Village Schools of the Bible

A Devotional Study of Joshua
by Max Frazier, Jr.

IT TAKES TIME TO SOLVE SOME PROBLEMS
Joshua 12

As we begin another study in the Book of Joshua, our attention will turn from wars and fightings to the settlement of the land. God did not want the people just to conquer the nations which had inhabited the Promised Land; He wanted His people to make this land their home, to live in it, to raise their families in it, to make their livelihood from the land. This was the land which He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob centuries before. Now it was to become a reality.

This chapter summarizes the various kingdom-states which had been conquered by Joshua and the people of Israel. They numbered thirty-three in all. We have no exact biblical record as to how long this whole process of conquest took, but many Bible scholars have estimated that it could have taken as much as twelve to sixteen years.

Yet this chapter is a record of God's faithfulness to His promises made to Israel and of Israel's obedience to the will of God. One by one the great kings and cities of Canaan fell before God and Israel. It was a long process, but in God's time the land was conquered.

So it is with our problems. We may not resolve all of them immediately. In fact, haven't you found as I have, that most of our problems take time to resolve. I find that my greatest danger is in losing heart in the process. You see, I am one of those people whose patience is very thin. I want instant resolutions.

The resolution of everyday problems is very similar to Israel's conquering of the Promised Land. Each day that Israel followed carefully God's plan, they came closer to conquering that city or that king. And, after many years of carefully following God's plans, the list of thirty-three kings and cities was completed. The king of Jericho - one; the king of Ai - one; the king of Jerusalem - one, etc.

If I am going to experience victories over my problems, I, too, must carefully follow those instructions which have been given to me within God's Word. Soon I can then add the name of that particular problem to the list of those which God has given victory over: the king of pride - one; the king of sibling rivalry - one; the king of hatred - one; the king of impatience - one. And the list can go on and on.

Father, I want to praise You for Your faithfulness to those promises which You have given to us. I thank You for Your patience with us as we try to carefully follow in obedience to Your will each day. I thank You for the victories which You have allowed us to experience which gives us a sense of hope for tomorrow. And I thank You for those kingly problems which You have helped us to conquer even as Israel conquered those great kings of Canaan. We give You all the praise in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Joshua 11 Return to Table of Contents Joshua 13