Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Joshua Chapter 21.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+21&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“41 All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the sons of Israel were forty-eight cities with their pasture lands.  42 These cities each had its surrounding pasture lands;  thus it was with all these cities.

43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it.  44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them;  the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand.  45 Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed;  all came to pass.”   Joshua 21:41-45.

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The righteous live by faith in God’s promises.  “Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident;  for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.  However, the Law is not of faith;  on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.”  Galatians 3:11-12.

We are children of promise.  “And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.”  Galatians 4:28.  “That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.”  Romans 9:8.  “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”  Acts 2:39.

“For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise;  but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.”  Galatians 3:18.

“Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law?  For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman.  But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.  This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants:  one proceeding from Mount Sinai (symbolizing the Ten Commandments which came from Mount Sinai – Bill’s comment) bearing children who are to be slaves;  she is Hagar.  Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.  But the Jerusalem above is free;  she is our mother.  For it is written,

“Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear;
Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor;
For more numerous are the children of the desolate
Than of the one who has a husband.”

And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.”  Galatians 4:21-28.

“Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God?  May it never be!  For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.  But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”  Galatians 3:21-22.

“For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.  For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified;  for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.

For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.  In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”  Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;  yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.  Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness.  Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”  Romans 4:13-25.

“For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes;  therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.  Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”  2 Corinthians 1:20-22.

“remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”  Ephesians 2:12-13.

“to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,”  Ephesians 3:6.

“in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”  Galatians 3:14.

“in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,”  Titus 1:2.

“Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.”  Hebrews 4:1.

“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”  And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.  For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.  In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”  Hebrews 6:13-20.

Today’s devotion is a special addition and continuation of the last Scripture presented in yesterday’s devotion.

“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;  but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 1:26-31.

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“His doing” is “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“His doing” is “Limited Atonement”, the “L” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“His doing” is “Irresistible Grace”, the “I” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“His doing” is “Preservation of the Saints”, the “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Praise God for “His doing”, because the only thing or condition man contributed is “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation!

Today’s devotion comes from Joshua Chapter 20 which covers the designation of the cities of refuge.

“1 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘Designate the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, 3 that the manslayer who kills any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood.  4 He shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and state his case in the hearing of the elders of that city;  and they shall take him into the city to them and give him a place, so that he may dwell among them.  5 Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand.  6 He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days.  Then the manslayer shall return to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.’”

7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.  8 Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.  9 These were the appointed cities for all the sons of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally may flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the congregation.”  Joshua Chapter 20.

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Many claim that God is their refuge.  But, their actions show that they really trust themselves and their alleged free-will. 

The extent to which Reformed Doctrine trusts God as its refuge is the joyful embrace that Reformed Doctrine gives to God’s “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Many bristle against that predestination, that “Unconditional Election”.  They want salvation to be in their own hands.  They think that they can be either good enough:  “I am not as bad as my next door neighbor Jimmy.”  Or, they think they can be wise enough to know God and His commandments:  “I live a good moral life;  God certainly loves me.”  Or, they think that their alleged free-will is not hostile to God:  “I can and will at least wave my hand to summon God to save me.”

But, Scripture is clear about man’s “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Man is dead in sin.  Man is not wounded in sin;  man is dead in sin.  “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.  Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”  Ephesians 2:1-3.

And, even if man was not dead in sin, only wounded and drowning, man still would not even use his alleged free-will to at least wave his hand to summon God to save himself.  Man is hostile to God.  “… you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,”  Colossians 1:21.  “because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God;  for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”  Romans 8:7-8.

And, even if man was not dead in sin and not hostile to God, man does not seek God.

10 as it is written,

“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16 Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17 And the path of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

The stark contrast between trusting God and trusting man (including himself) is present in the following Scripture.

“5 Thus says the Lord,
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 “For he will be like a bush in the desert
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A land of salt without inhabitant.
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
And whose trust is the Lord.
8 “For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.”  Jeremiah 17:5-8.

“Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold.  Selah.”  Psalm 46:10-11.

“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;  but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 1:26-31.

Today’s devotion comes from Joshua Chapter 19.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+19&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“When they finished apportioning the land for inheritance by its borders, the sons of Israel gave an inheritance in their midst to Joshua the son of Nun.  In accordance with the command of the Lord they gave him the city for which he asked, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim.  So he built the city and settled in it.

These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel distributed by lot in Shiloh before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting.  So they finished dividing the land.”  Joshua 19:49-51.

