Joshua 19:49-50
When they finished apportioning the land for inheritance by its borders, the sons of Israel gave an inheritance in their midst to Joshua the son of Nun. In accordance with the command of the Lord they gave him the city for which he asked, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. So he built the city and settled in it.
God has a reward for His servants!! We first came across Joshua when the people are in the exodus from Egypt. Moses sends out twelve spies to search out this very land that is now be divided. In Numbers 13 we read that Joshua was one of these twelve. Joshua (and Caleb) were the only spies who gave a good report. Imagine being the only two people in the midst of a million who would stand tall in faith in this slouching world of flesh! Everyone believed the ten spies who said the land was to tough for them to conquer. Joshua and Caleb were the lone voices of faith. God saw that and in the above passage we see Joshua finally being rewarded for his faithfulness. There is no doubt that along the way, Joshua made some missteps. That was the pride that caused the defeat at Ai. There was that bad deal when he shock hands with the deceitful tribe of Gibeonites. But, Joshua took over when Moses died and lead the people into the promise land. As a result, God lists him separately in the above story, giving him Timnath-serah (in the Hebrew, "The Territory of the Sun"). Joshua would have his retirement. Not because he reached an particular age, but because his role in the leadership of Israel was completed. God gave him rest and a tangible inheritance. In Christ, we too, have been quailified to share in the inheritance of the Saints:
Colossians 1:12
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
We can read the same, elsewhere, in Scripture: Acts 26:18. God has an inheritance for those who love Him and those who walk according to His will and purpose. Our inheritance is not tangible, as the example of Joshua, however. Our inheritance is Christ. He is our inheritance. Like the Levites of old (they were not allotted a portion of the promise land), our inheritance is The Lord. We have been given Christ. We are in Him and He in us. We have, as Paul states to the Colossians, been "qualified" to share in the inheritance of the saints "in Light." This is a truth we rejoice in. This is a truth we give thanks to the Father. God rewards those who put their trust in Him through Christ. Joshua received this tangible piece of dirt to give us an example that we, through the same faith, will receive an inheritance in Christ. What a blessed truth. We pray for tangible things and think they can give us comfort. But, the only comfort we need is to know that we share in the inheritance of the saints in Light!!!
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