Joseph's Inheritance

Bryan Schneider

May 28, 2022

Joshua 16

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The Israelites were receiving their inheritance from the Lord, by faith. But why were they even there in the first place?

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The allotments to Ephraim and Manasseh fulfill the ancient promise God made to Abraham concerning land and descendants.
The daughters of Zelophehad cling for decades to God's stated promise and receive their rightful inheritance, showing faith that remembers and asks according to his Word.
God had warned Israel that leaving the Canaanites in the land would turn their hearts toward idolatry, yet Ephraim and Manasseh settle for forced labor instead of complete obedience.
Partial obedience becomes spiritual slippage when people compare themselves favorably with others rather than measuring life by God's command.
The tribes complain that their allotment is too small, but their reference to iron chariots reveals that fear—not lack of land—is the deeper obstacle.
Joshua calls them to act on God's promise despite stronger enemies, just as believers must resist sin and pursue holiness through the Spirit rather than excuse defeat.
Israel's failure creates longing for the faithful Champion: Christ fulfills righteousness, secures the new creation, and gives the inheritance received by faith.

Joshua 16–17 records the inheritance of Joseph through Ephraim and Manasseh. The detailed boundaries witness that God's promise to Abraham has become concrete land for his descendants. Zelophehad's daughters remember a ruling given in the wilderness and confidently request the share God promised, while the tribes as a whole display a different response. Ephraim and Manasseh leave Canaanites among them and convert them into forced labor rather than obeying God's command. Later they complain that their allotment is insufficient, but Joshua exposes their fear of fortified enemies and iron chariots. He calls them to clear and possess the land in reliance upon the God who is with them. Their partial conquest warns Christians against accommodating sin, grading obedience by comparison, or treating spiritual enemies as stronger than the Spirit's power. Yet Israel's failure is not a call to self-salvation. Christ is the faithful covenant keeper who earns and gives the imperishable inheritance. Believers receive it by faith and, because they belong to him, actively pursue the holiness he commands.

Biblical Themes

Covenant promise fulfilled in inheritance
Faith that remembers God's Word
Women included in covenant inheritance
The danger of partial obedience
Fear disguised as complaint
Spirit-enabled pursuit of holiness
Christ's faithfulness securing the new creation

Scripture Connections

Genesis 15:1-21 — God covenants to give Abraham descendants and the land after patiently waiting through the iniquity of its inhabitants.
Numbers 27:1-11 — Zelophehad's daughters appeal for an inheritance, and the Lord establishes their claim and Israel's succession law.
Deuteronomy 7:1-11 — Israel is warned not to covenant or intermarry with the nations lest they be turned toward other gods.
Judges 1:27-29 — Manasseh and Ephraim continue the pattern of failing to drive out inhabitants and instead subject them to forced labor.
Romans 3:21-26 — All fall short of God's glory, and sinners are justified freely through the redemption in Christ.
Galatians 4:4-7 — Those redeemed by the Son receive adoption, the Spirit who cries 'Abba,' and the status of heirs.
Ephesians 2:8-10 — Salvation is by grace through faith, and those created in Christ walk in works God prepared for them.
Revelation 21:1-7 — The conquering heir receives the renewed creation where God dwells with his people.

Practical Applications

Record and revisit specific biblical promises so years of waiting do not erase what God has said.
Ask confidently for what Scripture truly promises, following the example of Zelophehad's daughters.
Identify one area where partial obedience has been defended through comparison with other people.
Remove practical agreements with sin instead of merely trying to make a tolerated habit useful or manageable.
Name the intimidating circumstance behind a complaint and answer it with God's presence and provision.
Pursue holiness through prayer, Scripture, accountability, and concrete action in dependence on the Spirit.
Rest the certainty of your inheritance in Christ's obedience and completed work while walking gratefully by faith.

Historical Context

Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, each became a tribal division in Israel, so their adjacent allotments occupy a large central area on both sides of the Jordan. Ancient inheritances normally passed through sons, making the recorded claim of Zelophehad's daughters especially important: their case had already received an explicit divine ruling in Numbers. The references to fortified cities and chariots explain the humanly intimidating resistance, while the repeated notices about remaining Canaanites anticipate the religious compromise narrated in Judges.

