I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 18:14

Joshua 13-14

Joshua 13

Lands Yet Unconquered

¹ Now Joshua was old and well advanced in years. The Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there still remains a great deal of land to be possessed. ² This is the land that still remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all the Geshurites; ³ from the Shihor, which is before Egypt, to the border of Ekron northward, which is counted as Canaanite; the five Philistine rulers; the Gazites, and the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avvim, ⁴ on the south; all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the border of the Amorites; ⁵ and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal Gad under Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath; ⁶ all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, all the Sidonians. I will drive them out from before the Israelites. Just allocate it to Israel as an inheritance, as I have commanded you. ⁷ Now therefore divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

Inheritance of Jordan

⁸ With him the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, just as Moses the servant of the Lord gave them: ⁹ from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and the entire plain of Medeba to Dibon; ¹⁰ and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the Ammonites; ¹¹ and Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all of Mount Hermon, and all of Bashan to Salecah; ¹² all of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (who was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); for Moses attacked these, and drove them out. ¹³ Nevertheless the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites, nor the Maacathites, but Geshur and Maacath live within Israel to this day. ¹⁴ Only he gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The offerings of the Lord, the God of Israel, made by fire are his inheritance, as he spoke to him.

¹⁵ Moses gave to the Reubenite tribe according to their families. ¹⁶ Their border was from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and the entire plain by Medeba; ¹⁷ Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the plain; Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, ¹⁸ Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, ¹⁹ Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar in the mount of the valley, ²⁰ Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth Jeshimoth, ²¹ all of the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses struck with the Midianite leaders, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land.

Balaam Slain

²² The Israelites also killed Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, with the sword, among the rest of their slain.

²³ The border of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites according to their families, the cities and its villages.

²⁴ Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to the Gadites, according to their families. ²⁵ Their border was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer that is near Rabbah; ²⁶ and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir; ²⁷ and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan’s bank, to the uttermost part of the sea of Chinnereth beyond the Jordan eastward. ²⁸ This is the inheritance of the Gadites according to their families, the cities and its villages.

²⁹ Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was for the half-tribe of the descendants of Manasseh, according to their families. ³⁰ Their border was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the villages of Jair, which are in Bashan, 60 cities. ³¹ Half Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the descendants of Machir the son of Manasseh, for half of the descendants of Machir according to their families.

³² These are the inheritances which Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan at Jericho, eastward. ³³ But Moses gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he spoke to them.

Joshua 14

Canaan Divided by Lot

¹ These are the inheritances which the Israelites took in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the tribal leaders of the Israelites, distributed to them, ² by the lot of their inheritance, as the Lord commanded by Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half-tribe. ³ For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe beyond the Jordan, but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them. ⁴ For the descendants of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. They gave no portion to the Levites in the land, except cities to dwell in, with their pasture lands for their livestock and for their property. ⁵ The Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses, and they divided the land.

Caleb Requests Hebron

⁶ Then the descendants of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal. Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning you in Kadesh Barnea. ⁷ I was 40 years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. ⁸ Nevertheless, my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt in fear, but I wholly followed the Lord my God. ⁹ Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where you walked shall be an inheritance to you and to your descendants forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’

¹⁰ Now the Lord has kept me alive, as he spoke, these 45 years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. Now I am 85 years old today. ¹¹ As yet I am as strong today as I was on the day that Moses sent me. As my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, to go out and to come in. ¹² Now therefore give me this hill country, of which the Lord spoke in that day, for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there and great and fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out, as the Lord said.”

¹³ Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. ¹⁴ Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel wholeheartedly. ¹⁵ Now the name of Hebron before was Kiriath Arba, after the greatest man among the Anakim.

Then the land had rest from war.

Luke 18:1-17

Parable of the Persistent Widow

¹ Jesus also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray and not give up, ² saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who did not fear God, and did not respect man. ³ A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ ⁴ He would not for a while, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God, nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her constant asking.’ ”

⁶ The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ Will God not avenge his chosen ones who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them? ⁸ I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

The Pharisee and Tax Collector

⁹ He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised everyone else.

¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far away, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus Blesses the Children

¹⁵ They were also bringing their babies to him, that he might touch them. But when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

¹⁶ Jesus summoned them, saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷ Most certainly, I tell you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.”

Psalm 85

God Has Been Favorable to His Land

For the Music Director. A Psalm by the sons of Korah.

¹ Lord, you have shown favor to your land.
You have restored the fortunes of Jacob.
² You have forgiven the iniquity of your people.
You have covered all their sin.

Selah.

³ You have taken away all your wrath.
You have turned from the fierceness of your anger.
⁴ Turn us, God of our salvation,
and cause your indignation toward us to cease.
⁵ Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you draw out your anger to all generations?
⁶ Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
⁷ Show us your loving kindness, Lord.
Grant us your salvation.

⁸ I will hear what the Lord, God, will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people, his saints;
but let them not turn back to folly.
⁹ Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.
¹⁰ Mercy and truth meet together.
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
¹¹ Truth springs from the earth.
Righteousness has looked down from heaven.
¹² Yes, the Lord will give that which is good.
Our land will yield its increase.
¹³ Righteousness goes before him,
And prepares the way for his steps.

Proverbs 13:7-8

⁷ There are some who pretend to be rich, yet have nothing.
There are some who pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.
⁸ The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
but the poor hear no threats.

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