SHOWERS

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Joshua 18:1 – Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there.  The land lay subdued before them.

When the children of Israel first crossed the Jordan River, they formed a camp at Gilgal.  This camp was probably set up in the same order Israel used when wandering in the wilderness.  The tabernacle was set up in the middle of the camp and each tribe had a specific area assigned to them around the ark (Numbers 2).

The camp at Gilgal was Israel's headquarters for the entire time they were fighting against Jericho, Ai, the southern alliance, and the northern confederacy.  They had been camped in that location for about seven years.

But at this point, after Ephraim and Manasseh received their allotments, there was no longer any overt Canaanite aggression towards Israel ('the land lay subdued before them').  This is not to say that there were no more Canaanites in the land; there were many, many cities and villages that Israel did not yet control.  But the remaining Canaanites had no plans to attack or actively oppose Israel.  They seemed content to hide in their cities and avoid God's people, making this a time of relative peace.

While that was good for the Canaanites, it was bad for Israel.  God brought his people into the land and gave them astonishing victories over the Canaanites.  But instead of pressing that advantage and claiming total victory, Israel grew lazy and sluggish.  The tribes that were assigned an allotment were content with possessing only a small portion of the inheritance God had given them. Worse yet, there were seven tribes who had not even received an allotment yet!

Not only were they missing out on all the blessings God had for them, they were putting themselves in grave spiritual danger. From the very beginning, God instructed Israel to wipe out the heathen nations and destroy every trace of their religious activities, lest they corrupt Israel with their idol worship (Numbers 33:50-56).  The longer Israel waited to fully possess the land, the more comfortable they became living in the midst of these heathen nations and the more they grew to accept and embrace the idolatry of Canaan.

So God, in his mercy, now speaks to Joshua (who isn't getting any younger) and tells him to get the people moving.  It was time for the remaining tribes to divide up the unclaimed land into lots and have God assign them.  It was also time for the people to begin worshiping God at the tabernacle, as instructed in the covenant.

The first step in this process was to break up the camp at Gilgal.  We know that long before this, God had instructed Moses and Joshua that he would determine the location of his house - the tabernacle (Deuteronomy 12:8-10).  Therefore, we can be sure that it was the Lord who instructed Joshua to move the tabernacle from Gilgal to Shiloh.

Why do you suppose God chose that location? 

That particular site had many advantages:

• Shiloh was situated on a hill in the territory of Ephraim, 12 miles north of Bethel and about 15 miles from Jerusalem.  This effectively put the tabernacle in the very center of the Promised Land, where it would be most convenient for all the tribes.  This was important because people needed access to the temple.  For example, all males were to appear before the Lord three times a year.  In addition, sacrifices/offerings were not to be made anywhere except the tabernacle, so people would be traveling there on a regular basis. 

• Joshua was still the leader of the nation, and he was still actively engaged in the division of the land.  But he was also getting older.  Since much of this work took place at the tabernacle, a location within his home tribe of Ephraim was no doubt helpful for him.

• Shiloh was a relatively safe long-term resting place for the tabernacle (and ark) because Israel had complete control of the land on all sides.  It is interesting to note that once moved there, the ark of the covenant would remain in Shiloh for roughly 300 years, until it was captured by the Philistines during the time when Eli was the high priest (I Samuel 4:1-11).

Scripture tells us that the whole nation assembled while the tabernacle was being moved.  This reflected their respect and love of God. 

Because the camp at Gilgal had been dissolved, the remaining tribes most likely camped around Shiloh until they received their allotment of land.  This was an encouraging moment – God was moving and his people were moving with him!

Joshua 18:2 – There remained among the people of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned.

Just as a reminder, Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh had received an inheritance east of the Jordan.  Judah, Ephraim and the other half of Manasseh had received allotments on the west side of the river. 

Levi was not to receive an allotment; later they would inherit specific cities scattered all throughout the Promised Land.

This left Benjamin, Simeon, Asher, Issachar, Dan, Zebulun and Naphtali as the tribes who still needed to be assigned a territory.

Joshua 18:3 – So Joshua said to the people of Israel, "How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?"

There is an old proverb which says, 'good is the enemy of best'.  That was certainly the case in this situation.  The inheritance the Israelites possessed at this point was not the full blessing that God intended for them.  However, since it was better than anything they had in the past, they were willing to accept it.  Because of this they did not strive to completely displace the Canaanites and obtain the best God had in store for them.

In addition, they were overcome with laziness.  The nation was motivated to go to war when they fought as a whole and subdued the land, but when it came down to each individual tribe fighting for their own allotment, they became slothful and indolent. 

The land that remained to be divided was partially controlled by the enemy.  The seven remaining tribes would have to wage warfare, rebuild or repair the cities and towns, cultivate new fields, move their families and drive their flocks and herds to new far away locations.  This would certainly require a lot of work and involve some degree of hardship.  For this reason, they were not in a hurry to get moving.

Unfortunately, every day that Israel delayed was a day the Canaanites used to strengthen and fortify their hold on the land.� Every day Israel allowed themselves to dwell among the heathen was a day they grew more accustomed to false idols.�

It could truly be said that Israel was in danger of losing their inheritance before they had even fully obtained it!� They had to be prompted into action.�

Is there a lesson here for us?

I believe there is.  The questions Joshua poses to the children of Israel here in verse three could just as well be asked of the church of today.  Let's consider that for a minute:

Scripture tells us that Jesus died for the entire human race�

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

�and it is his will for everyone to hear the gospel and turn to Jesus for salvation:

II Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Just as the armies of Israel had to fight to gain ground in the Promised Land, the church is the army of God, and we are to fight spiritual battles to take ground in the kingdom of heaven.

But in some ways, the church has followed in the footsteps of Israel.  In the last few generations, the church seems to have fallen into a spiritual lethargy with Christians being caught up in a love of pleasure, entertainment, prosperity, and ease.  Because we are so content with what we have, we have delayed going to war against our enemy.  Look around you - is this the inheritance we want to leave for our children and grandchildren?

Now is the time for the church to get moving again.  This will not be easy.  It requires spiritual training.  It requires work and sacrifice, and it will undoubtedly involve hardship.  But in the end, we will receive God's fullest blessings if we keep his commands and seek his best.

God sent Israel a warning against apathy through Joshua.  He has given the church a similar warning through Jesus, in his address to the seven churches of Revelation:

Revelation 13:16-19 – "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.  For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.  I council you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich and white garments so that you may clothe yourself� and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see."

While the church has been relaxing, our enemy has been advancing.  Now is the time to clothe ourselves with personal holiness, prepare/train ourselves for war, and engage the enemy to win souls for Christ.  Now is the time for us to press forward and bring the kingdom of heaven to the uttermost ends of the world. 

Jesus instructed us to pray that workers will be sent into his harvest fields (Luke 10:2).  Let's take it one step further – let's pray 'here am I Lord, send me' (Isaiah 6:8)!

Joshua 18:4-5 – Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may set out and go up and down the land.  They shall write a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then come to me. They shall divide it into seven portions.  Judah shall continue in his territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall continue in their territory on the north.

A preliminary survey of the land had already been completed.  It included information about the land itself, such as the resources available (timber, ore), the quality of the ground and pastures, whether there were hills or mountains, what kind of water was available, etc. 

The second survey was very different.  It focused almost exclusively on the cities and towns located within the land.  Why was that important?

Israel was in the midst of making a huge change.  The only lifestyle they had known up to this point was a nomadic one – they constantly moved from place to place.  If a family wound up in an unsuitable spot, they could just 'make do' knowing that it was only temporary.  Now, however, they would be permanently established in the vacated cities of Canaan. 

These cities had been won through war, which means they had all been destroyed to a greater or lesser degree as they were being captured.  Obviously, some cities could be occupied immediately, while others had to be totally rebuilt. 

In addition, each tribe had to have enough cities to accommodate their population.  It was important for some of the cities to be larger, as they would have protective walls (and would serve as centers of trade), while others could be smaller and more rural.  For these reasons, the second survey focused on the size and importance of the cities, rather than the characteristics of the land.

A secondary reason for the new survey may have been the complaints made by the tribe of Joseph, who alleged their lot was too small.  The specific listing of cities would ensure a fair division of the remaining land while removing any questions or suspicions of unfair treatment.

So without further ado, Joshua sends out the twenty-one men.  Some scholars have speculated that these 21 were divided into three groups, with each group taking a different section of land to survey, which would have sped up the process considerably.

Although it is possible that this group (or groups) was accompanied by a military guard, it probably wasn't necessary.  The remaining Canaanites were still struck with terror from heaven making it highly unlikely that they would attack Israel in any way (even a small group of men).

Finally, it should be noted that the new survey was not to include any of the land already allotted to Judah, Ephraim or Manasseh.  Any changes to their territory (and changes were made) would be made in the future, based on the need of the tribes.

Joshua 18:6-7 – And you shall describe the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me.  And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their heritage.  And Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.

Once the survey was done, the seven portions would be set forth in writing.  Again, this would allow everyone to see that the division was fair and equal.  It provided an opportunity for the elders to voice their opinions, if they thought their tribe's allotment was too small.  It would ensure that any arguments or complaints about the parcels would be addressed in advance - before Joshua approached the Lord to ask him to assign each parcel to a particular tribe.

After the lots were cast and God assigned a parcel to the remaining tribes, no one would have any basis for complaining.  Each lot contained many benefits for which to be thankful, as well as a few challenges designed to bring out the best in each tribe.

According to the historian Josephus, the survey took seven months to complete, although this is not confirmed in scripture.

Joshua 18:8-10 – So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, "Go up and down the land and write a description and return to me.  And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh."  So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions.  Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord.  And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, to each his portion.

The act of taking a second survey by the express commission of the Lord must surely have aroused the faith of the people.  In their mind's eye they could now see/perceive that by the grace of God, they were about to finish the great work of claiming the Land. 

All the promises made to them by the Lord were about to finally be fulfilled!  What an exciting and joyful day that must have been!

Joshua 18:11 – The lot of the tribe of Benjamin according to its clans came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph.

Obviously, the survey was completed, the parcels were agreed upon, and Joshua went to the tabernacle to have Eleazar assist him in inquiring of the Lord as the lots were cast.

The next lot was assigned to the tribe of Benjamin, who received a relatively small allotment of 26 cities.  However, we want to note once again that the lots were divinely appointed by God and the borders adjusted by the council so the portion given to Benjamin was perfect for them. 

Scholars have commented a great deal about the divine hand of God in this allotment.

In life, Benjamin and Joseph had been full brothers – their father was Israel and their mother was Rachel (Genesis 35:24).  Due to Joseph being the favorite son, the other 10 brothers were jealous of him, and they were often in conflict with each other.  The 10 went so far as to sell Joseph into slavery in the land of Egypt.  However, all of them loved Benjamin (the youngest son/brother) very dearly.  

As you know from reading the book of Genesis, the 10 brothers were eventually sent to Egypt to buy grain.  Unbeknownst to them, they were buying it from their long lost brother, Joseph who proceeded to tell them they had to bring back their youngest brother Benjamin before he would sell them any grain.  To make a long story short, it was the mutual love and affection for Benjamin that eventually reconciled Joseph to his other 10 brothers. 

And now, in the allotment of the land, we find the little tribe of Benjamin sandwiched between the two very large and powerful rival tribes of Joseph and Judah!  There is a lot of intense interaction among these tribes in the history of Israel, which you can read for yourself as you study the era of the kings of Israel. 

Joshua 18:12-28  – On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan.  Then the boundary goes up to the shoulder north of Jericho, then up through the hill country westward, and it ends at the wilderness of Beth-aven� Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (there is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath-jearim� This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin according to its clans.

Verses 12 through 28 go on to detail the cities, towns, and boundaries assigned to the tribe of Benjamin.  We are not going to look at them in detail, but it is worth mentioning that Jebus/Jerusalem was on the border between Judah and Benjamin.

Neither tribe had much luck in conquering the city.  It wasn't until the time of David that the Canaanites were fully removed and Jerusalem was made the royal city.  

Let me offer you some encouragement and relief:

It's easy to see that the children of Israel were somewhat lazy or indifferent when it came to fully possessing their inheritance and establishing their nation. 

The underlying spiritual principle is a reminder to us not to be lazy in our work of establishing the kingdom of God.  Now is the time for us to get to work.  The apostle Paul expresses this same thought in his letter to the Ephesian church:

Ephesians 5:15-16 - See then that you walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  

In other words, Paul is instructing us to get busy and make the best use of our time.

In Ephesians chapter five he goes on to say that our time can best be spent in continual praise and worship, speaking/singing spiritual hymns and songs, being filled with Holy Spirit, and carefully walking through this life with a full understanding of God's will for us.

In light of his comments, I encourage you to take a few minutes and ask yourself these questions:

• How do I spend my time?� In a 24 hour cycle, how much of that time do I spend working for the kingdom by praying, reading the word, worshiping God and acting when I hear his voice?

• How does that amount of time compare to the amount of time I spend in entertainment or pursuing hobbies?

• Do I have a good understanding of God's will for my life?�

• If I need to balance my priorities a little, what changes can I make to allow that to happen?� �

Let me offer you some strength:

God provided motivation for his people to once again 'get moving' and finish the task of possessing their inheritance/kingdom. 

He did that by disrupting or breaking apart their established habits and patterns (living in the camp at Gilgal), refocusing their attention on him (moving them to Shiloh), and filling them with a fresh sense of excitement (they were about to accomplish their goal). 

If you find you own spiritual life to be stale or at a standstill, these steps may help you too.

• Begin by breaking old habits/patterns.� Find new times of the day to read/study the word, find new places of prayer and look around your church and community for new opportunities to minister to people.� Study the bible with a new/different bible scholar.� Buy some new praise music and learn some new songs.�

• As you break old habits, refocus your heart and mind upon the Lord and what he is currently doing in your life.� Seek him until you feel confident that you know what his will is for you during this specific season of your life.

• Ask the Lord to give you a fresh sense of hope and excitement for the future.� After all, no matter how desperate things may seem, God is in control and he is going to be victorious in this world.� God has never lost a war and he isn't going to start now!�

Dear readers, I wish you all a very merry Christmas!! Thank you for studying the bible along with me. I pray for the Lord to bless you mightily during 2024!

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Joshua 17:1 –The allotment was made to the people of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph.  To Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, were allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war.

As we noted in our last post, the people of 'Joseph' consisted of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.  Chapter 16 gave us the details of Ephraim's inheritance, while chapter 17 gives us the details of Manasseh's inheritance. 

Half of the tribe of Manasseh had already received an inheritance east of the Jordan River while Moses was still alive.� They received this allotment after waging war against Og king of Bashan and Sihon king of the Amorites (Joshua 13:29-31).� This is the inheritance referred to here, in verse one.�

At an earlier point in our study, we mentioned that a divinely appointed council determined the exact borders of each allotment, while God himself determined the lot or location of each tribe. Lot assignments were based on the unique skills, talents and needs which God had placed into each group.   Each lot also contained some challenges that would bring out the divine potential of each tribe.

The inheritance of Manasseh is a good example of this.  The people who inherited the parcel east of the river were the descendants of Machir, son of Manasseh.  Machir was born in Egypt where he distinguished himself as a man of war, probably in the conflicts between the Ephraimites and the men of Gath. 

His war-like disposition was passed down to his offspring; scripture tells us they were "mighty warriors" and "famous men" (I Chronicles 5:24).  Their position on the east side of the Jordan made them the first line of defense for any foreign invaders from the east.

Potential conquerors of Israel would first need to subdue the brave, pugnacious tribe of Manasseh and subsequently cross the Jordan before they had any chance of taking Jerusalem.� This half tribe of Manasseh clearly inherited the parcel of land that most suited them!

Joshua 17:2 – And allotments were made to the rest of the people of Manasseh by their clans, Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida.� These were the male descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph, by their clans.

As you already know, the tribe of Manasseh was actually given two parcels of land.  They had the parcel we just discussed (the inheritance of Machir) which was east of the Jordan River, and they also had a second inheritance west of the river.  (This double portion is reflective of one of the benefits of the 'firstborn', as discussed in our last post.)

Their second allotment is described more fully in the remainder of this chapter.  Basically, it was a large territory north of the allotment of Ephraim.  It was assigned to six of the sons/descendants of Manasseh. 

 

Ordinarily, this would be just a matter of routine, however, there was an unusual circumstance in this situation.

Joshua 17:3 – Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

Manasseh's great, great grandson (Zelophehad) did not have any male children.  According to the customs of ancient Israel, that was a problem.  During that era, women did not have the same rights as they have in our day.

Specifically, women did not own property and they did not work outside the home.  They were supported by their fathers until they married, and subsequently their husbands took care of them.  During old age/widowhood, they were supported by their adult male children.  (Incidentally, this also ties into the responsibilities associated with the first born – one of the reasons the firstborn received a double inheritance was because they were responsible for the care of their mother and any unmarried sisters once their father died.)

So, the question is, what became of the inheritance that would have gone to the male descendants of Zelophehad, if he had any?

Fortunately, this particular situation had already been identified many years earlier during the census taken before Israel crossed over the Jordan (Numbers 26:33).  At that time, Moses sought an answer from the Lord, and God responded by giving a hierarchy of rules for inheritance. 

Numbers 27:8 – Say to the Israelites, "If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter."

Basically, if a man died without sons, his daughters were to receive his land and property as an inheritance.

If the deceased man had no daughters, his brothers were to inherit his possessions.� If he had no brothers, his stuff passed to his uncles on his father's side of the family.� If he still didn't have an heir at that point, his land and possessions went to his next closest relative within his clan.� (For full details, see Numbers 27:1-11).

