Good morning Awesome Ones!
Joshua chapter 19.
Now all the tribes have received their allotted portion of land. It always amazed me how in the Old Testament, and sometimes in the New Testament, people made decisions by casting lots. When dividing the land they cast lots to see whom it fell upon in order to determine who got, in this case, what portion of land. Perhaps that is similar to our rock paper scissor that we do today with the teens to see who goes first. It seems to eliminate favoritism. They couldn't say, this land is really good land so let's give it to Simeon or Dan. By casting lots that was all eliminated.
Favoritism is spoken against in the book of James and tells us how we are not to show favoritism because it makes a lot of bad judgments. It doesn't take into consideration the person's heart, their faith, their gifts or talents. Favoritism seems to elevate some while putting down others, often with the intention of trying to elevate ourselves. I'll show favoritism and hopes that I get to benefit somehow by picking this popular and attractive individual.
Favoritism can miss God's chosen person because God often uses the poor of the world to be rich in faith.
Some say Jesus showed favoritism because he often shows the same disciples to go in places of prayer for the sick person or used them in a faith needing Ministry situations.
I look at it like this: in ministry, as you work in close quarters with the same people, you learn a lot about them. You learn a lot about their hearts, their gifts, their love for others, their love for God and Ministry. And you see how some are stronger and more committed in faith or in other gifted areas. When it comes to certain Ministry opportunities, you lean toward those who have shown themselves more committed or gifted in certain Ministry opportunities.
For example, in youth ministry, I learned which leaders were very gifted in interacting with kids in games so I put them in charge of the games. Some leaders hated games so I did not place them in that situation. But they were great in gifts of helps and we're great in kitchen prep or clean up. Some were gifted with compassion and we're great in helping kids who were hurt physically or emotionally. Some were better at teaching. So I picked people, not out of favoritism, but based upon their gifts and abilities for God's benefit and not my own. So I may have had my favorite people that I like to use in certain Ministry situations but that's different than showing favoritism when you end up judging someone based upon appearance or popularity.
True favoritism does not look for the motive of someone's heart. True favoritism is quick to judge people based upon appearance and popularity. True favoritism looks to benefit self rather than benefit God and his kingdom. Just my thoughts!
The tribe of Dan found some of the land they inherited difficult to conquer so they chose another spot to the north of all the other tribes. The land they were given by God includes the beautiful area by Mediterranean coast where present day Tel Aviv is. Instead, they chose another spot where they knew victory would be easier. They didn’t stay in the place the Lord knew would be best for them. How often have I done the same? They were the first to stray from the Lord in idol worship and the first to be conquered and captured when Israel’s enemies came from the north. It’s easy to trust in the Lord when life is going smoothly. But our faith and courage are tested when everything looks impossible.
Remember the incident in Genesis 30 when Simeon and Levi took revenge in their own hands after their sister Dinah’s rape and assault? And in Genesis 49 when Jacob gave his blessing on his sons, he said Simeon and Levi would not inherit lands in the promised land? We already know the story of why the Levites didn’t inherit land. Here we see the sons of Simeon receiving land surrounded by the powerful tribe of Judah. The history of Israel shows that Simeon land virtually disappears. There is no escaping God’s judgment.
I think this is a section of the Bible where it is probably useful to have a map to look at in order to visualize the territories that are being described. I’ve been guilty of just reading through a bunch of names of places and people without doing anything further to actually distinguish between them or study more about the geography. I haven’t been taking any extra steps to try to get a better picture of the area so if there were a pop quiz after these inheritance chapters to determine what I remember from the reading, I have to admit that I would most likely fail miserably. Anyone else ever get into a “skim through it” reading mode sometimes?
Here’s what we can learn about the Bible from Hebrews 4:12.
“For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Another Bible verse that I’m thinking about today is one that I remember from many years ago when I used to lead kids in an AWANA Club. It’s 2 Timothy 2:15.
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of truth.”
May we treasure God’s Word and treat it as we should.
Jim I can definitely relate to what you are saying when it comes to skimming certain parts of the Bible. I agree it happens most often when lists of places or people or family lineage is being shared in large sections. When it can be hard to pronounce, and like you said not doing additional research on it so the understanding isn’t always there, makes skimming certain sections seem okay. I will try to be more present and tuned in as well.
Blair you make a great point with favoritism in your response. As a teacher it’s hard for me not to have favorites vs some students who make my job a little tougher with negative behaviors. I have to be careful to make sure I’m treating every child fairly, regardless of how they treat me. If I give grace and forgiveness to a child who has made a mistake, but scold and punish a different student for a mistake I am showing favoritism and that is not helpful to anyone involved. In education some of the worst behavior comes from bad home lives, and baggage that we can’t always see or don’t always know about. Often after we find out, we have more empathy and understanding. We need to have that from the beginning. God shows us grace and mercy and loves His children equally, I pray I can do the same!