This chapter details the inheritance of the half-tribe of Manasseh, and some final details for both tribes of Joseph.
“Then the people of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, ‘Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the Lord has blessed me?’ Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, ‘You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only, but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.’ ” (v14,17-18)
The two tribes of Joseph, though given land as an inheritance, state that it is too small for their people. Joshua basically responds “No, there’s enough land, though you will need to clear some trees and Canaanites out first.”
Have you ever been unhappy with something God has given as a blessing? Unfortunately, I have. More than once I’ve thought “that’s not enough”, or “that’s too hard”, or “that’s not what they got”. Believe it or not, sometimes God gives us blessings that require a lot of hard work. How is that a blessing? God deems work to be a good thing, so that too is a blessing.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Col 3:23-24) “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” (Pro 14:23) “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Ps 90:17)
When God blesses us with something, even though it requires some work, let’s learn to be grateful and embrace that gift. Pretty much everything worth-while in life requires effort – relationships, a career, our spiritual health, kids, etc. The only things in life that don’t require effort, are usually worthless – the “free stuff” people throw away, laziness (unwillingness to work), “instant” anything, fast food, etc. Let’s embrace God’s gift of work, so the blessings of the Lord will more fulfilling when we receive them.
Father God, great and mighty are Your name and deeds. You are a God of action and hard work. You didn’t just create the world and then abandon it, You’re still highly involved in every detail every day. Please teach us to work diligently and joyfully as You do, and to balance that work with rest and play. Father please guide us through Your Spirit of wisdom and discernment, that we may develop a healthy work ethic as well as a work-life balance. We fully rely on You for the energy and rest that we need in order to accomplish Your will here on earth. In the name of the Son of God, our lord Jesus Christ who modeled hard work and work-life balance, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training