Some people never quite get the message.
Such was the case with too many Israelites after they trusted God for smashing victories over the Canaanites. In Joshua 18, Joshua confronts his people with a pointed question, “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?” (Joshua 18:3)
Of the twelve tribes of Israel, seven of them had failed to apportion the land they won, to build permanent homes and organize their new territories into functioning and orderly societies based on God’s law. Until they followed through after their victory, they continued to live like rootless nomads, ignoring God’s bigger picture of what He had long ago promised them—their own nation.
Defeating an enemy is a “must,” but it is not enough. Without taking practical steps to “take possession,” not just “defeat the enemy,” faith remains incomplete. We do not see full victory and full blessing of relationship with God until we take practical steps to possess all He graciously provides.
The promises of God always take us beyond our present status into new dimensions of life. God’s promises encourage us to progress in faith and “bear fruit” to bring more of the life of heaven to earth for all. This was the long-term purpose of Israel’s Promised Land—to become a beacon of God’s light to the world (Genesis 12:2-3; Isaiah 42:6).
Many of us today fall into Israel’s trap. I meet people who faithfully pray to overcome personal crises. Prayers of faith for victory are vital and right. God answers our prayers, and praise God, the crises pass. But does God give us victories just to let us return to life as usual? Or does He give us victories to lead us into new areas of maturity, fruitfulness and godly influence to others around us?
Israel’s twelve tribes won great victories, but seven tribes returned to life as usual. Joshua prodded them from complacency because they were losing sight of “the bigger picture.” This tendency toward complacency followed Israel down through their history, making them vulnerable to false promises offered by pagan gods and kings of the very people they conquered.
What a tragedy! Though they were God’s chosen people, given God’s greatest promises, they gradually fell prey to the sins of pagan nations around them. They even fell into pagan idolatry, child sacrifice and tyranny. In the end, they faced God’s judgement and went into exile for 2,500 years.
May Israel’s sad experience prod us from our own tendencies toward complacency! While we all need assurance of salvation and victory over personal crises, this is not “the bigger picture.” God has bigger plans and promises for us and the world that too many of us ignore or do not know. If we truly knew and acted on them as God intends, our present world would already live far differently than it does now.
Let us not limit God to just rescuing us from crises. Let us become aware of our greater partnership with Him and His promises for us to possess them all through faith and action. Our desire to know and claim the full promises of God affect not only us but our families, communities and nation, and the whole world.
