Go Beyond Your Parents to Your Full Inheritance

“Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the Lord said to him, ‘You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed. This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and all those of the Geshurites;’”

Joshua 13:1-2 NASB

The Promised Land

God gave Israel the promised land by rights from the first day they crossed the Jordan, but they experienced possession of the land in stages as they removed the enemy bit by bit.

Joshua grew old, and much of the promised land allotted to his people remained unconquered. The sad reality of many Christian homes is that while parents have massive wealth in the Lord, spiritual real estate, it is overgrown by brush, filled with foxes, coyotes, snakes, and debris, because they stopped clearing, cleaning, and claiming once they managed to set up some rudimentary living quarters on the property and now they have grown old. Maybe in the he early days, when the joy of their salvation remained, the parents cleared part of the property with joy and hope but the sun came out and the heat got intense, bees stung them, neighbors attacked them, someone who claimed rights over their property gave them fits about the changes they were making and they got discouraged. Or maybe they knew that part of the land was underwater and they didn't want to deal with draining it…whatever the reason, they grew old and didn't tend to much of the land. Now they leave behind a huge inheritance for the kids, but much of it is effectively unclaimed and inaccessible real estate. The kids receiving their inheritance have more work because the parents didn't persevere. This sobering state is the situation of many Christians' spiritual inheritances today. As one generation gives way to the next, the younger generation faces a crossroads: Will they heed the call to acquire their inheritance and surpass what their parents accomplished?

The children of Israel weren't excited about conquering the land because their parents demonstrated a lack of faith. So the children come to the prophet with a complaint:

12But the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in that land. 13It came about when the sons of Israel became strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.

      14Then the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion for an inheritance, since I am a numerous people whom the LORD has thus far blessed?”15Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”16The sons of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the valley land have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth-shean and its towns and those who are in the valley of Jezreel.” 17Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people and have great power; you shall not have one lot only, 18but the hill country shall be yours. For though it is a forest, you shall clear it, and to its farthest borders it shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron and though they are strong.”

Joshua 17:12-18 NASB

The kids say, “It is too hard.” Joshua says, “You can do it, and you better get started.”

The children of Israel grew strong, praise God, but they didn't drive out their enemies, but only subdued them into slaves. They had to share the land with their enemies. The children of Israel complained to Joshua, saying, “You haven't given us enough space!” Many Christian children feel that they were neglected in various ways by their parents, and they come to the church with their complaints about “the church’s failures.” What they don't realize is that they are guilty of the same issue: a lack of faith in the power and faithfulness of God.

Joshua throws the situation back at them, saying, “Look at yourselves! You are a huge family! Get everyone together and clear some of your inheritance!” But the people replied that they needed more land than just the uninhabited parts; they needed to remove the Canaanites, but were afraid of them.

The notable part of this conversation is that the Israelites claimed to have subdued the Canaanites instead of removing them, but here, they are afraid of the Canaanites because of their strength. So, who has subdued whom? When we compromise with the enemy and try to live with him instead of defeating him, he will always rule over us. You cannot make peace with the devil. You must always beat him. The only peace with the devil is peace through strength. You get peace when the God of peace crushes Satan underneath your feet! (Romans 16:20).

Joshua does not buy into the victim mentality of the Israelites but calls them up to what they can do and be.

“You are a numerous people,” he says, “and you have great power…the hill country will be yours because you will clear it to its farthest borders and you will drive out the Canaanites even though they have iron chariots and are strong.” (Joshua 17:17-18).

In other words, put on your big boy pants, get some courage and faith, and do what your parents failed to do: go take the whole promised land. Your parents lost faith and failed because they believed they couldn't succeed. You are making the same mistake now. Getting up, renewing your faith, and retaking the plunge is the only answer. Go take the land!