Westminster Standards

Westminster Confession of Faith 16.2
These good works, done in obedience to Gods Commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith: and, by them, Beleevers manifest their thankfulnesse, strengthen their assurance, edifie their Brethren, adorn the profession of the Gospel, stop the mouthes of the adversaries, and glorifie God, whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto; that, having their fruit unto holinesse, they may have the end, eternall life.
Connection to the sermon: The sermon distinguishes receiving the inheritance by faith from the active obedience that living faith produces. The confession likewise treats good works as grateful fruits and evidences, not the ground of salvation.
Westminster Larger Catechism 79
True beleevers, by reason of the unchangeable love of God, and his decree and covenant to give them perseverance, their inseparable union with Christ, his continuall intercession for them, and the spirit and seed of God abiding in them, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Connection to the sermon: The tribes are called to persevere against strong opposition, but Christian hope rests on deeper security: God's covenant love, union with Christ, his intercession, and the Spirit's abiding work keep believers through faith.
Westminster Shorter Catechism 36
The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from Justification, Adoption, and Sanctification, are, assurance of Gods love, peace of Conscience, Joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end.
Connection to the sermon: The promised inheritance belongs to adopted children who are also being sanctified. Their assurance and perseverance accompany God's saving grace and empower continued growth rather than complacency.

This transcript is provided to make the message easier to revisit. Minor transcription errors may remain.

Welcome to God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in Morning Sun, Iowa. Check us out online at www.sharonrpc.org. We pray that this message will be a blessing to you and that the Lord will use it to transform your faith and your life. Let's turn in our Bibles to the book of Joshua, Joshua chapter 16.

Joshua chapter 16, as we continue to move through the book of Joshua, we come this morning to the inheritance of Joseph. Joshua chapter 16. What we'll do this morning, just as a walkthrough here, is we'll read chapters 16 and 17 together, briefly describing which each section is, and then we'll jump into the table of contents for today's message. So turn your eyes with me to Joshua chapter 16 and 17, page 208 in the Pew Bibles.

Hear now God's word. 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 the border to the Arkites at Aseroth, and went down westward to the boundary of the Jethilites. as far as the boundary of lower Bethphoron to Gezer and its end at the sea. So the children of Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim took their inheritance. So we need to stop here just for one second, orient ourselves. This is a broad area, they're saying, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

This is a chunk that belongs to two tribes. Manasseh and Ephraim, but their father was Joseph. You remember Joseph, don't you, in the book of Genesis? The one that served in Pharaoh's house, who had the robe of many colors? This is the Joseph we're talking about. He had two sons, and so let's talk about his younger son first, Ephraim.

Verse 5 to the end of the chapter. The border of the children of Ephraim, according to their families, was thus. The border of their inheritance on the east side was Atharoth, Adar, as far as upper Bethphoron. And the border went out toward the sea on the north side of Mikmathoth. Then the border went around to Tanath Shiloh and passed by it on the east of Janoha. Then it went down from Janoha to Atharoth. and Naaraa reached to Jericho and came out at the Jordan. The border went out from Tepua westward to the Brook Canaa and 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. And so this described the land of Ephraim.

Now we get to his older brother, the larger tribe, Manasseh, in chapter 17. Look with me there. Chapter 17, the other half of the tribe of Manasseh. There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. Namely, for Mathir, 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 Helech, the children of Azriel, the children of Shechem, the children of Hepher, the children of Shemaida, these were the male children of Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, according to their families. That's just saying there was one brother who got land on one side of the Jordan, now all the rest of them get it on the eastern side, or the western side of the Jordan.

But it points out something in verses 3 through 6, a special scenario that happened with some women of Manasseh. But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Mechir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters. And these are the names of his daughters. Mahala, Noah, Hogla, Milka, and Terza.

And they came near before Eliezer, the priest, before Joshua, the son of Nun, and before the ruler, saying, The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers. Therefore, according to the commandment of the Lord, he gave them an inheritance among their father's brothers.

Ten shares fell to Manasseh beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side of the Jordan, because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons, and the rest of Manasseh's sons had the land of Gilead. And then verses 7 through verse 13, we're going to read about that division of the land. Look with me there, beginning at verse 7.

And the territory of Manasseh was from Asher to Mikmathath, that lies east of Shechem, and the border went along the south to the inhabitants in Tepuah. Manasseh had the land of Tepuah, but Tepuah 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 are 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 Bathshean and its towns, Iblim and its towns, the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, the inhabitants of Endor and its towns, the inhabitants of Tanakh 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 the 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."

