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May 4 - Joshua 16 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Shaun here. It's Monday.
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  It is the 4th of May. You know what that means?
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  It is May, the fourth International Star Wars Day, and
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  it's great to have your company. Whether you are into R2D2 and
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  his friends or not, this is a day that a lot of people around
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  the world will be celebrating that incredible franchise of
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  good versus evil, the space opera that changed it all.
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  But there is a much bigger opera, a much bigger story that
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  changes it all, which is the one that we are going to continue
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  reading this week. And you, if you have been with
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  me for a little while, we have been reading through the book of
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  Joshua, which started out with this fascinating narrative of
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  God's people passing over the Jordan River into the promised
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  land and has now become this incredible document which
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  outlines the inheritance that God's people have taken as
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  they've gone into that land. And as a contrast from last
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  week, today is a very short reading, only 1011, no, just 10
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  verses as we hear about 1 1/2 tribes and the land that they
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  will inherit. So let us hear this story of
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  God's faithfulness to his people as we read together the details
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  of this gift that he gives them. And as we hear these, we can
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  reflect on the gift that God gives us in Jesus.
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  As we read together Joshua chapter 16,
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  the allotment for the descendants of Joseph extended
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  from the Jordan River near Jericho, east of the springs of
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  Jericho, through the wilderness, and into the Hill Country of
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  Bethel. From Bethel, that is, Luz, it
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  ran over to Atteroth in the territory of the Archites.
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  Then it descended westward into the territory of the Japhlotites
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  as far as Lower Beth Horon, then to Giza and over to the
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  Mediterranean Sea. It was the homeland allocated to
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  the families of Joseph's sons Manasa and Ephraim.
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  The following territory was given to the clans of the tribe
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  of Ephraim. The boundary of their homeland
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  began at Ateroth Ada in the east.
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  From there it ran to Upper Beth Horon, then on to the
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  Mediterranean Sea From Mikmath and the north to the boundary
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  curved eastward past Tanoth Shiloh to the east of Genoa.
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  From Genoa it turned southward to Attaroth and Nara, touched
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  Jericho, and ended at the Jordan River.
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  From Tapua the boundary extended westward, following the Cana
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  Ravine to the Mediterranean Sea. This is the homeland allocated
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  to the clans of the tribe of Ephraim.
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  In addition, some towns with their surrounding villages in
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  the territory allocated to the half tribe of Manasseh were set
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  aside for the tribe of Ephraim. They did not drive the
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  Canaanites out of Giza, however, so the people of Giza live as
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  slaves among the people of Ephraim to this day.
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  But thank you that you are a steadfast and reliable entity in
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  our lives and that with so many parts of our life, we have to
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  wonder about motivations and we have to wonder about
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  trustworthiness and we have to wonder about dependability.
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  But not so with you. Whatever you say, you do,
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  whatever you promise, you fulfil it.
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  And so we can just lean in. And as we read your word and we
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  read your promises to us, we know that these declarations
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  will be upheld. And we know that you are
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  faithful and good. And we thank you for your
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  faithfulness and goodness in our lives.
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  And the way that that has played out again and again, and the way
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  that that ultimately plays out through the gift of Jesus who
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  changes everything and brings us home into you and your embrace
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  eternally. So we thank you, our wonderful
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  Father, our loving provider, and our beautiful Saviour.
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  We pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.