Joshua 15:1-63 (The Allotment for Judah)

Joshua 15:1-63

Okay, so I have reached the type of scriptures that everyone dreads to come across when reading the bible. Here in the book of Joshua, the writer has started to go into the division of the land among the tribes. Here in this chapter in particular, he starts with the largest of the tribes, that being Judah. This section is ended by the writer letting us know that the tribe of Judah was unsuccessful to drive out the Jebusites from in and around Jerusalem, and that the Jebusites live among the people of Judah for a long time.

Now there is something of a spiritual value that we can pull from the passage with a whole lot of quasi-difficult names to read. The principle lies in the last verse, where we are told that the people of Judah did not fully push out the Jebusites, and how they remained in the land for years. Now in my studies of the rest of the bible, I am aware that chronologically after the events in Joshua, the people of Canaan were a terrible nuisance to the people of Judah and Israel as a whole, causing them to fall to idolatry often and bringing about the wrath of the Lord.

"And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth." Deuteronomy 28:1

"Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God." Deuteronomy 12:28

"If you will fear the LORD and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God, it will be well." 1st Samuel 12:14

So the principle to be learned here is to follow the commandments of the Lord exactly as he gives them, don't half way obey the Lord. We need to be either all in or not, but none of this half way business. As can be seen here and in other biblical passages, when we don't follow the direct commandments of the Lord as we should, we open ourselves up to temptation and more than likely will eventually fall to that temptation. In my own life I know often I go half way when it comes to obeying the Lord, and that normally leads me into trouble. I need to be willing and ready to go full in to obedience of the Lord.

LORD, help me today to be fully obedient to you, and to not slack when it comes to obeying what you command me. Lord, may I learn to true full obedience and may I learn from the mistakes of your people in the bible. Lord, help me to obey you today. Amen.