For or Against? (Joshua 17:1-13) (December 11, 2025)

For or Against? (Joshua 17:1-13) Living Life 12/11/2025 Daily Devotional Bible Study

 

For or Against (Joshua 171-13) Living Life 12112025 Daily Devotional Bible Study

 

 

 

Introduction: The Importance of God-Given Boundaries

Welcome to living life as Christians every day is a battle against sin and it's really hard to battle sin and there's so much temptation and I feel like a big reason why we struggle with sin so much is because we don't set clear boundaries.
Boundaries are so important.
All throughout the Bible God sets these boundaries um not to harm us or to bother us and set useless rules but to protect us and to lead us to life to love him and to honor him.
There's

big issue in the United States with ice with immigration and deporting immigrants.
And no matter where you stand on the political spectrum of course you know I shouldn't be unnecessarily harsh or we shouldn't be bothering legal permanent residents or citizens.
But if we should all agree that if you're an illegal immigrant you are breaking the law and then the law of the land should stand.
And

um if you break the law there's consequences.
And so if we even in immigration if you don't have the right boundaries there is utter chaos.
You have people coming in that are dangerous to your society.
The resources that should be for your people to strengthen your people serve your people are not going to spread so thin that no one really benefits and so among many other concerns.
And so boundaries

are so important for us as Christians and God is a god of boundaries of order and so we're gonna see the blessings of having the right boundaries in our life in our passage today let's read today's passage

 

 

 

For or Against?

 

 

 

Scripture Reading: Joshua 17:1–13

Joshua Chapter seventeen verses one to thirteen.

This was the allotment for the tribe of Massa as Joshev's first born that is for Makir Massa's first born.
Machur was the ancestor of the Gileadites who had received Gilead and Bashan because the Machrites were great soldiers.
So this allotment was for the rest of the people of Massa the clans of Abbezer Hellk Asriel Chkhum Heifer and Shamida These are the other male descendants of Massa son of Joseph by their clans

now Zulfihad son of Heifer the son of Gilead the son of Makir the son of Massa had no sons only daughters whose names were Mahayah Noah Hogla Micha and Tirsa.
They went to Elazar the Priest Joshua son of Nun and the leaders and said the Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our relatives so Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father.
According to the law's command

Massa's share consisted of ten tracts of land besides Giliad and Bashan east of the Jordan because the daughters of the tribe of Massa received an inheritance among the sons The land of Giliad belonged to the rest of the descendants of Massa.
The territory of Massa extended from Asher to Michmathath east of Shakhum.
The boundary ran southward from there to include the people living at Entapua.
Massa had the land of Tapua

but Tapua itself on the boundary of Massa belonged to the Aphramites.
Then the boundary continued south to the Kana Ravine.
There were towns belonging to Eprame lying among the towns of Massa but the boundary of Manassa was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.
On the south the land belonged to Eprium on the north to Massa.
The territory of Massa reached the Mediterranean Sea and bordered Asher on the north and Isaacar on the east.

Within Issacar and Asher Massa also had Beth Shan Iblium and the people of Door and Door Tanak and Maguido together with their surrounding settlements.
The third in the list is Nafhoth Yet the Mancites were not able to occupy these towns for the Canonites were determined to live in that region.
However when the Israelites grew stronger they subjected the Canonites for forced labor but did not drive them out completely.

God Remembers the Overlooked

In our passage today we continue to see the Israelites receive their inherited land in the land of Kin and a mass The tribe of Manass is receiving their land back in those times patriarchal times um you would often see the males the sons receive the inheritance Ah but if we look in verse three Zeelfa had had no sons only had daughters.
And if we read verse 4 it says they went to Elazar the Priest

Josha son of Nun and the leaders and said The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our relatives.
So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father according to the Lord's command Amen and so first we want to always remember that God does not forget us that God cares for all of us but also has a special love and care for the rejected the weak the disregarded Um and so you know if you feel in any way that you are struggling and and weak and

and being disregarded always know God will not forget you.
He always has his eye on you and he has a special love and care for you.
But we also want to see that just like these daughters went boldly and said hey God promised this for us and our family and so please give us what he promised and a God allowed that showing that brothers and sisters no matter what past you may have whatever struggles you may have understand that as God's children we can receive

ah the heavenly blessings that God promises to those who walk in him and in faith.
And so don't hesitate to go to God go to him ask for those things in faith and believe God will open up Heaven's gates and pour his heavenly blessings upon us His presence His love his grace upon us if only we ask he will give to us.

Boundaries, Order, and the Blessings of Obedience

Once again we see all throughout these verses the boundaries of how Massa was receiving their land and they are vast and and we see once again God is a god of order

and also God doesn't forget he doesn't say oh oops I forgot about this people or that people he has a set boundary and set blessing for those people and so God remembers us but an issue comes in verse thirteen however when the Israelites grew stronger they subjected the Konites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.
Ah in yesterday's devotion we saw the same thing Ah that the Israelites Ah that

these tribes of Manassa and Ephrame did not drive out the Canyonites completely and it became a big issue um especially idol worship that it wasn't just about receiving this help as they were doing the forced labor and living as slaves.
Um that seemed you know great monetarily and you know they had to do less work and so so nice no but as they lived among the people um they were introduced to the foreign gods and the idolatry

would continue to be contagious and infectious spiritually speaking.
And so we see a huge problem in that if we don't set the right boundaries that um we can easily fall into sin and sin can lead to more sin and be a big problem for us in our intimacy with God our love for God and others and also our fruitfulness as Christians.

 

 

 

What unhealthy boundaries do you have?

 

 

 

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Setting Boundaries to Protect Holiness

So I want to encourage you brothers and sisters today to set the necessary boundaries to keep you ah away from sin and into closer communion with God and to be fruitful I want to encourage you to trust God that he does not forget you even if you feel shunned even if you feel weak and and that God never forgets us that he has a special love for you and please go to him as children of God go to him and ask for those blessings and believe those blessings in faith

and God will shower them down because he loves us and because we need more of him and he is willing to give us more of him if only we ask.
And let's set those boundaries not because God is a legalistic God but because those boundaries protect us protect our hearts and lead us to truly honor and glorify God in all we do.

Closing Prayer

Let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for setting so many boundaries for us God it shows how much you care for us

and how we are not forgotten and it leads us and helps us to walk in your light help us to set those boundaries ourselves as well in our lives in compliance to your word So that we protect our hearts so that we could grow more in our love for you but also for others and so that we could be effective messengers and disciples of Christ in our lives.
And we asked Lord that you help us to always remember that we are never disregarded.
You always remember us

and will help us to go with boldness to ask for your blessings Ask for your grace because you are a generous and overflowing God You are the fountain.
Thank you Lord Jesus in Jesus name we pray Amen.

 

 

 

"True obedience is the refusal to compromise in any regard our relationship with God, regardless of the consequences."~A. W.Tozer