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Take Your Mountain 

Take what God has promised you!

Joshua 14–19

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • September 8, In the year of our Lord, 2013

 

Prelude: 

  1. Sometimes we question why God does not do something for us, but 
    1. He has done numberless things for us, and
    2. we often just have to get up and take what He has delivered.
  2. Let me illustrate with the matter of salvation. 
    1. Many people will question at the Judgment
    2. why God will not save them, yet,
      1. He provided an Earth upon which they could live,
      2. He provided all the good things of the Earth for them to enjoy,
      3. He provided for them what they needed everyday,
      4. He provided the Scriptures in which He taught us all that we need to know,
      5. He provided a sacrifice for our sins in the death of His Son, and
        1. we cannot believe Him and
        2. do what He says?
          1. To those people that was just too much.
          2. Therefore, they will not spend eternity with Him.
  3. He has done everything for us 
    1. that we can not do,
    2. which is the major part of our lives,
      1. why then should He do what we can do ourselves?
      2. He is not a God of laziness.
  4. There are things in your life 
    1. that you need or want, and
    2. that He has promised, but
      1. you need to take it.
      2. You need to do your part.
  5. Consider Israel recently entered into the Land of Canaan. 

Persuasion: 

  1. Joshua 14.1–5 – The Inheritance of the Priests

    3b …to the Levites he had given no inheritance among them (Jos 14.3b).

    1. Jacob said it would be this way for Levi (Gen 49.7).
    2. Like the Levites, we are the priests of God.
      1. This world is not our home.
      2. While we live here, as the Levites did, yet,
        1. we have no true final inheritance in this world.
        2. We look for a better, that is, a heavenly country (Heb 11.16).
          1. Therefore, even as the Levites could not take what was not theirs,
          2. so we cannot take what is not ours.
  2. Joshua 14.6–15 – Give Me this Mountain 
    1. Caleb reminded Joshua of the Lord promises,
      1. that Caleb would inherit certain land in the Land of Canaan, and
      2. since the Lord had kept Caleb alive, he requested of Joshua,

        12 “Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.” 13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. 14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel (Jos 14.12–14).

        1. He only wanted to take what the Lord had promised.
        2. He knew he could do it with the Lord’s help.
        3. He was able to do this because he wholly followed the Lord.
  3. Joshua 15.16–19 – Ask, and You Shall Receive 
    1. Joshua detailed the border of the tribe of Judah.
    2. Then he spoke of Caleb again and his generosity,

      18b [Caleb’s daughter] dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you wish?” 19 She answered, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs (Jos 15.18b–19).

      1. Caleb had freely received, so he would freely give, just as our Lord taught.
      2. Also, Caleb gave to his daughter what she needed, even as God does.

        8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me…
        (Psa 138.8)

        9 Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?”
        says the Lord.
        “Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.
        (Isa 66.9)

        6 …He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phi 1.6).

    3. What do you need to take?
      1. Does it seem beyond your capability?
      2. Ask the Lord for help, even as Achsah asked her father Caleb.
        1. Did not Jesus say something about receiving
        2. that for which we ask?
    4. However, the tribe of Judah did not take Mount Zion,
      1. as they should have and
      2. as they could have,

        63 As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day (Jos 15.63).

        1. Because Judah did not take their mountain,
        2. they suffered for it as the Book of Judges shows.
          1. If you will not take what the Lord has promised,
          2. He will not force it upon you, but
            1. you may suffer for not taking it,
            2. even as the children of Judah did.
  4. Joshua 16 – Take Your Inheritance 
    1. The Lord promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Land of Canaan, and
      1. their descendants would inherit the Land.
      2. He is the God of the Earth,
        1. who created the Canaanites, but
        2. they violated His holiness so He dispatched them from the Land.
    2. Thus, Joseph, as a tribe of Jacob, had land to inherit, and they took it,

      4 So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance (Jos 16.4).

      1. Likewise, the Lord has made grand promises to us,

        21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours (1Co 3.21–22).

        13 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11.13).

