The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 16:5,
"This was the territory of Ephraim, according to its clans: The boundary of their inheritance went from Ataroth Addar in the east to Upper Beth Horon..."
God sets boundaries. In Acts 17:26-27 we read, "From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." As I say, God sets boundaries.
Here in Joshua 16 we read of the boundaries for Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph. This was their portion in the Promised Land as it was allocated. The Promised Land was set aside for Israel to take as their national homeland. Combined with the other tribes allocations, it makes up the boundaries for the nation as a whole.
Oftentimes we think in terms of "boundaries" as establishing the limits to something. That is not necessarily always implied. Sometimes we should think in terms of boundaries as indicating the fullness of something. A boundary can express that something extends all the way out to a point, or a line. In other words, boundaries can define the expansive nature of something and not just its narrowness, its limitation.
This causes me to think in terms of the boundaries I have as a child of God. I see both the limiting boundaries the Lord has for me as well as the expansive nature of boundaries the Lord has provided me in Peter's words, "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,' and, 'A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.' They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:1-10.
What "boundaries", both in terms of limitations as well as expansiveness for God's children, do you see in that passage?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"This was the territory of Ephraim, according to its clans: The boundary of their inheritance went from Ataroth Addar in the east to Upper Beth Horon..."
God sets boundaries. In Acts 17:26-27 we read, "From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." As I say, God sets boundaries.
Here in Joshua 16 we read of the boundaries for Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph. This was their portion in the Promised Land as it was allocated. The Promised Land was set aside for Israel to take as their national homeland. Combined with the other tribes allocations, it makes up the boundaries for the nation as a whole.
Oftentimes we think in terms of "boundaries" as establishing the limits to something. That is not necessarily always implied. Sometimes we should think in terms of boundaries as indicating the fullness of something. A boundary can express that something extends all the way out to a point, or a line. In other words, boundaries can define the expansive nature of something and not just its narrowness, its limitation.
This causes me to think in terms of the boundaries I have as a child of God. I see both the limiting boundaries the Lord has for me as well as the expansive nature of boundaries the Lord has provided me in Peter's words, "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,' and, 'A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.' They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:1-10.
What "boundaries", both in terms of limitations as well as expansiveness for God's children, do you see in that passage?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment