We are reading through the Bible together this year, and if you would like to read along with us, drop me a line at reid.ferguson@gmail.com, and I’ll be happy to send you a copy of the of plan we are using.
As I’ve mentioned before, the book of Joshua is composed in such a way that it serves as a very useful parallel to the Christian life. Today holds one more example of what that looks like. And it is delightful.
Let me ask, have you ever heard of Eder, Jagur, Kinah or Dimonah? How about Telem, Bealoth, Moladah or Ezem?
No?
Me neither. Except in Joshua 15.
The names I’ve just listed are just 8 cities among the nearly 100 cities in this chapter which form a part of the inheritance of the Tribe of Judah in the Promised land. I don’t know about you, but as I read through that list with their strange and difficult names – I start to wonder – what in the world any of this supposed to mean to us in our day? What’s God after in all this?
And then I remembered 1 Corinthians 2:9-10
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
When Israel went about moving into their inheritance in Canaan, they didn’t know the names, the features or the benefits any of these cities God had given them. But there they were, hundreds of them. All ready and waiting.
In Deuteronomy 6 God tells the Israelites they will receive from God great and good cities that they did not build; houses full of good things they didn’t furnish; wells they hadn’t dug and vineyards and olive trees they did not plant.
So it is the as those redeemed by the blood of Christ – Christians look forward to an inheritance we’ll receive when Jesus returns, the details of which we have only hints about. They would receive multitudes of cities they knew nothing about. And we will receive in Christ blessings we’ve never begun to imagine.
Things our eyes have never seen.
Our ears have never heard about.
Things our hearts never knew how much we would love and value.
Things we cannot even begin to imagine.
All prepared, all stored up for those who love Him.
Some of which He has already begun to reveal to us by His Spirit in His Word – but which we’ve only gotten a glimpse of so far.
Our’s, is to look at the example of Joshua 15 – and based upon God’s faithfulness there – trust the Lord that what He has prepared for us is staggering and beyond our ability even to imagine now.
To look forward to it with great anticipation having seen how He did it for the Israelites back there – in an earthly inheritance – and to recall that as
1 Peter 1:3-6 reminds us
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
Let that soak into your soul today.
God bless, and God willing, we’ll be back tomorrow.
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