Joshua 15:1 This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families…
Live in the Sweet Spot
I have to tell you, I love Kansas. People often think of Kansas as “drive-by” or “fly-over” country. They think of Kansas as a patch of green, then a patch of brown, then a square of green, then another of brown. To many, it is just faceless terrain.
But the fencing throughout the Kansas countryside represents homes, many of them held by the same families for generations. These homes have their own scent, sound, and feel under foot that the people who call them home would recognize even if they were blindfolded.
Joshua 15-16 talks about the lots given to the different tribes of Israel. These are the lots that these tribes called home. Chapter 15 in particular talks about Judah’s portion.
There is a long listing of faceless names that we no longer remember but represent boundaries and towns that were actually the homes that God had given His people Judah.
Now, the world is defined by borders. That is good. Your life is also defined by borders, such as your gender, your family, and the gifting that God has created you with. It is important to realize the difference between a self-imposed, man-made restriction and a border defining the lot that God has given you.
There are two words that describe the essence of Joshua 15-16. The first is the word, “content.” Judah was to be content with the lot that God had given them. They were to make their homes on that land and recognize it as a gift from God. Likewise, I need to be content with my lot in life. That does not mean I don’t better my lot or improve myself within the lot that God has given me, but it does mean recognizing what part of my life is defined by boundaries that are given by God.
The second word is “contend.” Just because Judah had been given these boundaries did not mean that they did not have to contend for it. Joshua 15:14 says that “Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak.” To “contend” is to make the most of the lot that God has given us.
What about the border of gender? God has made me a man; I don’t need to be more like a lady. If you are a lady, you don’t need to be more like a man or make men your standard for success. I need to be content with my gender but contend so that I can be all that God would have me to be as a man.
If I am gifted to preach, I need to be content with that, but I also need to hone that gift for the help of others. If you are born into a family with a poor reputation, then change it. If you are born into a family that has honored God, then don’t blow it. Be content with the lot God has given you, but contend to make the most of where God has placed you.
Israel did not contend as much as they should have. Chapter 16 ends by saying, “And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwell in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephramites unto this day.” The issues we refuse to face today will confront our children tomorrow. The answer is to live in the sweet spot of where God has placed you. Be content with who God has made you, and make the most of all that God has given you in which to grow your life.