And then in verses 14 through the end of the chapter, what we read here is their complaint to Joshua, which is really just a cover-up for lack of faith. Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua saying, why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit since we are a great people in as much as the Lord has blessed us until now? So Joshua answered them, if you are so great a people, then go up to the forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the parasites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you. But the children of Joseph said the mountain country is not enough for us.

And all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth-she-an and its towns, and those who are of the valley of Jezreel. And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, You are a great people and have great power.

Prayer for Illumination

You shall not have only one lot. But the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down and its furthest extent shall be yours. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. And Lord, we pray that these words would be living in our hearts now. Father, we pray that we would follow you. We pray that you would do a supernatural work in our midst this morning. That we would do the impossible. To walk by faith. Impossible by us. But not impossible with your Spirit. So Lord, we pray for your Spirit now in Jesus' name. Amen. I've been thinking a lot about inheritance lately. My grandmother died. And of course, whenever there's a death in the family, there's always that struggle with what do you do with the inheritance?

Sermon

So my mom called me the other day and she said, I have this picture that, do you remember the picture in your grandpa's study? And I knew exactly which one she was talking about. It was a picture of my grandfather's ship when he was in the Navy. And this little dingy of a ship and it had his medals on it that he had earned when he was serving in the Korean War. And she said, do you want that? And I said, yeah, absolutely, I want that. Mail it to me because it's going to be in my office.

Inheritance is a blessing, isn't it? The Proverbs talk about the righteous man stores up an inheritance for his children. Now there's a way in which an inheritance can also be a curse, right? When people fix their eyes on the stuff rather than on the blessing. But the inheritance that the Israelites find themselves in this chapter obtaining and supposed to be taking for themselves is an inheritance that God had promised them. And it's an inheritance that they would receive by faith. And so, a little bit of table of contents today as we go through this message.

First Point

First, we're going to see that God had made an ancient promise to his people. That there was an inheritance to be had. That God had given them a hope and a warning. We're going to read about the seriousness of spiritual slippage. And also, lastly, a challenge. of faith. So, as we walk through this passage, we see first that there is an ancient promise.

Why are they even there? We've been in the book of Joshua for months and months and months now. We always have to remind ourselves, what's going on here? Why are they even in this land? Why are they supposed to take the land of Canaan? It's because God promised it over 400 years ago.

Before they had wandered in the wilderness, before they had been in Egypt, before Joseph, before Jacob, before Isaac, He had promised Abraham in Genesis chapter 15. In that great story, when God takes them outside in the dark of the night, and He says, go look at the stars in the sky. Count them if you can. Your descendants are going to be more numerous than those. And then He says, in the land you're standing on, It's going to be yours. That's what he had promised in Genesis chapter 15. But there was a hitch to that, right? He had told them, you're not getting the land right now. Because the sin of the people there hadn't been fulfilled yet. And so in Genesis chapter 15 verse 16, God tells Abraham that he's going to give these people 500, almost, well more than that, well more than 500 more years. of time, but that that land would be theirs.

So this was ingrained into this covenant that God had made with His people, that they were going to receive, this was God's gift to them. This is God's blessing to them. He's going to give them a part of the earth. It's going to be a land flowing with milk and honey. They're going to have houses they didn't build, and vineyards they didn't plant, and row crops they didn't put in the ground. Everything was going to be theirs. This is a gift from the Lord. And this is why I love this part in chapter 17. Notice who comes. forward in verse 3.

But Zelophehad, the son of Hether, the son of Gilead, the son of Mechir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters. And what do these faithful women do? They go to Moses, they go to Eleazar. This is when they were still in the wilderness and they said, hey, our dad didn't have any sons, it's just us.

You're not going to cut us out of a piece of that pie. Right? This covenant's for us too. That land's for us too. Just because our father didn't have any sons shouldn't mean that we don't get to also inherit this blessing. And so Moses and Eleazar take it to the Lord and the Lord says, they're right. They're right. You're going to give them land. Right?

This is what he had told them in Numbers chapter 17. Numbers chapter 26. And he's telling them that they're going to get this land. He gives them inheritance laws. You know, if a man doesn't have any sons, that's okay. You give the inheritance to his daughters. And then it goes down a list, you know, of if he doesn't have any sons or daughters, it goes to his brothers. And it goes down and down and down until it finally gets to give it to the nearest of kin.

