Joshua 17:14 "Then the people of Joseph spoke to Joshua saying, "Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the Lord has blessed me?"
Sounds like a reasonable request, doesn't it? During the occupation of the Promised Land, Joseph felt like they needed to get more land. But that would have required Joshua to give it to them from one of the other tribe's allotments. How fair would that be?
Furthermore, when Joshua probed deeper, it seems that they had plenty of land but were afraid of the "chariots of iron" employed by the people in the plain, and didn't want to go to the work of cutting down the forests in the hill country.
At times for us, God puts in front of us work to do. No, we aren't earning His favor by doing it, we are participating in the good works He created for us. But just because God wants us to do something doesn't mean it will be easy.
Sometimes we have to face the iron chariots and see the power of God fight on our behalf. Maybe there is a broken relationship that He wants you to mend, but it will take prayer and humbleness and patience.
In the end, Joshua didn't give Joseph the easy answer, he gave them the right answer by saying "You are a numerous people and have great power ... the hill country shall be yours ... you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron."
God asks us to difficult things, but He is the one who performs it, if we will just be willing to work hard with Him!
Pastor Tom
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