Joshua 17:4-6 – They approached Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the leaders and said, "The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brothers."� So according to the mouth of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father.� Thus there fell to Manasseh ten portions, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is on the other side of the Jordan, because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons.� The land of Gilead was allotted to the rest of the people of Manasseh.

It should be noted, however, that a stipulation was placed upon their inheritance.  The daughters of Zelophehad had to marry a man within the clan of Hepher.  This way, when the land passed to the next generation, it would remain within the family. 

This makes perfect sense, because if the daughters married men of other tribes or even other clans, the inheritance of this family would have been swallowed up by another family or tribe, which was an unacceptable situation in that era. 

Let's shift gears for a moment and take a look at another topic which comes to mind as we consider the daughters of Zelophehad. 

Earlier in our study, we said that the conquest of the Promised Land was a physical picture of the spiritual warfare we are involved in today:

Ephesians 6:12 -For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.

Since the women of Israel were not directly involved in combat during the conquest, does that mean that women cannot or should not be involved in spiritual warfare?  Since the women in ancient Israel did not hold offices in Israel's army, does that mean they should not hold offices in the church?

These are questions that have been raised in the church from time to time throughout the years.  Rather than answering them based on tradition, let's follow the example of Moses and see what God has to say on this subject. 

The apostle Paul offers us this insight in the book of Galatians:

Galatians 3:26-28 - �for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise."

Did you catch what Paul said to the Galatian church?� In the spiritual realm, no distinction is made between males and females.� Every born again person is considered an offspring of Abraham and is an heir of all the spiritual promises and gifts of God.�

This means that women are saved.  They have equal access to the throne of God.  They are filled/baptized with the Holy Spirit and his gifts operate in and through their lives.  The faith of a woman will move mountains, just the same as the faith of a man.  The fervent prayers of a righteous woman are just as effective as the fervent prayers of a righteous man.  We could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.   

The prophet Joel reveals that it was always God's plan for women to be spiritually active in his kingdom:

Joel 2:28 – "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions�"

In the book of Acts, Luke gives us a record of women who operated in the gifts of Holy Spirit, just as men did:

Acts 21:8-9 -And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven; and abode with him.  And the same man had four daughters, virgins, who did prophesy.

Furthermore, Jesus clearly demonstrated that he approved of women in ministry.�

Just a few days before his crucifixion, Jesus was eating dinner at the house of Simon the leper.� While he was at the table, a woman came into the house, broke open an extremely expensive flask of perfume (Nard), and proceeded to minister to Jesus by anointing his head (Mark 14:3).� The perfume would have run down his face/beard, shoulders and chest; his whole body was touched by it.

The men present at the dinner threw a fit.  They gave the woman a hard time; scripture says they 'murmured against her' which means they criticized what she was doing and insisted that she stop. 

Jesus responded by essentially telling the men to 'knock it off':

Mark 14:6 – But Jesus said, "Leave her alone.� Why do you trouble her?� She has done a beautiful thing to me."

Let's consider this situation for a minute.  Scripture compares the relationship of Christ and the church to a human body.  Jesus is the head.  He does the thinking, he makes the decisions and he leads his body (the church) where he wants it to go.  We are his hands and feet here on earth, to obey/follow where Christ leads us. 

I Corinthians 12:27 – Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

So, when Jesus allowed this woman to anoint and minister to his physical body, it was a picture of her ministering to the spiritual body of Christ – the church.  Keep in mind that when men tried to stop her, Christ responded by saying "Leave her alone"!

We can conclude that since God does not make a spiritual distinction between men and women (and we have ample scripture to prove it), both can serve the body of Christ in whatever spiritual office Holy Spirit places them.  We find both men and women actively serving as preachers, teachers, missionaries, evangelists, worship leaders, council members, etc.

Some folks argue that women are to be silent in the church and this command excludes them from being pastors, teachers, etc.

1 Corinthians 14:34 - Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be submissive, as also says the law.

However, when examining the context of this statement of the apostle Paul, we find that he is merely advocating for order in the midst of the church service.� Keep in mind that during that time, women were not educated in the synagogues like men were.�

So if a woman had questions regarding the teaching/instruction given to the congregation, she was not to interrupt the service and question the speaker.� Instead, she was supposed to ask her husband for clarification of the teaching after they were at home.� In this way, order was maintained within the service.

Joshua 17:7-11 – The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to Michmethath, which is east of Shechem.� Then the boundary goes along southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah. The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah on the boundary of Manasseh belonged to the people of Ephraim.� The boundary went down to the brook Kanah�Also in Issachar and in Asher Manasseh had Beth-shean and its villages, and Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Dor and its villages and the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; the third is Naphath.

Here we have another long description of the cities, towns and villages that fell to the half tribe of Manasseh, west of the Jordan.  Again we will not seek to identify or pinpoint each individual site.  

However, it is worth noting that Ephraim inhabited some cities within the territory of Manasseh, while some of the people of Manasseh inhabited cities in Ephraim, Asher and Issachar.  As we discussed in our last post, this intermingling created a greater sense of unity among the tribes.

Joshua 17:12-13 – Yet the people of Manasseh could not take possession of those cities, but the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land.  Now when the people of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out. 

Which is true of the tribe of Manasseh – they 'would not' drive out the Canaanites, or they 'could not' drive them out? Is there a difference?  What do you think?

'Would not' implies that they had an opportunity to remove the Canaanites from their land, but they chose not to do it.� Was that the case?

Yes, it was.� God made it very plain from the beginning of the conquest (even in the battles fought in the trans-Jordan under Moses) that if his people would seek him and enter the battle by faith, he would give them victory over every foe they faced.� As we have seen in the book of Joshua, God was true to his word.

Therefore, the fact that the Canaanites still dwelt in the inheritance of Manasseh leads us to conclude that Manasseh 'would not' do what was necessary to possess the totality of their inheritance.  It implies that they consciously chose not to pursue ultimate victory by partnering with God in faith.

What led to this decision?

The people of Manasseh began to shift their focus from eternal spiritual things to the things of this world.� It was God's desire for them to completely remove the Canaanites from the land, and for a while Manasseh was diligent to step out in faith and accomplish that goal.�

But eventually, they began to desire the things of this world more than the things of God; they became far more interested in cultivating the land and acquiring wealth than in fighting for the remainder of their inheritance.

As a result, their military skills grew rusty.  Worse yet, they no longer exercised their faith as they once did.  As they took their eyes off the Lord and focused on the things of this world, their fear of the Canaanites increased.  The enemy's strongholds and chariots of iron began to seem insurmountable.  They convinced themselves they could not win a war against their foes.

The end result is that they became both spiritually and physically 'out of shape' and unfit for battle.  Thus, their decision not to engage the enemy (would not) led to a situation where they were literally no longer capable of defeating the enemy (could not).

Eventually, this decision was repeated by all of the tribes of Israel, and it led to their downfall.  Because they did not remove the Canaanites from their territories, the Israelites began to accept and even embrace their idols and false gods.  In due course, Israel was sent into captivity because of these wicked practices.

We need to be on guard against falling into this same trap. 

Our first priority is to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength:

Mark 12:29-30 – Jesus answered, "The most important [commandment] is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.� And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'"

Our second priority is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31).

Once we have these priorities in place, it is perfectly fine for us to pursue and enjoy the things of this life.� Despite what you may have heard in the past, God is not in favor of his people being poor.�

In fact, the opposite is true - God loves to bless his people.  He declares that we are blessed going in and blessed going out.  He desires to bless everything that we set ourselves to accomplish.  Scripture says that God delights in blessing us. 

Deuteronomy 30:9-10 – The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground.  For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in the Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

In other words, it makes God happy to bless us! But that only happens when we follow God with all of our heart and soul.  If we make God and his desires our top priority, we won't fall into the trap of loving the things of this world more than the things of God.

Now is a good time to stop and examine your own life.  Are you spiritually out of shape?  If so, put yourself on a spiritual work-out routine – feast on the scriptures, spend time in prayer and exercise your faith.

Where are your priorities?  If God is not first, make some changes in your life right away!

Joshua 17:14 – Then the people of Joseph spoke to Joshua saying, "Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the Lord has blessed me?"

At some point the elders of Ephraim and Manasseh came to Joshua with a complaint.  They alleged that the offspring of Joseph had so many descendants that the common/combined allotment of land given to them was insufficient for their needs.  They wanted Joshua to give them additional territory.

However, their complaint had no real basis.� According to the census taken in Numbers 26, Ephraim numbered 32,500 and Manasseh 52,700.� Considering that half of Manasseh had an inheritance east of the Jordan, their combined population was really only 58,850.�

This number is significantly less than the men of Judah (76,500), the men of Dan (64,400) and the men of Issachar (64,300).� Despite what they alleged, the tribes of Joseph really didn't need additional land.� (It should also be noted that the land which they were assigned was some of the most fertile in the Promised Land.)

Many commentators believe that the elders of Ephraim wanted to take the lead as the governing tribe of the nation.  Accordingly, they felt that their tribe should receive a larger endowment because of its (perceived) importance or dignity.  And they probably felt they had a good chance of getting what they asked for, since Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim.

But Joshua (the embodiment of justice and fairness) unfailingly does what is right according to God's laws; he is not influenced by these elders.  In fact, he turns their own complaint against them.  

Joshua 17:15 –And Joshua said to them, "If you are a numerous people, go up by yourselves to the forest, and there clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you."

Joshua doesn't mince any words with the elders of his tribe.  The lot which God had assigned them contained many pockets of Canaanites that had yet to be subdued.  Since they had such a vast army, they clearly had the power and resources to oust the Canaanites and thus expand their hold on the land. 

What they lacked was faith and courage.� Clearly, they could easily have taken more land through war, but instead they stood by and insisted that someone else give it to them!� The time and energy they needed for battle was wasted by grumbling and complaining.� Ephraim wanted to be the dominant/governing tribe, but they didn't want to pay the price of difficulty and hardship as they went to war.� They seem to exhibit a spirit of entitlement, which we often see in the world today.� What a shame!

Fortunately for us, we have the parable of The Talents to warn us against this way of thinking.  Do you remember this parable of Jesus?  You can read the full story in Matthew 25, but the gist is that three men were each given some talents (10 or 5 or 1).  Those who used their talents received more; but the man who hid (did not use) his talent had it taken away from him:

Matthew 25:28-29 – So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.� For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance.� But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

So instead of complaining about their portion (like the man with one talent), the men of Ephraim should have used what God gave them to increase their territory.� God had obviously given them the allotment they were best suited for; they had plenty of man power to use in battle.� And God no doubt wanted to challenge them in order to bring out their hidden potential. �

As strange as it may sound, hardships are often a blessing because they teach us to trust in the Lord, to overcome circumstances and to persevere until we succeed.  Hardships build character, patience and confidence.  They bring our hidden talents to the surface.  The men of Ephraim and Manasseh forfeited all these blessings (as well as extra land) by refusing to use the tools/talents God had already given them.

Are there areas of your life that you want to change?  If so, don't fall into the trap of complaining, blaming others or expecting someone else to fight your battles.  Use the talents God has given you and watch him build your character, your testimony and your opportunities!

Joshua 17:16 – The people of Joseph said, "The hill country is not enough for us.  Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel."

In order to avoid taking responsibility for their own situation, the elders of Ephraim and Manasseh resort to making excuses for not fighting their own battles.� They contend that although the land of the plains is fertile and desirable, it is of no use to them because it is occupied by Canaanites with formidable iron chariots.� How ridiculous!�

The wars of the last seven years clearly showed that no enemy was capable of standing against God.� Nothing the Canaanites possessed could prevent the Lord from giving victory to Ephraim and Manasseh, if only they would trust in him!� Again, the real issue here is that these tribes did not want to put forth the work and effort to obtain what they desired.�

Joshua 17:17-18 – Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, "You are a numerous people and have great power.  You shall not have one allotment only, but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders.  For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong."

Joshua replies to the offspring of Joseph by repeating that it is not his intention that they should live in a portion of land that is too small for them.  However, he is not going to simply hand them a bigger portion.  They must not be intimidated by the enemy; they must stand up and use the strength and tools they have been given in order to extend their borders and enlarge their domain. 

Why do you suppose Holy Spirit preserved this conversation for us in the scriptures? 

I believe he did so because it is a picture of the church's position in the world.

Ephraim and Manasseh were in partial possession of their inheritance.  They needed to fight in order to extend their territory.  In fact, if they did not strengthen their position and continue to enlarge their borders, the Canaanites would soon be back to re-possess the land they did occupy.

Let's compare this to the spiritual realm.  The church has partial possession of the world; we dwell among the strongholds of satan, populated by lost souls.  If we do not pursue the salvation of these lost souls, they will definitely try to influence us to stop serving the Lord and turn to false idols.

Just as Ephraim and Manasseh had all the tools they needed to conquer more land, so the church has all it needs to expand the kingdom of heaven.  Here is a partial list of the tools God has given us:

• We have the authority of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20).�
• We have the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).�
• We have faith (Mark 11:22-24).�
• We have prayer (5:16).�
• We have the ability to fast (Matthew 17:19-21).�
• We have heavenly languages (Mark 6:17, Acts 2:4).�
• We have gifts of Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:7-11).

And we have the same promise made to the tribes of Israel - nothing is impossible with God (Mark 10:27)!

Think about it this way:  God had already given the Promised Land to his people.  But it was still up to them to enforce that victory and take possession of their inheritance.  In the same way, Jesus already defeated satan when he died on the cross and rose from the dead.  Now it is our job to enforce that victory here on earth by engaging the enemy in battle and winning souls to Christ.

We cannot sit idly by and wait for the return of Christ.� We can't expect the Lord to do all the work of the kingdom while we do nothing.� Instead, we must enter into spiritual warfare and expand the boundaries of the kingdom of heaven.

The church must always keep one eye on our enemy, because if we fall asleep for even a moment, satan will try to re-take our hard-won victories.  As of right now, he has possession of our schools, our government and even some of our churches.  We cannot allow him to take any more territory from us; we need to aggressively take control of these institutions once again, so that Christ is lifted up and men and drawn to him.  We need to secure new boundaries for the future generations of our families. 

Jesus has commissioned us to go into the world and preach the gospel to every nation.  This is a mandate to expand our boundaries all over the world; it presents us with an unlimited field of conquest.  As we consider the battlefield, let's remember that Jesus promised to be with us always, even to the end of the world (Matthew 28:20).  And if God is for us, who can be against us?

Let me give you some encouragement:

In today's post, we noted that the elders of Ephraim came to Joshua with a complaint – their possession was too small.  They wanted Joshua to assign their tribe more territory even though they had the power to subdue additional land themselves.

Joshua wisely refuses to expand their borders.� While this may seem harsh, it was for Ephraim's own good.� To simply hand these people something they wanted without any effort or 'skin in the game' would only increase their sense of entitlement and their arrogance.� It would allow them to continue being a weak tribe, always in need of support from the rest of the nation.

By encouraging them to fight for themselves, Joshua has done them a favor.  They are now set up to increase their confidence, faith and self-respect through their own hard work.  They will profit from their own experience; they will strengthen their fighting skills and their ability to strategize.  By winning the land for themselves, they will appreciate and value it to a greater degree.  And they will have additional land for the coming generations.

This has obvious implications for us in the natural realm.� Like Ephraim, we need to work for what we desire to have, because work builds character.� It gives us self-respect and confidence.� We value the things we earn more than the things we are given, because we expended much of our own effort to attain them!

But I want to call the spiritual aspect of this principle to your attention as well.  Christians often look to others for prayer and spiritual guidance when faced with a battle.  Let me start by saying there is nothing wrong with that.  Even seasoned Christians benefit from having a prayer partner. 

I'm talking about the Christian who is still spiritually immature, despite years in the faith.  These Christians should be advanced enough to wage spiritual war by themselves, yet they are still so weak and inexperienced that they always run to someone else begging for prayer for their situation.  They have no experience in prayer, no knowledge of the word and no spiritual endurance even though they have been Christians for a very long time. 

If you know a Christian like this, continue to pray for them but also encourage them to develop their own spiritual skills and put on their own spiritual armor.� You will be doing them a huge favor!

Let me give you some relief:

In today's post we mentioned that the whole nation of Israel failed to drive the Canaanites out of their territory.  This was because they had their eyes on the world, rather than on the spiritual damage the Canaanites could do to them.  This was a mistake they lived to regret.

Take a few minutes to evaluate your own life.� If God is not first in your life, make some changes while you still can!

Let me give you some strength:

Do you ever become angry or hopeless when you are confronted with challenges in life?  Do you ever wonder why you encounter hardships even though you are serving the Lord?   I know that I sometimes do!

That's why it is good for us to remember that God not only assigned each tribe its own allotment, he reserved challenges for each of them too.  These challenges were not to make them miserable, they were to bring out the divine potential that God had placed within them.

God has some challenges for us as well.  So the next time one comes your way, don't grumble and complain.  Lean into the Lord and trust that he is doing something substantial in your life through that hardship – he is bringing out your hidden potential and building your testimony.

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Joshua 16:1-4 – The allotment of the people of Joseph went from the Jordan by Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, into the wilderness, going up from Jericho into the hill country to Bethel.  Then going from Bethel to Luz, it passes along to Ataroth, the territory of the Archites. Then it goes down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and it ends at the sea.  The people of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance.

Joshua chapter 15 gave us the boundaries for the tribe of Judah.  Chapters 16-17 give us the boundaries for the people of 'Joseph'. 

As we already mentioned, the twelve sons of Jacob became the tribes of Israel, with one exception – his son Joseph.  After being sold as a slave in Egypt, Joseph went on to become second in command under Pharaoh. 

