Eliezer listed first? Well, first of all, who is Eliezer? Eliezer is Aaron's son. He became high priest when his father died. And he was the mediator between God and the people. He was the one who was to offer the sacrifices, to go into the tabernacle and offer those sacrifices day by day and year by year at each of the feasts. He was to offer the sin offering and the burnt offering and the grain offering and so on. He was the one who was acted as mediator between God and the people. And Joshua, the son of Nun, is listed second. Now, who's Joshua? Joshua was Moses' assistant. He was the one who accompanied Moses to Mount Sinai, though not up Mount Sinai. He was the one that when Moses went to the tabernacle, Joshua was there. He was the one whom God had appointed as leader of God's people to bring them into the promised land. But it is Eliezer who is listed first as as the one who distributes, as an agent who distributes the land. And notice too then that the heads of the fathers of the tribe, one leader from each of the tribes was present for the distribution of the land. Why was Eleazar there? Because as God's representative, he was doing God's work. He was distributing the land to the people on God's behalf. as a symbol perhaps of the fact that this came not by military power, not by military prowess, but by the hand of God. And so Eleazar is first. Why were the heads of the fathers there? They were there to ensure equitable distribution. They were there to quash any sort of disputes concerning the process. So nobody could say there's a hanging chad or we've got to do a recount of the electoral votes or anything like that. No, they were there to witness the distribution of the land that Eliezer, Joshua were to give to each of the people, to each of the tribes. And did you notice the means by which the land was to be divided? Did they do rock, paper and scissors for the land? Did the tribe with the most money say, I'm going to pay for this land and I'll buy this land, I'll buy the rights to this land, the mineral rights and every other right that's associated with this land? No, that's not how they divided the land, is it? How did they divide it, children? Do you remember? They divided it how? By lot. Now, what is a lot? A lot is a neutral means whereby a decision is made and there can be no argument of cheating or where no other charges of irregularity can be made. The writer of Proverbs says in Proverbs 18, the casting of lots causes contentions to cease and keeps the mighty apart. How would we draw lots today? One of the things that come to my mind is you've heard of the term perhaps of drawing straws. You've got a bunch of straws, you hold them in your hand and one of them is shorter and everybody takes and they draw a straw out of it and the person with the short straw is the one who either wins or loses whatever the lot was being drawn for. Another way of doing it was by picking out stones, having a basket of stones and one of a different color and everyone would reach in and they'd pull out and the person with the different colored stone, they were the ones who won or lost whatever was being decided upon. It's very likely that this land was distributed by lots and that stones for each of the tribes was placed in a bosom, in the fold of a garment. And then it was shaken and shaken and shaken until a stone fell out. And that stone was the lot, was the one chosen. Whomever that belonged to, they won or they lost whatever the decision that was being made. But this land was distributed by lot. They drew stones or drew straws, whatever method they actually used, that's how it became into their possession. So that whether you like it or not, the lot was drawn and it was yours. Now why would they use a lot to make these decisions? The reason they used the lot was to seek divine guidance. Again, the writer of Proverbs in chapter 16 says, the lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord. The Lord, remember, is giving this land to the people of Israel. And it's the Lord who's giving these cities and these landmarks to each of the individual tribes. Over and over and over again, you see in this book that it is the Lord who is guiding and directing all that is taking place, right down to the nitty gritty of which city belongs to Judah, which one belongs to Naphtali, which one belongs to Dan, which one belongs to Ephraim and so on. And they drew these lots in obedience to the command of the Lord. The Lord had commanded Moses in Numbers chapter 26 saying that you are to divide this land as an inheritance to the large tribes you should give a larger portion and to the smaller tribe a smaller one but the land shall be divided by lot. They shall inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. It's interesting that the land was divided by tribes not by the current head of the families. Again a fulfillment of what God told Moses earlier as they wandered through the wilderness and as they were preparing to enter the promised land. But when you think about drawing a lot, does that mean that a lot there is its random chance? That it just happens to be just the way it falls out, fate, perhaps, that you get this portion or that portion. Is that what the lot means? Is that what the lot represents? No, brothers and sisters, a lot does not mean chance or randomness. Rather, what the Lot points us to is to God's providence, that