Today's Reading:
Joshua 14:6-14
“And Moses swore on that day, saying, Surely, the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thine children’s forever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God.” (v. 9, NKJV)
Inheritance refers to the assets (riches, wealth, possessions, and so on) which an individual transfers or bequeaths to another, usually loved ones like children and siblings. The transfer usually occurs after the death of the owner and can be from one generation to another. The person(s) who receives the inheritance is referred to as the ‘heir’. With earthly inheritances, usually, the owner dies before the transfer. If alive, it is usually based on favour.
Due to the importance of inheritance, in the Scriptures, references are made both in the Old and New Testaments starting from Abraham. It is instructive to note that, God had planned to become the earth was formed, to give spiritual inheritances to his children. He had pre-destined believers/saints to be joint-heirs with his Son Jesus Christ (Rom18:17), to whom He has given all things, power. and authority, both in heaven and on earth (Matt 11:27; Matt 28:18). In Col 1:12, Paul said to the Colossians that, God had made them (saints/believers) be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, that is, these who had been delivered from the power of darkness and had been translated into the kingdom of His dear Son-Jesus Christ (v. 13). There is a further confirmation in 1Peter 1:4 that, the inheritance which God has given believers through his Son Jesus Christ (v. 3), is incorruptible, undefined and does not fade away, reserved in heaven for them. Overall, saints are God’s inheritances (possessions).
From the foregoing, we see that there are earthly and spiritual (God-given) sources of inheritances.
In the Old Testament days, earthly inheritances were well described and guided by the Law. Apart from individuals’ transfer of inheritances, God’s direct roles were very prominent. Of noteworthy is the account in our today’s reading, where Caleb spoke to Joshua, the then leader of the Israelites, at the point of sharing the inheritance God had given them in the land of Canaan - the Promised Land. Caleb reminded Joshua in (v.6) of how Moses, the first leader of the Israelites, who led them out of the land of slavery in Egypt, had sworn to him that the land where his feet would step on would be his inheritance and his children forever. This was based on the fact that Caleb wholly followed the Lord his God. This arose from the role Caleb and Joshua played when Moses sent them, with ten other leaders of the tribes of Israel, to spy out the Promise Land. While the other ten spies brought back evil, discouraging, heart-melting reports (v. 8), Caleb and Joshua brought encouraging reports and the confession that Israel was capable of taking and possessing the land. Caleb said he wholly followed the Lord his God, unlike the others, and this qualified him for the inheritance God promised (v. 9).
As from the New Testament days and unto today, qualifications for God-given inheritances are: first and foremost, based on acceptance of Christ as Lord and Saviour. This automatically guarantees one for inheritance with Christ as joint-heir (Col 1:12; Rom 8:17). Furthermore, in order to ensure that the inheritance is ultimately handed to one like Caleb got, one will have to follow God wholly. Not only should one become a believer, but it is needful that one works out his/her salvation, with fear and trembling (Phil.2:12), following/seeking God wholeheartedly.
CHRISTIE KUPOLUYI
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the provision of God-given inheritances for believers, in Jesus name.
Lord Jesus, thank You for making us acceptable to God by Your sacrifice on the cross, in Jesus name.
Father, thank You for making us joint-heirs with Jesus, so that the inheritance stored up for us in heaven is ours, in Jesus name.
Father, equip and teach believers and Your Church as a whole, to be worthy of their inheritances, in Jesus name.
Father, help Your Church to occupy her space in the world, so that the inheritance stored for mankind in heaven will not be wasted, in Jesus name.
Comments