Eventually, the people of Israel came to Egypt to buy grain during a famine, and they were reunited with Joseph who now had two sons.  Years later, as Jacob was dying, he declared that Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, would be considered his heirs just like his other sons:

Genesis 48:5 – And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I [Jacob] came to you in Egypt are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.

That is why we have the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh inheriting a territory in the Promised Land.  Their boundaries are mentioned together in the first four verses of this chapter.  Then, the specifics of Ephraim's inheritance will be given in verses 5-10, while the specifics of Manasseh's inheritance will be listed in chapter 16.

Before we get into this chapter, let's pause and ask ourselves a question:  Was there any significance to Judah being the first tribe to receive an allotment of land?  Is there any significance to the people of Joseph being the next tribe to receive an inheritance?  

In order to answer these questions, we need to understand the ancient Hebrew custom of the firstborn or the birthright.

Back in the day, the firstborn son was given certain unique rights, responsibilities and privileges.� For instance, if anything should happen to the father/head of the family, he would take over.�

He was considered preeminent over his siblings, which means he was first in everything – first in honor, first in importance, and first in authority.� He was believed to represent the prime of his father's strength and vitality.

As a result, the firstborn not only received the best of the family inheritance, he also received a double portion or twice the amount that others got.

However, the rights of the firstborn (also called the birthright) were not necessarily guaranteed.� They could be sold, transferred (Genesis 25:29-34) or lost.�

Jacob's firstborn was Reuben and he was entitled to all of the blessings of the birthright.  But these were taken away from him because he committed a heinous sin.  He had sexual relations with Bilhah, his father's concubine (Genesis 35:22).  His actions demonstrated the utmost disrespect for his father and rebellion against his authority.  The entire family was disgraced because of this sin. 

Genesis 49:3-4 – Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the first-fruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.  Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it�

Because of his sin, Reuben forfeited the blessings of his birthright.  They were passed on to others, particularly his brother Judah but also the sons of Joseph.

We have clear evidence that the blessings of the firstborn rested upon Judah:

• Judah was the first to receive an inheritance in the Promised Land, which indicates his preeminence among the tribes.  As the first to receive a land allotment, Judah was considered to be the personification of the strength and vitality of Israel. 

• Jerusalem, the capital of the nation and the seat of national power/authority was located in the territory of Judah.  Again, this reflects the rights of the firstborn.

• The temple, and thus the presence of God, was also located in Judah, making them closer to God than any of the other tribes. We would expect Judah to be a leader in the religious life of Israel.

Why is all this so important?

It is important because the significance of the firstborn reaches its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. All the implications of the firstborn's rights and privileges give us a picture of Christ's preeminence in the family of God and over all of creation.

Colossians 1:15-16 – He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers of authorities – all things were created through him and for him. 

In that same chapter of Colossians, Paul goes on to say that Christ is 'before all things' and that he 'holds all things together'.  He is the 'firstborn among many brothers' and sisters in the body of Christ (Romans 8:29), the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23, Colossians 1:18) and the firstborn from the dead. 

In fact, Jesus is preeminent or first in everything – first in power, authority, dominion and glory (see also Ephesians 1:20-23, Hebrews 2:10-12).

Here is some good news:� The blood of Christ made it possible for us to become 'born again', to be raised from death, and to inherit everlasting life in heaven with the Father.� Jesus allows us to wield his authority on this earth in matters that pertain to his kingdom.� Jesus was first in all things, and in many ways, he empowers us to be his 'second in command'.� Are we taking advantage of that opportunity?

Now, let's circle back to our original questions:

Was there any significance to Judah being the first tribe to receive an allotment of land? 

Answer:� Yes.� Judah received the first and best allotment in the southern half of the Promised Land (along with the seat of national power/authority and the temple) because they had the rights of the firstborn.� These rights were a picture of the rights that belonged to Jesus Christ, who was of the tribe of Judah.

Is there any significance to the people of Joseph being the next tribe to receive an inheritance?

Answer: Yes.  Although Joseph was the one of the younger sons of Jacob, he was the firstborn of Jacob's beloved wife Rachel.  As you know, he was the most loved of the twelve sons and the one who received the coveted 'coat of many colors'.

Genesis 37:3 – Now Israel [Jacob] loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age.  And he made him a robe of many colors.

Joseph himself is an Old Testament picture of the person and work of Christ:

• Joseph was a shepherd (Genesis 37:2), Jesus is the great Shepherd (John 10). 
• Joseph was hated by his brothers (Genesis 37:4), Jesus was also hated by his brothers (John 1:11, Luke 19:14). 
• Joseph spoke of his future sovereignty (Genesis 37:7-12) and so did Jesus (Matthew 26:64). 
• Joseph's father sent him to find his brothers (Genesis 37:17), God sent Jesus into the world to find his brothers, the lost sheep of Israel (John 4:34, 6:38-40, 12:48-50). 
• The brothers of Joseph conspired against him (Genesis 37:18) as did the brothers (the Jews) of Jesus (Matthew 12:14). 
• Joseph became a servant (Genesis 39:1), Jesus was also a servant (Philippians 2:6-7).
• Joseph was cast into prison even though he was innocent (Genesis 39:20), Jesus was sentenced to death, although Pilate found no fault in him (John 19:4-6). 
• Joseph was cast into a pit (Genesis 37:24), Jesus was cast into a grave. 
• Joseph was taken out of the pit alive (Genesis 37:28), Jesus left the grave alive. 

The comparisons go on and on, but my point is that Joseph was also a firstborn son, and he was a type or example that was eventually fulfilled in the person of Christ.

So the blessings of the firstborn are also found (to a lesser degree) in the tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh).  Just as Judah received the first and best portion of land in the south of the Promised Land, Ephraim and Manasseh received the first and best portions of the land in the northern region of the Promised Land.

There is also clear evidence of the blessing of the double portion because the people of Joseph received double the land of any of the other 11 tribes.�

Joshua 16:5-8  – The territory of the people of Ephraim by their clans was as follows: the boundary of their inheritance on the east was Ataroth-addar as far as Upper Beth-horon, and the boundary goes from there to the sea.  On the north is Michmethath.  Then on the east the boundary turns around toward Taanath-shiloh and passes along beyond it on the east to Janoah, then it goes down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, and touches Jericho, ending at the Jordan. From Tappuah the boundary goes westward to the brook Kanah and ends at the sea.  Such is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Ephraim by their clans�

The lots of Ephraim and Manasseh are not described in as much detail as the other tribes.  Their boundaries are still very specific, but there are no particular cities listed within their inheritance.  This causes some scholars to think that part of the original text has been lost, although there is no way to know this for certain.

In general, we can say that Ephraim's lot was north of the tribes of Benjamin and Dan and south of the half tribe of Manasseh.

Joshua 16:9 - �together with the towns that were set apart for the people of Ephraim within the inheritance of the Manassites, all those towns with their villages.

Here we have an interesting statement.  It indicates that the people of Ephraim occupied a number of cities and towns which were actually within the allotment of Manasseh. 

What's up with that?

The most likely scenario is that the inheritance of Manasseh was too large for them; therefore, some of the cities on the border were given to their neighbor Ephraim who seemed to need more space.  Although that was probably true, let's dig a little bit deeper.

In Joshua 17, we find that the people of Manasseh occupied some of the cities in the territories of Issachar and Asher.  This would make no sense if the tribe of Manasseh already had too much territory.  This indicates that God must be doing something else here.  What do you suppose it is?

This overlapping at the borders of the tribes created a situation where the interests of one tribe were also the interests of their neighbor.� In other words, if an enemy attacked the tribe of Asher, the interests of Manasseh were also threatened, because they had cities in that territory.� As a result, both tribes would go to war together to defeat their common foe.

So the occupation of some cities by the neighboring tribe fostered a sense of unity among the people of Israel.

In some ways, we also find an early foreshadowing of the future time (during the era of the kings) when Israel will be split into two separate kingdoms – Israel (10 tribes) and Judah (2 tribes) - but that is a study for another day!

Joshua 16:10 – However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day, but have been made to do forced labor.

Gezer was a town on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and they specialized in trading.  Scripture tells us that the men of Ephraim did not annihilate them, but instead made the Gezerites servants of Israel.  The question is, what led to this arrangement?

One explanation is that when Ephraim went up to attack the city, the people of Gezer immediately surrendered and promised to abide by the laws of God.  For this reason, they were spared, but they were still made servants of the Israelites just as the Gibeonites were (see Joshua chapter 3), and presumably they would serve the Lord from that moment on (which did not happen).

Another explanation is that the men of Ephraim were unable to conquer the city of Gezer.  If that is true, then we must lay the blame at the feet of Ephraim, not the Lord who was both willing and able to give his people victory.  If this scenario is true, then we know that the men of Ephraim failed to fully follow God, just as the men of Judah did when they could not take the city of Jebus.

However, the noted historian Josephus gives us a different picture.  He says this:   

"They [the men of Ephraim] grew effeminate as to fighting any more against their enemies, but applied themselves to the cultivation of the land, which producing them great plenty and riches, they indulged in luxury and pleasure."

In other words, the men of Ephraim may have been unwilling to slay the men of Gezer due to laziness, greed or covetousness.  They preferred the easier and more profitable task of forcing the Gezerites into servitude.  Perhaps they wanted to take advantage of their knowledge and expertise in sailing, ship building and trading in order to enrich themselves.

If so, their wealth came at a great price for eventually, as the Lord warned them, they fell into idol worship, greed and oppression (Hosea 12:7-8).

Deuteronomy 20:16-18 -But of the cities of these people, which the LORD your God does give you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes: But you shall utterly destroy them� as the LORD your God has commanded you: That they teach you not to do according to all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so that you should sin against the LORD your God.

Here is a trivia question for you:  Do you know who eventually destroyed the city of Gezer?  You can find the answer to that question at the end of today's post.

As we think about the Canaanites and Israelites living together in the land, we are put in mind of the New Testament parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-43).

In this parable, Jesus tells us that the righteous and the wicked will live together in close contact here on earth until he returns.  As Christians, we need to be mindful of this fact.  We don't want to be extremely close to the world, or sin may draw us away from God just as the Canaanites drew Israel away.  On the other hand, we don't want to completely remove ourselves from the world either, because it is our responsibility to share the gospel with the lost.  Each Christian must find and maintain that balance in their lives.

The Canaanites and Israelites dwelling together also gives us a picture of what occurs in our own hearts. 

Most of the Promised Land was conquered; it was under the control of Israel.  In the same way, the heart of a Christian has been conquered by Christ; sin has been removed from the throne of our heart and Christ now occupies that position.   

Nevertheless, sin still lurks in the dark corners of the life of a Christian, just as some of the Canaanites still lived in the Promised Land.  And just like the Canaanites, any sin or wickedness in our lives must be regarded as dangerous:

Romans 7:21-23 – So I [Paul] find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.  For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

The good news is that due to the work of God, the Canaanites were already a defeated foe; it was only a matter of time and effort until they were annihilated.  And because of the work of Christ, whatever sin still lies within the heart of a Christian is also a defeated foe and will eventually be exterminated. Praise God!

Let me give you some encouragement:

God had a purpose and a plan for each of the tribes of Israel.  He gave each of them a specific inheritance which was designed to both challenge and bless them. 

Unfortunately, there were cases where Israel failed to walk in the fullness of that plan.  Sometimes they were lazy, sometimes they lacked faith and sometimes they put their focus on the world, instead of God. 

This is a picture of our lives.  God has a purpose and plan for every one of his children, including you.  He wants to give you a spiritual inheritance that will both challenge and bless you. 

In order to walk in the fullness of those blessings, you and I must walk by faith and actively pursue the things of God.  We must remember to keep our eyes on the eternal realm, because this world is not our home. 

Let me give you some relief:

Obviously, the people of Israel made some poor decisions.  But God never gave up on them.  He continued to work in their lives as much as they would let him. 

The same is true for Christians.  Perhaps you have messed up or made a poor decision in life.  If that is the case, don't lose hope!  The Lord is standing by waiting for you to turn toward him.  He can take the mess you've made of your life and turn it around!  God can give you beauty for ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, if only you will allow him to work in your life (Isaiah 61:3)! 

Let me give you some strength:

In today's post we noted that the people of Ephraim occupied several towns within the tribe of Manasseh while Manasseh occupied cities within the territories of Asher and Issachar.  This created a bond between the tribes.  Because of these relationships, the individual tribes were united against their foes.

This is a picture of Christians within the local church.  We all have different backgrounds, but our faith creates a bond between us.  As we fellowship within the church body, we develop close bonds with each other.  When one of us experiences a trial or an attack from satan, our brothers and sisters are ready to come to our aid. 

This is a true blessing from God!  When you experience an attack from the enemy the support of your church family can make all the difference; it can ensure your victory.   If you aren't attending church on a regular basis you might want to re-think your decision, because at some point, you are going to need the assistance of other Christians.

TRIVIA ANSWER

Eventually, the city of Gezer was destroyed by the king of Egypt, who wanted to give the land to his daughter as a wedding present when she married King Solomon:

1 Kings 9:16 -For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burned it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife.

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Joshua 15:1 – The allotment for the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans reached southward to the boundary of Edom, to the wilderness of Zin at the farthest south.

Welcome back, readers! The book of Joshua can be divided into two sections.  The first part tells us how God worked with his people to bring them into the Promised Land and helped them take possession of it by defeating the Canaanites. 

The second section of the book goes into great historical detail about the division of the land and the inheritance of each tribe.� As we noted in our last post, the allotment of each tribe was determined by both lot and council.

The lot was determined by God and it designated the general location of each tribe within the land.  In other words, it determined which tribes would be by the Mediterranean Sea, which would be near the southern desert, which would be high in the mountains, etc. 

After that determination had been made, a council determined the exact borders of each tribe, based on the number of people in the tribe and other factors.  We also noted that the council was made up of a priest (Eleazar), Joshua, and one representative from each of the tribes who were going to inherit land west of the Jordan.  These men had been hand-picked by God before Israel ever even entered the land.

The tribe of Judah is the first to be assigned their inheritance.  The details are recorded here in chapter 15.

Joshua 15:2-4 – And their south boundary ran from the end of the Salt Sea, from the bay that faces southward.  It goes out southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, passes along to Zin, and goes up south of Kadesh-barnea, along by Hezron, up to Addar, turns about to Karka, passes along to Azmon, goes out by the Brook of Egypt, and comes to its end at the sea.  This shall be your south boundary.

I want to begin by saying that our study is NOT going to involve an intricate study of each and every city mentioned in the text.� There are two main reasons for this.�

First of all, that is an exercise that would best take place in a classroom setting, where detailed maps could be seen by all.  But even in that environment this is a most difficult task, as numerous changes have taken place between then and now. 

Many of the ancient towns and villages had their names changed when ownership/possession changed.� Other cities have been obliterated and lie buried beneath thousands of years of dirt and rubble with nothing to show where they were once located.�

And to make things even harder, we have many instances where multiple cities adopted the same name, making it extremely difficult to pinpoint the exact locations of all the cities named in our text.� (Nevertheless, it should be noted that we can identify enough of the cities and/or ruins to confirm the truth of the scriptures.)

Secondly, unless you are a professional bible scholar, that kind of detailed study won't bring you joy or bear a lot of spiritual fruit in your life.  Realistically speaking, it would be much more likely to cause you to fall asleep!

So instead of attempting to delineate the exact borders for this tribe, we will give a general description of its location.  If you want a more detailed study, you can find many wonderful maps and resources online.

The tribe of Judah occupied the southern-most portion of the Promised Land.  We know this because the description of the southern border of Judah given in Joshua 15 corresponds to the description of the southern border of the entire Promised Land, as detailed in Numbers 34:3-5.

Its southern border began next to the Salt Sea (the Dead Sea) and ran west all the way to the Mediterranean.

Joshua 15:5 – And the east boundary is the Salt Sea, to the mouth of the Jordan.  And the boundary on the north side runs from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan.

Judah's eastern boundary was determined by water – it began at the mouth of the Jordan River and extended southward down the length of the Salt (Dead) Sea.

Joshua 15:6-8 – And the boundary goes up to Beth-hoglah and passes along north of Beth-arabah � then the boundary goes up by the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the southern shoulder of the Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem).  And the boundary goes up to the top of the mountain that lies over against the Valley of Hinnom, on the west, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim.

These verses mention two important places which are found elsewhere in the scriptures:

Jerusalem:  We are all familiar with Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel.  Its original Canaanite name was Jebus after the Jebusites who built it.  Jebus was actually located on the boundary between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, on the summit of two rocky hilltops.

One of the hills was called Zion, which is why Jerusalem is also sometimes referred to as the city of Zion. �This is a natural place for a fortified city because it is surrounded by ravines on three sides.� The city actually extended to the next hill/mountain top called Mount Moriah, where the temple was eventually built by King Solomon.�

Although each tribe (Benjamin and Judah) probably attacked the city of Jebus numerous times, neither one was able to fully drive out the Jebusites (Joshua 15:63, Judges 1:21).  As a result, the strong hold of Jebus remained in the hands of the Canaanites until the time of David.  After he conquered the city, he renamed it Jerusalem (city of peace/possession of peace) and made it the capital city of Israel.

Once David made the city Israel's capital, he also moved the tabernacle to that location.  Later, David's son Solomon built a permanent (and very lavish) temple for the Ark of the Covenant, which was where God's presence dwelt.  The temple was so incredible that it took seven full years to build it!

I Kings 6:37-38 – In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv.  And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications.  He (Solomon) was seven years in building it.

You can read all the details of the building in I Kings chapter 6. 

Unfortunately, Jerusalem did not remain in the hands of the Jews forever.  Because the Jews cast God aside and worshiped false idols, God sent them into exile.  This occurred in 586 BC.  At that time, the city and the temple were both destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians. 

