Had the people chosen their inheritance, there no doubt would have been competition and conflict; but the Lord assigned the territory, and the tribes submitted to His will.
倘若以色列人能擅自选择自己的产业，他们必然会有纷争。但是，产业是主所分配的，所以各支派服从了主的旨意。
“For who makes you different from another?” asked Paul. “And what do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4:7). John the Baptist said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven” (John 3:27).
“使你与人不同的是谁呢？”保罗问，“你有什么不是领受的呢？”（林前4:7）施洗约翰说：“若不是从天上赐的，人就不能得什么。”（约3:27）
Whenever you envy another’s achievements or abilities, you are forgetting this basic spiritual principle. Whenever you complain to God because of what you are not, instead of praising Him for what you are, you need to listen again to Paul and John the Baptist.
每当你羡慕别人的成就或能力时，你就忘了这个基本的属灵原则。每当你因为自己的不足而抱怨主，却不为自己所有的赞美祂，你需要再次聆听保罗和施洗约翰的劝告。
This is not to suggest that you become complacent. Caleb fought courageously to claim his God-given inheritance, and so did Othniel, his son-in-law. Caleb’s daughter had faith to ask for additional blessings, and she received them. God gives—we possess by faith. We must accept whatever inheritance He grants us.
这并不表示你当自满。迦勒为承受神所赐的产业奋勇作战，而他的女婿俄陀聂亦是如此。迦勒的女儿凭着信心要求得到额外的祝福，她也因此得到了。神赏赐——我们凭信心领受。我们必接受神所赐予我们的任何产业。
以色列人能安息在诗篇47:4的话，而利未人的是诗篇16:5。你是否安逸于神所作出的完美选择呢？
Praying the Scripture 用经文祷告
It seems to be more than a little tedium in reading through Joshua 15. It deals with the inheritance of the tribe of Judah and lovingly traces the boundaries of Judah (vv. 1–12), reports Caleb’s victories at Hebron and Debir (vv. 13–20), categorises and lists the various towns belonging to Judah (vv. 21–62), and includes a note of inability or failure (v. 63). Certainly, a text like ‘Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah’ (v. 55) doesn’t exactly suggest warm devotional thoughts. Yet the apostle Paul was not joking when he said ‘all scripture is profitable’; therefore, Joshua 15 must be profitable. If we were among the tribes of Israel, we will not feel bored because it was the rich inheritance and blessing of the Lord. Let’s pray that we are absolutely certain that the Lord is serious in giving us His reward for our faithfulness and obedience. So let us be steadfast and immovable in serving our Lord.
阅读约书亚记15章似乎有点乏味。它述说了犹大支派所分得的产业，并仔细描述了犹大的边界（1-12节），汇报了迦勒在希伯仑和底璧的胜利（13-20节），划分并列出了属于犹大的各城邑（21-62节），也列下犹大的无能或失败（63节）。当然，类似“玛云、迦密、西弗、淤他”（55节）的篇幅并不一定能勾起沉思默想的念头。然而，当使徒保罗说：“圣经都是有益” 的，他不是在说笑。因此，约书亚记15章必然有可益之处。我们若属以色列支派中的一位，就不会感到乏闷，因为那都是主所赐的丰富产业与祝福。让我们祈祷，叫我们能绝对相信主必会赞赏我们的忠心与顺服之心。因此，我们应该持之以恒、坚持不懈地侍奉主。
