Year 1, Day 201: Joshua 16

Inability to Eliminate the Canaanites

The next two chapters deal with the land division of Joseph.  I’d like to spend some time on the remembrance of Joseph, but before I do I want to catch up a thread from yesterday.  Notice the end of the passage regarding Ephraim’s allotment here in Joshua 16.  There is a specific notice to the fact that Ephraim was unable to eradicate the Canaanites in their land.  Again we hear the importance placed upon the peoples’ inability to drive out the Canaanites.

You see, these Canaanites will slowly turn the people of Israel against their God.  They will subtly bring this holy generation into a corrupt relationship with their God. Of course, this will take generations down the road of history. 

These Canaanites symbolically represent the small little footholds of sin left among us when we turn to Christ.  We cannot be perfect in this world, and those small little footholds of sin slowly turn us against God until we realize what is happening, allow ourselves to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and repent. 

Dealing with the effects of sin is the life of the Hebrew people presented in the Old Testament.  It is also the life of the Christian presented in the New Testament.  The Hebrew people fought with literal people who led them into sin as a symbolic gesture to our spiritual battle between our spiritual nature and the remnants of the flesh left inside of us.

Back to the Order of Inheritance

Okay, back to the fact that Joseph’s offspring come next.  I think this is a definite tribute to the remembrance of the faithfulness of Joseph.  Of course, Judah was mentioned first (yesterday) because of the importance that Judah plays in the line of David and in the line of God’s Messiah (whom Christians call Christ, of course).  But immediately after Judah comes Joseph’s kids (remembering that Joseph is split because the Levites receive no inheritance).

Here they are – likely over 500 years after Joseph lived – and he is still honored among his people.  Think about that.  This is roughly the same amount of time having passed as between now and the discovery of America by Columbus.  We don’t honor Columbus’ kids.  We don’t even know who Columbus’ kin are, really!  Yet Joseph was so honored among his people that 500 years later they not only spoke his name but honored his family because he was willing to be used by God to save his people during a famine.

I guess this also ties me back to a thread I blogged upon yesterday.  Yesterday we began the anticipation of how Caleb’s influence upon Othniel would bear spiritual fruit in the future.  Today we see how Joseph’s influence is now bearing spiritual fruit many generations later.  We never know who will be influenced by our actions and our words.

It makes me think of the Apostle Paul.  2,000 years have gone by and I am still influenced by his writings.  Martin Luther: 500 years (or so) have gone by and I am still influenced by his perspective on grace and the Law.  C.S. Lewis: a generation has gone by and I am influenced by his writings.

Yes, I am merely a theological dwarf standing upon the shoulders of the theological giants who have come before me.  But it is good to stand upon those shoulders!

And yes, I should mention Christ’s influence as the greatest of all.  But He was the Son of God and His influence in us is not just physical but directly connected with the Holy Spirit.  The other folks I mention were simple human beings through whom the Holy Spirit worked.  So I don’t mean to dishonor Christ by not including Him in the list.

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