Written by Paul J Bucknell on February, 04, 2023

Joshua 13:1-5 Finishing the Task – Transferring the Vision with Study Questions

True success depends not only on how well we have carried out our specific duties but also on how we have inspired, encouraged, and equipped others to join in God’s kingdom work. Each man is responsible for being part of God’s work. We are called to be involved.

Joshua 13:1 marks a significant turning point in the Book of Joshua. This verse forms a central divider for the book. The Lord, in a sense, commandeers how this book would be completed. It is surprising to see what He has written here!

The Book of Joshua can be divided into three parts. Part 1, chapters 1-5, help us see how God prepared the Israelites for the battle. We see the results of this faith in Part 2, chapters 6-12.  Chapter 12 summarizes the stream of victories under Moses and Joshua’s leadership. Defeat occurred only when they did not trust and obey. What God promised came true.  Listen to the powerful summary in Joshua 11:23, “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Thus the land had rest from war.” Part 3, chapter 13:1 onward, is what we discuss here. All the land they had won in battle, plus more, was distributed to the twelve tribes.

Three Unexplainables — An Introduction to Joshua 13-24

Although the Book of Joshua has an obvious and dynamic message, it has a few tricky things to explain. Let me call them unexplainables. These hard-to-understand sections form subtle but significant points in the book. Let me introduce three of these unexplainables and, at the same time, review what we have studied up to this point.

1. Why did God prepare His people for battle as He did (chapters 1-5)?  His preparation is different than what we would expect. Typically, we would expect combat training, but this is different from what they received. His training, however, enabled the Israelites to secure victory after victory. John says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith” (1 John 5:4).  Hopefully, we now recognize the training of their faith and loyalty had everything to do with their victories. They learned to trust God to bring them about. He, in the end, was given praise.
    
2. Another unexplainable is the short record of battles and victories. Only a few battles are recorded in chapters 6-12. They are not typical of the classic battle scenes and descriptions that one would expect to read. The absence of the gory details in conquering the land leaves  us stunned. Ultimately, we are forced to conclude that this exciting description did not play an important part. Instead, we learn how what they did right or wrong brought either victory or defeat.  There were two important matters to see: (1) God was winning the battles, whether the defeat of Jericho or against an incredible array of armies. (2) The Israelites quickly conquered the land, just as God had told them. The few battles recorded highlight an important principle of success or defeat.
    
3. The third unexplainable: why is half of the book given over to broadly discussing the distribution of the land into the hands of the Israelites? We might disregard this topic, especially if it were summarized and deposited into one or two chapters, but the rest of the book is oriented around it. The discussion is too long to ignore. We need to slow down and ponder what God is doing. Why did Joshua spend 1/2 of the book on the land distribution to the twelve tribes? Why is it so important? To get things into perspective, we could use an analogy.

Say we all loved Jack. God did great things with his life, but now he is dead. So Jack’s friends got together and made up a 24-hour film festival of his life. When everyone came to see it, they were taken aback. Here is that very successful Jack. Just as they began to see all his accomplishments, it seemed that the film was coming to a swift close. His life was summarized in short segments of time that took up only twelve hours (1/2). The audience began wondering, “Well, this last part must be the greatest, but what will he say since everything was already discussed?” How odd it would be if the last twelve-hour episode were a careful analysis of his will and the instructions he gave to those who would receive his inheritance. Although Joshua was alive when the “will” for the Israelite people was written and declared, much time was spent on the details. This somewhat serves as a parallel to Jesus’ last week of His life on earth. 

The truth of this last unexplainable is often overlooked. The way we understand and live out God’s will is only half the battle. The other half is how we pass this vision on to others. In other words, the Lord is not only concerned about our great experiences with Him and the way He used our lives. He is equally concerned about how our lives are used to lead others to have this same vision and live out His righteous ways. We are only half successful if we gain the vision of what God wants for us and attempt to live it out. We are wholly successful when we have rightly trained those in succession to us to possess the same grand vision of God and His plans, equipping them to do likewise.

The Lord initiates this book’s last section, preoccupying Himself with this matter. If it were not adequately dealt with, it would wrongfully be neglected. As a pastor, I have seen that one of the greatest assets to a church is godly leaders who pass their vision on.

As we observe this text, we will discover four essential aspects of genuine success. Joshua was successful this way. It is said of him, “And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the LORD which He had done for Israel” (Joshua 24:31). Joshua’s work went on, even though he was not physically there at least for one more generation. Those who know the Book of Judges will remember that after that generation, the vision of godly living perished and was not passed on. The subsequent period in Israel’s history was not to be emulated. 

This passage was written and preserved so we would learn to emphasize its importance. Let’s focus on four critical parts of being a successful Christian.

