Give Me This Hill Country
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April 26, 2015 |
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 "Now then, give me this hill country about which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I will drive them out as the LORD has spoken" (Joshua 14:12).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
In the Old Testament, when the Israelites lived by the Word of God they could experience God's works. But when they committed sins, He had no alternative but to turn His back on them. As seen in so many of their cases, God is truly alive and blesses and answers those who keep His commandments and earnestly seek Him.
Now let's delve into how the Israelites could achieve God-given promises and conquer the Land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey.
1. Joshua and the Israelites' Conquest of Canaan
The news that Israel had conquered the southern portion of Canaan by the power of God spread quickly to the people in the northern regions.
How surprised the Canaanites must have been! Now they felt a great need among themselves to unite in a stand against Israel. Among the leaders was King Jabin of Hazor. Hazor was one of their strongest of the cities. The king sent his messengers to his neighboring countries and formed an allied force against Israel (Joshua 11:1-3).
When they all came out with their armies, their number was like sand on a beach. But this time too, God promised the Israelites a victory and encouraged Joshua. "Then the LORD said to Joshua, 'Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow at this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel; you shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire'" (Joshua 11:6).
Now, as recorded in 1 Samuel 17:47, no matter how great the army may be or how many chariots they may have it does not insure a victory in battle, for the battle is the LORD God's.
With faith in God's promise of victory, Joshua and army of the nation of Israel launched a surprise attack on the allied forces who had camped near the water. Israel defeated the allied armies of Canaanites all at one time without leaving any survivors. As God commanded, they hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire. This is how they finished another great battle.
Continuing the victories in the central and southern parts of the Canaan Land, they went on to conquer the northern part, and it was the end of a significant chapter of the conquest of Canaan (Joshua, chapters 11-12).
2. Achievement of God's Promise through Faith and Obedience
God promised Abraham that He would give them the Canaan Land. Hundreds of years had passed, but finally at the time of Moses, a glimpse of the fulfillment of the promise became visible. Even after the Exodus, there were the forty years of life in wilderness and more than seven years of warfare before this promise was completely fulfilled.
If the first generation of the Israelites had shown faith, they themselves could have conquered the Land of Canaan. However, they did not have faith to that extent. So the blessing was put off. When God promises something, there is a condition: only those who believe and obey can experience His work.
Some people say, "God is said to be 'God the Healer', but if so, then why are some people still sick though they believe?" Concerning this, Exodus 15:26 presents a clear condition for blessing: "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer."
A person must meet these conditions at their measure of faith for the promise of God to be fulfilled.
For the sons of Israel to enter into the Canaan Land, they also had to have faith. For them to meet and hold to these conditions, God showed them numerous signs and wonders. Nevertheless, the first generation of the Exodus did not have faith and the fulfillment of God's promise had to be postponed. However, it was fulfilled in the next generation.
But the second generation of the Exodus was different. They had steadfast faith in God and together with Joshua, they obeyed Him. Finally, they could enter and conquer the 'land flowing with milk and honey'.
3. Caleb's Moving Profession and Faith with which He Conquered Hebron
Having conquered the Canaan Land did not mean their work was all finished. Israel took over the Canaan Land in general, but not all the peoples living in the land were destroyed. They still had to drive away some people in different parts of the land, and they had to settle down on the land to make the land completely their own.
In Joshua chapter 13, God commanded Joshua to distribute the land to all tribes of Israel, not only the parts already conquered but also other parts of the land that still had to be conquered. Until now, all tribes of Israel fought the battles as one but from that time on, each tribe of Israel had to conquer the land that was given to each of them.
So, the task of taking control of their land was now up to the faith of each individual tribe of Israel. The results would be different according to how much spiritual faith they showed and how much they obeyed God's will. At this moment, one person stood up and asked for his right prior to all other tribes (Numbers 14:24). It was Caleb, the son of Jephunneh who made profession of faith with Joshua among twelve spies after they had spied Canaan.
Caleb never forgot God's promise given to him while he was going through the forty years in the wilderness and when he was fighting the many battles in Canaan for seven years. And when the time came to distribute the Canaan Land, he mentioned God's promise given to him and asked Joshua to give him the land.
What Caleb asked was not as though he wanted to gain something by mentioning all that he had done right. It was rather a confession of his faith that had become firmer during the course of forty years of trial. It was the expression of his devotion that he would dedicate himself first. The land of Hebron that he asked to receive was still occupied by the strong people Anakim, and they had to fight to take the land. He asked for the land of Hebron that God had promised to give to him, although he had to go through difficult battles all over again to take it.
In Joshua 14:10-12, Caleb made a moving remark, saying, "And now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. Now then, give me this hill country about which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I will drive them out as the LORD has spoken."
When Caleb said he wanted to go to the mountainous area, as God promised He gave him the land of Hebron. Caleb defeated the mighty and powerful Anakim and took the fertile land as his portion that would last throughout the generations. This way he showed an example of faith before the people of Israel. The distribution of the land began this way, beginning with Caleb.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, life on this earth is like traveling. Until we reach Heaven, we constantly fight against the rulers, against the powers, against the worldly forces in this darkness, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the air.
In this process, I urge you to believe in the God-given promises unchangingly like Caleb, the warrior of faith, and to bear abundant fruit with actions of the faith.
I hope you will not be lazy in achieving a thing of victory and not be disheartened when faced with hardship. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will take hold of a better dwelling place in Heaven by force and eventually live in the glory of New Jerusalem after this life ends.
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