God is in complete control of all things. The Lot underscores God's providences, His providential working in giving to the nation of Israel. Remember our confessions, what are God's works of providence? God's works of providence are His most wise, holy, powerful, preserving, and governing all His creatures and all His actions. That goes right down to the lot. Remember what we read earlier, Proverbs, every decision of the lot is of the Lord. It is God who directs all things. There is no such thing as random chance, brothers and sisters. God directs all things. I remember hearing a sermon, I don't, or hearing of a sermon, I don't remember all the details. I think it was in relation to the assassination of one of the presidents. that the preacher stood up there and he said that it was not a chance that the bullet that shot the president shot the president. He said that God directed that bullet right to its end. Brothers and sisters, that's what it means to serve a sovereign God. That God is in control of all things. that there is no randomness about your existence and my existence. There's no randomness in terms of what's going to happen if I were to take something and hold it up and drop it, whether it's a stone or a handkerchief or a Kleenex or whatever it might be, a hat. What's going to happen to it? Is it going to float? Well, maybe if it's a helium balloon. But otherwise, what's going to happen to it? It's going to fall. And even the helium balloon, As it rises, that's not a random chance. That's how God designed the world and that's how he put everything into order. That's how he preserves and governs all his creatures and all their actions. There's no randomness. There is but purpose behind everything. This works itself even out into the question of the meaning and the purpose of your existence and my existence. There are so many people who are hopeless and think that there is no meaning to their life. And why would they believe that? Well, what's the myth that's been propagated in our society? The myth that the world has come into being by chance. That it is an accident. And the fact that you even exist is such an astronomically large percentage randomness. But let me ask you, what would be the chances of you going to a dump and taking everything that you can find, assuming that you've got some superhuman strength, and taking everything that you can find in the dump and throwing it in the air and watching it all come down and Become a car. It's an impossibility, isn't it? Such is the myth of evolution. Because God is in control. He is directing all things for His purpose. He has created all men to glory in Him. What is man's chief end? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That's why you and I exist. That's why you and I are here. That's why we worship God, in order that we might glorify him day in, day out, but especially on the Lord's day. God uses means to accomplish his ends and such is the lot. God uses the lot to accomplish his ends, to divide that promised land among the tribes equitably. And the lot also serves to prevent that all too human response of anger and suspicion. So interesting, I'm guilty of it. As we, as the supper, the food and supper tables pass by, you ever looked at somebody else's plate and say, why in the world did they give, get so many fries or so much of this and so much of that? You see that in restaurant all the time. All of that is, and we begin to become suspicious. Well, how come you've given that person so much and I've gotten so little? Well, God is in control even of that. And our desire is to become angry, to rouse some kind of suspicion. But the lot eliminates all of that. There is no question for the people of Israel that God had given them this land. They fought and possessed it. It's theirs because they have a right to possess it because of their conquering of it, but it belongs to God. God gave them the land though they did not deserve it. You see though Israel fought for the land, God gave it to them and God divided it among them and he did so equitably. We see this land that was divided among the tribes points to a much greater promised land. It points to that land that is yet to come, that awaits all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ. You know what that land is, don't you? Sometimes it's described in the scriptures as Beulah land, as the new Jerusalem. as heaven, the throne, before the throne room of God, where God is, where God is the light. There is no need of the sun or the need of the moon. This land, this promised land divided by God among the tribes points to the inheritance of all God's people who love the Lord Jesus. How do you possess this land? You possess this land in Jesus, in Christ alone. It is only as you are united to Christ that this land becomes yours. And that's what this division of the land points us to. Yes, there's this long list of cities and towns and villages and landmarks, but they are temporary. They do not last, but the promised land that God will give all his people at that last day. is a land that is most glorious. No eye has seen, no ear has heard. None of us can comprehend what the glory of that land will be like. But we know that it will be beautiful because our God is beautiful. It will be glorious because our God is glorious. It will be worth the trials and the sufferings that we face here on this earth for indeed the things that we face on this earth are but for a short time. And so the inheritance is distributed to the tribes. Every believer, everything they have has been given to them by the Lord. And this inheritance has been divided by God. Notice the recipients of this inheritance. They are the nine and a half tribes. where we read, their inheritance was by lot as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses for the nine and a half tribes. Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half tribe on the other side of the Jordan, but to the Levites he had given no inheritance among them. For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, and they gave no part to the Levites in the land except the cities to dwell in with their common lands for their livestock and their property. Notice that this land in Canaan was divided among the nine-and-a-half tribes. He mentions that the two-and-a-half tribes had already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses had given it to them, and it had been done exactly as the Lord had commanded. But have you ever done the math? It's often puzzled me. How is it that we can speak about nine, or sorry, about 12 tribes? See there's Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Ephraim, and Manasseh. Did you do the math? How many tribes were there? Did you count 14? Fourteen. I'll read them again. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Ephraim, and Manasseh, 14 tribes. What? I thought there were 12 tribes. How does 14 equal 12? Well, our text here explains that, explains how there can be 12 tribes. I often, when I was younger, I often puzzled this. How is that, how is it possible? Well, notice first of all, that Joseph himself was not given a tribe, but they were given to his two sons. We read that in four. For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. You see, Joseph's inheritance was divided among two of his sons. Why? They were divided among Ephraim and Manasseh because Ephraim and Manasseh were adopted by Jacob at his death. Remember what you read in Genesis chapter 48, Jacob speaking to Ephraim and Manasseh and to Joseph. He says, and now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to Egypt are mine. as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine." Jacob adopted Ephraim and Manasseh as his own sons, and thus they are given the inheritance. I don't have an answer for this, but think at this point, but think about how often in the scriptures do you read about the tribe of Ephraim, how the people of Israel are referred to as Ephraim. You read that in the Psalms, you read that in in the prophets as well. Something worth further study. Ephraim and Manasseh, they received Joseph's inheritance divided among the two. So subtract Joseph, how many tribes does that leave us? Did you say 13? 13 tribes still, but I thought there were 12. Well, once again, we read here that, to the Levites, he had given no inheritance among them. And in context here, he's talking about, remember when he gave the inheritance to Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh on the eastern side of the Jordan? We're told very specifically twice in the previous chapter that Levi had received no inheritance. And here again, for the third time, The Levites received no inheritance in the promised land. Why not? They received no inheritance in the promised land. As our text record for us in chapter 13 verse 14, that the sacrifices of the Lord are their inheritance. And again in 13 verse 33, God is their inheritance. Both of these texts pointing back to Numbers chapter 18. where God claims Levi as his own special inheritance, that he himself will be their God, their inheritance. And so the Levites receive no possession east of the Jordan, they receive no possession in the land of Canaan, except, our text says, cities and their pasture lands for their livestock. But they didn't receive a land. to be their own. I didn't look this up, but I'm fairly sure that we're told that the Levites and Simeon, they were to be scattered throughout the tribes of Israel. And as you follow through on the history of the children of Israel, Simeon, they're given possession within the tribe of Judah later on and we hear nothing about them anymore, they sort of disappear. But also the children of Levi, they're scattered throughout the land, not as a punishment, but as an inheritance of the Lord. They are there as to serve God, as His people. And so now we take out Levi, how many tribes do we have left? Did you say 12? Yes, 12 tribes. It all works out. You see the emphasis here in this passage is that all God's people, the children of Israel, received their inheritance exactly as God had apportioned it. but now look at the distributor. Did you notice the recurring phrase, as the Lord commanded, whether as he commanded Moses, as he commanded Joshua, we see this over and over and over again in this book of Joshua. And it occurs two times in these five verses, chapter 14, one through five. And it's important for you and for the people of Israel to understand that what Israel received, God had given them. God had given them the land through battle to prove their right to possess it. The Lord divides the land among the tribes to provide proof of their possession, that this land really does belong to you. And all of this has fallen out according to God's purposes. Once