Joshua 18:10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.
Perhaps the favorite word of parents is the word “share.” Perhaps the least favorite word of their children is the word “share.” We hate to share! We want things to be fair for us, but we don’t want to share with others. Imagine that you had to share something between two children. That can be a challenge. Imagine sharing among twelve children. That would be a challenge again. Imagine those twelve children then have families of their own. Imagine dividing something among twelve tribes that made up a nation.
That is exactly what Joshua was tasked with doing in Joshua 18-19. Each of these tribes had a lot in the land. They had a lot in life. Now your lot in life may include property or not, but each of us have backgrounds, abilities, and a physical constitution, and what we have is totally different than what somebody else may have. That is just the way the world is. We are not robots; we are people. God has gifted each of us differently, and each of us has different burdens to bear.
So, what is our lot in life and what should we do with it? We learn two things from reading about Joshua. Joshua 18:10 says, “And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.” So, this was not just happenstance like a roll of the dice. This was God’s ordained way, His giving guidance to the children of Israel. Whatever their lot landed on, that was the lot of property they were given. So, accept your lot realizing that God gave it and God knows you.
Now is your lot like someone else’s lot? Most certainly not. You know, the history of the world is the history of geography, the resources that people had and how they used them. That is where much of the conflict comes from in the world. I would say, however, that there are many nations that have all kinds of natural resources that have done nothing with them century after century. Other nations may seem to be tiny, but have done amazing things because they accepted their lot.
Then, improve your lot. Some nations improved what they have. Some people improve what they have, and some people just sit on what they have. So, acceptance does not mean resignation or fatalism. Accept your lot realizing that God knows you and God gave you what you have. Then, improve your lot.
In Joshua 18:3 Joshua essentially says, “Don’t be slack. Go possess the land which God has given you.” Then in verse 6 he instructs them to scout out the land so they can decide how to divide it among the twelve tribes. So, they researched and then expanded.
Joshua 19:47 talks about a tribe called Dan whose lot became too small for them so they went up and took more. They expanded the lot that they had been given. There is some application for you today. Accept your lot, thank God for what you have, and improve your lot. You should research and expand.
Sometimes we talk about getting out of our comfort zones. That can be helpful as long as it is specific. You don’t get out of your comfort zone by doing something you were never made to do. I will never be a quarterback for an NFL team. I can work and train, but I will never be a quarterback because I have nothing with which to work. But, there are things I can improve. There are things that may be out of my comfort zone because they are things I have not done before, but I can improve them because they are part of God’s gifting of me, God’s background and opportunities for me.
Regardless of what God has given you, remember that you are part of a whole, something bigger. Accept your lot in life. Don’t waste your life wishing to be someone else. Improve your lot in life. Research what you have and expand it, glorifying God with what He has entrusted to your hands today.