The House of Joseph - Judges 1:22

In the book of Judges we learned how, “the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day”, and in chapter one and verse twenty-two of Judges, we learn about, “the house of Joseph” where we read,

And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them.

The verse reads, “And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel:” The writer began with the words, “and the house of Joseph” which means “and the dwelling place, habitation and abode belonging to Joseph whose name means ‘Jehovah has added’ and was the elder son of Jacob by Rachel and the male progenitor of the tribes of Joseph known as Ephraim and Manasseh”, “they also went up” or “they, the house of Joseph, even so and indeed arose and ascended” “against Bethel” which means “in opposition to Bethel whose name means ‘house of God’ and was an ancient place and seat of worship in Ephraim on border of Benjamin, identified with Luz (former name)”. The writer shared how the dwelling of “Joseph” rose up in opposition to “Bethel”.

The verse continues, “and the LORD was with them.” The writer added the words, “and the LORD” which means “and Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “was with them” or “existed alongside and accompanying them, the house of Joseph”. The writer shared how Jehovah God accompanied the “house of Joseph” as they rose up in battle in opposition to “Bethel”. 

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how the tribes of “Joseph” entered into battle with Jehovah God accompanying them in opposition to the city of “Bethel”. “Bethel” was another territory that was to be occupied by the people of Israel, and “Joseph” was to inherit this land. God wants to be involved in every area of our lives, and when we submit to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and rose from the grave after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and assure us of His presence every time we go into battle against the enemy. (See John 3:16; Colossians 2:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; Hebrews 6:11; 10:22)

Next time we learn how, “the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel”, 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".