The Responsibility Of The Great Comission

Joshua 15:1 and 20  -The allotment for the tribe of Judah, according to its clans, extended down to the territory of Edom, to the Desert of Zin in the extreme south.

…This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, according to its clans:

The tribe of Judah is the first to get a detailed list of all the land God is portioning them.  The writer takes great care to give the new name each Canaanite town used before it was conquered. Nothing was left to its old ways…the tribe of Judah took over and finished a complete takeover of each area it was given …except one.  Jerusalem was allowed to stay strong enough not to be taken over….and we aren’t told why.

I have sat longer than usual listening for the one bit of wisdom that God needs me to have from this chapter. My readings have gleaned very little that just grabs you as a lesson…but one thought.  All of this land was not completely cleared of the pagans God wanted abolished.  The portioning of land was as much about possession and ownership as it was about the responsibility to complete what the joint army had started. God was not going to bless a nation that was not obedient to his directives to clear out any peoples that might not believe in him and his commands.

God has given each of us something to do. I believe some of us are given more than one task…and that is on top of the great commission that Jesus used as his triumphant speech before his ascension.  He said in Matthew 28:18 – 20 - Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

So the hidden bit of wisdom in Joshua 15 for me this morning is to never forget that a relationship with God is two way.  When I accept his love and grace…I commit to consciously accept the responsibility to carry out these last earthly words of Jesus. Wherever God leads me…and especially if he allows me to possess land….I need to be about sharing his truth to the portion I am given…so more people will be able to enter the kingdom of God.

Father...thank you for the reminder that my relationship with you includes a great responsibility to spread your gospel everywhere you plant my feet. Forgive me for the many times that I have forgotten this great commissioning…and failed you and the lost people you placed all around me.  Give me new ears and eyes to recognize the lost around me…and use some of that courage and boldness I pray for to share your love and truth.  Amen.