But why is this so important to them? Why is it that now that they're standing before Joshua, now it's been decades later, they're standing before them, that they bring this up again? Because they've been clinging on to this promise from the Lord by faith for decades.

God's going to take us into that land, and when we get in that land, Joshua, now we're here. God promised this to us. God promised it to us. Therefore, according to the commandment of the Lord, He gave them an inheritance among their father's house. Nobody's cut out of the covenant. They're able to say, this is our blessing. This is what you have promised us, now give it to us. And they do. But see, as we go through this passage, though, When you remember that, I want you to put your finger here and remember something that Moses had told them.

Turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 7. Deuteronomy chapter 7. Because what Moses preached to them in Deuteronomy chapter 7 was apropos for what they were dealing with right now. In Deuteronomy chapter 7, the Lord commands them to destroy the people. When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess and has cut out many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you. And when the Lord delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall not make a covenant with them, nor show mercy to them.

Right? They're standing, the Jordan River is right there. Moses is giving some of his last sermons to the people and he's standing there and he's saying, when you go in, there's going to be nations, they're going to be stronger than you. They're going to be mightier than you.

But you are not allowed to make a covenant with them. You are not allowed to show them mercy. Why? Well, verses 3 and 4 tell us. Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor their daughters for your sons. For they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods. So the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. God is a realist. He knows our hearts. He knows the Israelites' hearts.

And so he tells them, if you go into this land, what's going to happen? If you go in and you show mercy to the Canaanites, if you go in and you show mercy to the Hittites, if you go in and you don't actually fulfill what I'm telling you, you are my instruments of destruction. And if you go in and you don't do what I'm telling you to do, you're going to intermarry with them. You're going to make covenants with them. And your religion is going to turn half-hearted. They're going to turn you away from me. They're going to turn you. away from me. So you need to do this. This is what he says in verse 5. You need to do this. Listen up guys, this is what you got to do. You got to destroy their altars. You got to break down their sacred pillars. You got to cut down their wooden images. You got to burn their carved images with fire, right?

Do you see what he's saying? The people are intertwined with their religion and God has said, you are my holy people, my royal priesthood, my chosen nation. So you need to be that people. Don't intermarry with them. Don't leave them. Because in verse 6, you are a holy people to the Lord. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself. Notice what he says here. A special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. Do you see how much God is saying He loves His people? You're my special treasure. You're a holy nation. They are the apple of God's eye.

He has set His favor, His grace, His love upon them, and He says, so don't turn from Me. You're going to be tempted when you go, and I'm telling you, you're going to be tempted, but don't turn from Me. See, God didn't set His eye on them, verse 7, because He's more numerous. But He tells us in verse 7, He loved them because He wanted to love them and He wanted to fulfill His promise. And then in verses 9 through 10 it gets even better. Deuteronomy chapter 7 verse 9, Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.

God is a faithful God, a loving God, a just God. See, it doesn't play half-heartedly. It's either you love God or you don't love God. Either you love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, or else you've got a girl on the side. It's like, no, no, it's just me. It's just the Lord.

And so verse 10, he says, And he who repays him who hates to their face and destroys them, he will not be slack with them who he hates, for he will repay him to his face Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I command you today to observe them." You see, when you come into marriage, are there no rules for your marriage? Or when you took your wedding vows, what did you promise? To love and to keep? for better or worse? Did you make promises along the lines that it would be that person and that person alone who you would be joined to for the rest of your life? And the Lord is saying here, I'm going to keep my vows, you need to keep yours.

When you go into this land, you're going to be tempted. The Asherahs are going to be there. Molech is going to be there. Chemosh is going to be there. Baal is going to be there. There's going to be all these pagan deities all around. And there's going to be Dagon of the Philistines. I'm telling you, they're going to try to tempt your heart. Be clear. Keep your eyes on me. Wipe them out and stay with me. Because there's conditions to this. In a word, the condition is faith. Look with me at verses 12 through 16.

Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments and keep them and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which he swore to your fathers. And he will love you and bless you and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock in the land which he swore to your fathers to give you.

You shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock, and the Lord will take away from you all sickness and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you. Also, you shall destroy all the people whom the Lord your God delivers to you. Your eyes shall have no pity on them, nor shall you serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.