After 70 years the captivity ended and the city and the temple were eventually rebuilt during the time of Nehemiah, although they had none of their former splendor.

Hundreds of years later, during the time of Jesus, Jerusalem was ruled by the Romans.  Herod the great, king of Judea, had invested enormous sums of time, labor and money remodeling the temple in hopes of winning political support from the Jews.  For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as Herod's temple. 

However, all his efforts were for nothing.� Eventually the Jews rebelled against him anyway and during the insurrection, Titus and his troops destroyed both Jerusalem and the second temple.� These events occurred in 70 AD.�

Although the city recovered and still thrives today, the temple was never rebuilt.  Nevertheless, we know that one day it will be, because a third temple will be in place during the great tribulation period, spoken of in the book of Daniel (Daniel 11:1).  

Valley of Hinnom:  This valley was a deep and narrow ravine on the south side of Jerusalem.  Its name means 'son of Hinnom'.  It was probably named after a hero among the Canaanites, although we know nothing about him or his exploits. 

During the era of the kings, an evil image of the pagan god Molech (the god of the Ammonites) was set up in this valley.  King Ahaz, King Manasseh and many of the common Jews sacrificed their children to this demonic power (II Chronicles 28:3, II Chronicles 33:6, Jeremiah 7:31-32). 

The image was set up on a particular spot within the valley which eventually became known as Tophet (Hebrew for timbrel) because drums and/or percussion instruments were constantly played there to drown out the screams of the dying children.  

When Josiah (one of the few righteous kings) came to power, he purged Israel of almost all idol worship.  He desecrated the valley and tore down the image of Molech, so that no more children could be sacrificed there (II Kings 16:1-15).

From that point forward, the valley of Hinnom became the common cesspool for the city.� Raw sewage was pumped there and eventually it was carried off by the waters of the Kidron River.

The valley was also used as a public cemetery.  The fortunate were buried in tombs cut out of the mountainside.  The bodies of criminals and dead animals were often simply dumped there without any burial at all.  However, this wasn't much of an issue since the valley also served as the general garbage dump for the city.

Fires were kept constantly burning there in order to try and consume anything combustible.  Wild dogs often scavenged there.  Can you picture the constant fires, the rotting bodies and the swarms of insects and worms?  Can you imagine the smell?  All in all, it was a place of horrors.  No Jew could enter it without becoming ceremonially unclean. 

The Jews associated this valley with two clear ideas.� One was the suffering of the victims (children) that had been sacrificed there.� The other was perpetual filth and corruption.� Thus, the valley of Hinnom eventually became a symbol of destruction and punishment – the place of the wicked/damned which burned with perpetual fire.�

The Hebrew word 'Hinnom' is translated as 'Gehenna' in the New Testament (because the New Testament was written in Greek).� Both words are translated as 'hell' in our English bibles.� Thus, we have a picture of hell as a stinking, fiery place of death, destruction and perpetual despair. The word is used in the context of future punishment by Jesus himself on several occasions (Matthew 23:33, Mark 9:43 &45, Luke 12:5, etc).�

As you read through the Old and New testaments, you will certainly see multiple references to Jerusalem as well as Hinnom/Gehenna or hell.

Joshua 15:9-12 – Then the boundary extends from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and from there �  the boundary comes to an end at the sea. And the west boundary was the Great Sea with its coastline.  This is the boundary around the people of Judah according to their clans.

Verses 9-12 mention a number of cities and landmarks, but the end result is that the southern boundary of the tribe of Judah ended at the Mediterranean Sea, while the coastline of the sea was Judah's western boundary.

Joshua 15:13 – According to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the people of Judah, Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). 

In verses 13-19, we have another reference to the special request that Caleb made back in chapter 14.� As you recall, Caleb and the elders of the tribe of Judah approached Joshua about a promise that was made to Caleb 45 years earlier.�

At that time, Moses told Caleb that because of his faith in God, he would eventually win a victory over the giants that lived in Hebron and he would inherit the city and its surrounding land as his own possession.���

As we saw in chapter 14, Joshua listened to the claim of Caleb and ruled in his favor.  This is exactly what we would expect, since Joshua was present on the occasion in question and he no doubt fully remembered the promise.

Joshua 15:14 – And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the descendants of Anak.

The scripture gives us the names of four giants, however, there were likely many more than just four.� Each of the men listed in this verse were chiefs - the heads of families or branches of families within the race of Anakim.� Therefore, it is almost certain that there were many more giants than just these four.�

Regardless of the number, Caleb and the men of Judah were successful in driving the giants from Hebron and its surrounding territories.  Their success was based on working hand-in-hand with God and their utter dependence on him: 

Joshua 14:12 - Now therefore give me this mountain, of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.

It is perfectly clear that Caleb and the men of Judah defeated the Anakim.  In fact, we have an almost verbatim record of their victory in Judges 1:10-15.  This second account in the book of Judges raises some questions among scholars. Let me explain.

As you recall from one of our earlier posts, the writers in the ancient east did not always present information in chronological order.  Instead they grouped similar or related events together.  This is where the question arises. 

The events in the book of Joshua occurred during the conquest of the land.  Since one record of Caleb's victory is listed here, the assumption is that he drove the Anakim out of the land during that period of time.

However, the book of Judges deals with events that occurred years later - after the death of Joshua.  Since Caleb's victory is also listed there (almost verbatim) this raises the question of when he defeated the giants. 

Commentators have offered various theories in answer to this question:�

• One theory says that Caleb defeated the giants and their offspring during the conquest of the Promised Land.� Those who believe this theory claim that the writer of the book of Judges was using some of the same source materials as the writer of Joshua, and he included this event in his writing because it was pertinent to his overall subject matter.� (Some of the prominent themes of Judges include Israel's need for godly leaders, the importance of God's law as our standard for living, faith in God's promises, God's faithfulness to his people, etc).�

• A second theory says that Caleb did not defeat the Anakim until after the death of Joshua, which means that the victory in Hebron actually occurred during the era of the judges.� This theory maintains that Caleb's victory was recorded in the book of Joshua because it was historically and geographically linked to the conquest of the land, even though it took place years later.

• A third theory says that conquering Hebron and defeating the Anakim was a two-step process.� Those who believe this theory say that during the initial conquest of the land, Caleb 'chased away' or 'drove out' enough of the giants for him to occupy Hebron.� However, the giants returned and re-took the city.� Then, after the death of Joshua, Caleb and the men of Judah once again conquered the city and at that time, they put the giants to death.

Regardless of which theory you believe is correct, the end result is the same – Caleb believed the promises of God and stepped out in faith to battle the giants.  As he did, God gave him the victory!

Joshua 15:15 –And he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir.  Now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher.

After his victory at Hebron, Caleb went to war against the Canaanites in Debir.� Although there were actually three different cities of that name, Caleb was fighting with the one that was about 10 miles south of Hebron.�

Debir was also referred to as 'Kirjath-Sannah' which means the city of law/city of sacred learning.  And Debir had a third name as well - 'Kiriath-sepher' which means 'book city'.  This city is believed to have been an ancient seat of Canaanite learning.  It may have had a university or a famous library which contained a depository of the sacred books of the Anakim.

Joshua 15:16-17 – And Caleb said, "Whoever strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife."  And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it.  And he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.

In ancient Israel, the fathers assumed the absolute right to choose a marriage partner for their children.� There are many examples of this in the Old Testament, although capturing a city was not always a requirement for marriage!

From Caleb's point of view, this public offer was a sound decision.  It would ensure that the future husband of his daughter was a strong and courageous man.  It also meant that his future son-in-law knew how to hear the Lord and follow him, because that was the only way anyone could defeat the fortifications of Debir.

Scripture tells us that the man who was successful was the brother of Caleb.  In the Old Testament, 'brother' was a generic term that meant 'close male relative'.  Those who have traced the family lines tell us that Othniel, son of Kenaz was actually Caleb's nephew.  This meant that Achsah married one of her cousins, not an elderly uncle.

Interestingly, God not only used this circumstance to bless Othniel, he also used it as a training exercise.  In the book of Judges, we find that after the death of Joshua, the Israelites abandoned the Lord and served false idols.  For this reason, God allowed them to be oppressed by a foreign power.  When they repented and sought the Lord, God used Othniel to deliver them.  He was the very first judge of Israel (Judges 3:7-11).

Joshua 15:18-19 – When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field.� And she got off her donkey, and Caleb said to her, "What do you want?"� She said to him, "Give me a blessing.� Since you have given me the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water."� And he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

The day came when it was time for Achsah to leave her father's house and be the wife of Othniel.  As she was leaving, she unexpectedly dismounted her donkey and approached her father.  Caleb could see that she clearly had something on her mind, so he asked her what she wanted.

She acknowledges that her father had given her 'land in the Negeb'.  This means Caleb gave the couple a parcel of land which had a southern exposure.  As such, it was comparatively arid and barren.  Therefore, she asked her father to also give her the adjoining parcel, which had a spring of water on it.  This would make all of their land fruitful and valuable. 

Caleb not only grants her request, he gives her twice as much as she asked for - he gives her both the upper and lower springs. 

This is a picture of the generosity of God.� If earthly parents are ready and willing to bestow good gifts on their children, how much more will our heavenly Father do for us?� The apostle Paul discusses this very idea in the book of Romans:

Romans 8:31-32 – What shall we then say to these things?  If God be for us, who can be against us?  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Think about these verses for a minute.  The blood of Christ is priceless.  It is the only thing that can redeem us from sin, and there was no way we could possibly obtain it for ourselves.  We could only receive it as a gift from God. 

If God, our loving heavenly Father, has already given us the most expensive and precious gift possible, why would he withhold lesser things from us?

Achsah found herself in a situation where she needed something extra to make her land fruitful.  Because of the good relationship she had with her father, she felt confident reaching out and asking him for a blessing.  He responded by giving her double what she requested.

What areas in your spiritual life and/or natural life are unfruitful?� What do you need in order for that to change?� Because of your relationship with Christ, you should feel comfortable in asking God for what you need.� Because of your faith in him, you should feel confident that he will freely and generously supply whatever you need.

Joshua 15:20-32 – This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans.  The cities belonging to the tribe of the people of Judah in the extreme south, toward the boundary of Edom, were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, � Ain and Rimmon:  In all, twenty-nine cities with their villages.

Joshua 15:33-47 - And in the lowland, Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, � and Makkedah: sixteen cities with their villages.  Libnah, Ether, Ashan, � Ekron, with its towns and its villages; from Ekron to the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages.  Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages, to the Brook of Egypt, and the Great Sea with its coastline.

Joshua 15:47-63 -And in the hill country, Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, � In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, � and Engedi: six cities with their villages. But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive out, so the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.

In this chapter we find a list of 114 cities that stood in the territory of the inheritance of Judah.  (Although it should be noted that later on, some of these cities will be reassigned to the tribe of Simeon and the tribe of Benjamin). 

The list definitely served as a historical record.  But it had another purpose as well – it was a challenge.  The list was to inspire the people of Judah to continue trusting the Lord and fighting their enemies until all these cities were possessed by them. 

The wars that Israel had already fought should have taught them one thing: God wanted Israel to have success and he was ready to assist them in both ordinary and supernatural ways to take possession of the land.  The only thing left for them to do was to accept God's offer by rising up and going to war. 

Yet, we find that many of the cities on this list remained in the hands of the Canaanites.  We make particular note of the cities of Ekron, Ashdod and Gaza because these were three of the five cities of the Philistines, who were long and bitter enemies of Israel.  Jerusalem, the holy city of God, was also on this list. 

There can be no doubt that Israel was responsible for the failure in taking possession of these cities.� Had they done everything God commanded them and exerted all their strength against these opponents and still failed, dishonor would have fallen on God and his word.� We know that this could never be the case; God had promised that he would continue with them until they had full possession of all the Promised Land.

Therefore, our only conclusion is that Israel did NOT fully comply with all that God commanded and/or they did not continue fighting until their foes were vanquished.  Whether through laziness, fear, weariness or unbelief they allowed many of the Canaanites to dwell alongside them in their inheritance.

How does this apply to us? 

We know that the battles Israel faced in taking the Promised Land are a picture of the spiritual warfare we face in this generation. 

With that in mind, what cities, territories or people groups has God assigned to your home church or your ministry?� Are you actively seeking wisdom and direction from God on how best to conquer that stronghold?� Have you drawn up a battle plan and set it in motion?

I admit, these are some really tough questions.  But I encourage each one of us to consider them.  We know that if we follow the leading of God, step out in faith and fight the enemy, God will give us victory.  So, let's press our attack against the enemy and gain victory for Christ!

Let me offer you some encouragement, relief and strength:

Victory in our lives can only be obtained through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Have you established that relationship with him yet?  It's not a hard thing to do;   the bible tells us that if we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God has raised him from the dead, we are saved:

Romans 10:9-10 - � if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 

If you believe Jesus is Lord and you want to establish a relationship with him right now, please pray this prayer out loud:

Dear Jesus, I confess to you that I am a sinner.� I am sorry for all the wrong things I have done and I ask you to forgive me.� I believe that you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross and rose again, and that your blood paid the price for my sin.� I invite you to come into my heart and life and to be my Lord and Savior.� I commit myself to you right now.� Thank you for saving me from death and giving me the gift of eternal life.� Amen.

If you prayed this prayer and sincerely meant it, then you have received the gift of salvation from Jesus Christ!  Please share this good news with some of your friends and family.

Your next steps are to find a local church to attend, read your bible and continue to fellowship with God in prayer. �As you grow in your faith, God will teach you how to fight for him in the spiritual realm.

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Joshua 14:1-2 – These are the inheritances that the people of Israel received in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel gave them to inherit. Their inheritance was by lot, just as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses for the nine and one-half tribes.

In chapter 13, we were given a description of the division of the land east of the Jordan River.  This land was given to the Transjordan tribes – Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh. 

The book of Joshua now goes on to describe the division of the official Promised Land (west of the Jordan River) among the remaining tribes.  After a brief introduction in verses 1-5, the author will pause in his narrative and give us an update on the story of Caleb.  The official record of land distribution will then resume in chapter 15.

The author begins with a statement that seems like a contradiction - we are told that the land was divided by a council, yet we are also told it was awarded by lot.  Which was it?  Could it be possible that both were used to determine the inheritance of the tribes?

Let's begin by examining the council.�

Eleazar the priest was on the council because he represented God's authority.� As evidenced by the recent victories in war, the nation of Israel was not directed by the earthly wisdom of men; it was governed by the will of God.� Therefore, God would certainly have a representative on the council.� Because he was a priest of God, he was considered honest, just and fair.

Joshua was on the council because he was the supreme authority in all civil matters relating to the nation.  The people of Israel had already pledged their allegiance to him, so they would trust his decisions in this matter.

Ten representatives (one from each of the tribes who were going to split the land west of the river) were also selected for this committee.� You can find their full names in Numbers 34:19-28.� Obviously, Reuben and Gad did not have a representative as they had already received their inheritance.

It is important that we understand that these ten officials were not selected by popular vote.� They were not chosen because of friendship with Joshua or kinship to Eleazar.� There were specifically commissioned by God to perform the task of dividing the land.�

Therefore, the people of the nation could be assured that no fraud or deceit was practiced in the division of the land.  No matter what territory they wound up with (and no matter what its size), they could be assured that it was the exact land that God chose to give them.

Now back to our original question – how can it be said that the land was divided by a council and yet by lot?

In our last post we pointed out that God does not give gifts that are one-size-fits-all.  He gives specific gifts to specific people.  In this case, God had a specific region that he desired to give to each unique tribe.  For instance, some tribes were going to wind up on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, where they could facilitate shipping and trading.  Some tribes would inherit land high in the mountains, which were rich in timber and ore.  Some would inherit foothills perfect for vineyards.  Others would have extremely fertile land perfect for farming and grazing. 

The lot was used to determine the general area/location of each specific tribe (by the sea, in the mountains, south toward the desert, etc). 

Although we are not specifically told how the lot was cast, most scholars believe it was done according to the pattern that was used during the lifetime of Moses (Numbers 27:21, Deuteronomy 17:9).�

This meant that the lot was cast by the priest (Eleazar) at the entrance to the tabernacle.  With the council in attendance, two vessels were prepared for the casting of the lot.  One held the names of the tribes, while the other held descriptions of the various locations.    

As civil leader of the nation, Joshua would pull the name of a tribe from one vessel.  He would then approach Eleazar and request that he ask the Lord to assign them a location.  After consulting with the Lord, Eleazar would draw a lot from the second vessel, which determined the area/location for that tribe with the ten representatives witnessing the procedure.  Thus, the location of each tribe was determined by the will of God through the lot.

The role of the council/committee was to determine the borders of each territory that had been determined by God through the lot.� The size or number of people in the tribe as well as their individual economic strengths/talents had a great deal to do with their decisions.

For example, the lot placed the tribe of Benjamin right next to the tribe of Judah, with Judah being much bigger (having a greater population).  It was up to the council to determine where the border would fall between these two tribes.  Based on population and other factors, they would determine which cities, pastures, bodies of water, etc fell into the territory of each tribe. 

This explains how the land was divided by lot (which determined the general location of each tribe) as well as by the council (which determined the actual borders of each tribe, based on need and strengths).

This unique method of division prevented any jealousy, animosity or quarrels among the tribes in regard to the quality of their land, the quantity of their inheritance or the number of Canaanites still living in their new territory.