again, everything you have, everything you are is yours because God has given it to you. But notice that God uses means to accomplish his end. He used the lot to divide the land in correct proportions to the various tribes. But notice the means that he used. First of all, he says, by the hand of Moses. Their inheritance was by lot as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses. It's interesting to note here the doctrine of inspiration as well. That God commanded Moses and Moses did what God had commanded. Moses spoke, Moses wrote, Moses commanded what God communicated to him. We saw that last week or the week before in 2 Peter 1 that holy men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Moses divided the land as he was commanded by Moses and Joshua, you see, can you follow that progression? God commanded Moses, Moses spoke to Joshua and said this is how it is to be done and Joshua obeyed. There's that God communicating to his people his purposes, his desires, what it is that he would have to accomplish. And you see that again later on in this text, as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land. You see, God spoke through men. That's really what I'm trying to say here. God spoke through men. and they obeyed him. And they did what God required of them. You see everything that Israel did, everything that Joshua did, everything that Eliezer did was done in obedience to God's command. And thus obedience is prized by the Lord. Believers are to seek to obey God in everything. Why do you obey? Because you believe the promises of God, because you believe God, And your obedience is an exercise of faith. It is an outworking of your faith out of thankfulness for what God has done. Your obedience does not earn you anything. You see, the Israelites' obedience did not earn them the promised land. Why were they given the promised land? Because God had promised it to them. Why did God promise it to them? Because they're a great nation, a mighty nation, a mighty people? No, not because they're a great nation, not because they're a mighty people, but because the Lord set his love upon them, simply because he chose them. And so the Lord seeks obedience to his promises received by faith out of thankfulness for what he has done. You see, without faith, you will not see God. But your faith is manifested in your obedience to the commands of God. And that's exactly what the people of Israel did. They obeyed God. And God gave them what he had promised. God does what he says he will do. You see, everything believers have has been given to them by the Lord. You've seen the inheritance distributed to the tribes. You've seen the inheritance divided by God. You see, it's Very easy to be selfish. Everyone of us here in this room today is very good at it. It's one of the things that in recent years have struck me over and over and over again, how easy it is to be selfish. To get what I want, to gather stuff, to do what I want to do. Brothers and sisters, that's what seems to be driving our society nowadays. Nobody wants to be told what's right and what's wrong, because if I want to do it, I want to do it. It's very easy. But brothers and sisters, as you gather things, as you gather stuff, remember, you can't take it with you when you die. And the things that you do gather, they're subject to theft, to loss, and to corruption. No, there's nothing wrong with possessing things. God has given, God gave us the people of Israel possession. But if that becomes our end all to be all, if that becomes our motivating factor, if that becomes the only treasure worth possessing, then you have nothing. For Jesus said there is only one treasure worth obtaining, and that is Jesus himself. Jesus and Him crucified. He is that treasure that moth and rust will not consume, that thieves will not break in and steal. And if there are any who do not know the Lord, you need to bow before Him. You need to turn your eyes away from the stuff of this world and look to that marvelous treasure the treasure that can be found in God, come in the flesh. That's what we are reminded of as this time of year. God come in the flesh in order that he might pay the penalty for sin, in order that he might buy back, redeem a people unto himself, in order that he might establish his church, that he might lead her through the difficulties and through the trials. And if you do not know this Jesus, then you will never know that peace that passes all understanding, for that peace that passes all understanding can be found in Christ alone. But if you do know the Lord, brothers and sisters, look what the Lord has given to you. Be thankful for what he has received. He has given you eternal life, life in his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is a treasure that moth and rust will not consume. What more do you need? Spiritually speaking, you have everything, whether you have plenty or you are in want. In fact, what awaits is more glorious and more beautiful than you can possibly imagine. Again, it's not wrong to have possessions, but if you pour your heart into your possessions, then you have nothing, for you can't take it with you. So let me ask you again, is the mark of success the number of things you possess? Actually, the mark of success is being blessed by the Lord. Whether you have little or whether you have much, it is not yours, it is God's. Will you thank him for it?