Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before Yahweh, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing the land.”
(Joshua 19:51)

“Know well the state of your flocks,
    and pay attention to your herds,
for riches are not forever,
    nor does the crown endure to all generations.
The hay is removed, and the new growth appears,
    the grasses of the hills are gathered in.
The lambs are for your clothing,
    and the goats are the price of a field.
There will be plenty of goats’ milk for your food,
    for your family’s food,
    and for the nourishment of your servant girls.”
(Proverbs 27:23-27)

It was finished. They had divided up the Land. All that was left was to fully inhabit it and then establish their lives. This was the time that they had been warned about in Deuteronomy 16. Now that they HAD, they needed to make sure they MAINTAINED. That they REMEMBERED what had gone before, who had brought them in, and why they were so blessed. They needed to make sure they didn’t get complacent. Or forget who they were supposed to be obeying. And – of course – obey Him. It is easy to relax when we are content. It is easy to rest on our laurels when we have some success. The body doesn’t LIKE hard work, so it is easy to forget what we had to do to get to where we are. And when we see the fruits of our labour, it is easy to forget we don’t have them because WE worked hard. We have them because GOD gave them to us, empowered us to achieve them, and walked with us through the process so that we would have success.

The tribe of Dan didn’t have enough space. They got an allotment, but it wasn’t going to be enough. They knew how much they needed. They knew what they had to get. So they went out and got it. They fought against the inhabitants of the Land who were being removed by God and they won more territory. They ensured they would have fields and resources and room to grow and develop their tribe. They didn’t rest until they got it, and once they did they worked it. They maintained it. They stewarded it. They managed it. And they remembered who they got it from. It was not taken away from them – at least not until the entire nation turned away and got judged. They followed the path laid down by God and had success.

Summary

Success has destroyed more people than poverty or the struggle to achieve something. Once we have something, we want to stop. We want to enjoy it. We want to say ‘look what I have achieved’. But that is the WRONG attitude. We ONLY have good things because God provided them (James 1:17). God designed us and crafted us. He gave us the brain power. He gave us inspiration. He empowered us. He equipped us. He granted us favour. It is because of HIM that we could work at it, achieve it, and receive it. Jesus told us to REMEMBER what God has done (Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25). We are to ALWAYS give thanks to Him. ALWAYS remember how we really got what we have. So that our eyes will stay on Him. So that we will NOT be distracted. So that we will keep Him in His place, and continue to strive to do His will with Joy and Thanksgiving. To manage and maintain what we have (without greed or hoarding) as we grow into new things so that we can bless those around us and be a blessing because we are blessed by the One we are following.