He Wholly Followed the Lord.

June 11, 2018June 28, 2018 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹These are the inheritances that the people of Israel received in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel gave them to inherit. ²Their inheritance was by lot, just as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses for the nine and one-half tribes. ³For Moses had given an inheritance to the two and one-half tribes beyond the Jordan, but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them. ⁴For the people of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And no portion was given to the Levites in the land, but only cities to dwell in, with their pasturelands for their livestock and their substance. ⁵The people of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses; they allotted the land.

⁶Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. ⁷I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. ⁸But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. ⁹And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ ¹⁰And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. ¹¹I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. ¹²So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”

¹³Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. ¹⁴Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba. (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.) And the land had rest from war. – Joshua 14:1-15 ESV

JudahMap The tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh had received their land on the eastern side of the Jordan, just as they had requested. Now, it was time to divide up the land that had been promised by God to Abraham. And God had provided Moses with a very precise plan to follow, which Moses had then passed on to Joshua. This was not going to be a free-for-all, where each tribe asserted itself and grabbed whatever land it wanted. God had dictated a very specific methodology for determining the dividing up of the land of Canaan between the tribes of Israel. There were now nine-and-a-half tribes left and the entire land of Canaan to parcel out and it was important that each received what God had ordained.

⁵²The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁵³“Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. ⁵⁴To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance in proportion to its list. ⁵⁵But the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. ⁵⁶Their inheritance shall be divided according to lot between the larger and the smaller.” – Numbers 26:52-56 ESV

God had commanded Moses to utilize the casting of lots to determine the exact location and size of each tribe’s allotment. The casting of lots was a common practice among the people of God and is mentioned some 70 times in the Old Testament. We are not exactly sure what the lots looked like or how they were used, and to our modern sensibilities, it would appear to be nothing short of a game of chance, like throwing dice. But the Jews had a different perspective. Yes, casting lots involved a degree of chance, but as the book of Proverbs makes clear, the sovereign will of God determined the outcome.

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. – Proverbs 16:33 ESV

What might appear to us as nothing more than luck, was to the Hebrews a sign of God’s will. They believed that when the lots were cast, God was behind how they fell. They were a means of determining the will of God when it had not been made known. This means for determining the boundaries of each tribe’s inheritance provided a fair and reasonable outcome that prevented any show of favoritism on the part of Joshua. No one, but God, could know how the lots would fall. And the fact that all the tribes were willing to abide by the outcome determined by the lots, reveals that they firmly believed God was behind it all.

But before this process could be implemented, Joshua was approached by Caleb, a member of the tribe of Judah and one of the original 12 men who had spied out the land of Canaan 40 years earlier. Moses had sent Caleb and his 11 companions into the land in order to bring back a report concerning its natural resources and the military strength of its inhabitants.

¹⁷Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up into the Negeb and go up into the hill country, ¹⁸and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, ¹⁹and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, ²⁰and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” – Numbers 13:17-20 ESV

And when the 12 spies returned, they had brought good news and bad news. Yes, the land was abundant in fruit and rich in resources, but it was also filled with enemies who were too powerful for Israel to defeat. The spies painted a very bleak picture, causing the people of Israel to lose hope and to turn their backs on the promise of God.

³²So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. ³³And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” – Numbers 13:32-33 ESV

But Caleb had spoken up, presenting a very different outcome. He didn’t deny the presence of the enemy or attempted to underplay their strength. He simply encouraged the people to trust God. He believed that God had given them the land as an inheritance and, therefore, God would give them victory over their enemies.

But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” – Numbers 13:30 ESV

But the people did not listen to Caleb. They went with the majority report and refused to enter the land. And God punished them for their lack of faith and their demonstration of unbelief in His promises.