As we will see in the next chapter, some of these borders were adjusted as the land was conquered (Numbers 26:53, 33:54).� We will also see in the next chapters that the casting of the ten lots did not all occur on the same day. �The tribe of Judah drew the first lot and it seems as though they were settled in their inheritance before others were drawn.� We will also see that the camp/headquarters of Israel was moved from Gilgal to Shiloh.�

Joshua 14:3-4 – For Moses had given an inheritance to the two and one-half tribes beyond the Jordan, but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them. For the people of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim.� And no portion was given to the Levites in the land, but only cities to dwell in, with their pasture lands for their livestock and their substance.

This is the third time that note has been made of the fact that the Levites did not inherit a specific territory.  It is also yet another reminder that Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh received land east of the Jordan.  No further comment is necessary on these verses because we have already examined them at length.

Joshua 14:5 – The people of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses; they allotted the land.

The process of dividing the land into general locations was probably more difficult than it seems.� In our day, we would send a drone over the territory, feed the data into a computer and wind up with a detailed map that showed all the specifics of the land.� And we could do it all from the comfort of our own home! ��

But back in that day, the only option was to send groups of men out with pencil and paper to lay eyes on the land.� They had to manually chart thousands and thousands of acres of land, making note of the landscape (hills, mountains, valleys), the resources (vineyards, standing timber, mines, pasture lands, etc) and bodies of water.� They would also have recorded the number, size and value of the major cities.� No doubt note was also made of how many Canaanites were still occupying these territories.�

We are not told how much time was taken up in the task of examining the land.  However, we know that it did happen: the divisions were made, accepted by the council/committee, placed into the vessel and set before the priest so the lot could be cast as commanded by God.

Joshua 14:6 – Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal.  And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me."

The author interrupts his account of the division of the land with a narrative about Caleb, son of Jephunneh, of the tribe of Judah.�

Basically, Caleb is about to stake a personal claim on the city of Hebron and its surrounding territory.  The claim that Caleb is making is based on a verbal promise from Moses, who has now been dead for quite some time. 

At this point, what we want to understand is the time-frame connected to Caleb's request.� The author tells us 'then' Caleb and some of the men of Judah came to see Joshua.� What time-period is the author referring to?

Keep in mind that Western cultures (like ours) always present events in chronological order.� Because of this, you and I would assume that Caleb approached Joshua with his request just as the lots were being cast at the tabernacle.�

However, writers in ancient Eastern cultures did not write that way.  They often presented information by lumping relevant people, ideas or events together, regardless of when they occurred.  Therefore, we cannot assume that Caleb's request occurred when the lots were being cast.  It is probably mentioned here simply because it relates to the division of the land west of the Jordan.

In fact, as we examine his claim, it becomes very clear that this request was made much, much earlier than the casting of the lots.  As we will see, circumstances dictate that it had to have occurred during the years of warfare, before the period of rest and before God prodded Joshua to divide the land.

So, at some point during the period of active warfare, Caleb approaches Joshua at the camp in Gilgal along with several of the other leaders of Judah.  He proceeds to bring up a conversation that occurred just after Israel refused to enter the Promised Land the first time.

Joshua 14:7-9 – "I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart.  But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God.

As you recall, Moses sent 12 men to spy out the Promised Land before Israel entered it.� When they returned, Joshua and Caleb encouraged the people to move forward immediately, because God was giving them a good land, flowing with milk and honey.�

But ten of the spies brought back an evil report of a land that had well-trained troops and fortified walls.  They were particularly afraid of the giants which they saw in the land (Numbers 13:33).  They discouraged Israel and blasphemed God by saying there was no hope of conquering the land. 

During this whole discussion between Israel and the spies, Joshua and Caleb argued numerous times that Israel should be courageous and trust in God.  He had promised them the land; there was no reason to fear the people of Canaan or the giants who lived there:

Numbers 14:9 – Only do not rebel against the Lord.� And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us.� Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.�

It has been speculated that during these discussions, when the ten spies made mention of the Anakim (giants) in order to frighten the people, Caleb responded by saying that he would attack the giants of Hebron himself, and keep their land as his inheritance, provided the rest of the Israelites would agree to step out in faith and enter the land.  

Israel refused to take Caleb up on his offer to slay the giants of Hebron.  However, God heard it, and he rewarded Caleb's faith by promising him and his descendants 'the land on which your foot has trodden' for an inheritance forever:

Joshua 14:9 - And Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.'"

Although the city of Hebron is not specifically mentioned by Moses, the context of the conversation implies this was the case (Numbers 14:24.  See also Deuteronomy 1:36).  Furthermore, Joshua (who was present at the time) clearly believes and acknowledges that God's promise to Caleb referred to the city of Hebron.

This 45-year-old promise is the reason Caleb has come to see Joshua.  Despite the long delay, he still plans to slay the giants of Hebron and take their land as his possession.  What remarkable faith he has!

Joshua 14:10 – "And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness.  And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old."

Let's pause and think about this meeting for a moment.�

We have Joshua and Caleb, the two oldest men in Israel and the only survivors from their generation.  The mere sight of them must have been a testimony to the younger generation because their very presence was proof of God's judgment concerning the unbelieving generation (who were all dead), as well as his gracious promises to those who put their faith in his word. 

And despite the passage of more than four decades, Joshua and Caleb were just as strong, just as energetic, just as mentally sharp, and just as youthful as they had been in their prime.� Their youth was obviously a blessing from God for their faith in his promises.��

As we think about Joshua, Caleb and the other ten spies, we are reminded that each of us carries the ability to influence others. �

One of the ways we influence others is through our words.  The effects of what we speak can be very profound.  The ten spies are a perfect example.  Their testimony to Israel was one of fear and defeat.  Despite the fact that God had never broken a promise to them, they did not believe he would take them into the land and help them defeat the Canaanites and the Anakim.  The fear, worry and unbelief that they spoke infected the rest of the nation like a plague!  As a result, the men of that generation died while wandering in the wilderness. 

In the same way, your words can influence those around you.  This might be a good time to stop and consider what you are saying.  Are your words building people up in their faith?  Are you using your daily conversations to testify about God keeping his promises to you?  Are you dispelling fear and doubt in those you speak to at work, school or out in the public arena?  If not, you should consider changing your ways:

Proverbs 18:21 - Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. �� �

We can also influence those around us through our actions.� Caleb was so confident about defeating the giants, he set up that special meeting with Joshua, taking the leaders of Judah with him.� After receiving Joshua's approval, he moved forward in faith and confidence to take Hebron, even though he was 85 years old!� His actions sent a message to all of Israel – if Caleb can slay the giants with the help of God at age 85, what is possible in my life? �Why do I fear the giants?

Consider your own actions for a moment.  What are you doing to build faith in your family and friends?  Are you fearlessly praying?  Are you voting?  Are you financially supporting the gospel?  Passing out copies of God's word?  Debating issues in the public sector that display your faith in God?  If not, why not look for ways to be involved?

Joshua 14:11 – "I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming."

Caleb adamantly asserts that he is just as strong and virile at 85 years of age as he was at 40, due to the mercy of God.� Therefore, despite his age, he is still ready and willing to march forth and fight with the giants of Hebron.�

In doing so, he will glorify God and create a testimony for the rest of the nation.  He will also give God an opportunity to bless him as he steps out in faith to take on the enemy.

Joshua 14:12-13 – "So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities.  It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said."  Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.

It is obvious from these verses that the city of Hebron and its surrounding territory had not yet been subdued by Israel as they were still full of terrifying giants.  This confirms the fact that the meeting between Joshua and Caleb did not take place during the time when the lots were cast; it occurred as Israel was still gaining possession of the land. 

In fact, it must have occurred just before the battle against the five kings of the south, as recorded in Joshua 10:36-37.  Although the account of the war in chapter 10 does not specifically mention Caleb, we are told in Joshua 15:13-14 that Caleb was the man who killed the giants of Hebron.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves.  In the initial meeting between Joshua, Caleb and the men of Judah, Caleb is basically asking Joshua for two things:

One, that he be given the chance to fight/slay the giants of Hebron.� This was an opportunity that he should have had 40+ years earlier, and despite the long delay, he never gave up hope that he would one day have the chance to defeat them in battle.�

This shows that Caleb had a promise from God down deep in his heart and he wasn't going to let it go, no matter how long it took!  I am sure there were days when it seemed like his opportunity was never going to come, but he didn't let his faith fail.  Despite the circumstances, he never gave up.  

I think that he kept that promise alive by meditating on it all the years that Israel wandered in the wilderness.  I bet he laid in bed at night, making battle plans and rehearsing his victory as he fell asleep under the stars.  And now his faith was being rewarded with that long awaited opportunity!

Two, Caleb was also asking for an assurance from Joshua that when he slew the giants of Hebron, the land would be his personal inheritance.�

Up until this point, all the land that was conquered was waiting to be divided up among the nation.  Caleb did not want Hebron to get lumped into the general territory of one of the tribes.  That particular piece of real estate had been promised to him by God and he wanted to make sure there would be no question of ownership after he conquered it. 

After listening to his request, Joshua blessed Caleb.� In other words, he acknowledged his right to the city of Hebron, consented to his making a conquest of it, and also prayed for his friend and colleague to have favor with God, who would give him victory in this endeavor.�

All of these interactions took place in the presence of the men of Judah, who served as witnesses to Caleb's right to Hebron.  (Also, because Caleb was the representative of Judah on the council that divided the land, it was best to have these witnesses so that people did not suspect anything underhanded was happening when it came time to divide the land.)

Joshua 14:14 – Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.

Those who follow the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength are always blessed of God.  They will always be victorious in the kingdom of God and they will always serve as a righteous testimony not only to those around them, but to future generations as well.  Hallelujah!

Joshua 14:15 – Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim).� And the land had rest from war.

Kiriath-arba literally means 'the city of the four'.  This city is believed to be so named because of four exceptionally powerful giants (Anakim) who either founded the city or conquered it.  It is further believed that the four were three brothers along with their father:

Numbers 13:22 And they ascended through the South, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

As we will see in our study of chapter 15, Caleb will indeed be victorious over these giants.

The writer ends this chapter by coming full circle back to the time when Israel had finished its general conquest of the land and was enjoying a period of rest, when God prodded Joshua to assemble the council and divide the land.   

Let me offer you some encouragement:

God never, ever fails to keep any of his promises.  However, their fulfillment isn't always instantaneous.  The entire book of Joshua is an example of this. 

God had promised to give Israel the land and he absolutely did - but not overnight.  The Israelites had to fight, rest and fight again on numerous occasions over a 5-7 year period.  During that entire time, God fought alongside his people, protecting them, providing for them, giving them wisdom and assisting them in battle until the promise was fulfilled.

The story of Caleb presents us with another example.  God had promised to give Caleb the territory of Hebron, the land of the four formidable giants.  Due to the unbelief of Israel, that promised was delayed 45 years. 

But God's promise was not affected by Israel's folly.  God went so far as to give Caleb miraculous youth until such time as he was able to grant him the promise.

What promise(s) has God given to you?� Are you still holding to them tightly, dreaming about them at night and waiting on God to make them possible?� If you have a promise from God that seems to be taking forever, I strongly encourage you to stay in faith, because your story isn't over yet – God will prevail in your situation!

Let me offer you some relief:

We sometimes have a tendency to think that God is unable to fulfill a promise because of a mistake or failure on our part.  As a result of that kind of thinking, we give up on the promise God gave us. 

Do you realize that that kind of thinking makes you greater and more powerful than God? �Seriously – think about it.� If you have the ability to thwart or demolish the promises/plans of God by simply making a mistake, what does that say about God? ��

If the enemy has duped you into thinking that way, let me give you some relief – God is bigger, greater and more powerful than your mistakes and he is well able to keep the promises that he made to you! 

So stop believing the lies of satan.  Ask the Lord for forgiveness and allow him to restore hope within your soul for the thing he has promised to you.  Once you get it back, never let go until you experience its fulfillment.

Let me offer you some strength:

What is strength? Webster's dictionary defines it as the ability to do or to bear; the capacity for exertion or endurance whether physical, intellectual or moral.

Given this definition, we can conclude that:

• God gave Joshua the strength to lead Israel over the Jordan, into the land, and through 5-7 years of constant warfare. �

• God gave Caleb miraculous strength and youth so he could defeat the giants.�

• God will also give you the mental, physical, emotional and financial strength you need in order to fulfill the destiny that he has designed for you!

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Joshua 13:7 – Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh."

In out last post, God spoke to Joshua and instructed him to stop thinking and planning for further conquest of the Promised Land.  Instead, he was to move forward with dividing up the land amongst the tribes.  At that point, it would be up to each individual tribe to subdue any enemies that remained in their new territory.

Does the division of the entire land seem like a big job to you?  It probably did to Joshua as well.  Fortunately for him, he was not alone in this task.  God himself had already hand-picked a council to assist him.  The council consisted of one priest (Eleazar) and one leader from each of the tribes:

Numbers 34:17-18 -These are the names of the men who shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.  And you shall take one leader of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.

In case you are interested, Numbers 34:19-29 provides a complete list of the men who were chosen.  Although we don't know anything about them, God certainly knew who they were.  Each of the men on the list were gifted by God to assist Joshua in this enormous and difficult task. 

Notice that the Lord instructs them to divide up the land among the '9 tribes and the half tribe of Manasseh'.� Why was the land being divided up into 9 � districts instead of 12?

Joshua 13:8 – With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward as Moses the servant of the Lord gave them:

Basically, two tribes (Reuben and Gad) along with half of the tribe of Manasseh, had already been allotted a portion of land as their inheritance.  This had been done by Moses, before they crossed the Jordan.

In order to better understand the division of the land, let's review some of the main points about the tribes of Israel. 

God called Abraham out from among his people to be the father of the Hebrews. Abraham had a son named Isaac, and Isaac had a son named Jacob.� At one point, Jacob had an intense encounter with the Lord, in which they wrestled all night.� At the end of that encounter, the Lord changed his name from Jacob (to supplant or circumvent) to Israel (God perseveres) (Genesis 32:25-30).�

Israel (formerly Jacob) had two wives and two concubines and together they bore him 12 sons.  The names of his sons were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.  The offspring of these twelve men became the tribes of Israel.

Right about now, I picture you with a questioning look on your face because you know that there is no such thing as the tribe of Joseph.  What happened in that case?

Joseph was the favorite son of his father Israel; as you recall he was given a coat of many colors (Genesis 37:3).  Because of their father's favoritism, the other sons of Israel were very jealous of Joseph.  Eventually Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery in the land of Egypt (Genesis 37:12-28).  But God's hand was upon Joseph, and he became very powerful - second in command under Pharaoh.

During the time Joseph lived in Egypt, he had two sons: Ephraim and Manasseh.  Once Joseph's family was reunited with him, Israel essentially claimed his two grandsons as his own offspring. 

Genesis 48:5 -And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born unto you [Joseph] in the land of Egypt before I [Israel] came unto you into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

Thus, Joseph's posterity received a double portion of inheritance from Israel.� The offspring of Ephraim and Manasseh became tribes of Israel instead of their father Joseph.

Of course, this presents us with yet another difficulty.  If we remove Joseph from the list of 12 sons, and then add in Ephraim and Manasseh, that gives us a total of 13 tribes, instead of 12!

But that problem is easily explained.  There are certain circumstances in scripture where the tribes are counted or treated differently.  The division of the land is a good example.  Long before Israel crossed the Jordan, God had decreed that the priestly tribe of Levi would not inherit a portion of land similar to the other tribes.  Instead of being given a territory, they were eventually assigned specific cities within each of the other tribes. 

The tribes that received allotments in Canaan west of the Jordan River were: Ephraim, half of Manasseh, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulon, Naphtali, Dan, Judah, Benjamin, Simeon and Issachar.  We will examine their inheritance in the next chapter.

Meanwhile, the remainder of Joshua chapter 13 records the land that was allotted to Reuben, Gad and the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, east of the Jordan River.

Scholars have noted that a disproportionate amount of attention seems to be given to the description of the inheritance of the two-and-a-half tribes east of the Jordan, especially since the book of Joshua centers on the conquest of the land west of the river.  This may have been an attempt by the author to emphasize the unity of the twelve tribes, even though their inheritance was split apart by the Jordan.

At any rate, the author gives us the following description of the land in verses 9-13:

Joshua 13:9-13 - � from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland of Medeba as far as Dibon; and all the cities of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonites; and Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah;

All the kingdoms of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); these Moses had struck and driven out.  Yet the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.

As an FYI, the two-and-a-half tribes that received an inheritance on the east side of the Jordan River are often referred to as the Transjordan tribes.� If you come across this term in your personal studies, keep in mind that it refers to Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh.

The rest of the book of Joshua (including chapter 13) contains a seemingly endless list of cities, towns, mountains, and bodies of water which elucidate the borders/boundaries of the tribes.

While this may seem somewhat boring to us, it was vitally important to Israel.  The information in this account became the official record of land distribution.  It was used to settle any disputes that arose over borders/ownership of the land.

Having said that, we must also keep in mind that the borders of the tribes were somewhat fluid in the beginning, because some tribes needed more space (and some less) than what was allotted.� We will look at this topic in greater detail in our next post.�

I would also like to mention that we are not going to attempt to pinpoint or discuss all the cities, mountains and valleys described in the land distribution.� Instead, we will refer to the general boundaries of the tribes.�

To begin with, let's get a general idea of the boundaries of the entire Promised Land.  When doing so, it is helpful to consider the main bodies of water in the region. 

The western border of the Promised Land (Israel) is the Mediterranean Sea.  The eastern border was technically the Jordan River, although the allotment of the two-and-a-half tribes was east of the river.  The Dead Sea is at the southern tip of the Jordan, while the Sea of Galilee is to the north.  Both seas fall within the Promised Land.  We can easily pinpoint the Jabbok River and the Arnon River, which flow into the Jordan from the east.  These rivers mark the general boundaries of the Transjordan tribes. 

