Claim the Blessing

"There remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance. So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, 'How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?'" -Joshua 18.2-3

The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Judah, Ephraim and Manasseh have taken possession of their inheritance, but seven tribes have not yet claimed theirs. They have been slaves in Egypt for over four hundred years. They wandered the wilderness for forty years. Now after seven years of fighting the land is finally theirs, and more than half of the tribes aren't doing a thing about it.

The question becomes why? Why after all this time of being a slave and wandering are you not taking possession of your own land? My wife and I recently bought a house. In our married life we lived in a church provided parsonage, my parent's basement, a room in my grandparent's house, and an apartment. None of those places were ours. We had no say in how they were run. Our life changed and we were finally in the position to be able to buy a house, and we jumped at it. We moved in and began to make it our own, and after a little over three years of living in someone else's home, it was a relief to finally have our own place.

This is what God has provided in the Promised Land. Israel has their own land to work, not someone elses. They have their own permanent homes now, not tents in the wilderness. And yet they aren't claiming the gift of God. It is something He has promised them, something that they have fought hard to obtain, and yet when they time comes to enjoy it, they drag their feet.

Men, when God gives you a blessing what do you do? Do you receive it with gratitude and humility, or do you sit by and do nothing? When God offers you something good do you take it, or put off doing anything about it until someone pushes you? It may require something of us, and that may be why we drag our feet, but refusing to claim the blessing only keeps us from experiencing the goodness of God.

Israel would now have their own land to work, but in that they would receive all of the blessings God had promised.

Let us be men who claim the blessings of God. Let us receive what He offers with gratitude and humility. Let us embrace what the blessings bring.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor