Divine Economy (Joshua 19:12-23) (December 15, 2025)

Divine Economy (Joshua 19:12-23) Living Life 12/15/2025 Daily Devotional Bible Study

Divine Economy

Introduction: When One Person’s Blessing Becomes Everyone’s Blessing

Welcome to Living Life. I was listening to a fascinating interview with one of the co founders of Picksar Disney Pixar and he was asked how he felt when he made a good movie that did really well at the box office but when a rival video movie studio did badly how he felt and his answer was striking he said no I feel bad I want them all to do well.
In other words he was saying that high tide for some floats all boats when one person does well

everyone else is picked up by it.
And we see the same kind of principle in the kingdom of God.
When a church preaches the gospel and experiences genuine revival we celebrate it knowing that the kingdom growth anywhere is kingdom growth everywhere even for us.
And this is the theme of our message today.
God's grace can work by blessing someone else and through them bless us the high tide of God's grace overflows and lifts up our boats as well.
That God's grace can come to us through the blessing

of another

Scripture Reading: Joshua 19:1–23

Joshua Chapter Nineteen verses one to twenty three.

The second lot came out for the tribe of Simian according to its plans their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah.
It included Biershiba Anshiba Malada Hazar Shuell Balah Ezm Elt LAD Bethol Horma Zicklag Beth Marcoboth Haszar Susa Beth Le Beoth and Shiruen 13 town and their villages Anne Rimmond Ether and Ashan four towns in their villages and all the villages arounded these towns.
As far as Baylath Beer Rama in the Negeev

this was the inheritance of the tribe of the Semiionites according to its clans the inheritance of the Semonites was taken from the share of Judah because Judah's portion was more than they needed.
So the Semonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.
The third lot came up for Zebulin according to its clans the boundary of their inheritance went as far as Sreed going west in Ran to Marilla touched Dabcheth and extended to the ravine near Jaknim.

It turned east from Sarid toward the Sunrise to the territory of Kissloth Tre and went on to Dabarath and up to Jefia.
Then it continued eastward to Gath Heifer and Ethcasan.
It came out at Rimmon and turned toward NA.
There the boundary went around on the north to Hannathon and ended at the valley of IFTA.
Included were Cath Nahalal Simron Idalah and Bethlehem.
There were 12 towns and their villages.

These towns and their villages were the inheritants of Zebulan according to its clans.
The fourth lot came out for Isakar.
According to its clans their territory included Jezreel Kazoloth Shunem Hfarame Shon Anaharth Rabboth Kisen Ebbez Remmouth Onganim Onhara and Beth Pazz.
The boundary touched Tabber Shaha Zuma and Beth Shamesh and ended at the Jordan.
There were 16 towns and their villages.
These towns and their villages were the inheritants of the tribe of Isacar according to its plans.

Grace That Overflows: Simeon Within Judah

What we see here is Simian receiving the second allotment of the promised land and in it he receives the smallest of the land and he seems to be surrounded by Judah's allotment.
In other words it looks like Simming is going to get swallowed up because he's surrounded by Judah.
Look at Verse nine The inheritance of the people of Simian formed part of the territory of the people of Judah

because the portion of the people of Judah was too large for them.
The people of Simmine obtained an inheritance in the middle of their inheritance.
You see Simian was a very small tribe but Judah's lot was so big that they had land to spare and so Joshua gave the land to Simian.
And this points us to two important truths of God's grace.
First God is fulfilling the promise and the prophecy spoken by Jacob in Genesis 34 that Simian would be scattered and absorbed

would be taken in by Judah because of what they did in Genesis 34 and more profoundly this foreshadows all of Israel that will ultimately be absorbed or be taken into the tribe of Judah through the kingship of David and then of Jesus Christ in the fulness of time.

Superabundant Grace Shared in Christ

Another truth of God's grace is that it shows us God's superabundant super abounding grace that overflows to include us.
Another person's blessing doesn't have to detract from a blessing for us.
In actuality it can be our blessing too.
One of the commentators in this passage Aw.
Pink notes that Judah's portion was that only that he was the only one where it was too large it was too large for Judah and it's significant because Judah is the tribe from which Jesus is going to come.

And this points us to the grand truth of the fullness of Christ Jesus that in him there is an abundance of mercy and grace and riches that are available to us that it is so large that he shares it with us.
And that's how Simmon's blessing comes overflowing superabundant through the blessing of Judah.
And this is exactly how we receive our blessings in Christ Jesus through his perfect work of obedience his death his crucifixion on a cross his death and after three days his resurrection that the blessings that he receives are so vast so large, so infinite that he shares it with us as we put our trust in him.

No Small People, No Small Places

You know when I was younger

Ah my brother and I we made a pact we made a promise that we would share everything.
So if he got something then he would share it with me and if I got something I would share it with him.
And so you know if I got a gift we would share it together and we share we did that with everything our food, our money even for example I got a car when I was in high school and then when I left to go to college I gave the car to my brother so he could drive it while he was in high school.

And this is the beauty of God's super abundant grace in Christ that the blessings and the inheritance that Jesus receives in the Gospel he promises to share it with us.
You see the high tide of God's grace doesn't just provide us with a secure inheritance but an enduring hope of inheritance someone else's blessing gives us hope.
And this is the third allotment from moving on from Simian to Zebulin whose land along with Nftali later becomes known throughout the Bible as

Galilee of the Gentiles.
This was considered the boonies the hinter lands the countryside the Poodunk area of Israel where nobody wanted to go.
And this is where they ultimately intermingled with other nations becoming synonymous with impurity and they were often ridiculed by other tribes.

Glory From Humility: Zebulun and the Gospel Hope

But out of this humiliation God says something amazing is going to come that this is the upside down nature of the Gospel that the least shall become.
First

Isaiah prophesized in chapter nine.
In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulin and the land of Neftali but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea the land beyond the Jordan The Galilee of the Gentiles see out of weakness comes glory out of humiliation comes exaltation.
The most important thing about Zebbyulin's inheritance is the small insignificant town of Nazareth on the sea of Galilee.
From there

a week lowly child will grow up to become the king of kings and the Lord of Lords.
He was raised in this humble land where Philip tells Nathaniel and John one forty six what good can come out of Galilee what good can come out of Nazareth?
See the Gospel is the good news that something amazing can and does come out of Nazareth out of Galilee out of Zebulin Jesus comes to seek and save the lost.

Shared Inheritance in Christ

This is what Francis Shafer said that the reason why there are

no little people there are no little places because to God to Jesus every place is important everyone everywhere is important.
In God's sight God uses our weaknesses to show his perfect power.
This is the hope that Zebulin shows us in the gospel.
This is the hope that is given to us by grace that brings us back to the ultimate truth of our shared inheritance.
In Christ

How does remembering His past goodness strengthen and encourage you today?

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the high tide of Jesus's inheritance comes to us by grace and blesses us in him the blessings that he receives overflow and are shared abundantly with us and that there are no small people there are no small places and this is the way that the gospel works in sharing with all of his people all the blessings of his one and only son that in his inheritance we have our inheritance.

Closing Prayer

Let's pray together our father we thank you that in Christ we have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
We thank you that when he received the full inheritance of the gospel he promised and has shared it with us as we put our trust in him help us to know this wonderful truth.
In Jesus name we pray Omen.

"The first step toward Christian generosity is to recieve what God has supplied with deep and heartfelt gratitued."~Joe Ringney