1. The successful man recognizes the importance of passing on the vision.

2. The successful man knows what is needed to fulfill God’s vision. 

3. The successful man is spurred on in faith by the promises of God.

4. The successful man inspires vision and distributes the work while still living.  

We will now look at these four points one by one.

1. Passes on the Vision (Joshua 13:1)

Joshua 13:1

“Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed”  (Joshua 13:1 NASB).

'Passes on the Vision' is from Joshua 13:1 and shows the top priority of knowing what God's wants done in both your personal lives and His kingdom. Most people don't train because they don't know what to train! 

The genuinely successful man recognizes the importance of passing on the vision of what God wants to be accomplished. Notice how this chapter begins. “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed”  (Joshua 13:1). Joshua was leaving the earth. He is already old when we are told that God intervened in Joshua’s life. He had already lived many years. 

The fact that Joshua was old and did not finish the job of taking the Promised Land in his lifetime was obvious. Any thinker will quickly figure out that every older person will die sooner or later. Life insurance companies have made a bundle on this fact. God did not stop talking there, however. He continued and told him what still needed to be done.  “Very much of the land remains to be possessed.” 

God was still speaking to Joshua. He not only wanted to help him be a great leader but also to help the Israelites. Our wisdom falls far short of what it should be. We often rely on research rather than on God. We should be glad when God comes into our lives and speaks to us. His viewpoint quickly penetrates the overpowering view of what is generally accepted–the norm.  Joshua was a great leader not only because he heard God’s voice but because he did what the Lord wanted. Joshua needed help in balancing out his ministry so that it would persist. 

Solomon failed here. The subject of who would succeed to his throne and what needed to be done after his death was avoided. He labored much to build up the kingdom but thought little or none about where it would go. Perhaps he was not excited that there were none he could see who would adequately rule. So he avoided the issue altogether.  This problem was exasperated by his sin of having many wives and sons. As a result, two of his sons fought each other, and the kingdom was divided. 

What did God mean by “very much of the land remains to be possessed?” He will specify what territories still needed to be conquered in the next verses, but we must recognize the importance of completing God’s work. All His work must urgently be done.

We cannot be content with getting half of God’s work done. I get a kick out of how everyone hangs onto the latest business leadership fads. One of the common subjects is to have a vision and to attach goals to achieve that vision. People talk as if it was something new, but this was something the Lord was training Joshua to do. A good leader must obtain the vision, retain it, and pass it on to others. God was the vision giver. If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. God had implanted a vision in the hearts of others from way back. He gave Adam a vision of what needed to be done. He gave Abraham a vision that pointed to what needed to be done. Jesus was mission-focused. “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21). “When Jesus, therefore, had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). What was finished? God’s work for Him on earth was finished.

A vision is a simple and readily understandable view of what needs to be done. This is important because man tends to be easily distracted. If a man started to build his house without a clear vision, it would look like three houses. If he did not maintain his vision, it would end up half-built. Only the man who persisted in seeing what God wanted would see its vast importance and ensure its completion. And in this case, if it could not be done in his generation, he would set himself on preparing and inspiring the next generation so that it would be finished. I am grateful for organizations that persist in passing on their vision. Of course, some denominations and seminaries, though having much real estate and influence, that started well, have veered off. Some Christian organizations avoid this by having a self-perpetuating board. The board would choose who would succeed them.

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B. Seeing the Need (Joshua 13:2-5)

Joshua 13:2-5

“This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and all those of the Geshurites; from the Shihor which is east of Egypt, even as far as the border of Ekron to the north (it is counted as Canaanite); the five lords of the Philistines: the Gazite, the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite, the Gittite, the Ekronite; and the Avvite to the south, all the land of the Canaanite, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek, to the border of the Amorite; and the land of the Gebalite, and all of Lebanon, toward the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. (Joshua 13:2-5).

The genuinely successful man knows what is needed to fulfill God’s vision. The fact is that until we understand what God is trying to accomplish, we will never know what is still left to be done. Many people try to say this or that would improve the church, the worship service, the sermon, the Sunday School, and the cell group. But without a grasp and commitment to the comprehensive plan, we are only fooling ourselves and destroying the church. Perhaps we are like those in Nigeria tapping into an oil pipe to get a bit for themselves. They were confident about their plans. It sounded good to others, but 200 people died in the explosion.

When we look at Joshua chapter 12, we see a summary of what was done under Moses and Joshua’s leadership. Joshua 12:1-6 describes the land that Moses conquered on the east side of the Jordan. Joshua 12:7-24 recounts Joshua’s victories on the west of the Jordan. Joshua 12:24 says there were 31 kings conquered in all. This is a phenomenal record, especially considering very few Israelites lost their lives. The Lord, however, wanted to be sure that Joshua faithfully passed the vision and the need on. Only by knowing the overall purpose can we rightly evaluate a situation—unfortunately, many evaluate by relative standards rather than by God’s. We measure by how much was given last month or how many attended last week. We make false comparisons. 

