Are Ye Slack to Go?
Text
Joshua 18-19
Theme
God has a place and a plan for every individual, and it is His desire that we be faithful in the place He has called us to.
Introduction
Last week we looked at Joshua chapters 16-17.
We took the challenge that, as Christians, we need to beware of becoming grumbling Christians who have become discontented with what God has given us.
We also noted that it is wrong to try and enter into the reward of another man’s labours, and that past victories are not a guarantee of future blessing.
In Joshua chapters 18-19 we find Joshua exhorting the people to get back to the work of obtaining the entirety of the inheritance God intended them to have.
The children of Israel were in the land but had failed to properly divide the land among the tribes and families. God had a proper order for the tribes to settle in, and they had not been diligent to bring God’s plan to pass.
For the sake of our study today we will consider three main sections:
The Rebuke of Slackness
Joshua 18:1-3
The Solution for Slackness
Joshua 18:4-10
The Shunning of Slackness
Joshua 18:11-19:51
The Rebuke of Slackness
Joshua 18:1-3
The Occasion for the Rebuke
The occasion for the rebuke was the gathering of the tribes for the setting up of the Tabernacle in Shiloh.
The Tabernacle was effectively a portable temple in which the Ark of the Covenant was kept during the years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness and the early days of the occupation of Canaan.
When Israel was in the wilderness, the Tabernacle was continually packed up and carried with Israel as God moved them from place to place.
The Tabernacle was a large, ornate tent surrounded by a fence of fine twined linen (Exodus 27:9). Inside were two rooms.
The first room was the Holy Place, where the golden candlestick, the table of shewbread, and the altar of incense were located.
The second room was the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant rested and where the Shekinah glory of God dwelt above the cherubim.
After entering Canaan, the Tabernacle was first established at Gilgal, where Israel’s main encampment was located.
It was now moved to Shiloh, where both the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant remained until the days of Samuel the prophet.
When Samuel was a young boy, Eli’s two sons carried the Ark from Shiloh into battle against the Philistines, where it was captured. After the Philistines returned it, the Ark remained for a time at Beth-shemesh before being kept at Kirjath-jearim until King David later brought it to Jerusalem.
Seven Tribes Had Not Yet Received Their Inheritance
Seven of the tribes had still not received their inheritance in the land.
These tribes were just as problematic as the tribe of Joseph.
The tribe of Joseph had already received their inheritance and were still complaining about wanting more land, even while their brethren were waiting to receive a portion.
These seven tribes were just as problematic because they had entered the land and participated in the early battles, but had become content to remain in the territory of their brethren rather than go and possess a land of their own.
As Warren Wiersbe observes:
“Seven tribes still had to have their inheritance marked out for them, and apparently they were slow to respond to the challenge. Unlike Caleb and the daughters of Zelophehad, these tribes didn’t have faith and spiritual zeal. These tribes had helped fight battles and defeat the enemy, but now they hesitated to claim their inheritance and enjoy the land God had given them.”
The Source of the Rebuke
Joshua brought the problem into the open with a direct question.
Joshua 18:3
“How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?”
Israel was in the land, but they had stopped growing in the occupation of the land.
Like the tribe of Joseph before them, they had become tired of fighting for more territory and had decided that unless it came easily, they were content to stay where they were.
Joshua identified the root cause of their failure to finish dividing the land as slackness.
His question, “How long?”, indicates that this had already continued for some time.
They had come so far, and then they became stagnant.
Perhaps it began as a short period of rest and recuperation, but over time that temporary pause became their permanent condition, and the work never resumed.
The Spiritual Application
For the Christian, it is possible to be saved and yet have stopped growing spiritually.
Growing in Prayer
The Christian needs to maintain a vibrant prayer life in order to keep growing spiritually.
It is easy for us to become slack in this area, particularly if we have lost our vision for the future.
The Christian who has stopped looking for God to move them forward is a Christian who has stopped praying for God to take them forward.
