## Cut Wood

## Joshua 17:14-18

Joshua was in charge after Moses died. Moses stands for the Law and Joshua serves as a type of Christ. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:17)

In this section of the book we find Joshua dividing Canaan. Canaan pictures the Christian life, not heaven. We have battles to win, and territory to conquer, but we must depend upon God for the victories. There is no question that God wanted the people to possess what He had given them. However, there were some who were not satisfied with their "lot" in Canaan. But then, there are some of us who are not satisfied with our "lot" in life either.

In tonight’s text Joshua handles one such complaint. I believe that there are some valuable lessons which we can learn from this today.

I. The Cause of their Complaint.

A. They were a great people.

1. Not just that they were great in number.

2. They believed themselves to be great in God’s sight.

3. They refer to the way that God had blessed them up to this point

4. Perhaps they felt that they were great because of their associations as well.

5. Joshua himself was from the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph.

6. They were related to someone who was SOMEBODY! and they were proud of it.

B. We need to beware of similar complaints.

1. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 12:3 that one shouldn’t "think of himself more highly than he ought to think".

2. An over inflated evaluation of ourselves can cause us to be dissatisfied with our ‘lot’ in life.

3. Focusing on what we do not have rather than upon what we do have can also create problems for us.

II. Joshua’s Response to the Complaint.

A. "If thou be a great people..."

1. I think there is a note of sarcasm here.

2. Joshua reminds them that there is land to be possessed within their allotment.

3. They would have to cut down some trees, but that shouldn’t be a problem for a ‘great people’.

B. The real problem.

1. The enemy was still in the land.

2. The children of Joseph wanted a possession that they didn’t have to fight for.

3. They viewed the Canaanites as an obstacle to great for them to remove, and they were satisfied to let them stay within their boundaries.

4. They wanted more land to be given to them rather than fighting for the land that they had

5. Joshua’s response was again somewhat sarcastic. cf. v17

6. Joshua was saying to them, "you can have the mountain (just cut down the trees) and you can have the valley (just drive out the enemy).

III. Application for Us Today.

A. God expects us to possess that which He has given us.

1. It will not be easy or without obstacles.

2. Don’t look for greater blessings if we are not living victorious right now.

3. When we do all we can where we are, then He will give us greater opportunity.

B. We cannot compromise with the enemy and expect God’s blessings.

l. The children of Joseph were satisfied to let the enemy remain in the valley.

2. What lies in the way of our victory?

3. What is robbing us of taking possession of our inheritance?

4. Every hindrance and obstacle must be removed.

Story of a little boy and a great hunter. The little boy challenged the hunter, "If I was as big and strong as you are, I would go out there in the woods and bring back a big Grizzly bear!" The hunter replied, "There are lots of little bears in the woods you know!"

Are we living to capacity? Are we satisfied with our lot in life? Or do we complain that if only we had a little more...a better job, a better home, a better husband, a better wife, etc. We must learn that God will never give us more until we do what is right with what He has already given us.

We have been given all we need to win the battles of our life. We have been equipped and empowered. All that remains is for us to be surrendered and obedient to the will of God.