Based on these landmarks, the following map shows the general boundaries of the Promised Land, as well as the approximate inheritance of the twelve tribes:

On the eastern side of the Jordan, we find that Reuben had the territory to the south, with Gad nearer the Jabbok River and Manasseh in the north.� All this land was formerly held by the kingdoms of Sihon and Og.�

However, we cannot help but notice that while the scriptures focus on the promises of God and the victories of Israel, there were times when God's promises were limited by Israel's failure to fully obey the commands of the Lord.�

For instance, the Transjordan tribes failed to drive out the Canaanite kingdoms of Geshur and Maacath.  Therefore, these heathen nations continued living in the land, not only causing trouble, but enjoying the blessings that should have been for Israel alone.  Why would the tribes allow their enemies to remain in the land?

It has been speculated that Israel simply grew content with what they had.  They lost the desire to possess all the blessings that God had in store for them.  In other words, they settled for second best.

Do you think that is a sad commentary on the children of Israel?  I do.  But then I must immediately examine myself.  Have I accepted/received every temporal and spiritual gift that God wants to give me?  Or have I reached a point where I am content with what I have and what I have accomplished for the kingdom of heaven? If so, what amazing gifts and opportunities have I left on the table?

These are questions worthy of our consideration/meditation.

Here is something else for us to think about:� There are many Christians who continue to think of God as a stingy tyrant.� They believe one must cry and beg God in order to receive the smallest and meanest blessings.� THIS IS COMPLETELY UNTRUE.�

Our heavenly Father is warm, generous, and loving.  He desires to bless us at a level beyond our comprehension. 

Ask yourself this question – what is the most priceless gift in the universe?� It's the blood of God's only Son, Jesus, right?� Well, God freely gave us that gift already.� Since that is the case, why would he deny you a lesser gift/blessing?

Romans 8:32 – He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Instead of picturing God as a mean tyrant, picture him seated on his eternal throne with countless stacks of blessings at his side.� Picture him trying to get your attention long enough to give you something astonishing.�

Imagine the joy, laughter, intimacy and pleasure you will share with him as you use and enjoy that gift.� Whatever you are picturing right now is more accurate than your concept of God as a stingy ogre!

God has begun a shaking of our world.  This shaking will destroy the institutions of man and leave the lost searching for a sure foundation for their lives.  You and I need to be fully equipped and ready to reap the harvest of souls for the kingdom of God.  Let's make sure we aren't leaving behind any gifts or equipment we may need for this task.  Let's not settle for second best.

Joshua 13:14 – To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no inheritance.  The offerings by fire to the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to him.

In this official account of the division of the Promised Land, the tribe of Levi did not receive an allotment of land as their brothers did.  Instead, Levi inherited the offerings made to the Lord.  They also received individual cities which were scattered throughout the Promised Land, on both sides of the Jordan River. 

Why do you suppose God treated the Levites differently?

Keep in mind that it was the job of the Levites and priests to operate/maintain the tabernacle and act as the religious instructors for the rest of the nation.  They were what we would call 'full time pastors'.  They were to be about the business of spreading knowledge of the Word of God throughout the nation, stirring up their brethren to a devout religious life, and enforcing the laws of God. 

In order to perform these duties, they needed time to do the work of the tabernacle, time to study and time to minister to others.� If they were constantly at war trying to remove Canaanites from a territory or working to get their homes and cities built up, they would not have any time for the spiritual duties which God had assigned them.

For this reason, God blessed the Levites with a portion of his offerings - the first fruits and tithes as well as the showbread, etc.  These offerings were used to sustain/provide for the Levites:

Numbers 18:20 - And the LORD spoke unto Aaron, You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any part among them: I am your part and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

(See also Deuteronomy 18:1-2, Numbers 18:23-24).� So, we find that God did not just bless his people with a one-size-fits-all kind of gift.� Instead, he blessed each tribe with the gifts that were in their best interest.

The remainder of this chapter is a more detailed look at the exact cities and villages that were assigned to the specific families within the two-and-a-half tribes.  Feel free to read it if you like; I have briefly summarized them below. 

Again, these lists serve as an official record of ownership.  They also prove that God did exactly has he promised; he brought his people into the land flowing with milk and honey!

Joshua 13:15-23 – And Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben according to their clans.So their territory was from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon � And the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary.  This was the inheritance of the people of Reuben, according to their clans with their cities and villages.

Joshua 13:24-28 – Moses gave an inheritance also to the tribe of Gad, to the people of Gad, according to their clans� This is the inheritance of the people of Gad according to their clans, with their cities and villages.

Joshua 13:29-32 – And Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh.  It was allotted to the half-tribe of the people of Manasseh according to their clans... These are the inheritances that Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho.

Joshua 13:33 – But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

Have you ever received a corporate gift from your employer that you didn't really enjoy that much?  I know I have.  That normally occurs because the corporation is attempting to pick out a single gift that would be pleasing to everyone, which is an impossible task.  No matter what they do, someone will wind up being unhappy or disappointed.

Here is a word to encourage you:  Our God never gives one-size-fits-all gifts!

God gave a unique inheritance to each of the tribes, especially the tribe of Levi.� In the same way, God has created each one of us with a unique combination of gifts, talents and desires.� Holy Spirit then blesses us with spiritual gifts that will compliment the way God made us, so that we can be effective in his kingdom:

I Corinthians 12:1, 4-7 – Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.  Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Wow!  What a blessing.  I encourage you to be confident in the gifts God has given you.  Don't be afraid to be you – in other words, don't bury or hide your gifts because they seem different or unique.  Be sure to use them because God has created you to be a blessing to the body of Christ!

Let me offer you some relief:

Nobody is perfect, not even Moses or Joshua.  But these great men of God did have one thing in common – they were faithful to God.  They faithfully and steadily continued in the work that God had given them until the very end of their lives.  God is always pleased with this kind of faithfulness.

In the New Testament, we find the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30).  As you recall, one servant received 10 talents, another 5 and another one.  Their mission was to use the talents for the benefit of their master and his kingdom. 

When the master returned, the servants were not judged on the amount of profit they made.� They were rewarded for faithfully using the talents he had given them.�� The only servant to be judged as wicked was the one who buried his talent and refused to use it.

This parable plainly shows that God grants each of us different talents and abilities.  It is our job to use what we have for his kingdom.  Even though we may make mistakes, as long as we are faithful and do our best, God will ensure that we 'make a profit' for his kingdom.  The only way to truly fail is to give up or never use your talent at all.

Therefore, as the apostle Paul advises us, let's put our mistakes behind us and continue in the work of the kingdom:

Philippians 3:13-14 – Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Let me offer you some strength:

The division of the land was an enormous job, and Joshua wasn't a young man anymore.  (Let's face it – when God says you are old, you are old!)  This leads us to two important conclusions. 

One, you are never too old to work for the Lord!  Perhaps you are reading this post right now and you consider yourself to be old.  If that is the case, you should rejoice!  Folks in that season of life have a lot of advantages:

• You are retired – you have a flexible schedule allowing you to devote more time to prayer and the work of the Lord.�

• You are finished raising children – you are no longer 'tied down' at home where you need to make sure your children are educated and chauffeured around!�

• You have wisdom – you understand life in a way that can only come with experience.

• You have finances – having worked throughout life, you have the resources to be a real support to ministries and/or you have the ability to embark on mission trips, etc.

All these advantages make 'old' Christians extremely valuable to the kingdom!

Conclusion number two - if you are still here on planet earth, then God has something for you to do! 

God uses people of all ages, so no matter what your season of life, find the task that God has commissioned you to perform, and be faithful to it.  Regardless of the size of the job, I assure you he will give you the strength to get it done, just as he did for Joshua!

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Joshua 13:1 – Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess."

Welcome back, dear readers! We are studying the book of Joshua, which gives us the details of how Israel partnered with God to gain possession of the Promised Land.

This passage begins with the Lord telling Joshua that he is old.  Specifically, he is described as being 'advanced' or 'stricken' in years.  What does that signify?

According to the tradition of the Jews, old age consisted of three stages:

• The first stage was from the age of 60-70 and it entailed the commencement of old age.� In other words, you weren't quite old yet, but you were getting there!�

• The second stage of old age was from 70-80 years old.� It was considered the "hoary-headed' age which means the period of white or gray hair (assuming you had hair!).� When you hit this stage, you were definitely an 'elder' and as such you were supposed to possess a certain amount of truth and wisdom which you had gained during your life experiences.� Because of this, people in this group were treated with respect; their opinions were taken seriously.�

• The third stage of old age commenced at 80 and extended until death. This stage was called 'advanced age'.� People who made it to this category were also referred to as 'stricken in years'.

What can we determine about the age of Joshua?

Scholars generally consider Joshua to have been about 45 years old (give or take a couple of years) when he left Egypt.  This estimation is based on the age of his colleague, Caleb.  Then, there were 40 years of wandering in the desert.  Once Israel entered the Promised Land, it took 5-7 years for Canaan to be conquered.  This would make Joshua 90-92 years of age when Israel's period of rest began.  That period of rest is universally accepted as being to 7-8 years long.  This would make Joshua 100 years old or, according to the Jews, 'advanced/stricken in years'.

Scripture tells us that Joshua died at the age of 110 (Joshua 24:29).  This means that Joshua only had about 10 years to finish his God-given assignment – to both conquer and divide the Promised Land.

Conquering the land and dividing it were two completely different/separate things.  So let's stop here and consider Joshua's assignment. 

CONQUEST:� Obviously Joshua made significant military in-roads into the Promised Land.� Under his leadership Israel overthrew a large number of kings/kingdoms along with their fortified cities and strongholds.� Their people were destroyed, and possession of their land/houses/goods reverted to Israel.����

However, that does not mean that the entirety of the territory was under Israel's control.� What Joshua effectively did was to establish a firm foothold for Israel through the center of the land.� But he did not remove/exterminate the Canaanites from every portion of the land.� As we will discuss shortly, many of these enemies were left in place for future generations of Israelites to overcome.

Overall, it is apparent that Joshua's job was to bring about a significant yet limited conquest of Canaan.  He brought Israel across the Jordan, confirmed the covenant of God as the law of the new nation (Joshua 8:30-35), and gave Israel a strong foothold in the land.  However, ultimate/complete dominion over the land was left for others to finish.  

DIVISION:  The second half of Joshua's divine commission was to divide the entire land into different territories and assign them to the individual tribes.  These assignments included ALL of the Promised Land – those areas that had been subdued as well as those that were still held by the Canaanites.  These unconquered territories were under the control of groups such as the Philistines, Sidonians, Geshurites, etc. 

Despite the fact that much of the land was still in control of the Canaanites, the Lord instructed Joshua to get on with the task of dividing and assigning parcels of land to the remaining tribes.  This brings up two questions. 

First, why do you suppose Joshua hadn't done that yet?

It's possible that Joshua didn't fully understand the plans of God.  He may have been under the impression that he was to continue fighting until the entire Promised Land was under the firm control of Israel, and that the land could not be divided until that time. 

Or, he may simply have been tired.  After all, he was very old and during the years of rest he may have lost some of his initiative for getting the work done.

The second question that comes to mind is this: how can you divide up land when you don't have full control of it?  

Although we will look at this question in greater detail, there is a simple answer – once the land was divided and assigned, each individual tribe would be responsible for subduing all the Canaanite kings/kingdoms that lived in their territory. 

Of course, there were exceptions to this rule; there were times when the entire nation was called out to fight a common enemy.  This was particularly true during the frequent wars with the Philistines.

Joshua 13:2-3 – "This is the land that yet remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites (from the Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is counted as Canaanite; there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron), and those of the Avvim�

Verses 2-6 make it clear that there were still many strong, fierce and well organized Canaanites living in the land, and all of them were to be defeated by Israel.� As the individual tribes began to clear and possess their inheritance, were there any rules they had to follow?�

Yes, there were.  Scripture gives us three main commands that Israel was to use when engaging the Canaanites in warfare.  They are found at various places in Deuteronomy (chapters seven and twelve), as well as in portions of Joshua:

RULE #1:� There was to be complete extermination of the nations (people) whenever God delivered the Canaanites up to Israel.� This is significant, because it means that people did not die at the whim or pleasure of Israel, but by the divine decree of God.� Thus, Israel cannot be accused of slaughtering innocent people.� ��

The signal for extermination was generally an organized, premeditated, unprovoked attack upon the people of Israel.  Once a foreign kingdom made such an attack, Israel was to engage them in battle until they were utterly destroyed.  God refers to this as 'giving them up' to Israel.  

Joshua 11:20 – For it was the Lord's doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

Those who did not attack Israel were generally left alone, until such time as they challenged the people of God.

RULE #2: �All traces of idols and idolatry in the conquered territory were to be utterly destroyed.�

Deuteronomy 12:1-3 – These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess � You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods� You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire.  You shall chop down the carved images of the gods and destroy their name out of that place.    

(See also Deuteronomy 7:5, 7:25 and 12:30).� Israel was forbidden to serve the Lord in the same manner as the false gods of Canaan were served.� Therefore, all traces of idolatry had to be destroyed so they did not become a snare to Israel.� Nothing was to be spared, no matter how impressive, valuable or beautiful it may be.

I don't know about you, but I see a spiritual parallel in this command.� At times we are tempted to allow 'small' sins to remain in our lives.� For some reason, we often feel like we can control these secret pleasurable sins, however, that is not the case.�

That sin may seem innocuous, but in reality, it isn't.  It is despicable and deadly.  If you allow it into your life, it will sink deep and tangled roots into every aspect of your being.

Before you know it, it will bring forth a harvest of death and destruction (James 1:15).  So don't be fooled into thinking you are in control of it.  If you have a secret sin in your life, get rid of it immediately, before it becomes a snare to you!

RULE #3:� No covenant or treaty was to be made between Israel and any of the nations of Canaan.� This not only included peace agreements, it extended to business practices as well as intermarriage of Israelites with Canaanites.

Deuteronomy 7:2-3 – �when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction.  You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.  You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons�

Why was it so important for Israel not to make any agreements or marriages with the Canaanites? 

Because God knew that if Israel formed bonds or relationships with those who worshiped false gods, they would be influenced to stop serving Him (Deuteronomy 7:4).

This was especially true in the case of marriage.� For example, if an Israelite woman married a Canaanite man, she would go live in his house, be immersed in his culture and be expected to serve his idols.�

Eventually, it would seem natural to her to serve these gods.� Furthermore, any children the marriage produced would be trained to serve false gods as they grew up.� Worship of the True God would either cease completely or be corrupted. �

Likewise, if an Israelite man married a Canaanite woman, she would slowly introduce false teachings and false worship practices into the home, corrupting the true worship of God (Joshua 23:12-13).  Much later in Israel's history, King Solomon fell into this exact sin – his foreign wives tempted him into serving idols.

1 Kings 11:4 - For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

If intermarriage occurred, Israel would be completely corrupted and/or assimilated into other heathen nations in just a few short generations; they would cease to exist as the peculiar covenant people of God. ���

Satan would have loved to see that happen, because if Israel ceased to exist, the Messiah could not come and destroy his kingdom.  Man would be lost in sin with no hope of redemption; we would be forced to serve Satan for all of eternity. 

Looking at the bigger picture, it isn't hard to see that rule #3 was vitally important!

If Israel faithfully observed the commands to destroy all traces of idolatry and refuse to enter into any contracts with the Canaanites, there would have eventually been outbreaks of hostility between Israel and the Canaanites.  In turn, this would have caused the Canaanites to attack Israel, who then had the 'green light' to engage them in battle and destroy them.  Thus, the entire conquest would have been completed in a very short amount of time. 

Unfortunately, rules #2 and #3 were often broken by Israel – mixed marriages were common and idolatry was maintained instead of being wiped out.  Because Israel mingled with the heathen, it became almost impossible for rule #1 to take effect, because you couldn't exterminate the heathen without inflicting serious injury on Israel.

Just as God predicted, the heathen that Israel refused to destroy became traps and snares to them, hurting their relationship with God and causing them a lot of pain and grief.

Joshua 13:4-5 - � in the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the boundary of the Amorites, and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath�

At this point, let's stop and delve deeper into the question of dividing up the land. 

Does it seem at all odd to you that Joshua was instructed to divide up and allocate land that Israel did not even possess yet? Why would God insist upon dividing and assigning the land before it was completely under Israel's control?

One reason is because generally speaking, people quickly learn to adapt to their surroundings.�

For example, at this point, Israel possessed numerous towns and cities.� They had a reasonable foothold in the land.� They might easily have convinced themselves to be content with what they had.� After all, they were now a free people and they were living in the land.� They were way better off than they were in Egypt.� Why go back to war?� Why not just settle for what they had?

Of course, 'settling for what they had' was NOT part of God's plan.  He did not intend for his people to 'make do' with limited space and resources.  His plan was for Israel to fully possess all the land and to fully enjoy all the 'milk and honey' the land provided.

To settle for second best was to reject or cast aside the awesome blessings that God desired to give his people.  So, the allocation of land which they did not control was a kind of incentive or 'earnest payment'.  It encouraged each tribe to seek after and obtain all that God had in store for them.

Another reason God assigned Israel unconquered territory was to keep them dependent upon him.  As we mentioned, Israel had already obtained numerous blessings from God.  Based on their current prosperity, they might have fallen away from serving the Lord and began trusting in their own wisdom and might. 

By forcing them to continue in various battles, God kept the next generation of Israelites faithful to him.  This also provided them with military practice. 

Thirdly, it was necessary to divide the land at this particular time, because the current generation of people had solemnly promised to do whatever Joshua instructed them to do (Joshua 1:16-8). 