See, the Lord is a realist here. He's telling them this while they're still on the western side or the eastern side of the Jordan. Before they cross over, before they destroy Jericho, before they go up to Bethel, before they fight the various kings. He's telling them, now be careful.

Because they're going to try to turn your heart away. See, because it's easier to make buddy-buddy with sin than it is to fight sin. It's easier to be a friend of this world than it is to be a lover of God. And so they must walk by this faith. And so he gives them instructions. Right in verse 17 he tells them that they're going to be bigger than them. They're going to be stronger than them.

He tells them to remember what he did, right? When they were in Egypt, he says, remember what I did to Pharaoh. Remember what I did to Egypt. Remember how I redeemed you. God's going to do that to your enemies. And verse 20, he tells them that he's going to be depopulating the people and sending them out before they get there. He's going to be driving them out with hornets. And so he says, do not dread them. Verse 21, why? You shall not be terrified of them for the Lord your God, the great and awesome God is among you. So when we come to Joshua chapter 16 and we read verse 10. 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.

Do you see the danger? You might say, but I mean they made them forced laborers, they didn't start intermarrying with them, they didn't start making, but they made agreements with them. Instead of fulfilling the commandment all the way, they stopped short.

This is the exact picture of what Romans chapter 3, 23 says, isn't it? That God has a bar of righteousness. And he doesn't grade on a curve. Right? The bar of righteousness is 100%. You take a test and you get a 75. It doesn't matter if everyone else around you is getting a 75. You still fell short of his glory. But we make ourselves comfortable with that, right? Well, I'm not as bad as the next guy.

Yeah, Ephraimites, we didn't intermarry with them. We're not like the people of Dan up there. At least we made them subservient to us, and the Lord here is telling us, this is not good. The same way that when we get to chapter 17, and we look at verse 12, Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, but the Canaanites were determined to dwell in their land. And it happened when the children of Israel grew strong that they put the Canaanites to forced labor and did not utterly drive them out. Half-hearted obedience. Half-faith obedience. Going just far enough, but not all the way.

And in this section, that I'm sure grieved Joshua's heart. See, Joshua Do you know what tribe Joshua is from? Joshua is one of the children of Joseph. Joshua is an Ephraimite. And the children of Ephraim and Manasseh come to Joshua, this elder of their own clan.

And they say, why have you only given us one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, and as much as the Lord has blessed us until now, right? Hey, hey, Joshua, this isn't fair. Everyone else gets their own, but you only allot us one, and you split that one up between us.

They're complaining to him about this, but it becomes clear why they're complaining in a moment. It might be sensible, right? They're a bunch of people. They need a bunch of land. But Joshua answers them, and what does he say? He looks right through the shadows. And he says, if you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Parasites and the Giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you. And then we get to the heart of it, right? He's in the challenge, right? Alright, okay, I get it. You don't think you've got enough land? Go up to the Parasites and conquer the hill country. Right? Go do it. But that's not actually what they want. But the children of Joseph said the mountain country is not enough for us. And here's the real reason. And all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron. Both those who are of Beth-she-an and its towns and those who are of the valley of Jezreel.

Man, there's nothing new under the sun. Joshua hears this as one of those 12 spies who had gone out decades before and had seen the giants of the land, had seen the six-spoked chariots himself, and who had come back and said, no, God's given us the land. It's good. It's ready for us to take. And now the very people he's supposed to be leading are saying, we can't do it. Look, they got chariots. We can't do this. They're stronger than us.

And you can imagine Joshua, the aid of Moses, who sat there and said, didn't you listen? Didn't you hear the sermon where God told us that they were going to be bigger than us, that they were going to be stronger than us, that they were going to be more well-equipped from us, but that he would give us success? I can only imagine the pain that this afflicted in Joshua's heart.

But if we're honest with ourselves, we act the same way. We act the same way when God tells us a standard of holiness, and we act like His Holy Spirit isn't enough for us to actually conquer sin. We act that way when we say, well, I'm just a drunk, or I'm just an angry person, and we attach some type of sin to us, and we say, well, it's too great for me to be able to conquer, and the Lord says, I didn't give it for you to conquer, alone. Of course it's too much for you. Or we might look at these verses, verses 10 and verses 12 and 13, and think, oh man, those Israelites, why couldn't they just get it together, you know? Suck it up, buttercup! Let's go! Get some work done! What are you guys doing? Go to war!

