Joshua 17

The Lord made covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob's favorite son, Joseph, had two sons. Manasseh was the first-born, and his name carried with it something like the Hebrew word “forget,” for the Lord had helped Joseph to forget all his hardship and his former life with his brothers who had sold him into bondage. Though this idea of forgetting was in Manasseh's name, the Lord did not forget Manaasseh's descendants. His younger brother Ephraim's descendants would be greater than his, but the Lord remembered Manasseh, and provided a large allotment for the people that bore his name.

God also remembered His earlier word to the daughters of Zelophehad. Their father was left without any male descendants. Would the Lord and his people forget them in their time of need? God had already given instruction regarding His provision for them, and now their cares and the Lord's sure promises had reached this point of fulfillment. They would have an inheritance alongside the other clans of Manasseh.

As with Ephraim, there was a disappointing note that the tribe of Manasseh was not able to complete the conquest in the territory allotted to them. The Canaanites were too strong for them. How could this be? Again we have a word about forced labor, but was this the Lord's plan?

The Lord gave a good word of faith to Joshua regarding His provision for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. They were a numerous people, and their territory would be large. The job before them would not be easy, but the Lord would grant them all that they needed. His victory would be expressed through their labor and their battle.

Part of their allotment was in forests that would need to be cleared. “Though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders.” The other portion had inhabitants that had intimidating military equipment. Joshua said to them, “You shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.”

Each tribe, each clan, each family, and each person would have a different experience of the Lord's conquest working through them. Not every victory would come as it had at Jericho. Not every enemy would be defeated with a shout. For the descendants of Joseph, their large territories would require the labor of clearing forests, and facing enemies who would come against them in strong chariots.

There is a difference in what one person faces when compared with another. Some have lives that are genuinely more difficult than others, but we are all called to bear one another's burdens in love. There is also a difference between your lot in life today, and your inheritance that is surely coming to you in Jesus Christ. We all have a great inheritance worthy of contemplating right now, a land of eternal blessedness that God has prepared for us in Christ.

Jesus has won for us that perfect inheritance. He has cleared away all the penalty that was against us through His life and death. Through His one sacrifice we have been granted not only the tremendous blessing of His righteousness, but also the fullness of reward that He gladly shares with us in the new land of promise.

No enemy can stop Him. Let your heart be strengthened now in grace as you contemplate the great blessings that He won for you. Then go out again today to fight the good fight of faith, trusting in His Name, and expecting His help. The Son of God is your friend. What can man do to you? The Lord remembers His promises, and He remembers you.