And they were true to their word.� They had whole-heartedly followed Joshua for years now.� They followed him across the Jordan, they followed him during their many wars, and they followed him in serving the Lord.� It would be very natural/easy for them to accept his division of the land.�

By contrast, if the land was not divided until after the death of Joshua, future generations would have been much less inclined to agree or accept the decision of any new leader, because that leader would not possess the same divine authority that Joshua did.

Joshua 13:6 - � all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians.  I myself will drive them out from before the people of Israel.  Only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance as I have commanded you.

As we discuss the division of the land, we should keep a few things in mind: 

• God always keeps his promises.�
• His will always prevails.�
• He always sees the end or outcome of a matter before it ever begins:

Isaiah 46:9-10 - � I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

For example, when God commanded the land to be divided up between the tribes, he saw the land as already belonging to Israel even though the tribes did not have possession of all of it at that moment.  In his eyes, it was a 'done deal' because he always keeps his promises and his will always prevails.

All Israel needed to do to claim that promise was to believe God and step out in faith.  As they did, God would be right there to 'drive out' the Canaanites before his people.  God even gave them an extra assurance that this would be the case.  With God fighting on their side, victory was assured! 

Thus, Israel's next steps were very clear:

• Divide the land.�
• Move forward in faith to conquer the land.�
• Stick to the three rules.�
• Stay close to God (keep the covenant).

Both present and future generations of God's people could be assured of success by sticking to this plan. 

In fact, so can you and I.� God has not changed; when he promises you something, you can be 100% sure that he is ready, willing, and able to deliver.� All you need to do is step out and claim your promise by faith.� Remember, God already sees that thing as yours! ��

Let me offer you some encouragement and relief:

In this post, we looked at three rules that applied to the children of Israel:  Completely annihilate the Canaanites at the command of God, do not enter into any covenants with the Canaanites, and utterly destroy everything associated with idol worship. 

Do these rules apply to God's people in this generation? 

Well obviously, we don't annihilate people! Instead, we need to introduce them to Jesus!  Because it is the will of God for all people to find salvation, we should do everything within our power to rescue sinners from the clutches of Satan by introducing them to the gospel.  There are many ways to participate in this – personal witnessing, giving out copies of the gospel and supporting radio/TV ministries are just a few. 

As far as rule number two, Christians today should be very careful about entering into covenants/legal contracts with unbelievers.� This is especially true in the realm of marriage.�

If a Christian marries an unbeliever, they have opposing views in nearly every aspect of life.  They will not agree on issues such as how to raise the children, how to properly handle the family finances, what morals are acceptable in the home, or which religious practices are correct.  Essentially, such a marriage could be described as a divided house, which is always in danger of falling apart (Matthew 12:25).

If you are currently single, I strongly encourage you to hear from God before you enter into a marriage relationship.  You won't regret taking the time to find a spouse who also serves God. 

By contrast, those who foolishly enter into an unequally yoked relationship (II Corinthians 6:14) can expect heartache and trouble.  

However, if you are currently married to an unbeliever, do not give up hope!� Ask the Lord how to best relate to your unbelieving spouse.� Let the light of Christ shine in your marriage and believe God for the salvation of your family.� Remember, nothing is impossible for God!

Let me offer you some strength:

In today's post, we noted that God did not want his people to settle for second best.  He assigned unconquered territory to Israel as an incentive for them to actively pursue all the blessings (land, resources, etc) that he had in store for them. 

What about you and me?� God hasn't changed; he has many gifts available to his children and he wants you to have all the good things he has ordained for you.� He takes great pleasure in giving you all that you need and much of what you want.� When was the last time you got something new from your heavenly Father?�

When you ask God for a gift don't think just in terms of temporal blessings.  Those are nice, but they have no lasting value – they will pass away.   

By contrast, the spiritual gifts God gives are of infinite value/worth.  For this reason, he won't give them to people who don't value and desire them (to do so would be to disrespect the blessing).  However, I want to emphasize that God is not stingy; he wants to give us spiritual gifts more than we want to receive them!

If you want to receive a spiritual gift from God, spend time in his presence through praise and worship.  Ask for a gift in faith, believing that you will receive it from him. 

Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say unto you, whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you shall have them.

Here is something to consider:  Has God placed you in a situation where you need to conquer something?  Perhaps he has done so as an incentive to you.  Maybe he wants you to do a mighty work or receive a special blessing that you wouldn't otherwise seek unless you had a need. 

In any case, remember that God's gifts are received by faith, through relationship with him.  If you desire a spiritual gift from him, spend time in his presence and ask in faith.  Then thank him for the gift and look for the manifestation of it in your life.  

�

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Joshua 12:1 – Now these are the kings of the land whom the people of Israel defeated and took possession of their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, with all the Arabah eastward:

Thus far, we have seen how Israel crossed the Jordan and with the Lord's help conquered Jericho, Ai, the southern alliance and the northern confederacy.  These detailed battles give us insight into the way God moved on behalf of his people.

In the battle of Jericho, we found that the miraculous hand of God was very prevalent.  God went before his people and did things they could not do.  In these cases, Israel's army had a 'lesser' role in the victory, although they were still actively involved in the outcome.

In the battle of Ai, we find the opposite.  The labor of Israel is more prominent; God either chooses not to use miraculous intervention or his intervention is hidden from view.  However, this does not mean that Israel stood alone.  We know she was assisted by God at every step, even though there were times when her army had a more traditional role in the conquest of an enemy.

From the deception of the Gibeonites we learned that God's people must always consult him before engaging the enemy.  When we try to take the lead without him, it normally results in a mess, which God must fix! 

The defeat of the southern five-king alliance shows us that no matter how strong, powerful, well connected, well funded or untouchable our enemies may seem, they are no match for God!

The defeat of the northern confederacy, which consisted of 31 separate kingdoms, reminds us that our God is sovereign, and his will always comes to pass.� No matter how impossible the situation looks from man's point of view, God is well able to defeat his enemies.� God has never, and will never, lose a battle!� He can turn any situation around in a split-second of time.

The entire book of Joshua also shows us that after a victory, God will often give us progressively tougher battles.  Each victory increases our faith and experience, which trains/prepares us to face stronger enemies.  Thus, we see that God always sets us up to succeed.  Plus, when we lean on him and gain victory for his kingdom, he rewards us for our service!  So, whatever you are facing right now, rest assured that God will use it for your good. 

As we read about the territories that Israel captured in battle, let's keep these facts in mind.  Let's also remember that God never changes (Hebrews 13:8), which means these truths apply not just to ancient Israel, but to the church as well.

Joshua 12:2-3 – Sihon king of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the middle of the valley as far as the river Jabbok, the boundary of the Ammonites, that is, half of Gilead, and the Arabah to the Sea of Chinneroth eastward, and in the direction of Beth-jeshimoth, to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, southward to the foot of the slopes of Pisgah;

Here in Joshua chapter 12, we are presented with a historical record of Israel's conquests.� The record begins with the victories over Sihon and Og.� Both of these wars took place before Israel crossed the Jordan, while Moses was still leading Israel.

The first battle was against Sihon, king of the Amorites.� Again, we find that Israel was not the aggressor in this war.� As Israel came close to the Amorite kingdom, Moses sent messengers to Sihon asking him to allow Israel to pass through his territory on the way to the Promised Land.�

Moses vowed that Israel would not engage them in battle, nor would they take any crops, animals, etc from the Amorites.� In fact, they even promised not to leave the main road.� All they wanted to do was to pass through the land peacefully.

But Sihon refused.  Instead of saving his kingdom by allowing Israel to quietly pass by, he gathered his army and attacked them.  Not surprisingly, he was defeated, and Israel took possession of all his land, which was east of the Jordan River. You can read the details of this battle in Deuteronomy 2:26-37.

Joshua 12:4-5 - � and Og,king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei and ruled over Mount Hermon and Salecah and all Bashan to the boundary of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and over half of Gilead to the boundary of Sihon king of Heshbon.

Moses also led the battle against Og, king of Bashan, who was considered a very formidable opponent.  He attacked Israel as she came near Bashan. 

Og was a giant – a descendent of the Rephaim (or Anakim).  Scripture tells us that he had an iron bed that was 9 cubits (13.5 feet) long and 4 cubits (6 feet) wide (Deuteronomy 3:11)!

Scripture also tells us that many of the cities in his territory were fortified with high walls as well as iron gates and bars, yet the Lord delivered all 60 of his cities into the hands of Israel.  You can read the full account of this war in Deuteronomy 3:1-31.

In the eyes of the world, this was an astonishing victory for the untrained, ill-equipped army of Israel.  But in the eyes of the Lord, it was nothing!

Joshua 12:6 – Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the people of Israel defeated them.  And Moses the servant of the Lord gave their land for a possession to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

The land east of the Jordan river that formerly belonged to Sihon and Og then became the possession of Israel.

The tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh asked Moses to give them this land for their inheritance (See Numbers chapter 32).� After consulting with the Lord, their request was granted, with the stipulation that their armed men must cross the Jordan and assist the rest of the nation in conquering the land west of the river (which they did).���

In general, we find Israel marching from victory to victory.  They entered the Promised Land, enjoyed the favor of God and reaped the fruit of their labor.  Their success was based upon faith in God. 

The opposite was true of the Canaanites.  They are continuously swept away in torrents of destruction.  Their ruin was based upon their unbelief - because they served false idols, no amount of earthly weapons or fortified walls could save them.

What was true in the natural realm then, is true in the spiritual realm now. 

Those who have placed their faith in God can expect to reap eternal life, glory, honor, peace and a meaningful existence.� Those who cling to false idols can expect to reap wrath, tribulation, anguish and meaningless despair.�

Joshua 12:7 – And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their allotments, �

The remainder of this chapter gives us a more detailed list of the kings and people that Israel vanquished and the territory they subdued. 

The limits of the territory they now controlled were, generally speaking, from the Jordan River on the east, to the Mediterranean Sea on the west.  It extended as far north as Baal-gad and as far south as Edom.  You can read more about their boundaries in Numbers 34:2-12.  But the main point being made here is that God was faithful to his word – he had given Israel possession of all the land that was promised to them through Moses.

Now take a moment to reflect upon some of the promises God has made to the church:

He promises that we will overcome and be victorious.  He promises to give us the gift of Holy Spirit.  He promises that the gates of hell will not prevail over us.  He promises that we will inherit an eternal kingdom.  He promises that at the appointed time, he will return to earth and take us to heaven.

The list goes on and on.  What promises can you think of?  Whatever they may be, we can be confident that God will keep all the promises he has made to us, just as he kept those made to Israel. 

Joshua 12:8 - � in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negeb, the land of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites);

Did you know that before Israel ever entered the Promised Land, God promised to give them the land of seven different nations/people groups?  

Deuteronomy 7:1 -When the LORD your God shall bring you into the land to which you go to possess it, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you;

Yet, when we read this verse (Joshua 12:8) we find only six nations mentioned.  Who is the seventh nation and why aren't they mentioned as being subdued by Israel?

If we compare the list of nations in Deuteronomy with the list here in Joshua, we find that the seventh nation is the Girgashites.�

The tradition of the Jews says that when Israel came to conquer the land, they voluntarily withdrew into Africa, leaving their cities and lands to be possessed by Israel, thus saving their lives and retaining their possessions.  For this reason, they are not listed as being vanquished. 

Other explanations assert that over time the Girgashites were incorporated into one of the other six nations and ceased to exist as a separate group by the time Israel came into the land. 

Regardless of what actually happened, one thing is certain - the land God gave to Israel was truly flowing with milk and honey.�

There were fruitful hills, perfect for growing olives, figs and other delights.� There were fertile valleys suitable for growing corn, barley and wheat.� There were areas of forest which provided lumbar and areas of wilderness in which to graze the flocks.� There were also abundant springs of water.� The land held everything that a flourishing nation could need or want!

Joshua 12:9-24 - � the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; �the king of Tirzah, one: in all thirty-one kings.

Verses 9-24 give us a list of the 31 specific kings that were overthrown by Israel.� As you can plainly see, I did not type out the names of every single king and kingdom because the individual names are not critical for today's study.� However, if you have a chance you might want to check out a map of the region during this era, as many of the locations can still be pinpointed.

As you probably already noticed, the names appear in the order in which they were vanquished, beginning with the king of Jericho and ending with the king of Tirzah.�

At this point, the bulk of the Promised Land had been conquered.� That is not to say that the entirety of the property was under Israel's control.� It merely indicates that there were no more major groups who were actively attacking or fighting against Israel.� For the most part, any remaining kingdoms simply kept to themselves and did not seek to overthrow Israel.�

God will now command Joshua to divide up the Promised Land among the twelve tribes.  Each tribe was then responsible for overthrowing any remaining Canaanite cities or kingdoms in their territory.

The division of the land was not accidental.  Scripture tells us that God alone determines the boundaries of every nation:

Acts 17:26 – And he [God] made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, �

The implications of this are clear.  God had ordained a set period of time for the Canaanite nations to occupy the land.  But now that time had come to an end; the land was turned over to Israel.  In addition, each individual tribe was allotted a specific space. God's purpose in determining the boundaries of the nations is very clear:

Acts 17:27 - �that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. 

Although it may be past our understanding, Paul clearly tells us that the boundaries of each nation are divinely orchestrated to encourage the people to seek and find God. 

This in turn leads to the conclusion that God had divinely determined which spaces were best suited for each tribe. �Each of them was given an allotment that would not only suit their needs, but challenge their faith, and lead them into a deeper relationship with God.� Thus, they were given the opportunity to fulfill God's highest destiny for mankind:� to seek and serve the living God.�

We will discuss this concept more fully in our future posts, as we look at the division of the land.

Let me offer you some encouragement and some relief:

As we look at the conquest of the Promised Land, we notice that God always sets his people up for success; there is no situation that even comes close to exhausting the limits of God's power and authority. 

For instance, when the five-kingdom alliance came against Israel, God used that situation to increase Israel's faith.� When the 31-nation confederacy was formed against them (complete with a cavalry and iron chariots), God simply used that situation to help Israel conquer the land faster. God uses every circumstance for our good, no matter how dark or frightening it may seem to us.

What was true for God's people then, is still true for God's people (the church) today. 

There can be no doubt that God has set the church up for victory:� Jesus is the head of the church (Colossians 1:15-20); we operate in his power and authority, not our own.� And since every name in heaven, on earth and even those under the earth must bow to him, we are assured of victory.�

Philippians 2:9-11 – Therefore God has highly exalted him [Jesus] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The only thing that remains for us to do is listen to the voice of God and then step out in faith to fight evil forces in the spiritual realm which are terrorizing our nation (Ephesians 6:12). 

The conquest of the Promised Land teaches us that we do not need to be afraid to do this, because God is with us.  If we will answer the call and engage the enemy through prayer and confession of the scriptures, God will give us the victory. 

Let me offer you some strength:

Scripture declares that each of us has been given a measure of faith (Romans 12:3) and some amount of talent (Matthew 25:14-30).� It is God's will for his people to use their faith and talents, not hide them in the ground!� As we do so, they strengthen, grow, mature and eventually bear fruit.� Israel continuously exercised their faith while using their talents during the conquest of the land.

We too, must exercise our faith and put our talents to work.  If you are in the midst of a battle right now that seems impossible or that seems like it is taking forever, don't give up!  Remind yourself that the soldiers of Israel were no doubt tired or weary from time to time, but they never gave up.  They may not have seen a way to defeat the enemy, but God had a way already planned out.  The same is true in your situation.

When the time was right, God stepped in and turned their situation around in an instant, and he will do the same for you! 

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Joshua 11:10-11 – And Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms.  And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction; there was none left that breathed.  And he burned Hazor with fire.

Here we have the final outcome of those who participated in the war against Israel.  As we would expect, their ends were exactly the same as those of the southern alliance – they were defeated and destroyed.  The outcome at Hazor is particularly recorded because of its role as the organizer of the confederacy.

Jabin, king of Hazor, was the commander-in-chief.  He had apparently escaped the battle with his life and immediately retreated to what he thought was the safety of his walled city.  He must have felt particularly relieved when Israel left the area to pursue the troops to Sidon and Mizpah. 

But his hope was built on the shifting sand.  His city was not an oasis of safety but a trap of death; it was subdued by Israel and burned to the ground.  He and all his remaining subjects were slain. 

On a side note, it is worth noting that this was not the end of Hazor.� Other Canaanites eventually rebuilt it and settled there, establishing the same city and government.� Hazor once again caused Israel trouble during the era of the judges (Judges 4:2).� Interestingly, we find that during this later period they were still coming against Israel with cavalry and chariots.�

Joshua 11:12-14 – And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua captured, and struck them with the edge of the sword, devoting them to destruction, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded.  But none of the cities that stood on the mounds did Israel burn, except Hazor alone; that Joshua burned.  And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the people of Israel took for their plunder.  But every person they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed.

Every single kingdom that fought against Israel was defeated - no exceptions.  And every single person in those kingdoms received a sentence of death so that their worship of false gods and demonic powers would not corrupt the people of Israel (Deuteronomy 20:16-18).  The only kingdom to be spared was Gibeon, who became laborers in the service of the temple. 

However, not every city was burned as Hazor was.

Before Israel had even entered the Promised Land, God declared that he would give them the houses, food and possessions of their enemies:

Deuteronomy 6:10-11 - And it shall be, when the LORD your God shall have brought you into the land which he swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you great and beautiful cities, which you built not, and houses full of all good things, which you filled not, and wells dug, which you dug not, vineyards and olive trees, which you planted not�

It made no sense for Israel to completely destroy and/or burn these resources/blessings.� Instead, they were enriched by the spoils of their enemies.� The people of Israel possessed their homes, drew water from their wells, ate their crops and inherited their livestock.�

These blessings allowed them to start a new and prosperous life in the land that flowed with milk and honey!� This is an example of the wealth of the wicked being transferred to the just (Proverbs 13:22).