Yeah, I have to ask you, how often do we shrink back when we have an opportunity to evangelize? How often do we fail in our parenting? How often is it easier for you to find yourself numbed by work or social media? or television, rather than going to the Lord in prayer. Or not so different. So Joshua lays down the gauntlet for them. He gives them a challenge of faith in verses 17 and 18.

Then Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, you are a great people, and have great power. You shall not have only one lot, but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its furthest extent shall be yours. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong."

He tells them, you can do it. You shall do it. Go up to the mountains and go get it done. It doesn't matter that they have chariots. You have God in your midst. Go get it done. But if we just zoom forward to the book of Judges. It's not done. We'll get there at the end of the book of Joshua.

He looks at them and he says, you're not going to do it. Why? Because we're sickle people. We're faithless people. We needed someone to do it for us. We need a champion who will actually keep the commandments. We need someone who would actually be able to do these things and live a perfect life full of faith and faithfulness. See, we have an inheritance. Did you know that? You have a good inheritance. God calls you a full heir. He says He has adopted you into His family, He's poured out His Spirit into your heart that cries out, Abba, Father, and you are a full heir.

Do you know what you're getting? We have this idea, right, this idea like, oh, we're going to go to heaven, we're going to have like wings and be angels and playing harps on clouds and silly stuff like that. No. Heaven's what theologians call the intermediate state. We're going to go to heaven after we die, and we will be there in our souls, but our bodies are still united to Christ, and Jesus Christ is going to come back again one day. Do you know what you're going to get? The new heavens and the new earth.

He's going to make all things that are wrong today beautiful and wonderful again. Farmers, you're never going to have to spray herbicide or insecticide on your fields again. because there won't be weeds. Children, you'll never have to fight to try to think about how you'll honor your parents because you won't be able to sin. Mechanics, stuff ain't going to break down anymore. Better find a new job. Build things that are never going to break and will only get better and better as you think and learn more.

We have that inheritance, but how do we get it? What's Jesus Christ? This is what Jesus is getting at. When He's there on the cross, and different things come out of His mouth, when He says, Tetelestai, it is finished, He's earned His crown. He's earned the right to be King of Kings. He's earned the right to be Lord of Lords. To be over every nation and every land and every people. They are all His now. And so He is put to death for our sins, yes, but He is raised for our justification. And He ascends up into heaven and He sits down at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. And He gives us all faith.

So what do you do? This is all great high theology, Brian. That's wonderful. Great. What do I do in my life? How do I live it out? The same way the Israelites were supposed to. You walk by faith. You walk by faith. Were the Israelites ever saved by their faithfulness? Not a single one. Even Moses, the most humble of all the servants of God, dies alone on a mountain. God buries him. Every one of us is going to die. So how do you receive your inheritance?

By faith. By faith in Jesus Christ, who is faithful. You are not saved by your faithfulness. You are saved by Jesus Christ's faithfulness. You receive the new heavens and the new earth because Jesus has taken it. This is why Jesus is going to come again and judge the earth and make all things new. So walk by faith, Christians. Walk by faith. Strive for the good deeds that God has prepared in advance for you to do. For without holiness, no one will see God.

Closing Prayer

And I don't know about you, but I sure am thankful that God fixed the problem. And it was His plan all along. We can look at this and we can think this is just moralism. Just work hard enough and you'll get the promised land. But when you recognize that it is Christ who is giving you all the promises, you can finally have peace for your soul. And you have an inheritance that neither rust nor moth nor anything else can eat away. Walk by faith. God is in your midst. Keep your eyes on him. Let's pray. Father, forgive us for our faithlessness. Forgive us for how often we sin against you. Lord, we pray that we would walk by faith. That we would hate sin more and more.

I have a love for you. follow you. God, this has been a long sermon, but Father, I pray that by your Holy Spirit, you might give your people hope, hope to walk by faith, hope in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Please, Lord, let us walk as your children in Jesus's name. Thanks for listening to this week's message from God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in rural southeast Iowa. We pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith in your life this week. If you'd like to get more information about us, feel free to go to the website, SharonRPC.org. We'd love to invite you to worship with us. Our worship time is 10 a.m. every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue, Morning Sun, Iowa, 52640. May God richly bless you this week.

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