In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goes up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions”, and in chapter twelve and verse eight of Joshua we discover more of the places that “Israel” possessed where we read,
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:
The verse reads, “In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country;” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “in the mountains” which means “within the risings above the plain or hills”, “and in the valleys” or “and within the lowlands or low countries”, “and in the plains” which means “and within the desert steppes or wilderness”, “and in the springs” or “and within the slopes and ravines”, “and in the wilderness” which means “and within the pasture, uninhabited land or open fields”, “and in the south country” or “and within the region within the southern area”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” divided up the promise land within the “mountains, valleys, plains, springs, wilderness and region in the southern area”.
The verse goes on to say, “the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “the Hittites” whose name means “descendant of Heth and was the nation descended from Heth, the second son of Canaan; once inhabitants of central Anatolia (modern Turkey), later in north Lebanon”, “the Amorites” whose name means “a sayer” and was “one of the peoples of east Canaan and beyond the Jordan, dispossessed by the Israelite incursion from Egypt”, “and the Canaanites” which means “and the descendants or inhabitants of Cana whose name means zealous”, “the Perizzites” whose name means “belonging to a village and were a people who inhabited southern Canaan prior to the conquest”, “the Hivites” whose name means “the villagers” and was “sixth generation of descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham, who were living in northern Canaan near Mount Hermon at the time of the conquest” “the Jebusites” whose name means “descendants of Jebus” and were the descendants of the third son of Canaan who lived in or around the site of Jebus, the early name for Jerusalem. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” also divided up the territories conquered by “Israel” and previously possessed by the “Hitties, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites”.
When we think through the words in this verse, we discover how “Joshua” was distributing the areas within the promise land which the people of “Israel” overtook in battles. Their territory was widespread as it covered the “mountains, valleys, plains, springs, wilderness and southern regions” which were previously occupied by the “Hitties, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites”. God bestowed these territories upon the people of “Israel”, and “Joshua” was assigned the responsibility of dividing the land among the different “tribes” of “Israel”. God knew in advance what would happen with the people of “Israel”, and because He loves them, He provided for them. God desires to have this type of relationship with us as well, and when we receive His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of everyone and was raised 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 granted His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and empower us to live in a manner that is not only pleasing to Him, but also receives that which He desires to give us as an inheritance.
Next time we discover how “Israel” conquered, “the king of Jericho” and “the king of Ai”, 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".
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