The Jebusites

Reading: Joshua 15-17; 1 Corinthians 8 But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day. (Joshua 15:63 NLT) These chapters describe the allotment of the land to the tribes of Israel. Joshua assigned the land by boundaries to the tribes, partly based on the size of the tribe and the number of clans in the tribe. Within the assigned boundaries, there were, in some cases, strongholds of the people who had previously occupied the land. When the land was assigned to the tribes, it was the responsibility of the individual tribes to go in and root out and clean up the remaining strongholds in the area allotted to them. Here, in the very large area allotted to Judah, was the stronghold of Jebus which they were not able to defeat. Eventually, many years later, King David conquered Jebus and made it Jerusalem, his glorious capital city. This “pocket of resistance” became the center of his kingdom! I think about areas in my life that still are pockets of resistance against the authority I have been given as a child of God. There are things that I don’t really live in victory over, even though that victory has been won by Christ, proclaimed over my life, and assigned to me as my inheritance. I still battle to keep these areas down. They are apt to rise up at any time and interfere with my freedom. Other “resistance pockets” I suppress by sheer discipline and force of will, but again, it requires so much effort to keep them under control and keep them from rising up in rebellion! God has promised me victory. Jesus has provided for my victory. I will not give in and I will not give up until the promised victory becomes my experiential reality! Prayer:

Father, I would have preferred for these “problem pockets” in my life to be wiped out in a moment of time by the work of Jesus Christ and then handed over to me free and clear. For some reason they weren’t, and so I’m responsible to drive them out so that I can possess the land you have given to me. I resolve to battle diligently and faithfully to keep them down, but I ask for your help to drive them out so that the areas they control can be fully under your control and made productive for your purpose – so that they become assets and not liabilities. By your grace and mercy alone, Amen!