March 27th

Joshua 15:20-17:18

Joshua continued dividing the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel. The land was given according to the size of each tribe, and God was the one who parceled them out through the casting of lots. Today, Joshua assigned land to Judah, Ephraim, and the other half of Manasseh (remember the first half stayed on the east side of the Jordan River).

What was interesting were the little comments Joshua inserted about each tribe. For example, concerning Judah he wrote, “The tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day” (15:63). Concerning Ephraim, he wrote, “They did not drive the Canaanites out of Gezer, so the people of Gezer live among the people... to this day” (16:10). Finally, concerning Manasseh, he wrote, “The descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy the towns of the Canaanites. They could not drive out those who lived there. Later on, however, when the Israelites became strong enough, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves; but, they did not drive them out of the land” (17:12, 13).

In essence, although God commanded that the Israelites conquer and destroy every pagan tribe in Canaan, in the end the people didn’t do it. Thus, these worldly tribes lived in the midst of God’s people and eventually caused them to be unfaithful.

This truth is applicable today. As believers in Christ, we are called to “whip the world,” to be in the world but not of the world. However, oftentimes, we find ways to coexist with the world and, in the end, we let it affect us more than we affect it. The world usually ends up whipping us instead.

It is essential to our Christian lives that we follow God’s expectations, not to conform to this world’s mold. By relying on His power, through the Holy Spirit, we can overcome the world’s thinking and its godless ways, which are subservient to the superior wisdom and will of God.

Daily Reflection

Are you whipping the world or is the world whipping you? Have you separated yourself from its thinking and its ways, or do you look like, talk like, and act like the “tribes” around you?

Consider your entertainment, consider how you spend your time and money, and consider your values. Evaluate your views of the way things are and the way things should be. Is your worldview becoming more godly or is your view of God becoming more worldly?

Caedmon’s Call had a song years ago with these words. I have never forgotten them. “This world has nothing for you, and this world has everything, all that you could ever want but nothing that you need.” Don’t let it drag you down! Rise above it and be a world-changer, in your own sphere of influence, wherever it is that God has placed you.

“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...” (Romans 12:2).

BiAY.org |Day 86 — 279 Days to Go