Study Desk

So that day Moses solemnly promised me, ‘The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God.'

Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord , the God of Israel.

Then Joshua asked them, "How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord , the God of your ancestors, has given to you?

And when you record the seven divisions of the land and bring them to me, I will cast sacred lots in the presence of the Lord our God to assign land to each tribe.

During all this time you have not deserted the other tribes. You have been careful to obey the commands of the Lord your God right up to the present day.

And now the Lord your God has given the other tribes rest, as he promised them. So go back home to the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord , gave you as your possession on the east side of the Jordan River.

But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul."

"The whole community of the Lord demands to know why you are betraying the God of Israel. How could you turn away from the Lord and build an altar for yourselves in rebellion against him?

"If you need the altar because the land you possess is defiled, then join us in the Lord 's land, where the Tabernacle of the Lord is situated, and share our land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar other than the one true altar of the Lord our God.

"The Lord , the Mighty One, is God! The Lord , the Mighty One, is God! He knows the truth, and may Israel know it, too! We have not built the altar in treacherous rebellion against the Lord . If we have done so, do not spare our lives this day.

"The truth is, we have built this altar because we fear that in the future your descendants will say to ours, ‘What right do you have to worship the Lord , the God of Israel?

Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord or turn away from him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar of the Lord our God that stands in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that purpose."

And all the Israelites were satisfied and praised God and spoke no more of war against Reuben and Gad.

The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar "Witness," for they said, "It is a witness between us and them that the Lord is our God, too."

You have seen everything the Lord your God has done for you during my lifetime. The Lord your God has fought for you against your enemies.

This land will be yours, for the Lord your God will himself drive out all the people living there now. You will take possession of their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.

Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.

Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.

So be very careful to love the Lord your God.

then know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive them out of your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs and thorny brambles in your eyes, and you will vanish from this good land the Lord your God has given you.