(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word...)
(Joshua 18:1-28) Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; and the land was subdued before them.
2 But there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance. 3 So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? 4 Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe so that I may send them, and that they may arise and walk through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance; then they shall return to me. 5 And they shall divide it into seven portions; Judah shall stay in its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north. 6 And you shall write a description of the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. Then I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. 7 For the Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh also have received their inheritance eastward beyond the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”
8 Then the men arose and went, and Joshua commanded those who went to write a description of the land, saying, “Go and walk through the land and write a description of it, and return to me; then I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.” 9 So the men went and passed through the land, and wrote a description of it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land for the sons of Israel according to their divisions.
11 Now the lot of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory of their lot lay between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph. 12 Their border on the north side was from the Jordan, then the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward, and it ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13 Then from there the border continued to Luz, to the side of Luz (that is, Bethel) southward; and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, near the hill which lies on the south of lower Beth-horon. 14 And the border changed direction from there and turned around on the west side southward, from the hill which lies opposite Beth-horon southward; and it ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of Judah. This was the west side. 15 Then the south side was from the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border went westward and went to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 Then the border went down to the edge of the hill which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is in the Valley of Rephaim northward; and it went down to the Valley of Hinnom, to the slope of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En-rogel. 17 Then it turned northward and went to En-shemesh, and went to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, and it went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 18 And it continued to the side in front of the Arabah northward, and went down to the Arabah. 19 Then the border continued to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the [i]border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern border. 20 Moreover, the Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families, and according to its borders all around.
21 Now the cities of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, and Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, and Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, and Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities with their villages. 25 Gibeon, Ramah, and Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, and Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, and Taralah, 28 Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families.
2 But there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance. 3 So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? 4 Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe so that I may send them, and that they may arise and walk through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance; then they shall return to me. 5 And they shall divide it into seven portions; Judah shall stay in its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north. 6 And you shall write a description of the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. Then I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. 7 For the Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh also have received their inheritance eastward beyond the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”
8 Then the men arose and went, and Joshua commanded those who went to write a description of the land, saying, “Go and walk through the land and write a description of it, and return to me; then I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.” 9 So the men went and passed through the land, and wrote a description of it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land for the sons of Israel according to their divisions.
11 Now the lot of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory of their lot lay between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph. 12 Their border on the north side was from the Jordan, then the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward, and it ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13 Then from there the border continued to Luz, to the side of Luz (that is, Bethel) southward; and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, near the hill which lies on the south of lower Beth-horon. 14 And the border changed direction from there and turned around on the west side southward, from the hill which lies opposite Beth-horon southward; and it ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of Judah. This was the west side. 15 Then the south side was from the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border went westward and went to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 Then the border went down to the edge of the hill which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is in the Valley of Rephaim northward; and it went down to the Valley of Hinnom, to the slope of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En-rogel. 17 Then it turned northward and went to En-shemesh, and went to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, and it went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 18 And it continued to the side in front of the Arabah northward, and went down to the Arabah. 19 Then the border continued to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the [i]border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern border. 20 Moreover, the Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families, and according to its borders all around.
21 Now the cities of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, and Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, and Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, and Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities with their villages. 25 Gibeon, Ramah, and Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, and Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, and Taralah, 28 Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families.
(Joshua 19:1-51) Then the second lot went to Simeon, to the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families; and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Judah. 2 So they had in their inheritance Beersheba or Sheba and Moladah, 3 Hazar-shual, Balah, and Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, and Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susah, 6 Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages; 7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan; four cities with their villages; 8 and all the villages which were around these cities as far as Baalath-beer, Ramah of the Negev. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families. 9 The inheritance of the sons of Simeon was taken from the portion of the sons of Judah, because the share of the sons of Judah was too large for them; so the sons of Simeon received an inheritance in the midst of Judah’s inheritance.
10 Now the third lot came up for the sons of Zebulun according to their families. And the territory of their inheritance was as far as Sarid. 11 Then their border went up to the west and to Maralah, and it reached Dabbesheth and reached to the brook that is opposite Jokneam. 12 Then it turned from Sarid to the east toward the sunrise as far as the border of Chisloth-tabor, and it proceeded to Daberath and up to Japhia. 13 From there it continued eastward toward the sunrise to Gath-hepher, to Eth-kazin, and it proceeded to Rimmon which stretches to Neah. 14 Then the border circled around it on the north to Hannathon, and it ended at the Valley of Iphtahel. 15 Included also were Kattah, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem; twelve cities with their villages. 16 This was the inheritance of the sons of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.
17 The fourth lot went to Issachar, to the sons of Issachar according to their families. 18 Their territory was to Jezreel and included Chesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, and Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, and Ebez, 21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez. 22 The border reached to Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and their border ended at the Jordan; sixteen cities with their villages. 23 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Issachar according to their families, the cities with their villages.
24 Now the fifth lot went to the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families. 25 Their territory was Helkath, Hali, Beten, and Achshaph, 26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal; and it reached to Carmel on the west and Shihor-libnath. 27 It turned toward the east to Beth-dagon and reached Zebulun, and to the Valley of Iphtahel northward to Beth-emek and Neiel; then it proceeded on north to Cabul, 28 Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Great Sidon. 29 The border turned to Ramah and to the fortified city of Tyre; then the border turned to Hosah, and it ended at the sea by the region of Achzib. 30 Included also were Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob; twenty-two cities with their villages. 31 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.
32 The sixth lot went to the sons of Naphtali; to the sons of Naphtali according to their families. 33 Their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and it ended at the Jordan. 34 Then the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor and proceeded from there to Hukkok; and it reached Zebulun on the south and reached Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan toward the east. 35 The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, and Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, and En-hazor, 38 Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages. 39 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali according to their families, the cities with their villages.
40 The seventh lot went to the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families. 41 The territory of their inheritance was Zorah, Eshtaol, and Ir-shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, and Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, and Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, and Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene-berak, and Gath-rimmon, 46 Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the territory opposite Joppa. 47 The territory of the sons of Dan proceeded beyond them; for the sons of Dan went up and fought with Leshem and captured it. Then they struck it with the edge of the sword and took possession of it and settled in it; and they named Leshem Dan after the name of their father Dan. 48 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.
49 When they finished apportioning the land for inheritance by its borders, the sons of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. 50 In accordance with the command of the Lord, they gave him the city for which he asked, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. So he built the city and settled in it.
51 These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the tribes of the sons of Israel apportioned by lot in Shiloh before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
There were seven tribes left who for whatever reason didn't pursue and possess their inheritance as God directed; so Joshua chose three men to go throughout the remaining land and describe the borders, in order to divide the rest of the land up. Then they divided up those land portions among the seven remaining tribes by casting lots (pulling names from a bag, if you will). They did this "before the Lord" - so at least they acknowledged the Lord's presence - and perhaps His hand in that moment.
I always thought this was a strange way to do this huge and important task, but for some reason God allowed it to be done in this way. Would it have seemed more fair in the minds of the Israelites? Could they be more accepting of the outcome - thinking it was all "chance" - but with God overseeing the outcome?
Life can seem that way at times for us, as a person will often comment with, "This is just my lot in life!" There are quite a few things outside of our control, like which family we will be born into. God will have many reasons why we are, but in these circumstances it is not our place to ask, "Why?" Although, let's be careful not to confuse these situations with the ones we have created through our own mistakes. But as we move forward in life, we should accept our "lot in life", and our God-given purpose, and do the best we can to live in God's will wherever we find ourselves.
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