      2. Therefore, get up and do what you are able to do with God’s help.
    3. However, the tribes of Joseph also failed to remove the Canaanites,

      10 And they did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day and have become forced laborers (Jos 16.10).

      1. Since they failed to take all their inheritance,
      2. they also suffered the evil influence of the Canaanites, as Judges shows.
  5. Joshua 17 – Ladies, Take Your Inheritance 
    1. There are some men who sit back and let the women do the work, and
      1. there are some women who sit back and let the men do the work,
      2. excusing themselves that they cannot do what the men can do.
    2. However, one Israelite had five daughters and no sons.
      1. They approached Moses,
      2. wanting to know why their father’s name would be excluded
        1. from inheriting in the land.
        2. The Lord told Moses that the ladies were right and
          1. to give them an inheritance in the land,
          2. which Joshua would then divide to them, but
            1. they had to get up and take their inheritance,
            2. just like the men,

              4 And they came near before Eleazar the priest, before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the rulers, saying, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” Therefore, according to the commandment of the Lord, he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers (Jos 17.4).

      3. Nehemiah 3.12 shows
        1. that women worked in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.
        2. Therefore, sisters, the Lord will not do for you what you can do yourself.
    3. Later in Joshua 17, it seems that the children of Joseph
      1. were only limited by that for which they asked.
      2. They kept asking and kept getting until they quit asking,

        14 Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the Lord has blessed us until now?” 15 So Joshua answered them, “If you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you.” 16 But the children of Joseph said, “The mountain country is not enough for us; and all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth Shean and its towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel.” 17 And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—saying, “You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, 18 but the mountain country shall be yours…” (Jos 17.14–18).

  6. Joshua 18 – Do Not Be Neglectful 
    1. After all that I have shown you, you would think
      1. that the rest of Israel would go take their mountains, but
      2. they neglected to do so and Joshua rebuked them for it,

        2 But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance. 3 Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: “How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?” (Jos 18.2–3).

    2. That pictures many Christians,
      1. who do not make full use of all that God has supplied
      2. to help them take their various mountains.
        1. They fail to read God’s Book on how to live.
        2. They fail to make time to pray.
        3. They worship sporadically.
          1. Yet, they cannot figure out why their lives are not fully
          2. what they should be.
  7. Joshua 19 – Leaders, Take Your Mountain

    49 When they had made an end of dividing the land as an inheritance according to their borders, the children of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. 50 According to the word of the Lord they gave him the city which he asked for, Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim; and he built the city and dwelt in it (Jos 19.49–50).

    1. Joshua gave to them, and
    2. they remembered him and gave to him.
      1. He had to do just as they had to do.
      2. He had to ask and then take it.

Exhortation: 

  1. We just saw Israel taking their mountains, taking their land, but now 
    1. think on what the psalmist said,

      1 We have heard with our ears, O God,
      Our fathers have told us,
      The deeds You did in their days,
      In days of old:
      2 You drove out the nations with Your hand,
      But them You planted;
      You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.
      3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,
      Nor did their own arm save them;
      But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,
      Because You favored them.
      (Psa 44.1–3)

    2. Israel used their sword, but
      1. ultimately it was God who gave them the land,
      2. just as we thank God for our food, yet
        1. farmers grow it,
        2. truckers move it,
        3. grocers shelve it,
        4. shoppers buy it,
        5. cooks present it,
          1. we eat it, and
          2. we thank God for it.
    3. Paul reminded the Corinthian Church
      1. that we work with God and
      2. God works with us,

        9 …we are God’s fellow workers… (1Co 3.9).

        1 We [are] workers together with Him… (2Co 6.1).

    4. He also said this to the Philippian Church,

      12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phi 2.12–13).

  2. Why then should God do what He has told us to do? 
    1. There are mountains that you need to conquer, and
      1. He will do His part to help you conquer them, but
      2. He has put some responsibility upon you.
        1. If you do not do your part,
        2. He will not do His final part.
          1. He has already done more than we can count,
          2. why do we expect Him to do it all?
    2. The Mt. Everest of your life is salvation.
      1. The entire biblical message shows this mountain.
      2. Will you conquer it?
        1. You either take that mountain or
        2. you end up in a lake, but
          1. not a lake of water,
          2. rather a lake of fire and brimstone.
  3. Revelation shows this mountain and the lake. 
    1. Revelation 20 makes the case clear,

      15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20.15).

    2. Also, recall from Revelation 21,
      1. that the angel who showed John the city of heaven,
      2. showed it from a mountain,

        10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God (Rev 21.10).

  4. You now have to decide which one you want. 
    1. Do you want the mountain, or
    2. do you want the lake?
      1. God created the lake for the devil and his angels,
      2. God created heaven for the followers of Jesus Christ.
        1. However, if someone does not follow Jesus,
        2. that person will not take the mountain, but
          1. God will cast him into the lake.
          2. Which do you want?
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