Joshua Lesson 13

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Joshua – Lesson 13

Joshua Chapters 12 & 13

Introduction:

Last week we saw Joshua take the northern half of the land of Canaan just like God had promised. After taking the southern half, he came north and took the second half of the country although the kings united to fight against him. God allowed them to take the spoils of the land to keep for themselves. The thing we learned from the recent weeks has been that God always stands behind His promises. Man may fail us, but God never fails us. This week we see the names of the kings that Moses and Joshua smote on the east and west side of Jordan.

I. East of the Jordan

Josh 12:1 Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:

Josh 12:2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;

Josh 12:3 And from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the way to Bethjeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdothpisgah:

Josh 12:4 And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,

Josh 12:5 And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

Josh 12:6 Them did Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the LORD gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

In the first six verses of Chapter 12, we see all the kings listed that Moses smothe on the east side of the Jordan. We know that Moses gave this land to the tribes of Rebuen, Gad, and the half tribe of Manesseh.

Num 32:1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;

The people had asked for this land because the people raised cattle, and this land was very good for cattle.

Num 32:20 And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the LORD to war,

Num 32:21 And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him,

Num 32:22 And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD.

Moses told the people that if they would go over Jordan and fight the enemy, God would give Israel the land. When God makes the promise, we can believe it. Man sometimes misleads us, but God can not lie.

Heb 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

But if the people did not go over Jordan and fight the Canaanites, the would be guilty of sin.

Num 32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

This verse warns us that we should turn from sin. Some sin is known immediately, other is hidden until later. But in the end, all sin is known. We can not trick God, He knows all about our lives. May God help us to deal with sin and take up our cross each day and follow Jesus.

II. The Kings on the West Side of Jordan .

Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions.

Josh 12:8 In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:

Josh 12:9 The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;

Josh 12:10 The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;

Josh 12:11 The king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;

Josh 12:12 The king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;

Josh 12:13 The king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;

Josh 12:14 The king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;

Josh 12:15 The king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;

Josh 12:16 The king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one;

Josh 12:17 The king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one;

Josh 12:18 The king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;

Josh 12:19 The king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;

Josh 12:20 The king of Shimronmeron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;

Josh 12:21 The king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

Josh 12:22 The king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one;

Josh 12:23 The king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one; the king of the nations of Gilgal, one;

Josh 12:24 The king of Tirzah, one: all the kings thirty and one.

Joshua smote more kings on the west side of Jordan by a large number than did Moses on the east side. There were a total of 31 kings slain by Joshua while less than a dozen by Moses. God was with Joshua in very mighty way to give such great victory. As we mentioned last week, when God fights your battles, you have one on your side that can not be defeated. The only way we will ever suffer defeat in God's army is for it to be for our benefit that God lets the enemy win a battle here or there.

Chapter 13 contains a list of those parts of the land which had not yet been possessed by Israel. God had given the Israelites assurance that He would drive out the inhabitants if they would do their job and go in and possess the land.

III. Joshua Draws Near to the End of Life's Journey

Josh 13:1 Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.

We are told in verse 1 that Joshua was advanced in years and well stricken. It is a great blessing if God allows us to live to old age. Consider Moses when he became old.

Deu 34:1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,

Deu 34:2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,

Deu 34:3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.

Deu 34:4 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.

Deu 34:5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.

Deu 34:6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

Deu 34:7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

Would it not be wonderful to be allowed to live a full life, and yet in our latter years, to still be strong, to have our natural forces about us, and to still see as a young man. Not many are granted this. Joshua was not young, and he did not have all of his forces still in tact. But even though he was not strong in body, The Lord did not desert him in his old age. And all of us who know Jesus as Lord and Savior, he will in no wise cast us out.

Josh 24:29 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

Isa 46:3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:

Isa 46:4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

We see God's promises here in Isaiah about how He will be with us in our latter years. In verse one of Chapter 13, we see God reminding Joshua that there was still much land that remained to be possessed. This no doubt humbled Joshua, and made him realize that there must be others who will have to follow in his steps. Joshua did not finish all the work, and as long as Jesus tarries his coming, you and I will not finish the work of the church. That is why we are to keep training the young as they are saved, that faithful men may continue the work of God after we pass from this earthly scene.