The Lord did not allow Joshua to make this fatal mistake. This is the way a vision quickly dies. When we measure things this way, several problems can develop. (1) We either despair because we are doing poorly or are prideful because we are doing comparatively well. (2) Our eyes are taken off the final goal. (3) Our strategies are only made with a partial goal. (4) The church veers off course as it departs from God’s vision for the church. Let’s hear the Lord’s words:

In verses 2-5,  the Lord outlines the areas that still need to be conquered. 

This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and all those of the Geshurites; from the Shihor which is east of Egypt, even as far as the border of Ekron to the north (it is counted as Canaanite); the five lords of the Philistines: the Gazite, the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite, the Gittite, the Ekronite; and the Avvite to the south, all the land of the Canaanite, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek, to the border of the Amorite; and the land of the Gebalite, and all of Lebanon, toward the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. (Joshua 13:2-5).

Let’s notice the areas that remain to be conquered:  

1. All the regions of Philistines, the area of Geshurites,
2. A slice of land starting in Egypt up to Ekron belonging to the Canaanites;  (the 5 Philistine cities)
3. The southern area belong to the Caananites,
4. Mearah which belongs to the Sidonians,  the area up as far as Aphek near the Amorites, the land of the Gebalite, all of Lebanon, the area around Mount Hermon,
5. All the hill country from Lebanon as far as Misrephoth-maim, all the Sidonians.

The analysis could only be given after a picture of what needed to be done remained before him. Remember, the Lord did this. It is a good and healthy example to follow. By looking at what was done in the past and what other great people have done, we might get false (and I should add deadly) confidence about ourselves and our situation. 

Think about God’s words for a moment. Did God want Joshua to feel accomplished? Did God congratulate him here for all his faithful work? No, He did not. Joshua and the people did well, but the real test was still to come. The unwise general will overlook the enemies’ resources and hidden plans. Let me give you an example. They are common.

We put much emphasis on evangelism. This is our focus, the task; this is only part of the goal. If many come to the Lord, we are happy, and contented and pat ourselves on the back. But what is the vision? It is to pass on the truth of God so that new believers obey the Lord like Christ. This is the Great Commission. Evangelism is only part of the task. But because we are content with doing only part of the task, we cause many of God’s people to remain weak. Salvation is only the beginning. The house is only partly built. 

Another example is with the family. Because many Christians have a faulty understanding of God’s ways as revealed in His Word, they are content to allow a lesser standard in the home. Sometimes this is a father who neglects the home. Or it is a mother who is more committed to her career than to her family. These both are wrong. God’s people have not been faithful in planning the number of children they should have around their wealth. For thousands of years, we have been unable to do this. Because we have separated the sexual act from the potential to have children, all sorts of sins have crept in. Greater temptations are coming. Soon, it will undoubtedly be considered uncouth to have children.  Unless you have a vision for the family, you will smugly think that your decisions are Christian. But I tell you, they are not.

We should never judge how well we do by what has been done. This can lead to all kinds of self-deception. Let me give you another example. 

A budget should reflect one’s significant plans. Most churches have a tiny mission budget. If a church gives 5% of its budget to missions, it thinks it is doing a lot. Or if they do, then one needs to analyze what comes under the category of ‘mission.’ Often it includes many activities that are void of spreading the gospel. Check out the budget. Check out your budget. What is good? Do you know what God would want you to do? Do you make sacrifices to help support missions? What about our time, do we spend time praying for the advance of the Gospel worldwide? Do you spend more money on yourself for frivolous things than the Lord’s work? Churches rarely have prayer meetings anymore. They have become too comfortable. That may be because they have lost their vision. The Lord puts what is remaining to be done before Joshua and the people of God. He doesn’t allow us to dwell on one’s accomplishments but focuses on what still needs to be done. 

Let me share one thing that I have done. We are a faith mission. We receive very little, but from all we receive clearly, we take out ten percent and strategically give it to others. It takes work to make such commitments. They need to be made in faith. They will constantly be challenged. But this practice certainly helps us have the right approach. We have been able to pray that even if we did not have enough from our perspective, God’s work around the world is more important than our own needs. We are not talking about a significant amount. But, because of the greater vision, we have been able to live by faith in the living God and accomplish something that otherwise would never be able to be done.  What sacrifices are we making? Are we living as if something is not yet finished? I hope so because there is a lot yet to be done. 

Clearly, the Great Commission of making disciples of all the cultural groups worldwide still needs to be fulfilled. As much as we might have a burden for our locality, we can never dismiss the worldwide vision from our lives.

Christ’s church and mission are expanding today to an extent never seen before. This growth occurs primarily in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.  By some estimates, 150,000 persons each day are becoming followers of Christ. 

