Iron Chariots (Part B)

We pray we have to guard that we don't seek God is our servant with remember the is God and we are his servants yet yet he's open to us.

This line of communication by which we go to God and talk to him in and itemize the things we want.

We need concerns he hears every word when he doesn't answer. He expects this from us that we continue in the faith. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston.

Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Joshua. Please stay with us after today's message here.

More information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Joshua chapter 7 today. Pastor Rick will continue his message called iron chair as he teaches to Joshua chapter 17. Before the Egyptians turned on the Jews. Jews were very plugged in because of Joseph and Moses that he learned so much shown in the universities of Egypt needed likely distinguished himself also on the battlefield how to Joshua learn his military strategies be able to fight the Amalekites. Well, there was an Egyptian influence. There will this man also likely fought all in the interest of Egypt long before the Jews were pulled out, and the people were very proud of this and this warlike spirit continued into his process.

Prosperity is descendents and they are assigned Gilead ambush on these large tracts that are to the north and dad and Ruben are to the south.

Now the major enemies of the Jews almost always come from the north means it was Egypt to the south and Ethiopia which was a long trek for them.

But throughout their history. The North was the gate by which the enemies would roll into the promised land. And so God places Manasseh who has this link to military power to the north.

Sort of a buffer, but both or all three of the tribes that settled to the west of Jordan. They were the first to fall to the Assyrian. Centuries later, so the Gilead mention here in verse one, Gilead ambush on both on the east side of Jordan and not the promised land itself that he was a man-of-war man of organize struggle and suffering. That's what war really is not a man of battles, but a man-of-war long drawn out and awful verse two. Now we we speak of the he speaks of for the children of Ebenezer that is the hometown of Gideon any of you looking to go to the homecoming of Gideon. Good luck with that.

That flopped first three but as LLC adds a low fee.

Add the son of he. Further, son of Gilead, the son of make her the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters verse four now and they came before Eleazar the priest for Joshua the son of nun, and before the ruler saying Yahweh commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers. Therefore, according to the commandment of Yahweh. He gave them an inheritance among their father's brothers is a civil matter but it is a civil matter in God's kingdom. Everything is a spiritual matter is so that it's a civil matter yet.

Eleazar the priest is there to oversee it because it's no way to separate if you're in God's kingdom. You really can't separate the two. That just helps channel who's going to handle it in one of the codes, laws and ordinances are surrounding the matter and so Eleazar the priest is there and course and Joshua and so the story goes back to the book of numbers. Inheritance went to the men and the daughters of the zero if he had come along and say, well that doesn't have any sons so do we miss out.

This does his name so just evaporate from the history books. He gets no land and Moses said you know that's a good point takes it to the Lord, the Lord is know that those girls get the land and so here they are in out in the promised land because of course in the wilderness was nothing to inherit and they come and they make their claim. If they did not speak up. They would've gotten nothing.

God makes provision for the daughters he takes care of things the right way, and 10 shares of the Manasseh verse five.

Besides the land of Gilead ambush on which were on the other side of Jordan because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons and the rest of Manasseh sons had the land of Gilead and so there's just that note doesn't mean a lot to us, but you go to the Bible we we we tend to want to know what every single thing means. What's that space being between the R and the E.

Jessica's rabbis rabbis are known to say that when Messiah comes, he will interpret not only the sentences with the lines between them and that's just a course of glorious hyperbole another or to say it this way, God will just tell us everything we need to know. Verse eight Manasseh had the land of tempura, but to pool on the border of Manasseh, belong to the children of Ephraim, I just don't get to say to poor and I figured I'd say twice at least I think will get it again but verse nine and the border descended to the brook cane on a southward to the brook, the cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh. Now we pause there. So there we go again, Manasseh, sagacity, i.e., from his cities in Manasseh that that there woven together continues in verse nine the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook and it ended at the sea.