²⁶And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ²⁷“How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. ²⁸Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: ²⁹your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, ³⁰not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.” – Numbers 14:26-30 ESV

Here we learn that Joshua was also one of the 12 spies and had sided with Caleb in his positive report and recommendation to enter the land. These two men were the only two to survive God’s purging of the people. And 40 years later, when the Israelites had finally entered the land, Joshua and Caleb were the only two from that previous generation who were still alive. Both were in their 80s and now Caleb was asking for his portion of the land he had waited so long and patiently to receive. And it is interesting to note that Caleb requested the very land that his fellow spies had said was occupied by giants. Caleb wanted to live in the very land where the Anakim lived. He was asking for the most difficult tract of land occupied by the most formidable enemy, because he was sure that God would give him victory over them.

“So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.” – Joshua 14:12 ESV

And Joshua gladly honored Caleb’s request, allotting to him and his people the land of Hebron, “because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel” (Joshua 14:14 ESV). And the author provides us with an important side note that states, “the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba. (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim)” (Joshua 14:15 ESV). Caleb was given the city that belonged to the mightiest of all the descendants of Anak. Caleb would have to conquer the city of Hebron to make it his own. He would have to eliminate the Anakim in order to possess the land given to him by Joshua. And the text clearly indicates that he did. “Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day” (Joshua 14:14 ESV). And the chapter ends with the a statement that Caleb kept his promise to drive out the Anakim from the land: “And the land had rest from war” (Joshua 14:15 ESV).

Caleb provides us with an illustration of faithfulness in the face of overwhelming odds. Not only did he stand opposed to the words of his fellow spies, encouraging obedience to God when everyone else was recommending rebellion, he waited decades to receive the promise of God. He had endured 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and then seven years of battle before he got the chance to enjoy his long-awaited inheritance. And even then, he had to fight to make it his own. But he did. God gave him victory, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Some Last-Minute Business.

December 6, 2017 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹⁵In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, ¹⁶“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. ¹⁷For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” ¹⁸(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. ¹⁹And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ²⁰“For it is written in the Book of Psalms,

“‘May his camp become desolate,
and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and

“‘Let another take his office.’

²¹“So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²²beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” ²³And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. ²⁴And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” ²⁶And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” – Acts 1:15-26 ESV

So, what happened to Judas? We know he died, but how? Matthew records that, after having returning the money he had been paid by the Jewish religious authorities, he went out and hung himself.

And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. – Matthew 27:5 ESV

But in today’s passage, we have Luke’s record of Peter’s words, which describe a seemingly different scenario.

Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. – Acts 1:18 ESV

Did he hang himself or jump off a cliff? In Matthew’s account, it states that the Jewish religious leaders took the silver coins that Judas had returned and “bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers” (Matthew 27:7 ESV). In Peter’s recollection, recorded in the book of Acts, he indicates that Judas “acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness” (Acts 1:18 ESV). Which was it? What really happened here? Is this a contradiction in Scripture? The answer is, “No” and the solution is simple. Judas, in his dismay at finding out his betrayal was going to result in the death of Jesus, was grief-stricken and attempted to return the blood money he had received. He confessed that he had betrayed an innocent man (Matthew 27:4). But the leading priests and elders of the people could have cared less. They had no concern for Judas’ remorse. They only problem they had was deciding what to do with the money he had returned.

“It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” – Matthew 27:6 NLT

After some discussion among themselves, they determined to buy a field with the 30 pieces of silver. And since the transaction required a name, they most likely used that of Judas. The field became his by default. So, in essence, he did buy a field. And the likely scenario surrounding his death was that he did hang himself. Most likely from a tree. And when it came time to dispose of his body, he was thrown into the field that had been purchased with the 30 pieces of silver, where his already decomposing body burst open, creating the graphic scene described by Peter. And it was likely this image that resulted in the potter’s field being renamed, Akeldama (Field of Blood).

Now, why does Peter go into such great detail to describe the death of Judas? Because he wants to address an important issue that this former disciple’s death has created. Jesus had originally chosen 12 disciples. Now, there were only 11. The number 12 had special significance to the Jews. It was the number of the tribes of Israel. And Jesus had told the disciples something very significant regarding their role in His future Kingdom.

Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” – Matthew 19:28 NLT

They were one disciple short. And Peter, quoting from two of the psalms of David (Psalm 69:5; Psalm 109:8), uses these Old Testament writings as proof that Judas’ betrayal of Jesus was part of God’s plan. Peter, most likely under divine inspiration, recognizes that Judas must be replaced. The Psalm 109:8 passage clearly says, “Let another take his office.” They could not continue their ministry a man down. So, Peter proposed that they remedy this problem immediately. They needed to take action and find a replacement for Judas as quickly as possible, before the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise of the Spirit took place.

What happens next is interesting. First of all, Peter laid out the criteria for their candidate search. The man they were looking for would have to be someone who had been there from the beginning.

²¹“So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus— ²²from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.” – Acts 1:21-22 NLT

This couldn’t be just anybody. They had to be someone who had been a part of Jesus’ entourage from the very start of His earthly ministry. They also had to have been an eye-witness of Jesus’ resurrection. These requirements would have narrowed the field significantly. And it leaves them with the names of two men: Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. Both met the qualifications. Now, it was a matter of which one God wanted. This is where it gets interesting and a bit confusing. First of all, they prayed.

“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” – Acts 1:24-25 ESV

Then, they cast lots. What? How in the world was this a spiritually viable means of determining the will of God? It seems like little more than a case of blind luck. But we have to keep in mind that both of the men they had picked were viable candidates for the role of replacing Judas. Now, it was a matter of which one God wanted. That was an important point. Jesus had chosen the original 12. So, it was important that God be the one to choose Judas’ replacement. This was not to be up to the disciples. They would not have a vote and go with the majority. Casting lots was a common way of making a determination over an important matter, because it left the decision up to God. They firmly believed that, after they had prayed over the matter, God would answer their prayer and reveal the right candidate. And the lot fell to Mathias.

The question we must ask ourselves is whether or not this scene creates a prescriptive model for the church to follow. In other words, is this an indication of the methodology we are to use within the church to determine God’s will regarding important decisions? The answer would seem to be no. Once the Holy Spirit comes, there is no other example of lots being used by the disciples or anyone else in the early church to make decisions. The coming of the Spirit and His indwelling of all believers seems to have created a new capacity for believers to know the will of God. They were given a Spirit-empowered discernment that they had not had before. So, lots were no longer necessary. Therefore, we are not dependent upon this methodology in order to know God’s will.

There are some who argue that Peter was impulsive and out of bounds in orchestrating this selection process. They believe that Peter acted on his own initiative and without the clear direction of God. Their argument is that Paul was God’s intended choice to replace Judas, but that Peter would not have known this. The problem with this viewpoint is that Paul would not have met the requirements set aside by Peter. Paul was not there from the beginning. He had not been a constant follower of Jesus from His baptism all the way to His death. In fact, at the point that this decision was being made, Paul was not a follower of Jesus at all. He was a Pharisee who could become a fierce opponent of any and all who claimed to be followers of Christ. And, while Paul would later be called by Christ and have a personal encounter with the resurrected Savior, he would spend a great deal of his ministry life defending his apostleship because he did not seem to fit the established criteria. Was he an apostle? Yes. Should he have been Judas’ replacement? Not likely. There is no indication from Luke that this election or selection process conducted by Peter and the other disciples was out of bounds or inappropriate. God never condemns there efforts. In fact, it seems that God confirmed the selection of Mathias through the casting of Lots. And as we will see, this selection process is immediately followed by the coming of the Holy Spirit, and Mathias was one of those who found himself filled with and empowered by the Spirit of God that fateful day.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Devotionary

The Bible Made Accessible and Applicable

casting of Lots

He Wholly Followed the Lord.

Some Last-Minute Business.