14 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, inasmuch as the Lord has blessed us until now?”15 So Joshua answered them, “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 Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you.”16 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 Shean and its towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel.”17 And 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, 18 but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.” (Joshua (17.14-18)
Hello everyone! Today I wanted to share a little thought that I had while reading this passage from the Bible.
The passage presents us with the two tribes of Joseph asking Joshua for more land, because, according to them, the mountains were very tight and they were very numerous. Well, Joshua replied that they should cut down trees in the flat region and use that place to live. Once again the people from Joseph's tribes questioned this, saying that the people who lived there were more numerous and they could not defeat them. And Joshua once again answered them saying that they would become even stronger and defeat the people there, even though they had better war equipment.
As I read this passage, I found this dialogue interesting. And as I like to bring certain biblical examples and apply them as an example in my personal life, I soon started thinking of a way to understand this passage with examples from our daily lives. And I started to think to myself, two tribes that had the largest territories in the country of Israel, were dissatisfied and, instead of trying to change the situation, they went asking for more land. They did not consider themselves capable of defeating the people who had better military equipment, even though they themselves considered themselves to be two strong tribes. Instead of cutting down trees and clearing the environment so they could live in these places, they didn't even consider it.
And I started to think about how many times we are capable of seeking something, of achieving something, but we remain still. We don't try hard and we stay still, waiting for things to suddenly change, waiting for a miracle to fall from the sky. Of course we Christians should expect miracles, but that is when we can do NOTHING. But here I am referring to when there is something to do, but we prefer to stay quiet or we want to do something the easy way. It turns out that, in order for us to conquer the things that God has for our lives, we need to make an effort. We need to get out of our comfort zones. The land of Canaan was promised to Abraham's descendants, but Abraham's descendants had to fight for it. But when we read the book of Joshua, we realize that many tribes stood still, not fighting for their pieces of land. We constantly see Joshua speaking to the tribes: "why are you standing still?". And when we read that when they conquered their respective pieces of land, we read that many did not expel the former inhabitants from there, but made an agreement with them, disobeying God. Because of this, because they did not fully achieve what God had prepared for them, they ended up having problems later on.
In short, let us not be content with the situation we are in, because God has greater things for us. But to achieve what God has for us, it will require effort on our part. Miracles won't fall from the sky unless it's something you really can't do anything about LOL. And although this endeavor may seem difficult and tiring, God will be helping you every day. It will be difficult LOL but God won't leave you in any moment!
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41.10)
14 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, inasmuch as the Lord has blessed us until now?”15 So Joshua answered them, “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 Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you.”16 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 Shean and its towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel.”17 And 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, 18 but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.” (Joshua (17.14-18)
Hello everyone! Today I wanted to share a little thought that I had while reading this passage from the Bible.
The passage presents us with the two tribes of Joseph asking Joshua for more land, because, according to them, the mountains were very tight and they were very numerous. Well, Joshua replied that they should cut down trees in the flat region and use that place to live. Once again the people from Joseph's tribes questioned this, saying that the people who lived there were more numerous and they could not defeat them. And Joshua once again answered them saying that they would become even stronger and defeat the people there, even though they had better war equipment.
As I read this passage, I found this dialogue interesting. And as I like to bring certain biblical examples and apply them as an example in my personal life, I soon started thinking of a way to understand this passage with examples from our daily lives. And I started to think to myself, two tribes that had the largest territories in the country of Israel, were dissatisfied and, instead of trying to change the situation, they went asking for more land. They did not consider themselves capable of defeating the people who had better military equipment, even though they themselves considered themselves to be two strong tribes. Instead of cutting down trees and clearing the environment so they could live in these places, they didn't even consider it.
And I started to think about how many times we are capable of seeking something, of achieving something, but we remain still. We don't try hard and we stay still, waiting for things to suddenly change, waiting for a miracle to fall from the sky. Of course we Christians should expect miracles, but that is when we can do NOTHING. But here I am referring to when there is something to do, but we prefer to stay quiet or we want to do something the easy way. It turns out that, in order for us to conquer the things that God has for our lives, we need to make an effort. We need to get out of our comfort zones. The land of Canaan was promised to Abraham's descendants, but Abraham's descendants had to fight for it. But when we read the book of Joshua, we realize that many tribes stood still, not fighting for their pieces of land. We constantly see Joshua speaking to the tribes: "why are you standing still?". And when we read that when they conquered their respective pieces of land, we read that many did not expel the former inhabitants from there, but made an agreement with them, disobeying God. Because of this, because they did not fully achieve what God had prepared for them, they ended up having problems later on.
In short, let us not be content with the situation we are in, because God has greater things for us. But to achieve what God has for us, it will require effort on our part. Miracles won't fall from the sky unless it's something you really can't do anything about LOL. And although this endeavor may seem difficult and tiring, God will be helping you every day. It will be difficult LOL but God won't leave you in any moment!
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41.10)
Thank you all for your attention!