Today the land begins to be allotted to the tribes as Joshua takes on the role of surveyor. Caleb is one of those characters in Scripture that I've always admired, but this next story about him I'm appreciating just as much as when we were introduced to him in Numbers because this represents a long obedience and a patient faith which can guide us as well.

***If you'd like to follow in Joshua's example and set up stones of remembrance, listen to this episode with author Patti Rokus to learn how to create Bible stories with rocks! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-again-podcast-for-christian-moms-encouragement-in/id1700555502

Today's Reading: Joshua 13-16

Scripture Read or Referenced:

Joshua 11:20

Joshua 13:1, 33

Joshua 14:6

Joshua 15:13-19

Micah 5:2

If our prayers matter so much, as Joshua teaches us, we should be praying the right things for our kids! That's what Entrusted helps you do--and it helps you understand what biblical love looks like in parenting. This quick episode explains how this study can guide moms, bless your church, and actually help the leaders! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-again-podcast-for-christian-moms-encouragement-in/id1700555502

Want a pretty printable reading plan? Find our free Bible-reading Resources here: www.entrustedministries.com/podcast

Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary

This is the Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox, and before we

talk about today's reading of Joshua

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13 through 16, I wanted to touch base

with you on a verse that might have

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been challenging in yesterday's reading.

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We're told in chapter 11, verse

20 for it was the Lord's doing

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to harden their hearts that they

should come against Israel in battle

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in order that they should be

devoted to destruction and should

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receive no mercy but be destroyed

just as the Lord commanded.

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I have to be honest, I used to think

that the only person in scripture

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whose heart God ever hardened was

Pharaoh, but I'm noticing there are

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other instances, but I haven't seen

it happen to someone who didn't also

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harden their own heart, and that's quite

a warning to make sure that we don't.

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And let ourselves get callous

even for a short time.

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Speaker 10: Those little compromises

that we think won't matter,

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often they do, and it's a slippery slope.

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Speaker 11: I know this is such a

silly example, but when I think about

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the Lord's purposes in defeating these

people, that he's allowed them to be

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relentlessly evil for hundreds of years,

and now he's bringing them to destruction.

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I wonder if the reason he hardened their

hearts at the end here to make sure

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that Israel defeated them was because

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If all of a sudden they would've

looked around them in fear of the

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Israelites and they would've softened.

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And trying to get on Israel's good side,

they might have been allowed to live,

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maybe their fear of Israel and the

stories and the miracles they're

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hearing about God doing maybe it

would've made them act kind to Israel.

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So that they would've let them

live and the Pagan practices

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would've rubbed off on them.

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But because God hardened their hearts, his

purposes stood, and I know this is a silly

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example, but it reminds me about a job

I had in college for about three years.

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Honestly, it brought me a lot of

stress, but I made a good amount

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of money, so I kept doing it.

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One of the owners would critique

all of us quite a bit and it

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just sucked the joy out for me.

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But I remember on my last night,

I was about to walk out the door

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and he found me and said, oh,

you've just been so wonderful.

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You're welcome back here anytime.

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Are you sure you have to quit?

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And he went on and on and I

thought, are you kidding me?

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Where was that all the time?

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Because I think I would've really

liked working here, and all

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of a sudden I wanted to stay.

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And that's what I think of

that I needed to stick to my

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guns and keep quitting the job.

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And the Israelites can't quit.

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They have to defeat these people,

and God just seals the deal with

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this hardening of their hearts.

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That's just a theory.

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But if you're wrestling, I

encourage you to seek the Lord.

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But what is so amazing about this

is that if God can harden someone's

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heart, he can also soften it.

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Think of that believer that

you've been praying for for years

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and years to come to Christ.

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Does it encourage you that you can

pray with faith for what God can

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do to even the hardest of hearts?

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I almost titled this episode

when God calls You Old,

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because chapter 13 begins now, Joshua

was old and advanced in years, and

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the Lord said to him, you are old

and advanced in years, and there

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remains yet very much land to possess.

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I think it's hilarious that the

ancient of days would call him old.

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And I'm sure Joshua was

thinking, you're right, I am.

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I've been serving you for a very long

time, and my service has been a lot

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more physical than Moses' was, and now

he's gonna divide up the promised land.

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Joshua actually has a good amount

in common with George Washington.

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I'm realizing between his military

and surveyor duties and as he's

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handing out these land allotments.

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It will be no surprise to us that

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of Levi, Moses gave no inheritance.

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The Lord God of Israel

is their inheritance.

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Just as he said to them, they

received some pretty wonderful cities

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throughout the land, but the idea

here is that all people would be able

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to access a priest when they needed

one because they were spread out.

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They were so pivotal because they

weren't just spiritual guides.

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They also gave medical wisdom, helped

educate and even presided over legal

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issues, and they were provided for by

the people's sacrifices and offerings.

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I already told you that Caleb is one

of those characters in scripture that

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I've always admired, but this next

story about him, I'm appreciating.

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Just as much as when we were

introduced to him in numbers, because

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this represents a long obedience

and a patient faith from Caleb

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beginning in 14 six.

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Then the people of Judah came to

Joshua at Gilga and Caleb, the son of

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Giana, the Kenai said to him, you know

what the Lord said to Moses, the man

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of God and Kade Barilla, concerning

you and me, I was 40 years old when

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Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent

me from Kade Baria to spy out the land.

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And I brought him word

again as it was in my heart.