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Five chapters later, we later read the following about this city of Timnath-serah.

“It came about after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old.  And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of Mount Gaash.”  Joshua 24:29-30.

Joshua received the city for which he asked, Timnath-serah, and he built the city and settled in it, and he was also buried there.

We may get what we want.  It may be good for us.  Or, it may be bad for us.  We need wisdom to guide our requests.

But, even if we are wise and get what is good for us, we may keep it for a short time.  Or, we may keep it for a long time.

And, even if we are wise and get what is good for us and keep it for a long time, compared to God’s eternity, man’s life (even the best of us) is very short.  

“1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

3 You turn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it passes by,
Or as a watch in the night.
5 You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep;
In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew.
6 In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew;
Toward evening it fades and withers away.

7 For we have been consumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath we have been dismayed.
8 You have placed our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For all our days have declined in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a sigh.
10 As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, eighty years,
Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we fly away.
11 Who understands the power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?
12 So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

13 Do return, O Lord; how long will it be?
And be sorry for Your servants.
14 O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness,
That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the years we have seen evil.
16 Let Your work appear to Your servants
And Your majesty to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.”  Psalm Chapter 90.

Our life is so short;  we don’t have time to do merely what is good.  We need to determine what is best for us to do through God’s guidance and other grace.  Many times, we need to say:  “No.” to what is only good, so that we have time to do the best.  People may not understand, but we need to be more concerned about God’s will and having time to fulfill our calling.  

We were created and gifted to do very specific good works.  “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10.

It is easy to think we have all the time in the world and lose focus and get lazy and content to do only what is good.

“… Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”  Colossians 4:17.

“So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”  Psalm 90:12.

Today’s devotion comes from Joshua Chapter 18.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+18&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“1 Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled themselves at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there;  and the land was subdued before them.

2 There remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance.  3 So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?  4 Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe that I may send them, and that they may arise and walk through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance;  then they shall return to me.  5 They shall divide it into seven portions;  Judah shall stay in its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north.  6 You shall describe the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me.  I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God.  7 For the Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh also have received their inheritance eastward beyond the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”

8 Then the men arose and went, and Joshua commanded those who went to describe the land, saying, “Go and walk through the land and describe it, and return to me;  then I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.”  9 So the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.  10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land to the sons of Israel according to their divisions.”  Joshua 18:1-10.

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As the seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance were commanded to walk through the earthly Promised Land (Canaan) and write a description of it, verse 4, we are commanded to meditate on the LORD, His sovereignty, and the heavenly Promised Land.

“12 Walk about Zion and go around her;
Count her towers;
13 Consider her ramparts;
Go through her palaces,
That you may tell it to the next generation.”  Psalm 48:12-13.

There is some doctrine which seem to be more interested in man and what he is doing. 

But, Reformed Doctrine is ever walking about Zion, learning more about God and what He is doing. 

There is some doctrine which cling to alleged free-will of man.

“2 The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”  Psalm 2:2-3.

But, Reformed Doctrine proclaims the total and absolute sovereignty of God.

“4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”  Psalm 2:4-6.

Reformed Doctrine teaches that this total and absolute sovereignty of God includes sovereignty over who will be saved and who will not be saved through “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

The following Psalm Chapter 48 puts it all together with its elements of the focus on the LORD, the beauty and strength of God’s sovereignty, the terror of the those who rebel against such sovereignty, the lovingkindness and righteousness of the LORD, and the command to meditate on LORD, His sovereignty, and the heavenly Promised Land. 

“1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
In the city of our God, His holy mountain.
2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion in the far north,
The city of the great King.
3 God, in her palaces,
Has made Himself known as a stronghold.

4 For, lo, the kings assembled themselves,
They passed by together.
5 They saw it, then they were amazed;
They were terrified, they fled in alarm.
6 Panic seized them there,
Anguish, as of a woman in childbirth.
7 With the east wind
You break the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
In the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God;
God will establish her forever.  Selah.

9 We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God,
In the midst of Your temple.
10 As is Your name, O God,
So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad,
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice
Because of Your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion and go around her;
Count her towers;
13 Consider her ramparts;
Go through her palaces,
That you may tell it to the next generation.
14 For such is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will guide us until death.”  Psalm Chapter 48.

Today’s devotion comes from Joshua Chapter 17.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+17&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“3 However, Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.  4 They came near before Eleazar the priest and before Joshua the son of Nun and before the leaders, saying, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.”  So according to the command of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers.

