And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit? Joshua 17:14.
Another claim concerning the division of the land revealed a spirit widely different from that of Caleb. It was presented by the children of Joseph, the tribe of Ephraim with the half tribe of Manasseh. In consideration of their superior numbers, these tribes demanded a double portion of territory. The lot designated for them was the richest in the land, including the fertile plain of Sharon; but many of the principal towns in the valley were still in possession of the Canaanites, and the tribes shrank from the toil and danger of conquering their possessions, and desired an additional portion in territory already subdued. The tribe of Ephraim was one of the largest in Israel, as well as the one to which Joshua himself belonged, and its members naturally regarded themselves as entitled to special consideration. “Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit,” they said, “seeing I am a great people?” But no departure from strict justice could be won from the inflexible leader.
His answer was, “If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if Mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.”Their reply showed the real cause of complaint.
They lacked faith and courage to drive out the Canaanites. “The hill is not enough for us,” they said; “and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron.”The power of the God of Israel had been pledged to His people, and had the Ephraimites possessed the courage and faith of Caleb, no enemy could have stood before them. Their evident desire to shun hardship and danger was firmly met by Joshua. “Thou art a great people, and hast great power,” he said; “Thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.” Thus their own arguments were turned against them. Being a great people, as they claimed, they were fully able to make their own way, as did their brethren. With the help of God they need not fear the chariots of iron.
Conflict and Courage p. 124
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Prayer Requests
—–update—Please continue to pray for Abigail and her parents. The court case did not go well and Abigail is still in foster care. Pray that an attorney will take pity on them and charge a reasonable fee and that they will soon get their child back. Debby
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Dear Friends,
When we lived in Washington state, Eileen wanted a pet bird. As we looked at all of the birds in the store, we decided to get her a zebra finch. As time passed, we noticed that our little bird seemed lonely, so we put him beside our large goldfish’s aquarium so he would not feel so alone. One day Ron saw that silly bird offering nesting materials to the fish and decided that that little zebra finch needed a female finch. Our first finch was delighted, of course.
That was the start of many generations of zebra finches. That pair’s children had children, which had children, until we had about fifteen birds. That was not good for my allergies, so we gave them away except one which Ronnie Jay kept in his room
Just as those finches proliferated, so the gospel can be spread to all of the world. Jesus promises, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.” “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matt 24:14, 28:18-20
There are some who say that this is impossible. They say that people are being born so fast, that we could never keep up. This simply is not true. If each Christian were to share his faith as Jesus bids us, and those people shared with others,and so on. The Good News of salvation would spread like wildfire.
One day many years ago, my boss, Mr. Levy, asked me if I wanted my regular wages or if I would rather have a penny doubled each day for thirty days. I chose the first. Wrong choice. A penny doubled every for thirty days becomes five million,eight-hundred forty-four thousand, seven-hundred forty-one dollars and ten cents! Now when you add those wages together, one would be very rich indeed! Now, if instead of pennies, it was people spreading the gospel, how fast the world could be evangelized. Moreover, through the medium of radio and television, countless millions can be reached at one time.
May we share Christ’s love with all around us. May we be diligent to spread the truths of God’s Holy Word. May God’s last day message spread quickly so that Jesus can come soon is my prayer.
Rose