Verse 10 Manasseh's territory was adjoining Asher on the north and Issachar on the east verse 11 and Issachar Nasher. Manasseh had Beth CN and its towns of Liam and its towns, the inhabitants of door in its towns, inhabitants of Endor and its towns, the inhabitants of Tamarac and its towns in the inhabitants of Megiddo and of course its towns, three hilly regions so we had a lot of cities here in towns I should say that are worth commenting on in this territory allotted to Manasseh, where do we begin will always start with Beth Sheehan, Beth Sheehan, the Jews said if the garden of Eden was in Israel. It was in Beth Sheehan.

It was such a lush and beautiful place, which means that the Canaanites felt the same way about what not that the Eaton partner that there's a place worth fighting for. And not only that was that such such a prolific land producing. Of course the harvest of fruits and vegetables and whatever other things you can grow on the side of the were useful include trade routes. To this day. You can go to Beth CN and you. There's the Gentile of the Gentiles.

Of course put the city there accomplice. I think it is there any way they they did the ruins of the Gentile city is there, you can see how they heated up the water for the baths in the and all the streets of the Aaron this they had places where you could charge up your iPhone and just talk. Well okay that's a bit much but anyway it's the ruins of there's very impressed with this impressive for about 10 minutes and cardboard so at least I was so Beth CN know that it's a big deal. IBM also now there's a movie the kingdom of heaven which is about crusaders there and the landlord or the star of the movie was given IBM another trade route and that's the Crusaders would of course be very interested in the trade routes as anybody else would be Endor of the widget Endor was solver the full king. The man with no redeeming feature. Not only was the head and shoulders taller than everyone else's head and shoulders dumber than anybody else spiritually just again a character you read will be going to Samuel.

I look forward to talking about Saul and the like him so much.

It's like a chance to gossip legally take notes okay. It's in the Bible. Go ahead rag on the Lycan is a murderer, not anyhow, I'm sorry I always do that certain things set me off. Carmen Saul alum obtain this. There's a few of them and you should have some to ward what you just know I'm just happy that none of these things get me emotional.

Will they get me emotional, what I read about them well to get all of course the Valium get Armageddon will be for their I mentioned that she now verse 12 and yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, but the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land where the flesh is determined to dwell in us and it just makes it is one of the types in the Bible that you don't have to work for it is handed to you see up there that's I can see the type Mattos a perfect match. So the Canaanite presence always sought to keep the promises of God from being fulfilled. Just like our carnal nature were born with. It was saddled with this nature and of the righteous fight it to the death. They did cause a struggle just as it did here in in Israel it that interferes with righteous living. So the lesson of again. The book of Joshua is not purging the land of the Canaanite. It is making sure we don't abandon the fight. That's where the victory is otherwise none of us could come to the community. None of us to be good for anything this the perseverance that means very much and John in and of course his third letter is that magnificent verse in first John five verse 13 where he says these things I have written you written to you that you may believe in the name of the son of God, and that you may know that you have eternal life.

And here it comes in that you may continue to believe in the name of the son of God. Why would he put that there was a just because there are these spiritual influences in the Gnostics.

That's why he put it there was part of it. But that's not all Paul said Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world.

So there are other influences than just doctrinal or heretics or heretical teachings are there other things that well as you did get fatigued just battle fatigue and or we don't have the right when Paul writes to Timothy's even a good soldier continue to fight to get entangled in the world so easy to become entangled the citizens in a country where we can be involved in politics through votes and other activities. The caution moons over our heads.

Don't be entangled. Don't get so involved with these things that you lose your first love was Ephesus. Ephesus got so into Christian work. They left Christ out there were no longer loving him first. He became sort of.

It will in prayer we pray we have to guard that we don't see God as our servant with remember that he is God and we are his servants. And yet, yet he's open to us. This line of communication by which we go to God and talk to him and and itemize the things we want and we need a concerns he hears every word when he doesn't answer. He expects this from us that we continue in the faith. Blessed are those who are not offended because of me by that is saying to be blessings on you if you can handle how I do or do not do.