There remain many unreached people groups without the gospel. God is making many breakthroughs every day. For example, the country of Papua New Guinea’s people groups is 86% reached. This still leaves 14%, but they probably can and will soon finish this task. On the other hand, 100 of the largest unreached people groups (47 in India, 8 in China) consist of 128 million people. (Check out: Joshua Project - Unreached Peoples Listings). Several mission groups have taken the original vision picture, the total sum including all the people groups there are, and subtracted out those unreached. God is looking for people who will give their lives to reach these last unreached people groups. 

I recently spoke to two couples going to these unreached people groups.  One is far away in the highest mountains in the world. The wife doesn’t like the cold, being from a subtropical place, but she is going. May God bless her and give her the grace she needs!  Another couple is going to a faraway land in the great Euro-Asia continent. They have a more excellent vision that helps shape their decisions. They hold secure jobs here but are giving them up because they love their Master’s vision.

We can now see the end. The vision of reaching the last unreached people groups is quickly being fulfilled. More and more churches and individuals are focusing their work on this task. It does not mean we neglect to reach those around us, but we cannot be satisfied until the world hears the gospel. The word for nations is the word for ‘ethnic race.’ We want each sub-culture to hear the Gospel, whether high up in Tibet, in the frigid places of Russia or a remote village in India. 

God is working out His great plan. The genuinely successful man or woman doesn't necessarily need to travel to the earth's ends, but he or she does need to be very aware of what God wants for them in every tier of their lives. They are the ones that know what God wants and therefore know what God still wants to be done and prioritize that in their lives.

Summary & Review

I was recently at a meeting that focused primarily on developing ideas on how to train young Christian leaders. Before we brainstormed on how to do this, the man presiding told us why he had such a concern. A researcher on statistics for the Christian church said that the most influential group in winning young people to the Lord was their peers, no longer their families. About halfway into our discussion, it became evident that the key to this problem was not that peer pressure was new but that the involvement of families in their children’s lives had dramatically dropped. 

Our children have succumbed to one or more of the many young cultural subgroups. Christian children were shuffled out by busy money-making parents and embraced by their peers. Their parents had lost their influence over them and neglected spiritual training. Instead of trying to help these young people reach their peers, our group, in half-shock, recognized that the vision of God and what He was doing was not being passed on to the younger generation by their families as it should be.

A few summary questions:

Is our vision the same as the Lord’s?

• What does He want for our personal lives?

• Do we have a passion for His mission?

• How does God’s Word shape our theology?

• What areas does He want us to ‘clean up’? 

Joshua 13:1-33 Bible Study Questions

Finishing the Task

– Transferring the Vision –

This section introduces the following chapters (14-19) by continuing the land distribution started in chapter 13. Plan your Bible studies accordingly. Chapter 14 can be easily separated, but the others can be joined in with this one simply by giving the last point, Distributing the Land, a longer verse description.

A. Passing on the Vision 

Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed  (Joshua 13:1).

1. When did God speak these words to Joshua?
2. How does verse 1 summarize this message?
3. Why do you think God said this to Joshua?
4. Do older leaders easily transfer over their responsibilities? What difficulties might they have?
5. Did King Solomon prepare for a transfer of leadership before he died (1 Kings 11:41-12:21)? What happened as a result?
6. What did Jesus say about the work God had appointed Him to do ( John 19:30)?
7. It is helpful to think about the work we are called to do in two ways. The first way describes the specific work God has appointed us to do. Jesus referred to this in John 19:30. The second kind of work is what God does through us as we encourage and equip others.  God’s more excellent vision was to possess the whole land in this case. Joshua couldn’t do it personally, but he could inspire, equip and pass on the responsibility for others to do. How might that apply to us in our present time? What is God’s more excellent vision for this age?

 

B. Seeing the Need (Joshua 13:2-5)

This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and all those of the Geshurites; from the Shihor which is east of Egypt, even as far as the border of Ekron to the north (it is counted as Canaanite); the five lords of the Philistines: the Gazite, the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite, the Gittite, the Ekronite; and the Avvite to the south, all the land of the Canaanite, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek, to the border of the Amorite; and the land of the Gebalite, and all of Lebanon, toward the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. (Joshua 13:2-5).

1. Who is speaking in these verses?
2. What is he describing? Get an Old Testament map of the conquest and identify a few places mentioned in verses 2-5. (see map in section D).
3. What did Joshua do in 11:23?
4. Take a quick look at Joshua 12. What is recorded there?
5. If Joshua did such a good job, why do you think God was so concerned with these small sections of land.?
6. Do you think this parallels how God responds to us when we tolerate “little” sins?  Please explain.
7. How might this apply to the worldwide mission program of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)? Summarize what God wants to be done.  What parts are left to be done?  (Check out www.calebproject.org).