Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. Joshua said to all the…

What a person says before his death must be an extremely important exhortation. In this chapter, Joshua is very old and has called the leaders of Israel to tell them his last words. This reminds me of…

人在临终前所说的话必定是万分重要的嘱咐。这里约书亚年纪老迈，招了以色列众领袖向他们说出自己的遗言。 这让我想起了祖父年迈时，因健康衰退，似乎察觉不久后主便要接他回天家时，他召集了所有儿孙，向之交代了他的心愿。那时仅十来岁的我并不完全理解到底是怎么一回事。只记得祖父语重心长的说了好久的话，当时整个氛围凝重，大家都不做声。 后来才明白祖父是在叮嘱儿孙们保守住所传承下来最宝贵的信仰，就如同约书亚在这里所做的。因为对于及将离开我们的长辈来说，我们的信仰，灵魂的救恩才是不可流失的无价之宝 （太31：44-46）。 约书亚再次提醒以色列民，神如何在他们面前恩待他们，为他们争战，赐他们胜利，使他们得所应许的基业，并应许他们会帮助他们将仇敌逐出。只是以色列人必须“大大壮胆”–信靠神，“谨守遵行写在摩西律法书上的一切话，不可偏离左右”–遵从神的诫命（23：6）。 同样的，主耶稣今天为我们战胜了死亡 ，好比神为以色列民争战；为我们预备了天国基业，好比赏赐以色列民土地，神事先将这一切的恩惠赐给我们，应许我们好得无比的将来，条件是要我们谨守遵行神的话，以保守纯正的信仰。 神对以色列民说，“不可与你们中间所剩下的这些国民掺杂”（23：7a), 又说， “你们若稍微转去，与你们中间所剩下的这些国民联络，彼此结亲，互相往来，….他们却要成为你们的网罗、机槛，肋上的鞭、眼中的刺，直到你们在耶和华你们神所赐的这美地上灭亡” (23:12-13)。 我们知道后来以色列民并没有完全遵照神的吩咐赶出迦南人。就如神所说的，那些没被以色列人完全逐出或毁灭的迦南人后来确实成了他们的后患，这些迦南人驱使以色列人远离神，甚至拜偶像彻底得罪神。 相对的对于我们在属灵的层面来说，主要我们彻底“脱去我们行为上的旧人，这旧人是因私欲的迷惑渐渐变坏的” （弗4：22）。所谓“斩草不除根，春风吹又生”。我们要神成为我们的主，却想要与世人“参杂”一起，想要追求世人追求的，想要行世人所行的，想要与世人彼此结亲，想要和世人互相来往… 不知不觉，渐渐的，因为在不信的人的影响下耳濡目染。 我们不再在珍惜神赐我们宝贵的恩典，我们淡忘了神应许我们的产业。我们失去决心，藕断丝连，未能断绝爱世界的心，因而被私欲迷惑，灵魂就会渐渐败坏。 就如神为了以色列民“已经把有大又强的国民从你们面前赶出”，主已经为我们铺好得救的道路（约14：6），让我们下定决心谨守遵从神的话，专心依靠圣灵以加添我们抵挡周围迷惑的力量，定睛仰望天国的盼望。 “所以你们要脱去一切的污秽，和盈余的邪恶，存温柔的心领受那所栽种的道，就是能救你们灵魂的道。” （雅各书1：21)  

After the tribes of the Canaanites were subdued, when Joshua was dividing the land, he called the Reubenites, the Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh and spoke to them. These two-and-a-half tribes had their inheritance of…

Cities in the land of Canaan, numbering a total of forty eight including the six cities of refuge, were given to the Levites. This was according to the command of the LORD to Moses in the plains…

The LORD commanded Joshua to speak to the children of Israel to appoint for themselves cities of refuge; three cities namely Kedesh, Shechem and Hebron on the west of the Jordan, and three cities namely Bezer, Ramoth…

This chapter continues on with Joshua dividing the land for the people. So far, Reuben, Gad, Judah, and the children of Joseph (Both Manasseh and Ephraim) have received their inheritance. There remained 7 tribes who had not…

Today’s chapter finishes up with the allotment of land to the 2 sons of Joseph – Manasseh and Ephraim. Yesterday we read of Ephraim’s allotment. Now it was to the 2nd half tribe of Manasseh – to…

This is a short chapter that details what the tribe of Ephraim received. Actually, when compared to what Judah received, it was with much less details. So when the land was first allocated on the West of…

Unless you love geography, reading this chapter that lists out in great detail about the land allocated to Judah is a great challenge, especially when you try and meditate on it and figure out – what does…