Men's Group Study Guide
Introduction
Now comes the time to divide the land west of the Jordan. The faithfulness and obedience of Joshua and the children of Israel had paid off in many great ways. In Numbers 26:52-56 God had given Moses specific instructions to divide the land when that time came. This information was given to Moses originally and then handed off to Joshua when the leadership changed from Moses to Joshua. A generation had died off and a new generation was now coming into those promises that had been given to Abraham not to long ago (Genesis 17:8). We see a remnant of the first generation in the man Caleb, though his heart was not the same as those he traveled with (Numbers 14:24). He is a great example for men today of a true man of God. He believed God and he obeyed God with his whole heart. It is my prayer that Christian men today would long for the character of Caleb and Joshua.
STUDY NOTES: verses 1-15
Vs. 1-5 These are the areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed as an inheritance to them..... vs.5 As the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did: and they divided the land.The land of Canaan was specifically all the land on the west side of the Jordan. And now each of the tribes were to receive their inheritance in this place. The directors of this grand affair were Joseph the great leader, Eleazar the chief priest and a representative from each tribe.This delegation was not mans idea, but God’s method for order, given to man (Numbers 34:16-29). So now that the two and a half tribes had been settled on the east side of the Jordan there were only nine and a half to divide on the west side. Proverbs 16:33
Vs. 6-15 Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kennizite said to him: “You know the word which the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea..... vs. 13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son Jephunneh as an inheritance...... vs. 15 And the name of Hebron formerly was Kirjath Arba ( Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim). Then the land had rest from war.Vs. 6-15 Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kennizite said to him: “You know the word which the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea..... vs. 13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son Jephunneh as an inheritance...... vs. 15 And the name of Hebron formerly was Kirjath Arba ( Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim). Then the land had rest from war. “ .....Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God.....” How many of us can say that with a clear conscience? Seriously. Peter tried it in Mark 14 :29. Isn’t it so easy for us to put on the spiritual act when we are surrounded by other seemingly spiritual people. We can’t play games with God. Caleb could have just as easily been the one to write the verses in Galatians 6:7-10. How long were they in the desert going through the motions, telling one another about how they couldn’t wait to get into that “promised land.” Just doing what they had to, to get by. And when it came time to evaluate the upcoming challenges, what happens? Courage fails and hearts melt. The circumstances were much to large for these ordinary men. Caleb was ordinary also but for one minor detail. He believed God. Which actually turns out not to be so minor. As a matter of fact it’s monumental, and God always has a way of letting us know.
In the second half of verse 12 we get a glimpse of the winning attitude that took Caleb so far in his life. “It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.” Caleb, in humble fashion, reveals his great faith in his Great God. It may be that God is with me, or it may be that He is not. Now that is a discouraging thought. The truth is that, even though we may not verbalize these words, we can definitely feel them in our own hearts. Why is that? I often find in my own life that it is when I have not been obedient or if I am choosing to live in sin, giving satan a foothold. This does not mean that God has turned His back on me (Hebrews 13:5), it simply means that I have chosen to turn my back on Him and His great plan for me (Romans 2:7-11). If I stand with my back to the Lord like this, then it is only natural that I would feel a sense of separation and a lack of peace which so easily leads to a lack of faith. A man that wholly follows the Lord God will fight, he will wrestle, he will hold on with a white knuckled death grip to that which has been given to him. Many great and precious promises! Caleb said, “It may be that the Lord will be with me.....” and in his heart he could take full advantage of that truth. It is a powerful thing for a man when he wholly follows the Lord.
TRUTH APPLIED:
Q. 1 Make an inventory of the priorities in your life. What are the things that take up most of your time and thoughts?
Q. 2 Do you walk in humility and repentance? Is there a boldness in your life that doesn’t come from God?
Q. 3 In 2nd Peter 1:4 , we can see that as Christians we have been given something very remarkable. How many of these precious jewels do you own?
CONCLUSION:
Time and time again in this book of Joshua we see parallels for our own lives. Even though these things happened thousands of years ago, they are just as relevant now as they were then. A lot of people, including myself sometimes, say they love and believe in God and His goodness. But somewhere in the day to day life we choose our own comfort, our own ambitions and our own ideals over connection (time) with God. A man who wholly follows the Lord will get to experience the promises of peace, joy, love, goodness, forgiveness, salvation, sanctification, fellowship, hope, glorification and so-on. 1 Thess. 5:21 tells us to hold fast! To what? To the truth and the promises given to us from God. -Revelations 3:10-12-