Teaching by Josh Clark
Week 5: Inheriting the Promise (Ch 13-19)
Opening Activity: What are specific ways you have seen God's faithfulness?
1. Outline of Chapters 13-19
13:1-7 The Remaining Land (to be conquered)
13:8-33 Moses's Allotment to the 2 1/2 tribes
13:8-14 Eastern tribes' boundaries
13:15-23 Reuben
13:24-28 Gad
13:29-31 1/2 Tribe of Manasseh
14:1-5 Explanation of Allotment for 9 1/2 tribes
14:6-15:63 Judah's Allotment
14:6-15 Caleb's Inheritance
15:1-12 Judah's Boundaries
15:13-19 Caleb, Achsah, & Othniel
15:20-63 Judah's Cities
16:1-17:18 Allotment of the Tribes of Joseph
18:1-19:51 Allotment of the Remaining Tribes
18:1-10 Introduction - Joshua Sends Surveyors
18:11-28 Benjamin's Allotment
19:1-9 Simeon's Allotment
19:10-16 Zebulun's Allotment
19:17-23 Issachar's Allotment
19:24-31 Asher's Allotment
19:32-39 Naphtali's Allotment
19:40-48 Dan's Allotment
19:49-51 Joshua's Allotment
2. The Process of Allotment (14:1-5)
- V 1 This is a joint effort between Joshua, Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the tribes
- V 2 They cast lots to discern who received what allotment of land
- V 2b, 5 The land was allotted as the Lord commanded (Num 26:52-56)
3. Caleb's Inheritance (14:6-15; 15:13-19)
14:6-15
- V 7 Caleb was 40 when he went to spy out the land and when he received the promise
- V 8 "made the heart of the people melt" compared to "wholly followed the Lord my God"
- V 9 The promise made to Caleb (Num 14:24, 30; 32:12; Deut 1:34-36)
- V 10 Caleb is 85 years old when he receives the fulfillment of the promise
- 5 times throughout the passage Caleb refers to what the source of his faith is: God's promise to him (14:6, 10a, 10b, 12a, 12b)
15:13-19 Three Examples of Faith
- Caleb - drives out the sons of Anak
- Othniel - drives out the inhabitants of Debir
- Achsah - makes a bold request for more in faith
4. The Daughters of Zelophehad (17:3-6)
- Num 27:1-11; 36:1-12
- Features of their faith:
- Request is made before they have entered the land
- Request was untraditional
- The problem: if Zelophehad's daughters marry men from another tribe, the land they inherited will be transferred to their husbands' tribes, removing it from the inheritance of their father's tribe.
5. Discontentment in the Tribes of Joseph (17:14-18)
- Deut 20:1
- The problem is not that God has not provided an adequate amount of space, but that the tribes of Joseph don't believe God is adequate to lead them to victory
- God's victories yesterday put today's challenges in perspective
6. Shiloh (18:1; 19:51)
- This moment reveals a couple of things:
- The divine will was made known to Joshua, Eleazar, and the tribal leaders during the allotment
- With the tabernacle erected at Shiloh, the wilderness period was over and they were making their home in the land
- God dwelled in the midst of his people
7. Christ Connection
- Just as Joshua, Caleb, Othniel, Achsah, and the daughters of Zelophehad trusted God's promise and received their inheritance, we too receive an inheritance by faith.
- Like the inheritance of Zelophehad's daughters, which could not be taken away through human schemes or legal maneuvering, our inheritance cannot be stolen, revoked, or diminished.
- 1 Peter 1:3-5
- The God who promised the inheritance is the God who preserves his people until they possess it.
