When Joshua led the Israelites into the land promised by God to become a kingdom, he honored the words of Moses as the various tribes settled into appointed locations. For example, the clan of Zebulun’s land stretched to the Valley of Iphtah El, while Issachar’s territory bordered the Jordan River. The book of Joshua outlines each tribe’s cities and boundaries in specific detail.
Why is this important for us today? Aside from the historical record, it illustrates a principle that carries over to the spiritual realm. For the Israelites, these borders and boundaries enabled them to live with more peace, security, and prosperity. Their kingdom, which God calls their inheritance, was to be built in this way. As the chosen people of God, He enabled them to conquer the land and live the life He had destined for them.
Under the new covenant established by Christ there are borders as well, though they are not comprised of geographical features. Instead, His kingdom is built on His teachings. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them” (Luke 17:3). “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20). “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:34). “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).
More boundaries for peaceful and prosperous living were provided by the other writers of the New Testament. “Do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13b). “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1b). “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
These directions for living are not laws for attaining salvation. The Israelites did nothing to earn their freedom from Egyptian slavery. Likewise, we rely on the work of Christ to free us from the captivity of sin and death, not our own righteousness. Rather, obedience is the path to living in the inheritance we are given as sons and daughters of God through Christ.
“Your kingdom come,” Jesus taught his followers to pray, “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Doing God’s will enables us to live in the place He has ordained for His people. We inhabit His invisible kingdom when we hear His words and obey. It is a place of peace, security, and prosperity, even though our enemies surround us. This is why ignoring biblical instructions puts us in danger.
If an Israelite left the boundaries of the land God decreed, he or she became susceptible to the enemy. In the same way, if we leave the boundaries of Godly living as set forth in scripture, we too are susceptible to the enemy. That is when ungodly thoughts and feelings threaten us: fear, doubt, lust, hatred, pride – all the enemies of God and His people.
Understanding this truth shifts our perspective on the boundaries. We no longer see them as random rules that make life less enjoyable. Nor do we see them as a form of New Testament law enabling us to prove our own righteousness. Instead, we understand that they are protective lines of thinking, acting, and speaking that keep us in the place of God’s peace, security, and prosperity.
Many New Testament instructions lay out this truth. For example, “do not be anxious about anything” is not a rebuke for those experiencing anxiety. It continues with “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” which gives us a clear action to take, but even that’s not the whole concept. Paul continues, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Do you see the blessing in the border? There is peace when we take our anxiety to God through prayer and present our wants and needs to Him.
To the Romans, Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world…” Again, if we stop there it can feel like it’s only a rebuke. But he continues, “but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,” providing a plan of action. Then comes the blessing: “that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Discernment comes through the obedient renewing of our minds to conform to God’s will rather than the pressures and expectations of the world.
This is how we must look at the constraints in scripture. They are boundaries to keep us in the place God has ordained. In this, we establish His kingdom on this earth and in our lives. This is how we experience the prosperity in our soul which He has given to us an heirs in Christ. There are blessings in the borders.
