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The Greatest Inheritance

Words of Faith Final

The Greatest Inheritance

Words of Faith 9-24-2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Joshua 13 

      [29]  This is what Moses had given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, to half the family of the descendants of Manasseh, clan by clan: [30]  The territory extending from Mahanaim and including all of Bashan, the entire realm of Og king of Bashan--all the settlements of Jair in Bashan, sixty towns, [31]  half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edrei (the royal cities of Og in Bashan). This was for the descendants of Makir son of Manasseh--for half of the sons of Makir, clan by clan. [32]  This is the inheritance Moses had given when he was in the plains of Moab across the Jordan east of Jericho. [33]  But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them.

 

        Chapter thirteen of Joshua is mostly a compilation of boundaries and inheritances. It reads a little like an archive of court documents and filing. A bit tedious, to say the least. But this is what the Hebrew people had longed for. This was the Land Promised. This was the land now conquered and occupied. Who would get to live where?

        Inheritance is a strange thing. It does strange things within families. Centuries before this, Jacob, when dying, had uttered prophecies regarding his sons. His prophecy about his firstborn Reuben was ominous (Genesis 49:3-4).  Reuben had sinned against his father by entering the bed of one of his father’s wives (Genesis 35:22).  

       Though Reuben was the firstborn and entitled to a double portion (Deut. 21:17), neither he nor his tribe received it. Now, after more than four centuries, the punishment for Reuben's sinful deed was passed on to his descendants. The right of the firstborn passed over to his brother Joseph who received two portions, one for Ephraim and the other for Manasseh (Gen. 48:12-20).

        We don’t know of any conflict over the “reading of the will” or the distribution of the lands. All the tribes received rich inheritances except for Levi.  Twice in this chapter (14, 33) and twice later (14:3-4; 18:7), we hear clearly that the tribe of Levi received no inheritance from Moses.

        At first, this may seem puzzling. But when we look more closely, we see that instead of territorial possessions, the tribe of Levi was allotted the sacrifices or offerings (13:14), the priesthood (18:7), and the Lord Himself (13:33). The priestly line of Levi would be well provided for. The Levites would live among the people all across the Promised Land, and then travel to serve in the place of sacrifice, first the Tabernacle and eventually the Temple.

        A powerful statement concludes this chapter. While the Levites appear to get nothing, they really get everything. “But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them.”

        There is no greater inheritance in all of life than the Lord Himself. We need to let that sink in. When we have disappointments or setbacks, when we feel things are not fair or we are entitled to more, we need to get a grip on the fact that we have everything in the Lord God Himself. 

        As believers, we are part of a royal priesthood. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

        This is the richest inheritance of all.

 

      Lord God, give me contentment in all that You have placed before me. Give me grace to handle those things that You have placed in my hands to manage. Give me gratitude for the greatest of gifts, Salvation in Your Name. I rejoice that You are my greatest inheritance.  In Jesus' Name.

 

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2005, 2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.