What Has You Bound?

O. T. #485  "What Has You Bound?"
March 23, 2015
Joshua 19-Part 5
The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families.  Joshua 19:32

LET IT GLOW

Does anything have us bound to it? What is it? Is it finances, our job, a relationship, hate, jealousy, envy that has us bound to it? Or, are we free in Christ to love those while we are in that situation? Our next tribe was bounded by its brothers. Who was it?

The next to the last lot fell upon the tribe of Naphtali.
The descendants of this man Naphtali, who was the son of Jacob and Bilhah, Rachel's maid, was located in the extreme north, just east of Asher. As far as the location, their land was bounded by Asher on the west, Zebulun and Issachar on the south, and the Jordan and Sea of Galilee on the east.(Falwell)

John 8:32 says, And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:36 says, If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Are you free in Christ? When we ask Him to forgive us of our sins, the Savior will set us free from our sins. 1 John 1:9 assures us, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Do we want to be bound or free?

LET IT GROW

Did anything interesting occur in the land of Naphtali?

• The terebinth tree was an oak tree (or an oak forest if taken inn a collective sense, as the word possibly means in Genesis 12:6) near Kedesh and northwest of the waters at Merom. According to Judges 4:11, it was the site where Jael killed Sisera with a tent peg (4:21). (MacArthur)
• The eastern line ran northward, including the city of Hazor and also Dan, then swung north of Dan. Jesus' Galilean ministry would take place largely in this area (Is. 9:1,2; Matt. 4:13-17). (MacArthur)
• Near the waters of Merom, Joshua fought and routed Jabin (11:1).
• Capernaum and Beth-saida is where Christ did so many mighty works; and
• the mountain (as is supposed) on which Christ preached (Matt. 5:1). (M. Henry)

What Christ preached there, was the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount.

When Jesus heard that John was in prison, he left Nazareth and went to Capernaum.
Matthew 4:15-16 quotes Isaiah 9:1: The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

Jesus says in John 8:12, I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Are we walking in darkness or in the light of life, following the light of the world?

LET IT GO

Leave behind those things which bind me.

Ask Jesus to forgive me of my sins and set me free from them.

Follow the Light of the world-Jesus.

Bring others to the Light so they can be set free from whatever has them bound.