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But my brothers who went up with me

made the heart of the people melt.

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Yet I wholly followed the Lord my God.

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And Moses swore on that day saying,

surely the land on which your foot has

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trodden shall be an inheritance for you

and your children forever, because you

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have wholly followed the Lord my God.

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And now behold, the Lord has kept

me alive just as he said these 45

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years since the time that the Lord

spoke this word to Moses while

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Israel walked in the wilderness.

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And now behold, I am

this day 85 years old.

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I am still as strong today as I

was in the day that Moses sent me.

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My strength now is as my strength was

then for war and for going and coming.

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So now give me this hill country of

which the Lord spoke on that day.

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For.

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You heard on that day how the Anakin

were there with great fortified cities.

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It may be that the Lord We'll

be with me and I shall drive

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them out, just as the Lord said.

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Then Joshua blessed him and he gave he to

Caleb, the son of Jna, for an inheritance.

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Therefore, he became the inheritance

of Caleb, the son of Jna, the Kenza,

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to this day, because he wholly

followed the Lord, the God of Israel.

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Now the name of Hebrew and formerly was.

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Arba Arba was the greatest man among

the Anakin and the land had rest for war.

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There is so much to respect here

Initially he states that when

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the 12 tribes were sent out and

he came back with a good report

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that he brought word

as it was in his heart.

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This tells me he wasn't just giving

lip service to Israel when he said,

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our God can defeat these people.

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He thoroughly believed it, and the

phrase, I wholly foul the Lord my God.

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You know, that's gonna be in our

prayer at the end of this episode.

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He's been so patient helping the

Israelites conquer the land, and

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now he's saying I'm 85 years old.

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I would like that portion

of land I've been promised.

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But what's incredible is he's not

just demanding it in an entitled

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way, saying, give me what's due.

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He recognizes there's still a battle

over the Anakin and he knows many

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would be intimidated at even attempting

to conquer these large people.

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But I think he's thinking, you know what?

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I've got nothing to lose at this point.

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I'm 85, and he goes forth believing that

if the Lord wants to, he'll bless him.

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And he can do it.

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It reminds me of David's confidence when

he offered to face Goliath in battle

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and Caleb gets Hebron as an inheritance.

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This is a pretty big deal,

and if you're like me, you're

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scrolling through your memory.

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Wait, what happened there?

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Well, this is where God made the

covenant with Abraham and where

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Abraham built an altar in Genesis 13.

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And it's where the patriarchs were buried.

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Sarah first and then Abraham, Isaac

and Jacob, as well as many relatives.

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It was a pivotal location and

he waited patiently for it.

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In chapter 15, we continue to read

about these land allotments and

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we learned how Caleb's quest went

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according to the commandment

of the Lord, to Joshua, he

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gave to Caleb the son of Giana.

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A portion among the people of Judah,

Ky Arba, that is he, Arba was the

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father of Och and Caleb drove out

from there, the three sons of Och.

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She shy a Hyman and Talai.

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The descendants of Annick, and he went

up from there against the descendants,

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against the inhabitants of Deur.

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Now the name De Birth formerly was Ser

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and Caleb said he who

attacks ser and captures it.

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I will give him Axa, my daughter as

wife and ath Neil, the son of Kenne,

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the brother of Caleb, captured it.

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And he gave him Axa, his daughter as wife.

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When she came to him, she urged

him to ask her father for a field,

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and she dismounted from her donkey.

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and Caleb said to her, what do you want?

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She said to him, give me a blessing, since

you have given me the land of the nab.

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Give me also springs of water.

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And he gave her the upper

springs and the lower springs.

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Negev represents a desert area.

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This was really wise of her.

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And doesn't her boldness remind

you of the daughters of s Lofa had

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over and over?

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These ladies are having

favor in what they're asking.

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It is so counter-cultural, and

that's because the god of the Bible.

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Declares that men and women are equal,

you are valued by the God of the Bible.

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We'll get to see Ath Neil and his

new bride when we get to the book of

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Judges, but there's something really

sweet that isn't here in these pages.

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that I need to point out.

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In Micah five two, there's

a prophecy that says,

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but you o Bethlehem Ethe, who are

too little to be among the clans

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of Judah from you shall come forth.

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For me, one who is to be ruler in Israel.

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Who's coming forth is from

a old, from ancient days.

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The Bethlehem that Jesus was born

in was too small to be mentioned

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even amidst all of this detail.

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But the humble king that we serve,

Jesus Christ was all too willing

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to be born there and to be laid

in a feeding trough as we prepare

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our hearts to celebrate Easter.

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Let's continue to lift him high because

he was willing to be brought low.

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For our sake, let's pray.

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Heavenly Father, we rejoice in

the work that was finished on the

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cross and in you, our servant king.

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We confess that so often.

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We're quite far from your

example, whether it's being

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impatient with our kids.

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or our prayers unanswered or taking

for granted the blessings we do have.

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But as Caleb was patient to wait and

determined to continue to battle for

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you, we pray we would be like him

and that our hearts would be full of

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faith, that when we speak of your

goodness, it would be rooted in a

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deep trust that comes from all the times

you've proved yourself in our lives.

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May we wholly follow the Lord our

God, and we ask in your name, Jesus,

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that the atoning work you did on the

cross would be known and embraced

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by every child we know and love.

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Be lifted high Lord Jesus, in

our hearts and in our homes.

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Amen.