Joshua 13:23-28: a reflection

23The border of the children of Reuben was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben according to their families, the cities and its villages. 24Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to the children of Gad, according to their families. 25Their border was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, to Aroer that is near Rabbah; 26and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir; 27and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan’s bank, to the uttermost part of the sea of Chinnereth beyond the Jordan eastward. 28This is the inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families, the cities and its villages.

As the land is divided, each tribe is given its inheritance, its portion of the promised land: here Reuben and Gad receive their allotted territory, with its cities and villages, a settled possession assigned to them. This inheritance was not something they had earned or seized for themselves; it was given to them by God, the fulfillment of his promise, a settled place they could call their own. God gave his people an inheritance, a portion assigned by him, a secure possession that was theirs by his gift.

Notice that the inheritance was a gift from God, a settled portion assigned by him. The tribes did not earn their land, or seize it by their own strength alone; God gave it to them, apportioning to each its inheritance, the fulfillment of his promise to their fathers. It was a settled, secure possession, theirs not by their own achievement but by God's gift. Each had a portion, an inheritance, given and secured by God; they were not left without a place, but given one by him.

That is worth taking to heart, for God's people have an inheritance from him, a portion secured not by our own achievement but by his gift. We can strive to secure a place for ourselves by our own effort, anxious that we have no settled portion; but God gives his people an inheritance, a secure portion that is theirs by his gift, as he gave Israel their allotted land. Do not be anxious as though you had to secure your own place entirely by your own striving; God gives his people an inheritance, a portion secured by him. Rest in the inheritance God gives, a settled portion that is yours by his gift, not your own achievement, as he gave each tribe its allotted land; for God's people are not left without a place, but given a secure inheritance by him, a portion that is theirs by his gift, as Reuben and Gad received their inheritance from the God who apportioned it to them.

Lord, as the land is divided, each tribe is given its inheritance, its portion of the promised land: here Reuben and Gad receive their allotted territory, a settled possession assigned to them. This inheritance was not something they had earned or seized for themselves; it was given to them by you, the fulfillment of your promise, a settled place they could call their own. You gave your people an inheritance, a portion assigned by you, a secure possession that was theirs by your gift. Show me that the inheritance was a gift from you, a settled portion assigned by you. The tribes did not earn their land, or seize it by their own strength alone; you gave it to them, apportioning to each its inheritance. It was a settled, secure possession, theirs not by their own achievement but by your gift. Each had a portion, given and secured by you. Take that to my heart, for your people have an inheritance from you, a portion secured not by our own achievement but by your gift. I can strive to secure a place for myself by my own effort, anxious that I have no settled portion; but you give your people an inheritance. Keep me from being anxious as though I had to secure my own place entirely by my own striving; you give your people an inheritance, a portion secured by you. Help me rest in the inheritance you give, Lord, a settled portion that is mine by your gift, not my own achievement, as you gave each tribe its allotted land.