Joshua 16-19, Luke 8:1-21

We have been reading the last couple sections in Joshua about the division of land. On Saturday, we read about Caleb getting to choose his own land. Caleb is the only other surviving original Israelite besides Joshua. This is probably why he was given this honor. Caleb followed God closely and is now being rewarded for it. We see a continuation of Caleb’s faith that he chooses land which will be hard to tame. He truly had a strong faith in God.
I find it interesting that Judah, Manasseh and Ephraim receive an entire section about the allotment of land. The other tribes are just quickly listed by how they drew their lots. We also see them speaking of the Tabernacle being located in Shiloh. My Bible had a wonderful map of where the territories were located and I would encourage you to look for one in your Bible or go online and google it. You can see how all of the tribes were situated.
Today’s reading in Luke is something that I love about this gospel. Luke is very clear that women were very involved in the ministry of Jesus. This is something that I can appreciate. In a world where women were less thought of, Luke is sure to mention that women played a very large part in our Lord’s ministry. The women were the backbone of his ministry. They kept things running so that Jesus and the disciples could focus on their ministry. This is a beautiful portrait of how I see so many pastor’s wives functioning now. God bless those ladies who free up the godly men in their lives to do the things God is calling them to.
We also read my favorite parable today. The parable of the sower is a beautiful picture of evangelism. We spread seeds every day and I think people get frustrated that there aren’t more flowers grown in their lives. Yet we forget how intensive growing a good gardener is. Many of us don’t do gardens now. Back then this would have been an every day thing for anyone listening to Jesus. We go and toss seeds out and don’t realize that some people just aren’t ready to hear it. They have to have their hearts prepared by God in order for those seeds to grow.
Finally, we see a troubling passage. In verses 19-21 we see something that on the outside looks like Jesus being rude. They do not mean that Jesus doesn’t appreciate his family, or think low of them. He is making a statement about true family being about spiritual relationships. We are part of that spiritual family when we hear and obey God, not because our family is “Christian”. We may not choose our physical family but we do choose whether or not we belong to God’s spiritual family.
Tomorrow’s reading is Joshua 20-22 and Luke 8:22-39.