…

“14 Then the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion for an inheritance, since I am a numerous people whom the Lord has thus far blessed?”  15 Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.” 16 The sons of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the valley land have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth-shean and its towns and those who are in the valley of Jezreel.”  17 Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people and have great power;  you shall not have one lot only, 18 but the hill country shall be yours.  For though it is a forest, you shall clear it, and to its farthest borders it shall be yours;  for you shall drive out the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron and though they are strong.”  Joshua Chapter 17:  Verses 3-4 and 14-18.

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We meditate on two requests in today’s Scripture.

In today’s Scripture, in verses 3 and 4, we are first reminded of the request of the daughters of Zelophehad:  “Our father died in the wilderness, yet he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah;  but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons.  Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family because he had no son?  Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.”  Numbers 27:3-4.

Later, in this chapter, we first read of the complaint/request of the sons of Joseph for more land.  Verses 14-18.

Both requests were granted, but in different ways.  The request of the daughters of Zelophehad was simply granted.  It does not appear that they had to fight for or work much for their land.  In contrast, the request of the sons of Joseph was also granted, but they had to both fight for it (“for you shall drive out the Canaanites”) and work hard for it (“For though it is a forest, you shall clear it”).

Likewise, we may have requests that may be granted quickly and easily.  We may get what is wanted as quickly and easily as one opens a Christmas gift.  Or, in contrast, we may get what is wanted but we will have to fight for it and work for it.

But, even for those requests that we have to fight for what we want and work for it, we should not be dismayed or discouraged, for part of the grant of our request is that God will certainly guide us and empower us to get what we want.

“The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you;  He will be with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed.”  Deuteronomy 31:8.

We see this most clearly in our most common request for money.  Although God can give us money through an inheritance or through other gifts, most of the time, we will need to work for it (and figuratively fight for it).  But, let us not be dismayed or discouraged for God will certainly guide us and give us power to make wealth as part of His grant of our request.

“But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”  Deuteronomy 8:18.

“And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones;  And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”  Isaiah 58:11.

“For such is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will guide us until death.”  Psalm 48:14.

Today’s devotion comes from Joshua Chapter 16.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+16&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“1 Then the lot for the sons of Joseph went from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east into the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel.  2 It went from Bethel to Luz, and continued to the border of the Archites at Ataroth.  3 It went down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of lower Beth-horon even to Gezer, and it ended at the sea.

4 The sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance.”  Joshua 16:1-4.

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“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”  Proverbs 13:22.

All the sons of Israel received their inheritance, even Manasseh and Ephraim (Israel’s “children’s children” in the language of the foregoing verse).  And, it appears from all the details of each share of the inheritance that we have been reading in the last few chapters of Joshua that God took delight in what He was giving each of them.

Like all of the sons of Israel received their inheritance, all of God’s elect will receive their inheritance.

We do not receive the earthly Promised Land of Canaan.  But, we do receive the heavenly Promised Land of Heaven.

Like God took delight in reciting the details of the earthly Promised Land of Canaan, God took delight in reciting the details of the heavenly Promised Land of Heaven.

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.  Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.  It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, …  And the twelve gates were twelve pearls;  each one of the gates was a single pearl.  And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”  Revelation 21:10-12 and 21.

“He chooses our inheritance for us,
The glory of Jacob whom He loves.  Selah.”  Psalm 47:4.

“54 So He brought them to His holy land,
To this hill country which His right hand had gained.
55 He also drove out the nations before them
And apportioned them for an inheritance by measurement,
And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.”  Psalm 78:54-55.

“Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the portion of your inheritance,”   Psalm 105:11.

“For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise;  but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.”  Galatians 3:18.

“… In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”  Ephesians 1:10-12.

“For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”  Hebrews 9:15.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  1 Peter 1:3-5.

Today’s devotion comes from Joshua chapter 15 which names cities, borders, and other land in the territory in the territory of Judah.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+15&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“Now he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah, according to the command of the Lord to Joshua, namely, Kiriath-arba, Arba being the father of Anak (that is, Hebron).  Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak:  Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the children of Anak.  Then he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir;  now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher.  And Caleb said, “The one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter as a wife.”  Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it;  so he gave him Achsah his daughter as a wife.  It came about that when she came to him, she persuaded him to ask her father for a field.  So she alighted from the donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”  Then she said, “Give me a blessing;  since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also springs of water.”  So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.”  Joshua 15:13-19.

