But the descendants of Joseph said, "The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who inhabit the valley area have iron chariots, both at Beth-shean with its towns and in the Jezreel Valley." - Joshua 17:16
Though God had promised the Ephraimites a possession in the Promised Land, they were one of the last tribes of Israel to obtain it. Their excuse for their disobedience was creative, but also revealing. They explained to Joshua that the land they had been allotted was insufficient for their needs, but only because they wanted to live where they would not encounter any conflict. You see, the "valley area" of their land (probably the most fertile) was inhabited by a strong, fortified enemy that the Ephraimites preferred to avoid.
Do you see yourself in this story?
We often desire the "easy" gains afforded to us as servants of the King, land that can be possessed without a struggle. Whether it applies to personal, spiritual growth or the external, corporate growth of His Kingdom, we often avoid the fierce struggle required to obtain territory (unconquered areas of our personal lives or even unevangelized areas of this world) that He has already promised to those whom He has redeemed.
What part of our lives, what "territory" in this world have we forsaken simply because we do not wish to fight?
We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it. - Dwight D. Eisenhower
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