Did you ever share a room with a sibling? Every time our family moved to a new place, my parents had to apportion the space. Sometimes all the brothers shared a single room. In later years, the elder brothers received their own rooms and the younger ones shared a room. I never remember an argument, but I am sure my parents had to navigate it. They must have done it gracefully.
As the Israelites inhabited the promised land, the half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh complained that their apportioned space was too small. Joshua, like my parents, apparently believed in personal responsibility. “Go clear more land for yourselves. Have at it,” he replied to Joseph’s descendants. “But the people we would have to displace have iron chariots,” they whined. “You can do this. You can drive the Canaanites out,” he encouraged. “Easy for you to say,” they must have thought.
Isn’t it interesting to see God’s people explain why they can’t do what God has called and empowered them to do? This still happens. All of us face challenges today. Some surely seem insurmountable. Before we give up, remember what Joshua and the people of Israel knew: there is still God. It is true. There are many difficult things in life. But we must factor God into the equation when we calculate the possibilities of success. J. B. Tidwell said, “1 + God = a majority.” Before we say, “We can’t,” we remember that God can.