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In the previous chapter and devotion, we meditated on the faith and request of Caleb.

What was the result of such a faith and specific request by Caleb?  

“So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.”  Verse 13.

In today’s devotion, we will meditate on the two requests of Caleb’s daughter (nothing is said about her faith).

We notice that she was not afraid to ask for good things from her earthly father Caleb.  First, she persuaded her husband to ask her father for a field, and we see that her father gave her more than a field, he gave her the land of Negev.  Second, she directly asked her father for springs of water, and we see that her father gave her more than one springs of water, he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. 

So, let us not forget the theme of yesterday’s devotion which is covered again by today’s Scripture and pounded in by the fact that the father gave more to his daughter than she asked.

“Ask, and it will be given to you;  seek, and you will find;  knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”  Matthew 7:7-11.

Today’s Scripture comes from Joshua Chapter 14.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+14&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“6 Then the sons of Judah drew near to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh-barnea.  7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. 8 Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear;  but I followed the Lord my God fully.  9 So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’  10 Now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today.  11 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.  12 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.”

13 So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.  14 Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the Lord God of Israel fully.  15 Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba; for Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.  Then the land had rest from war.”  Joshua 14:6-15.

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Part of Caleb’s faith was that the LORD indeed would reward him and fulfill His promise.  And, Caleb believed that the LORD would reward him with the promised hill country.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  Hebrews 11:6.

We too must believe, not only lamely that God exists, but that God also rewards us.

In addition, part of Caleb’s faith was that the LORD was his God.  In  verse 8, he refers to the LORD as “my God“.  And, Caleb was bold enough to ask his God for the promised hill country.  Verse 12.

This faith is not only in the existence of a god somewhere out there, but it is a faith in a Faithful Father.

Here is what the Heidelberg Catechism states about this faith in a Faithful Father.

Q. 26.  What believest thou when thou sayest, “I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?

A.  That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (who of nothing made heaven and earth, with all that is in them;  who likewise upholds and governs the same by His eternal counsel and providence is, for the sake of Christ His Son, my God and my Father;  on whom I rely so entirely, that I have no doubt but He will provide me with all things necessary for soul and body;  and further, that He will make whatever evils He sends upon me, in this valley of tears, turn out to my advantage;  for He is able to do it, being Almighty God, and willing, being a faithful Father. 

What was the result of such a faith and specific request by Caleb? 

“So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.”  Verse 13.

We too must ask for those good gifts.

“Ask, and it will be given to you;  seek, and you will find;  knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”  Matthew 7:7-11.

“In that day you will not question Me about anything.  Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.  Until now you have asked for nothing in My name;  ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”  John 16:23-24.

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory;  No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”  Psalm 84:11.

“What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who is against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:31-32.

So, “ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”  John 16:24.

Today’s devotion comes from Joshua Chapter 13 which covers in great detail how much of the Promised Land (Canaan) remained to be conquered and possessed and how this land would be divided among the tribes of Israel.  Here is a link to Joshua Chapter 13 – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+13&version=NASB

I quote only the following verse which will be the focus of this devotion.

“But to the tribe of Levi, Moses did not give an inheritance;  the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as He had promised to them.”  Joshua 13:33.

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Who is this “LORD, the God of Israel”?

First of all, we want to remember the immediate context.  What was this “Lord, the God of Israel” saying to us about Himself when He commanded and worked to systematically destroy almost all of the people of Canaan that we have seen in at least the last 8 chapters of the book of Joshua?

This “Lord, the God of Israel” is not a god of common grace.  God does not love everyone.  Instead, God only has a special love for Israel who symbolized His elect.

Yes, God would later include Gentiles within His elect.  But, neither all Jews nor all Gentiles are part of His elect.

This special love of God for His elect is like the special love that a husband has only for his wife.  Like a husband who does not love everyone but only loves his wife, God only loves His elect.  But, also like a husband who will do everything for his wife, God does everything for His elect.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing;  but that she would be holy and blameless.  So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies.”  Ephesians 5:25-28.

Christ did not die for everyone.  Christ only died for God’s elect.  If Christ died for everyone (purchased with His blood), then everyone would be saved.  Christ died only for all the elect, and all of the elect are completely saved.  This is “Limited Atonement”, the “L” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

For the elect, God did everything needed for their salvation.  “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30.

“What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who is against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:31-32.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28.