Joshua 13: So Much Land & Too Little Time, Inheritance Guaranteed

Rev. Lucas Witt, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Baltimore, Maryland, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 13. Chapter 13 begins with a problem: the land is still full of enemies to defeat, but Joshua is old—really old. What’s God’s solution? “I myself with drive them out from before the people of Israel.” Does that mean that Joshua’s work is done here? It may seem odd to us, but God says the most important thing left for Joshua to do is to ratify each tribe’s inheritance. We begin by reviewing Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (a.k.a. “East Manasseh”—Ephraim & Manasseh were two full tribes). The focus is on the land, even if Israel still hadn’t taken full possession of it. Similarly, even though we won’t take full possession of our inheritance until the resurrection, our Lord Jesus has guaranteed it in His gospel and sacraments.