In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, you are old and stricken in years, and there remains yet very much land to be possessed. This is the land that yet remains: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri, 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”, and in chapter thirteen and verse four of Joshua we discover how Jehovah God told “Joshua” the land remains is also, “from the south, all the land of the Canaanites” where we read,
From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians,
unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites:
The verse reads, “From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “from the south” which means “separate and apart from the southern direction”, “all the land” or “each, every and the whole of the region, district, territory and country” “of the Canaanites” which means “belonging to the Canaanites whose name means ‘zealous’ and were the descendants or inhabitant of Canaan”, “and Mearah” whose name means “cave” and was “an area or cavern in the neighborhood east of Sidon” “that is beside the Sidonians” which means “which is located next to the Sidonians whose name means ‘hunting’ and were the inhabitants of Sidon”. Joshua or the writer shared how lands from the southern direction included every portion of the territory which belonged to the “Canaanites” and “Mearah” which was located next to the “Sidonians” were among the lands yet to be possessed by “Israel”.
The verse continues, “… unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites:” Joshua or the writer added the words, “unto Aphek” which means “toward Aphek or Aphik whose name means “enclosure” and was “a Canaanite city near Jezreel”, “to the borders” or “toward the boundaries or edges of the territories” “of the Amorites” which means “belonging to 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”. Joshua or the writer shared how Jehovah God also included “Aphek” all the way to the boundaries belonging to the “Amorites” in the territories which were not yet overtaken by the people of “Israel”.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we discover more of the places Jehovah God told “Joshua” that remained to be conquered by the people of “Israel”. The territory belonging to the “Canaanites” and “Mearah” next to the “Sidonians” to “Aphek” and the boundaries belonging to the “Amorites” were also to be conquered. God wanted to give the people of “Israel” a large area of territory, and they would need to go to battle in these places to seize their lands. God wants us to receive all He has for us, and the process begins when we surrender our lives to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days. When we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and equip us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and help us live in a manner that is not only pleasing to Him but also desires to inherit everything He wants to give to us. (See John 16:13; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:9)
Next time we see how Jehovah God tells “Joshua” the land remains is also, “from the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising”, 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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