If you can take it, and verse 13 and happen when the children of Israel grew stronger they put the Canaanites to forced labor but did not utterly drive them out. As I mentioned these types and symbols. Sometimes God will double up on one to get that concept over to us.

For example, to speak of the priesthood of Christ, we have Melchizedek was no beginning.

He's just there as though he is always existed and then we have Erin, our own we get to watch Aron with his priestly garb.

A guard began. One of my favorite talk about you know the negative characters in the Scripture to get my Motorola Aron that the thought of sort of just walking down the street over dirt in the wilderness and there's Aron in his priestly garb bejeweled the hat them to the Ivar the rod and in boom and experience that would've been what is Sage Galloway. You know you see me coming better step aside. A lot of men didn't allotment their goal number nine coal anyway is another one.

It's like that's John the Baptist right, brought it shoulders narrowed hip and everybody knew you didn't give any the big John they go sing it that'll protect is not funny. Alright let's go back to this so there the striking characters.

Well I know for a fact as a Christian in the workplace of the community you passionately in love with the Lord you working not to be, you know, the Christian that's the kook in the at the workplace coproduct of how here they come. Yet you can you can either be the Christian kook or you can be sheriff. You can be the one that you know and you drive down 360 and you see the deputy on the side you check that speedometer after you hit your brakes and you just because he's are you at this respect in our either the song about speeding past them since I blew by you going back one day come with me to blue Bayou arrived anyway.

I been waiting to use that since I left New York and I kind of followed it. I didn't set it up in the flop.

Well anyway in the workplace. You were supposed to be somewhat of a striking figure.

People are reminded that this is God there is justice there is an accountability there is a love that is being offered to them and this shows up. I think release and my experiences in the workplace is when someone has something to do the funeral to go looking for the man of God. If it's if it strikes a chord with them and they when asked for versus the one asking what happens in the as not all every single one of them, but there are those that do, because you are a striking figure in any way. Melchizedek and Aron typified the priestly work of Christ or Canaan in the wilderness and Canaan.

They typify our experience in this life.

The wilderness experience with gives which gives us nothing we can do nothing from it. You lost or saved.

If you're in the wilderness.

There's really nothing there. Now there other types of wilderness experiences such as David Abbott I'm talking about the wilderness of the Exodus Jews together the wilderness and Canaan portray our pilgrimage here called us pilgrims passing through. Pilgrims have a destination you're traveling but they have a destination and it involves worship.

That's the keenest idea of the pilgrimage, and when Israel crossed the Red Sea symbolize the death of the old life when they came out of Egypt. You know the Egyptians and back deep blue sea in front and the cross that that Red Sea jumps off the Sea of Reeds and it symbolize the old life of slavery in Egypt was now gone behind them, but when Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered into Canaan meant the end of the wasted life wilderness life. Now there were possessions to lay hold on there was a meaning of meaningfulness given to their life and that's what Paul said your labor is not for nothing because you feel like it is you feel like you do.

You know you got to get the church.

Did you know Chris and I were praying he prayed about, you know that things wouldn't get old and the routine and routine does not have to become monotonous, as were used routine and monotony are not necessarily the same thing. Monotony is beginning a message ahead.

Routine is you have to have it and you can make both of them work if you're aware of these things if you say okay it's not just me. This is how it is installed in all this plow through it. We talked about the four smarts that Joshua made from Gill gal to Gibeon, and if you most of you have not been on a forced march this to you know heavy gear and an endless walk and as he is 1 foot in front of the other and if you do if you don't do that you will drop and you don't want to drop the home on a pricier fan order fame public or anywhere else. And so life is very much that way the Christian life. At times it's a forced march is the routine, but it's worth it.

You've come out of the wilderness.

You've crossed into the promised land is fighting there but there also possessions there in verse 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 and is much as Yahweh has blessed us until now.

