Worth the Wait – by Courtney Gilmore

Waiting is hard! But it’s much easier when we know it is fair and right. But it’s much harder to wait for something that you should have but you can’t because someone else did something wrong and it affects you, too. Then your waiting is totally unfair and not right, but it’s still required. No matter why you are waiting today, remember that God sees you. He is faithful to those who are faithful to Him. So, be patient and trust Him. He can bring it to pass.

Command to Divide the Land – Joshua 13:1-7 (Numbers 34:1-29)

By the time the Israelites had defeated all the nations who had come out against them and conquered all their cities and villages, Joshua was almost 100 years old. Though they still had a lot of lands left to seize, the major war, which required the entire Israelite army, was complete. So, God told Joshua it was time to divide the land amongst the tribes.

Much of the coastal region and the territory in the north still had to be defeated, and there were various factions in the south and central areas, too. But each tribe could fight the nations living within their own land after they took possession of it. The Lord would continue to drive their enemies from them, but it was time for Joshua and the nation, as a whole, to find rest. He and Caleb were the only two men from the previous generation who were still alive. They had been waiting 45 years to take possession of the land that was promised to them when they left Egypt, and they deserved time to enjoy it before their deaths.

The Land East of Jordan – Joshua 13:8-33 (Numbers 21:21-35, 32:1-42)

            Almost a decade earlier, when Moses and the Israelites were traveling to the Promised Land, they asked the king of the Amorites if they could pass through his land. But Sihon refused and came out to attack them instead. So, the Israelites fought against them and won the battle. Then, they took possession of Gilead, which bordered the northern portion of the Salt Sea and the Jordan River, covering the area between the Arnon River in the south and the Jabbok River in the north. This was all the Amorite land in present-day Jordan.

The Israelites settled there with the Ammonites on their western border and the Moabites to their south. These were Lot’s descendants, and because Lot was Abraham’s nephew, the Israelites were not allowed to take any of their land. Also, Edom was to the south of the Moabite land. But because this was the land of Jacob’s brother Esau, they could not take any of it either. So, together, these four families of Abraham possessed what is present-day Jordan.

            After defeating the Amorites, the Israelites traveled north. On their journey, Og, the king of Bashan, came out against them. So, they overcame him too and possessed the land bordering the Sea of Galilee, encompassing the present-day Golan Heights and the southwestern portion of Syria.

Reuben and Gad liked the land they had captured from the king of Sihon because they had lots of livestock and thought it would be a good place to keep them. So, they asked Moses if they could have it, and he agreed for it to be allocated to them in the end when everyone received their inheritance.

When some of Manasseh’s sons heard that Moses had given Reuben and Gad land on the eastern side of the Jordan River, they asked if they could have the land of Og, and Moses agreed. So, Machir, Jair, and Nobah captured cities and villages in Bashan for their inheritance. They all built cities in the land, settled their families, then crossed the Jordan River with the rest of the Israelites to fight for their land.

            So, when Joshua began designating the land for each tribe, he started by stating which pieces these tribes had already received from Moses. Reuben would possess the land that bordered the Salt Sea and the Jordan River, with the Moabites and Edomites to their south and the Ammonites to their east. Moses was buried somewhere within his territory. Then, Gad would live in the land to their north, with the Jordan River to their west and the Ammonites to their east.

Lastly, the three sons of Manasseh received the land north of Gad. It was in the southwestern portion of present-day Syria and the Golan Heights. They had the Sea of Galilee on their southwestern border and what is now Lebanon on their northern border. But the Geshurites and the Maacathites lived in the land with them because the Israelites had failed to drive them out.

Caleb’s Land – Joshua 14:1-15 (Numbers 14:1-38)

            Then, the tribe of Judah came to Joshua, and Caleb reminded him that his land had already been designated, too. Since the two of them were the only spies who had tried to convince the first generation of Israelites to enter the land, God granted them future possession. While those who refused it would die in the wilderness, Joshua and Caleb would inherit the land they had walked on in the days of spying it out.

So, Caleb confirmed that God had fulfilled His promise and kept him alive for the last 45 years. Now, at 85, he was still as strong as the day he first entered the land. He had been unafraid then to fight the giants called the Anakim, and he believed he could still defeat them now if Joshua would give him their land.