Growing in the Word
Our depth of understanding in God’s Word is another essential area of spiritual growth.
One can hardly expect to grow spiritually without exercising both heart and mind in the study of God’s Word.
Growing in Victory Over Sin
The Christian who is growing spiritually ought also to become progressively less like the world and more like Christ.
With that comes increasing holiness and increasing victory over the sins of the flesh.
If you are not growing in prayer and in the Word, then you are unlikely to grow in the area of victory over sin and self.
These two spiritual exercises are essential in the spiritual battle.
Psalm 119:11
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Growing in Service
Growing in service is about far more than simply being busy.
It is about using the spiritual gifts God has given you to further His work, particularly within the local church.
It is possible to have a saved soul and yet live a wasted life.
We need to consider what specific talents God has entrusted to us and faithfully use those gifts to minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ and to further the work of the Gospel.
The Solution for Slackness
Joshua 18:4-10
Joshua did not merely rebuke the people for their complacency. Having identified the problem, he immediately set about providing a practical solution.
Good leadership does more than point out what is wrong. It also provides a clear path forward.
Prepare to Do the Work
Joshua organized the people for the purpose of doing the work God intended.
He appointed three men from each tribe—a total of twenty-one men—to survey the remaining land in preparation for dividing it among the people.
Only seven tribes remained to receive their inheritance.
- Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh had already received their inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan.
- Judah and Joseph had received the first two portions within Canaan.
- The priesthood of the LORD was the inheritance of the Levites.
The remainder of the land would now be divided among the seven tribes that had not yet received their inheritance.
The Division Was to Be According to God’s Plan
Joshua gathered the people together at Shiloh before the Ark of God.
The division of the land was not to be determined by personal preference, popularity, or political influence.
It was to be determined before the Lord.
The land was divided by lot.
This was not gambling, but a God-appointed method of leaving the decision entirely in His hands.
Proverbs 16:33
“The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.”
Everything Israel possessed came from the hand of God.
As God gave the land and divided it among the tribes according to His wisdom, so today God still gives abundantly to those who trust Him and walk in His will.
The Shunning of Slackness
Joshua 18:11-19:51
The Land Was Divided According to God’s Plan
The result of Joshua’s rebuke and his careful organization was that the land was finally divided among the people exactly as God intended.
At first glance these chapters may appear to be little more than long lists of cities and boundary lines.
However, God does not simply summarize these details by saying, “The rest also received some land.”
Instead, He records each inheritance carefully because these details remind us of two important truths.
God Is Faithful to Keep His Promises
Although the land had been promised to Israel as a nation, God’s promise was ultimately fulfilled for every individual family within that nation.
Every tribe.
Every family.
Every inheritance.
Each one received exactly what God had promised.
This reminds us that the promises of God’s Word belong personally to every believer.
Among those personal promises are:
- Wisdom for those who ask. (James 1:5)
- Forgiveness for those who confess. (1 John 1:9)
- Provision according to His riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
God’s promises are not merely national or corporate.
They are wonderfully personal.
Every Believer Has a God-Ordained Place
These chapters also remind us that every individual had a place within God’s plan.
No tribe was overlooked.
No family was forgotten.
Likewise, every member of the local church has been placed there by God for a purpose.
The Lord is the One who adds people to His church.
If He has brought you into a local assembly, then He has work for you to do while you are there.
Every Christian has been given spiritual gifts by God, and those gifts are to be exercised for the strengthening of the local church.
Joshua – An Example of Godly Leadership
One of the outstanding features of these chapters is the leadership demonstrated by Joshua.
His leadership provides several valuable lessons.
He Rebuked Complacency
Joshua was willing to go against the grain and confront the people’s slackness.
He could easily have taken the softer approach by congratulating them on how far they had already come.
Instead, he recognized that doing so would only reinforce their complacency.
The problem was not ignorance of God’s will.
The problem was inactivity and an unwillingness to complete what God had commanded.
Joshua identified the real issue and rebuked it.