Will they really it is a complaint but they're not complaining. I did good. Lisa doesn't come across that way when I read it I said they have a need or want. They don't agree with something but it's is not with a bad attitude you know may time complainers want to make you feel small and they feel big. That's not how this reads but this is both E from an Manas of the sons of Joseph. Manasseh was the elder but the from of course got the greater blessing and they consider themselves separate but yet still one tribe, one lot here means the combined territories between the two tribes on the west of Jordan and on the east side of Jordan. As I mentioned Joseph, he received a double portion of his father's inheritance and his sons became the fathers of Jewish tribes, tribes of Manas, Manasseh and Ephraim and they receive their separate tribal territory of Judah. She received the right to rule the scepter shall not depart from Judah, according to the prophecies in Genesis 49 and of course the Messiah would come. The king of kings would come out of Judah, but here are these two tribes that have this huge inheritance is double blessing and he got a problem with the problem is not with the blessing to Joshua tribes had to fight for their territory to so will be getting is a contrast. Not intentionally.

Judah and Manasseh and Ephraim and Joshua there intentionally making his contract with the Holy Spirit is making this contrast between Caleb Caleb who says I am an old man, but I could take that land and he goes up and he takes it up will be quoting him in a little bit and so they, their dissatisfied in the lesson. Of course, that we need to get his dissatisfaction with God's arrangements can quickly get out of control and it was it's up to us to check it and not let it.

The tail wag the dog, we can quickly lusts for what someone else has covet because were not satisfied with what we have and again the fight is on it. Go through the seasons in life. He says since we are great people and is much as Yahweh has blessed us until now in bottom of verse 14, so they consider themselves distinguished. They admit God had blessed them that they were large and they needed a large amount of of territory. Verse 15 the story continues. So Joshua answered them. If you are great people then go up to the forest country and clear place for yourself there in the land of the peasant rights and the Giants since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you. So Joshua's magnificent your great people. Okay, I'll take that if he turns it on them but not against them. He's not trying to be facetious and hurt them is just saying you said it and I'm going to hold you accountable to your own words because they are right.

You spoke the truth. God has blessed you.

You are a great people. So he accepts their observation of themselves. Sometimes you do that with someone they get very upset with you. You accept their own observation and you hold them to it and they don't want to hear it.

After that you're supposed to say that you said you were great then you should expect to prevail because that accompanies greatness said there's plenty of on occupied territory within the limits of your borders. You want more land, I'm telling you take the land you have.

Ephraim was discontent so as Manasseh with their portion.

Dan could've stand up and said you know what we don't have anything because we got a backyard here compared to the Simeon got even last Simeon got up circle goal within Judah and eventually that was absorbed by Judah to so what did it matter to the individual not at all.

Didn't matter one bit to each individual.

They had their land to work and they think they could've just been happy with that. Joshua's answer reveals his his greatness is his compassion is statesmanship United States been properly administered statesmanship is some trying to achieve the best answer without bias.

Maintaining your interest at the same time as opposed to one upmanship, always trying to take advantage of the other person and Joshua of course he is to ease the consummate leader in this he has any for my incidentally and it unless it shows that he understood the weaknesses of the tribes but he also understood their strengths.

He also understood how they might become strong if they just applied themselves a you know you you meet somebody and with you know they have fancy names on how fancies but underachiever that means there's potential to do better but is not being achieved and we all have some of that takes a lot of energy to keep running full steam. Gotta learn how to pace yourself not save yourself. Pace yourself. Thanks for tuning into cross reference radio for this study in the book of Joshua cross reference is the teaching ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. If you're interested in more information about this ministry, please visit our website cross reference radio.com find additional teachings from Pastor Rick available there also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast by doing so you will be notified each new edition of cross reference radio.

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Glad we were able to spend time with you today due to next time to continue learning from the book of Joshua right here on cross reference radio