So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?” (Joshua 18:3 ESV)
The Land
My brother and I shared a bedroom. We did not fight excessively about room distribution, but there were times we squabbled. Who got the top bunk? Who got the better dresser? And most of all, whose room was it? Was he a guest in MY room? Or was I a guest in HIS room.
My father walked by the room while we were having one such discussion and he settled the dispute quite simply. “It’s MY room,” he proclaimed. “Why you buy a house it can be YOUR room.”
The Israelites during the time of Joshua were very aware of land ownership. Not only did Joshua remind them in speeches such as this, that the land was given to them… but they remembered the battles that the Lord won on their behalf. They remembered the hordes of Canaanites fleeing not the army of Israel, but the Army of the Lord.
We would do well to remember that same concept. You did not buy your land, the Lord gave it to you. You did not buy your car, the Lord gave it to you. You did not achieve your education, the Lord granted it to you. You did not rise to great heights, or fall to great depths, the Lord gave you your position.
Remembering His gifts is a good way to remember His Grace. All that we use, steward, and manage for Him is His, not ours. But He rejoices to give them to us.
What a blessing our possessions are.