Joshua chapter 18 and verses 1 to 10. You remember this is in that section dealing with the allotment of the land. It goes on to the end of chapter 19. Here's a strange section. We are told that the whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there, the tabernacle. The country was brought under their control, but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance. And then we read this. So Joshua said to the Israelites, how long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? And so on. What can we learn from this? And it seems evident to me from Joshua's rebuke, and that's how I read it. So Joshua said to the Israelites, how long will you wait? How long are you going to be sitting around waiting before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? Now what the explanation is here, I do not know. But it seems evident that these seven Israelite tribes were waiting They've not been settled yet in their land. And they don't seem to be anxious about it, or interested in it, or concerned about it, or eager for it. Of course we have Caleb's example to us. Give me this mountain, give me this hill country. I know it's difficult, but I want it. I want to possess it. Of course I know it'll be work. Of course I know it'll be battles, but I want to go. Now what do we have here? Why are you waiting? Were they slack? Seems like it. Were they tired? At ease? Afraid? Did they lack perseverance to see the job through to the end? Were they feeble? Is it sinful? Do they have a loathing of work and difficulty and discomfort? Are they self-excusing and self-secure? Have they grown soft and easy through lack of war? Well, that came again and again in Israel. God gave them peace and then they had leanness in their soul. They gained the land and then they grew slack. Is that happening here? Are they indifferent? Do they like it this way? Again, we get that in Jernimah. My people love to have it so. They love these sinful, wrong conditions. Are they happy to be supported by others? Is it that spirit in Thessalonians? They don't want to work? They don't want to venture? They don't want trouble? They don't want to try? Do they have no energy? Are they going to do nothing? Are they happy to stay as they are? Well Joshua takes the initiative and he stirs them to work. He sets it out in detail. Get the people ready. Appoint three men. Go and spy it out. Settle it down, and we'll allocate the land. He reminds them that several tribes have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave it to them. Moses! Moses has long been dead now. How can we not see this work go to the end? and he encourages them, he stirs them, he rebukes them to have faith, to have hope, to have courage and to do something and we get quite a reformation here, quite an awakening quite a stirring of the spirit, a reviving here it can happen and God did protect them they came back and they started on their way as Joshua had instructed them and Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the Lord at Shiloh and distributed the land to these remaining tribes. Well, I see a contrast here with Caleb. I see a contrast here with Nehemiah. Nehemiah wanted to press on and do something. Ezra, Joshua here. These men challenge this spirit of indolence, laziness, ease, lack of effort, lack of zeal to see the job through. I know Proverbs 29 verse 18 is a difficult text and difficult to translate but one version has it is where there is no vision the people perish and whatever the rights and wrongs of that translation there is a spirit of truth in that Here the people don't seem to have any vision, any striving, any wanting to possess land. There's more land to possess. They won't possess their possessions. And they're waiting, waiting, waiting. Thank God for a Joshua that he stirred them to action. Now what's the application of all this? Well to the believer, to me, I feel the challenge of it. It's easy to grow slack and indifferent. to lack vision, to lack, I don't mean dreams, but to lack any spirit of try. Of course it might fail, but let's try for God. I don't want to grow at ease in Zion in the wrong sense. I don't want to be slack and lazy. I want to see the job right through. I want to fulfill the ministry that God has given me. Christ, it says that about him, and I've mentioned before that this is something that drives me. I want to fulfill the ministry. that the Lord has given to me. And brother and sister, I encourage you today, if you've grown slack, then reprove yourself. If you've lost the vision, as it were, lost the hope, lost the idea that we might expand, you're trying nothing for God, or maybe you're doubting whether you should try, then may this encourage you. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Of course you might lose. Of course you might fall on your face, but it's your face, isn't it? but you want to serve God there is much land to be possessed brother and sister let us learn from these seven tribes and by their bad example let us learn from Joshua's stirring them and stir ourselves in one another to possess the possessions we have and to venture for God and attempt something for him is there a word for the unbeliever here? Well, I believe that many unbelievers are just sleepwalking into eternity. Their eyes are closed, their minds are closed. They're living, existing now in this world, and every day getting nearer to their departure from it. And then what? Sleepwalking, drifting into eternity. Wake up! If I can be a Joshua to you, in the gospel I say, wake up! Sense your sin, turn to Christ, believe and come as a matter of urgency. It's urgent you know. Seek the Lord while he may be found, not next week, now. Now is the day of salvation, now. Come now. Get this business sorted out now. Don't procrastinate or sit at ease any longer. Learn from these seven tribes. Come into Christ, now. Well, these are the lessons I see here. May these tribes speak to us. I think they set us a bad example, they're warning. But Joshua shows us the right way. May we learn from this passage and act upon it. If we've never come to Christ, may we come now. Come now, my friend. And if you are a believer and you've grown slack, then be rebuked, but be encouraged. and take up the strain again and see what you can do for God today.