DCLM Daily Manna 12 April 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Waiting In Faith
TOPIC: Waiting In Faith (DCLM Daily Manna 12 April 2022)
TEXT: Joshua 18:1-12 (KJV)
1 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.
2 And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.
3 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you?
4 Give out from among you three men for each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me.
5 And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coasts on the north.
6 Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord our God.
7 But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.
8 And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the Lord in Shiloh.
9 And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.
10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.
11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.
12 And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven.
KEY VERSE: “And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.” – (Joshua 18:2)
MESSAGE:
William Bathurst once said, “O for a faith that will not shrink, though pressed by every foe. That will not tremble on the brink of any earthly woe! That will not murmur nor complain. Beneath the chastening rod, but, in the hour of grief or pain, will lean upon his God. A faith that shines more bright and clear when the tempest rage without. That when in danger, knows no fear, in darkness, feels no doubt”.
Israel’s faith was put to a test, especially that of the seven tribes yet to receive their inheritance. Although the Promised Land, in principle, was said to be ‘subdued’, it was yet to be possessed physically. Joshua, the new captain of the host kept the hope of the congregation alive. He sent chosen men to go into the land and divide it by faith among the seven tribes. He cast lots (a system of determining God’s will throughout the Old Testament) to know God’s mind before the final allocation.
Israel has waited for the promise made to their fathers centuries ago to be fulfilled. The congregation was united in hope even though the temptation was there among those yet to inherit their portions to become impatient. The decision made by the leadership to have the fighting men of the tribes already settled on the other side of Jordan, fight alongside those yet to be settled, until every tribe receives their inheritance, no doubt helped matters.
Joshua’s challenge to the other seven tribes teaches us that God will not play your part for you. Whatever our needs are, He has made adequate and unfailing provisions for us. While in expectation, we must move by faith to play our own part to fully appropriate our inheritance.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Faith sees results while still waiting.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalm 72-77
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
