Don't Delay

Today’s Bible Reading: JOSHUA 18:1-19:48

Joshua 18:3 Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: “How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?

Many of us procrastinate. We put things off. We live for the last minute. We are not in a hurry to hurry up. We dilly-dally and delay getting things done. We are proficient at trifling away our time.

Our text is placed approximately seven years after the Israelites had crossed the Jordan and had embarked on their campaign to dispel the inhabitants occupying their land of promise. The Israelites had finally subdued the land. They had completed their conquest and for the most part had settled into their inheritance. They paused to assemble together and set up the tabernacle at Shiloh. We are told that “the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together’ (18:1). Everyone was there to celebrate the Lord’s presence and power which had enabled and empowered their success.

In the midst of their jubilation there was one concern that loomed large. The inactivity of some of the people in taking possession of their land was an irritating issue among the Israelites. Joshua interprets the festivities to confront the slothfulness of these tribes. He calls them out for their unwillingness to possess what God had promised. The land was theirs, but they just needed to occupy it.

Their dilatoriness was deplorable and a blatant mistrust in the one who give them their inheritance. The Lord gave it to them. It was their promised procession. The Lord had commanded them to take possession of their land. Their negligence was nothing short of defiance of His declaration. They determined to be disobedient. Their delay dishonored their God.

We are not privy to what led to their procrastination, but we can project some possible scenarios. They children of Israel had acted as one unified force to conquer Canaan. They had banded together for seven years in battle and now they were to disperse to their designated allotment. The community that they had known and loved was going to be dissolved. The comfort and the comradery of the collective was going to change. The security and safety of their society was shifting. Now they would be alone and vulnerable. This proposition could have caused them to procrastinate.

Another possibility that led to their delay might have been the effort and energy that it would take to occupy their inheritance. It was going to be an exhaustive endeavor. The battles had been won but massive devastation was left in its’ wake. There was rebuilding, repair, and reconstruction of the ruins of war. They would also need to replant and replenish the crops that were trampled or destroyed during the conquest. In addition, they would have to relocate their families and flocks. They didn’t want to put forth the effort to possess their land. It was more work than they wanted. This thought could have been the catalyst for their constraint. They were comfortable and content. They were unwilling to change.

We are not unlike the Israelites in their actions. We are called to progress in our faith, to move forward and to grow in godliness. But like them we can delay. We can procrastinate. We can stall our spiritual growth. We can languish in laziness and be content in our comfort. New challenges are discarded and we continue unchanged. Paul admonishes us to have a forward faith when he says, “I pressing on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:14) and when he calls us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). Living the Christian life is not easy. It involves daily change and diligent effort. Sanctification, the process of being conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29), is both painful and profitable. It takes a lot of work, but it is worth it. We must not be like the slacking Israelites, but we must be diligent to push forward in our faith by the power of the Spirit so that we can grow in godliness. We need to pursue what God has promised, to be conformed into the image of Christ! Don’t delay to do it.

Today, contemplate the comfort of your faith. Consider whether you are at ease or exerting effort in your spiritual progress. Thank the Lord for the example and exhortations of Paul. Ask the Lord to help you not to procrastinate in your pursuit of Him. Ask Him to help you to become conformed in the image of Christ without delay.