From Nephtoah to Mount Ephron - Joshua 15:9

In the book of Joshua, we learned, “This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families” which included how, “the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward”, and in chapter fifteen and verse nine of Joshua we learn how, “the border was drawn from … Nephtoah … to the cities of mount Ephron” where we read,

And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjathjearim:

The verse reads, “And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and the border” which means “and the edge, circuit and boundary” “was drawn” or “existed as delineated, extended, traced out and outlined” “from the top of the hill” which means “separated and apart from the upper part, height and summit, belonging to the mountain” “unto the fountain” or “to the spring or well” “of the water” which means “belonging to the transitory water springs or watercourses” “of Nephtoah” or “belonging to Nephtoah whose name means ‘opening’ and was “a spring or source of water on the boundary of the territories of Judah and Benjamin; located northwest of Jerusalem”. Joshua or the writer shared how the boundary was delineated from the summit of the mountain to the spring belonging to the watercourse within “Nephtoah”.

 

The verse continues, “and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjathjearim:” Joshua or the writer added the words, “and went out to the cities” which means “and departed, left and proceeded toward the dwelling places and towns” “of mount Ephron” or “belonging to the rising above the plain or hill named Ephron whose name means ‘fawn-like’ and was a mountain on the northern border of Judah and a city on the borders of Benjamin”: “and the border” which means “and the edge, circuit and boundary” “was drawn to Baalah” or “existed as delineated, extended, outlined and traced out to Baalah whose name means ‘mistress’ and was a town in the south of Judah, also called Balah and Bilhah”, “which is Kirjathjearim” which means “that exists as Kirjahjearim whose name means ‘city of forests’ and was a city on the northern boundary of Judah and on the western and southern boundaries of Benjamin”. Joshua or the writer also shared how the boundary of the land given to the “tribe of Judah” extended to the rising above the plain known as “Ephon”, and the boundary was also delineated to “Baalah” otherwise known as “Kirjathjearim”.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn more about the boundary of the property given to the “tribe of Judah”. From the summit of the rising above the plain to the spring of the watercourse belonging to “Nephtoah” as well as the dwelling places belonging to the rising above the plain known as “Ephron” and the delineated boundary belonging to “Baalah or Kirjathjearim”. Boundary by boundary and delineated line upon line, the “tribe of Judah’s” territory was being shown and given to them. God knew where they would raise their families and live in a manner of worship to Him. God wants us to worship Him in “spirit and in truth” (See John 4:23-24), and He gave His Son Jesus to the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and He raised Him from the dead after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him as our personal “Savior and Lord” to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and empower us to live in that truth so our lives are pleasing to Him and we receive all the inheritance and boundaries He desires for us. (See John 16:13; Acts 1:8; Colossians 1:12; Ephesians 1:18)

Next time Joshua or the writer shares about, “the border compassed from Baalah westward unto mount Seirh”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".