2 Tim 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Josh 13:2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,

Josh 13:3 From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:

Josh 13:4 From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites:

Josh 13:5 And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baalgad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath.

Josh 13:6 All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.

Joshua could not boast that he had driven out all the enemy, for many still remained in the land. While the Lord acknowledged his age, he did not encourage Joshua to be slack. We see in verse 6 that God appeared unto him to give him instructions. Joshua was told to divide the land of Canaan unto the children of Israel. Who would know better how to do that Joshua. He was one of the original 12 spies sent in to

Spy out the land sent in by Moses. By fighting all of these foreign nations, Joshua was well acquainted with the boundaries of the land. No person, no matter what their age, is ever too old to used in God's work. Even if we can do little else than pray, what power our prayers may have after growing in faith year after year.

IV. The Unoccupied Part of the Land

Josh 13:2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,

Josh 13:4 From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites:

Josh 13:5 And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baalgad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath.

We see the list of the sections of Palestine that were still occupied by the heathen. Joshua had to stir up the people to continue on taking the land like God wanted them to do. Sometimes in the church, the preacher has to encourage and exhort us to keep doing the important things. We should never stop going forward for God… we should always be spreading the Gospel, visiting the sick, and most of all, reaching the lost for Jesus Christ. Joshua was to divide the land according to the command of God.

Josh 13:7 Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh,

Josh 13:8 With whom the Reubenites and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them;

Josh 13:9 From Aroer, that is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain of Medeba unto Dibon;

Josh 13:10 And all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, unto the border of the children of Ammon;

Josh 13:11 And Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salcah;

Josh 13:12 All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out.

The Lord gives orders concerning the dividing of Canaan, naming the bounds and some of the places that are in the land. Joshua did not delay, but after receiving the orders form God, Joshua gets at the task immediately. We need to be about whatever God would have you and I do just as quickly. Once we know God's Will for our lives, we should never delay.

Josh 13:13 Nevertheless the children of Israel expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites: but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.

We see that Israel did not drive out all the inhabitants of the land like God told them to do. These failures were not God's fault, He had empowered them, but these failures many times came back to haunt the nation later. In verse 6, God told them that I WILL DRIVE OUT.

Josh 13:14 Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said unto them.

We see in verse 14 that the Lord tells us that Moses gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. (also in verse 33)

Josh 13:15 And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben inheritance according to their families.

Josh 13:16 And their coast was from Aroer, that is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain by Medeba;

Josh 13:17 Heshbon, and all her cities that are in the plain; Dibon, and Bamothbaal, and Bethbaalmeon,

Josh 13:18 And Jahaza, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,

Josh 13:19 And Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and Zarethshahar in the mount of the valley,

Josh 13:20 And Bethpeor, and Ashdothpisgah, and Bethjeshimoth,

Josh 13:21 And all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, which were dukes of Sihon, dwelling in the country.

Josh 13:22 Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.

Josh 13:23 And the border of the children of Reuben was Jordan, and the border thereof. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and the villages thereof.

Balaam was the one that was hired to curse the children of Israel as they came into the wilderness. Balaam's death is recorded in verse 22 and we see in these verses the record of the land that Moses gave to the tribe of Reuben.

Josh 13:24 And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families.

Josh 13:25 And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah;

Josh 13:26 And from Heshbon unto Ramathmizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir;

Josh 13:27 And in the valley, Betharam, and Bethnimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward.

Josh 13:28 This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages.

These verses record the land that Moses gave to the tribes of Gad on the east side of Jordan.

Josh 13:29 And Moses gave inheritance unto the half tribe of Manasseh: and this was the possession of the half tribe of the children of Manasseh by their families.

Josh 13:30 And their coast was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore cities:

Josh 13:31 And half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were pertaining unto the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to the one half of the children of Machir by their families.

Josh 13:32 These are the countries which Moses did distribute for inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the other side Jordan, by Jericho, eastward.

Josh 13:33 But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them.

And the last verses of Chapter 13 show what lands were given to the half tribe of Manasseh. It was a great blessing to the people of Israel that they were given lands that they did not develop, and houses they did not build. God does always stand by His Word, and whatever He promises, He delivers. We should be men and women that try our very best to do exactly what we say. Christians that do this honor and glorify Jesus.

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