Study Desk

The tribe of Judah got the land God had promised them. Each family group got part of the land.

So Joshua said to the Israelites: "Why do you wait so long to take your land? The Lord , the God of your ancestors, has given this land to you.

You should describe the seven parts of land in writing and bring what you have written to me. Then I will throw lots in the presence of the Lord our God.

For a long time you have supported the other Israelites. You have been careful to obey the commands the Lord your God gave you.

The Lord your God promised to give the Israelites peace, and he has kept his promise. Now you may go back to your homes, to the land that Moses, the Lord 's servant, gave you, on the east side of the Jordan River.

But be careful to obey the teachings and laws Moses, the Lord 's servant, gave you: to love the Lord your God and obey his commands, to continue to follow him and serve him the very best you can."

"All the Israelites ask you: ‘Why did you turn against the God of Israel by building an altar for yourselves? You know that this is against God's law.

Remember what happened at Peor? We still suffer today because of that sin, for which God made many Israelites very sick.

If your land is unclean, come over into our land where the Lord 's Tent is. Share it with us. But don't turn against the Lord and us by building another altar for the Lord our God.

"The Lord is God of gods! The Lord is God of gods! God knows, and we want you to know also. If we have done something wrong, you may kill us.

"We did not build it for that reason. We feared that someday your people would not accept us as part of your nation. Then they might say, ‘You cannot worship the Lord , the God of Israel.

"Truly, we don't want to be against the Lord or to stop following him by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. We know the only true altar to the Lord our God is in front of the Holy Tent."

They were pleased and thanked God. So they decided not to fight the people of Reuben and Gad and destroy those lands.

And the people of Reuben and Gad named the altar Proof That We Believe the Lord Is God.

You have seen what the Lord has done to our enemies to help us. The Lord your God fought for you.

The Lord your God will force out the people living there. The Lord will push them out ahead of you. And you will own the land, as he has promised you.

You must continue to follow the Lord your God, as you have done in the past.

With his help, one Israelite could defeat a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, as he promised to do.

So you must be careful to love the Lord your God.

the Lord your God will not help you defeat your enemies. They will be like traps for you, like whips on your back and thorns in your eyes, and none of you will be left in this good land the Lord your God has given you.