Originally posted: 09/03/2019

Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled themselves at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; and the land was subdued before them, (18:1).

The land was subdued before them and there was rest from war, but still the sons of Israel had to answer His Call to Take Possession.

Consider His Call to Take Possession

His Call to Take Possession was addressed to His sons. This was not a universal call to all the nations; it was specifically and personally addressed to the sons of Israel, God’s chosen people.

There remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance. ³ So Joshua said to the sons of Israel… (18:2-3).

• His Call to Take Possession: don’t delay; pursue your Possession
  • “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?” (18:3).

• His Call to Take Possession: don’t stay put; press on toward the goal
  • “Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe that I may send them, and that they may arise and walk through the land…” (18:4).

• His Call to Take Possession: don’t forget; intentionally remember His Promise
  • “…and write a description of it according to their inheritance;” (18:4).

• His Call to Take Possession: don’t doubt His ways; trust His Provision
  • “…then they shall return to me. ⁵ They shall divide it into seven portions; Judah shall stay in its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north. ⁶ You shall describe the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God,” (18:4-6).

• His Call to Take Possession: don’t defy His commands; be quick to obey
  • Then the men arose and went, and Joshua commanded those who went to describe the land, saying, “Go and walk through the land and describe it, and return to me; then I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.” ⁹ So the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, (18:8-9).

• His Call to Take Possession: trust His divisions; He is Sovereign
  • And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land to the sons of Israel according to their divisions, (18:10).

How do we respond to His Call to Take Possession?

When we come by faith to Jesus, we are much in the same situation as the sons of Israel; there is rest.

 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light,” (Matthew 11:28-29).

But like to the sons of Israel, He Calls us to Take Possession of our inheritance; it is a call to His children, chosen in Him from the foundation of the world.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love ⁵ He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, (Ephesians 1:3-5).

He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and He Calls us to Take Possession of each and every one of His blessings.

Today as we prayerfully meditate on His Word, let us examine where we are delaying, remaining stagnate, forgetting His faithful promises and provisions, and where and how we are defying His Call to Take Possession.

Let us pray His Holy Spirit would empower us through His Holy Word that we would answer His Call to Take Possession.

• His Call to Take Possession: don’t delay; pursue your possession
  • But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of faith; (1 Timothy 6:11-12).

• His Call to Take Possession: don’t stay put; press on toward the goal
  • Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. ¹³ Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, (Philippians 3:12-14).

• His Call to Take Possession: don’t forget; intentionally remember His Promise
  • This I recall to my mind,
    Therefore I have hope.
    ²² The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
    For His compassions never fail.
    ²³ They are new every morning;
    Great is Your faithfulness.
    ²⁴ “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “Therefore I have hope in Him.”
    ²⁵ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
    To the person who seeks Him, (Lamentations 3:21-25).

• His Call to Take Possession: don’t doubt His ways; trust His Provision
  • Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. ⁹ And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰ Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong, (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

• His Call to Take Possession: don’t defy His commands; be quick to obey
  • Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin, (James 4:17).

• His Call to Take Possession: trust His divisions; He is Sovereign
  • The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
    You support my lot.
    ⁶ The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
    Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me, (Psalm 16:5-6).

Prayerfully read and meditate through the first chapter of Ephesians for an eloquent description of the blessings of our inheritance in Christ (1:3-14); and a guide we can pray to empower ourselves in answering His Call to Take Possession (1:15-23).

Let’s Take Possession and Grow Together!