We need spiritual leaders in every generation who are willing to confront sin and complacency within the church and lovingly rebuke these failings with the authority of God’s Word.
Often the one who brings the rebuke is also the one who bears the criticism.
For that reason many preachers are tempted to preach only “smooth things.”
Isaiah 30:10
Joshua also recognized an important principle.
Delay in doing God’s will is, in reality, disobedience.
There may have been a legitimate time for rest after the initial conquest of Canaan.
But that brief period of rest had gradually become an excuse for refusing to finish the work God had assigned.
God is never satisfied with partial obedience.
As we saw in the life of King Saul, delayed obedience is still disobedience.
He Organised the People
Joshua did not stop with the rebuke.
He followed it with a practical plan that enabled the people to move forward.
A good leader does more than point out where people are wrong.
A good leader shows people how to do what is right.
Joshua had already demonstrated this throughout his own life.
He had been one of only two spies who believed God’s promise and urged Israel to possess the land by faith.
Before instructing others, he had already modelled faith and obedience himself.
Now he provided practical steps that would help the nation follow the same path.
That is good leadership.
He Brought the Matter Before the Lord
Joshua gathered the people before the Lord at Shiloh before dividing the land.
The land belonged to God.
It was from God’s hand that Israel had received its inheritance.
It was therefore fitting that the remaining inheritance should also be distributed before Him.
This is an excellent pattern for spiritual leadership.
The goal of leadership is not to make people dependent upon the leader.
The goal is to point people continually back to God, who alone is the true Shepherd and Guide of His people.
Joshua’s own submission to God is beautifully summarized in his later declaration:
Joshua 24:15
“As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
He Received His Own Inheritance Last
Joshua 19:49-51
One of the most remarkable demonstrations of Joshua’s leadership is found at the close of these chapters.
Joshua received his own inheritance last.
He could easily have claimed the best land first, and few would likely have questioned him.
Joshua was the leader of Israel, one of only two men of the original generation who entered Canaan, and a man upon whom God had clearly placed His blessing.
Yet Joshua never used his position for personal advantage.
Instead, he placed the welfare of God’s people ahead of his own personal gain.
Joshua demonstrates that true leadership involves sacrifice.
It is this kind of leadership that God delights to bless.
Servant Leadership
Leaders who insist on being first are not the greatest in God’s economy.
The Lord Jesus taught:
Matthew 20:26-27
“But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.”
If we would become great leaders, we must first learn to become great servants.
That principle applies just as much within the local church today.
Many Christians look at ministries such as the choir, Sunday School, song leading, or preaching and see positions of influence or authority.
The biblical perspective is very different.
Every ministry is first and foremost an opportunity to serve.
Whether someone leads the kitchen ministry, organizes the ushers, teaches children, sings in the choir, or preaches from the pulpit, every position of leadership should be viewed—not as a place of greater authority—but as a place of greater servanthood.
God Rewarded Joshua’s Faithfulness
God honoured Joshua’s servant leadership.
In the end, Joshua received the very reward he could have taken for himself much earlier.
God allowed him to choose a city for himself.
Joshua did not grasp for personal advantage.
He waited upon the Lord.
Psalm 37:9
“For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.”
There is an important principle here.
Those who patiently wait upon the Lord can trust Him to reward faithful service in His own time.
Conclusion
Joshua’s question still speaks powerfully to God’s people today:
“How long are ye slack to go…?”
It is possible for Christians to begin well, make genuine progress, and then gradually become spiritually stagnant.
Perhaps there was once a time when you were growing consistently in prayer, faithfully studying God’s Word, overcoming sin, and serving enthusiastically.
Has that season of growth slowly given way to complacency?
The Christian who has stopped looking for God to move them forward is often the Christian who has stopped praying for God to take them forward.
The challenge is not merely to recognize our slackness, but to respond to it.
Have you made plans for getting on board and doing God’s work?
Remember, the Lord is the One who adds people to His church.
If He has brought you here, then He has a purpose for your life within this local assembly.
What is it that God wants to accomplish through you?