Joshua 11:15-16 – Just as the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did.  He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.  So Joshua took all that land, the hill country and all the Negeb and all the land of Goshen and the lowland and the Arabah and the hill country of Israel and its lowland �

This verse gives a general description of the land taken under the leadership of Joshua.� Notice that it is a description, not a list of assets.� Obviously, every single kingdom that was subdued by Israel is not mentioned here.� The overall point is that God (and Joshua) continued in the work of the conquest, uninterrupted, until it was finished.�

This is a very comforting thought.  We can be sure that God will faithfully continue his work in our generation too, because he never changes (Malachi 3:6).  This means that when he begins to subdue evil in our government, he will not stop until every foe of the church is vanquished.  When he begins to subdue evil in our school systems and universities, he will not stop until every foe of the church is vanquished.  When he begins to subdue evil forces that cloud the minds/hearts of sinners preventing them from accepting the gospel, he will not stop until every foe of the church is vanquished.  Hallelujah!

However, before we start a victory dance, let's remind ourselves that we (like Joshua) must continue to partner with God in this important work.� We must faithfully and continuously work to elect godly men and women into government positions.� We must support righteous people to serve on our school boards and act as trustees of colleges and trade schools.� We must continue to do everything within our power to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation across the globe.

Here is some good news to keep in mind as you continue in the daily fight:  Although the battle may seem to last a long time, we have the assurance that we will be victorious, if we don't give up.

Galatians 6:9 – And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

God is not going to single-handedly transform our culture and our nation without including us in the process.�

However, if we agree to partner with him, we can be sure he will both start and complete a good work in our midst.� We can expect victory over darkness; we can be sure that the great revival which we hope for will become a reality.

Joshua 11:17-18 - � from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon.  And he captured all their kings and struck them and put them to death.  Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

We are not going to go into detail on the location of the places listed in verses 16-17.  Suffice to say, the scripture is telling us that God granted Joshua and the Israelite army control of the Promised Land. 

But it didn't happen overnight.� Once Israel crossed the Jordan, they conquered Jericho, Ai and the five-nation southern alliance very quickly.� However, the overall conquest of the land took 'a long time'.� What does that mean?� Based on comments made by Caleb after the defeat of the confederacy, many scholars believe it took five years to finish the conquest (Joshua 14:10).� Others, however, believe it took as long as seven years.�

One thing is clear - after the war with the southern alliance, God significantly slowed the pace at which Israel conquered other kingdoms.  Why would he do that?  Why didn't God give his people complete victory in about 18-24 months?

• For one thing, drawing out the conquest gave the remaining Canaanites time to repent.� They heard about the God of Israel and they had seen evidence of his mercy towards the Gibeonites.� If they had desired to do so, they too could have surrendered to Israel, which would have saved their lives and given them a chance to serve the Lord.

• Kingdoms that were not under attack or siege by Israel carried out their normal routines.� This was especially important with regards to farming.� The Canaanites would plant crops, and as Israel took the land little by little, there were always supplies readily at hand.� We could say that the Canaanites essentially planted and harvested provisions for the continued support of the Israeli army.� If Israel had conquered all of the kingdoms in about a year, they would have been left with no provisions and no time to plant crops.� Famine would have ensued.

• The Lord told Israel long before they stepped foot into the Jordan that they would only take the land a little at a time because otherwise wild animals would multiply and destroy the land:

Deuteronomy 7:22 - And the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little: you may not consume them at once, lest the wild animals of the field become too numerous for you.

• God also caused the conquest to be drawn out to give Israel 'skin in the game'.� In other words, people who obtain something without a sacrifice or investment on their part have little value for the thing they obtained.� If God had miraculously given them the entire land quickly, they might not have valued their inheritance as much.�� But since they had blood, sweat and tears invested in the conquest, the land was very important to them.

• The drawn out warfare sharpened the military skills of Israel, which were necessary for them to hold the land. ����

• The protracted period of time also provided an opportunity for God to show/teach his people how to be persistent.� They needed to learn the art of resting and trusting in him over time, because not every battle passes quickly.� �This period of warfare exercised the patience, courage and perseverance of Israel as well as her faith in God.

Joshua 11:19-20 – There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon.  They took them all in battle.  For it was the Lord's doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

At first glance, these verses seem difficult to understand.  The concept of the Lord hardening a heart so that it should be destroyed, is foreign to what we know about him:

Psalms 103:8 – The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in mercy.

How then, are we to understand this situation?� What does it mean when the Lord 'hardens' a heart?

There is an analogy that effectively describes the hardening this way:  God is like the rays of the sun shining down on the world.  When the sun strikes wax, the wax softens and becomes pliant.  When the sun strikes clay, the clay is hardened and becomes brittle.  It is the same sun, but we get different results based on the makeup of the item the sun touches. 

So it is with the hearts of men.  God's mercy shines down on all.  Some will surrender to him (like Rahab) and become pliant.  They will repent and turn towards God.  Others (like the kings of Canaan) will harden their hearts and become brittle, refusing to repent.  By rejecting God, they seal their own destruction.      

For example, we read in the scriptures that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who then refused to allow Israel to go free (Exodus 7:13, 9:12, 14:17).  There can be no doubt that Pharaoh knew about Jehovah.  Moses had spoken of him and Pharaoh himself had seen numerous proofs of his existence and power. 

Consequently, Pharaoh had a choice to make – would he humble himself and surrender to the mercy of Jehovah, or haughtily continue to serve the false gods of Egypt?  One path led to life, the other to death.

Here is something else to consider: God could very easily have used any means at his disposal to frighten or intimidate Pharaoh into choosing him.� Doing so would not have been a problem for God at all!� But God did not do that.� Instead, he stepped back and allowed Pharaoh to make his own choice.

As we know, Pharaoh chose to stick with false gods, who fed his inner desires of pride, control, greed and general perverseness.  Although he initially decided to let Israel go free (to give himself relief from the plagues), he changed his mind and pursued Israel with all the military might he possessed.  Once the Egyptians came against Israel in war, God stepped in and destroyed them. 

Thus, we can conclude the following:

• Pharaoh had knowledge of the true God.�
• He had physical evidence which backed up that truth.�
• He had a fair chance to make his own choice.�
• He chose to reject God's mercy and thus his heart was hardened when touched by the light of God.�
• Because of his choice, he attempted to destroy Israel and thus he sealed his own fate.��

The 'hardening' of the Canaanites was very similar; the conquest of Canaan was never a massacre of innocent, non-resisting inhabitants.�

The people of that land had been given a measure of spiritual insight.� For instance, we are expressly told that Rahab (the woman of Jericho who assisted the spies) knew all about God and the wonders he performed on behalf of Israel (Joshua 2:9-11).� According to her own testimony, so did everyone in Jericho.� In fact, so did every kingdom in Canaan.

The inhabitants of Canaan had both seen and heard of the miracles the Lord had performed.� These included Israel's freedom from Egypt, crossing the Red sea on dry land, the manna in the wilderness, the defeat of Sihon and Og, the crossing of the flooded Jordan River and the battle at Jericho.�

At that point, all of the kings of Canaan had a choice to make.� It was the same choice Pharaoh faced.� They could choose to turn to Jehovah or keep serving their false idols.� God stepped back and allowed them to make their choice.�

All of them chose to resist God and as a result all of them were hardened by the light of God.� All of them chose to aggressively attack Israel and try to destroy her.� Once they did, they sealed their own fate because Israel had every right to fight back when attacked.�

I cannot help but wonder if we are not seeing a similar scenario play out on the world's stage today.  At the writing of this post, terrorist groups have broken a peaceful situation by attacking the Israelites in Gaza.  Now Israel has the right to fight back.      

Joshua 11:21-22 – And Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel.� Joshua devoted them to destruction with their cities.� There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel.� Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain.

The Anakim or the sons of Anak, were a fierce race of giants which lived in various places in Canaan.  They are specifically mentioned here because they were one of the main excuses given by the men of Israel for not entering the Promised Land.  This happened during Israel's first opportunity to take the land under the leadership of Moses (Numbers 13:22, 31-33). 

Because the giants terrified the men of Israel so much, it was important that they be defeated so they didn't hinder the continued progress of Israel.�

Think of it this way: �If the Anakim remained in the land, they would always be a source of fear and terror to Israel.� Whenever Israel saw them, they would be filled with anxiety and fear, thinking that their most difficult battles were still in the future.� Their presence would obscure the glory of God and undermine the faith of Israel. Therefore, they had to be defeated sooner rather than later.�

During this 5-7 year period, Joshua and his army put to death all the giants they could find.� However, they were not completely destroyed.� Some fled to the Philistine cities of Gaza, Gath and Ashdod which were located close to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.�

The Anakim continued to be an enemy of Israel for many years to come.� You have no doubt heard of one of the more famous sons of Anak – Goliath of Gath, who was slain by king David. ��

Joshua 11:23 – So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses.  And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments.  And the land had rest from war.

It's important that we understand what this verse says and what it doesn't say. 

It tells us that Israel, under the command of Joshua, had overcome all overt resistance.� All the kings and kingdoms that had declared war on Israel had been defeated.� Israel had possession of many cities and towns which were a sufficient habitation for the people at that time.�

It does not say that every single city or district within the Promised Land had been subdued and purged of Canaanites.� Indeed, it would have been unwise to conquer more territory until the Israelites were peaceably settled in the land they already controlled.�

Nevertheless, enough progress had been made so that Joshua could now divide the land up among the twelve tribes.  Once this was done, it would then be up to each tribe to subdue the Canaanites who lingered in their share of the inheritance.

As we mentioned previously, this plan allowed the land to be continuously cultivated and it kept the wild animals for overrunning the territory.  By allowing the Israelites to settle into communities, it also gave the families peace and rest.  Once they were ready, they could go back out to war and subdue more of their inheritance.

As for their part, the Canaanites offered no further organized resistance to the division of the land among the Israelite tribes; they seemed to be content to stay in their remaining cities.  This period of peace provided the opportunity to rest and to divide up the land.

When we study this account of the Promise Land, we are reminded that Joshua was a type of Christ.   He led Israel in battle until the people rested from war.  Similarly, Jesus is the commander-in-chief of God's army.  He is, and will continue, to lead the church in conquering the world for his kingdom until the time when God calls us home to heaven, where we will have eternal rest (Hebrews 4:8-10).   

Just as Israel's battles ended in victory, so will ours:

Victory has been promised to the people of God all through the scriptures.� It began in the book of Genesis where God declared that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15), and it continues until God calls us home to a new heaven and earth in the book of Revelation.

Our victory is secured by God's help.� As we studied Joshua chapters 1-11, it was evident that as Israel conquered the Promised Land, God was aiding his people every step of the way. �In the same way, we are victorious in spiritual warfare because God is fighting for us (Psalms 118:6), because he is giving us strength to fight (Psalms 117:1) and because Christ has already conquered our enemies:

1 Corinthians 15:57 - But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.�

Victory is obtained through battle.� Just as Joshua and the Israelites had to fight to obtain the promises of God, we too must stand and fight against the principalities and powers of this age (I John 5:4, Ephesians 6:10-11), claiming God's promises and taking the kingdom of God by force (Matthew 11:12).

Let me offer you some encouragement:

The Anakim or the race of giants, are mentioned in today's post.  Fear of these giants was one of the main reasons Israel refused to step into the Promised Land on their first opportunity.  As a result of their rebellion against God, Israel was forced to wander in the desert for 40 years.

Let's examine that a bit more closely.  The claims of the 10 spies were accurate – the giants were very big, very fierce, very strong and very experienced.  They represented a very real threat/challenge.

The ten spies' mistake was not incorrectly assessing their enemy – it was in surrendering their hearts/minds to fear. �The minute fear rose up within them, they should have fought it off with faith.� Instead of fearing what might be true or what might happen, they should have reminded themselves of what they knew to be true and what they knew was going to occur: �

• They were God's chosen people.�
• God had promised to give them the land.�
• God had proved his faithfulness by protecting them in the 40-year wandering and bringing them to the threshold of the Promised Land.�
• God had promised never to leave them; he had instructed them to be strong and of good courage.�

But instead of keeping their minds focused on these promises of God, they allowed fear to take over and rob them of their blessing. 

Stop and meditate on that for a minute:  Israel lost the battle in their mind first - long before they were defeated in the physical realm.  We can conclude that the way we think has a lot to do with our victory or defeat. 

Ask yourself this question:� What are you filling your mind with?�

The truth of the scriptures?� Praise and worship songs?� Testimonies of those who have overcome?� Things that are good and perfect (Philippians 4:8)?� Or with worldly thoughts, melodies and stories that have no lasting value?

I strongly encourage you to examine and gain control over the thoughts of your own mind. 

Let me offer you some relief:     

The church of Jesus Christ is facing some formidable opposition.  There are demonic forces that want to destroy our nation, our families and our children.  Their power and strength are very real. 

The good news is that when Jesus fights on our side, we cannot be defeated!  However, we cannot just sit by and do nothing.  We must partner with God through prayer, confession of his word and practical action.  When we engage the enemy in this fashion, God is sure to give us the victory, just as he did for Israel!

This also applies to our personal lives.  What 'giant' are you facing today?  Your foe may be powerful.  It may have been deeply entrenched in your situation for many years.  But it is not invincible!  It must bow to the name of Jesus Christ:

Philippians 2:10 - That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  

Remember – giants can be defeated if you follow God's commands and stay in faith!

Let me offer you some strength:

Scripture tells us that there is a time for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes).  Israel had seasons of war and seasons of peace.  They had seasons of 'enough' and seasons of prosperity.  They had seasons of intense labor and seasons of bountiful rest. 

The same is true in our lives.  For example, when we are younger, we have seasons of intense labor when we work, marry and raise children.  But this gives way to seasons when we are established in our careers, the children are grown, and we have more free time.  Some people are in a season where they must care for their parents or grandchildren.  Others are in a season of learning or training.  Some of us may find ourselves in a season of transition.      

 Regardless of what season you are now experiencing, know that God is with you.  He will never leave you, or forsake you.  He will never let you down.  He will give you rest, peace and strength, as he takes you safely from one season of life to the next.   

�

� ��

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Joshua 11:1-3 – When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaphand to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

Welcome back, dear readers!� We are studying the book of Joshua, which relates the story of how Israel took the Promised Land – the territory of Canaan.

Keep in mind that Canaan was not a nation united under one king or central government.� Instead, it was a conglomeration of small kingdom cities, each with its own ruler, its own military and its own agenda.� These small kingdoms often fought against each other for various reasons.� Nevertheless, they agreed to join together for the purpose of defeating their common enemy.

The church could learn a lesson from this confederacy – now is a good time for Christians of all denominations and classes to put our minor differences aside and unite against our common enemy, Satan.

In chapter 10, we found an alliance of five kingdoms led by Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem.  The kingdoms of this alliance were in the southern regions of the Promised Land, near the city Jebus, which would later be named Jerusalem.  This alliance of nations was utterly destroyed by Israel.

In chapter 11 we find a very similar narrative.  This time there is a confederacy of multiple kingdoms/nations led by Jabin, king of Hazor.   The kingdoms of the confederacy were located in the northern regions of the Promised Land.

Jabin:� As we have seen in other instances, 'Jabin' is not a name but a title that was used by the kings of Hazor.� The word/title literally means 'he shall understand' and is equivalent to 'the wise' or 'intelligent'.�

Hazor: 'Hazor' means 'enclosed' or 'fortified'.� There were at least three cities in Canaan with this name.� Two were located in the south and were part of the inheritance of Judah.� However, the city involved in the confederacy of chapter 11 was a major city in the northern part of Canaan.� It would later fall into the inheritance of the tribe of Napthtali (Joshua 19:36).� It was believed to be the strongest fortress in the north.��

Although Joshua will destroy and burn it to the ground (Joshua 11:11), it will eventually be rebuilt by the Canaanites and once again become a powerful center of government and military might.� About 130 years after Joshua dies, we find another 'Jabin' sitting on the throne who kept Israel under slavery for twenty years before God rescued his people by the hands of Deborah and Barak (Judges 4 and 5).

At the time of the events recorded in Joshua, Hazor was powerful enough to have a number of smaller tributary cities/kingdoms under their control.� These are the unnamed kingdoms referred to in verses 1-3.� These may be the same kingdoms mentioned later in Joshua 12:9-24, where 31 different kings are mentioned.

So Jabin, upon learning of the defeat of the alliance led by Adoni-Zedek, forms a military confederacy of the northern nations.  The purpose of the confederacy was the same as that of the defeated southern alliance – to subdue or destroy the children of Israel.

Joshua 11:4-5 – And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.  And all these kings joined their forces and came and encamped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

The phrase 'the sand upon the sea shore' is a hyperbole often found in scripture.  It conveys the idea of a vast number; far too many to actually count or even estimate.  God himself uses this phrase when describing the number of descendants of Abraham:

Genesis 22:17 -That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies;

However, in this case it is used to describe the overwhelming number of troops that were coming against Israel.�

We can conclude that the forces of the confederacy were not only greater in number, but they were better equipped and therefore much more formidable than those of the alliance.� In addition to foot soldiers, they also had a cavalry and chariots – the ancient equivalent of an armored car!�

Cavalry: Obviously, a soldier riding an enormous war horse has a big advantage in battle.� According to the noted historian Josephus, the confederacy had 10,000 cavalry soldiers.� Other historians tell us that Egypt supplied the Canaanites with these animals.

Chariots: The war chariots were probably like those of Egypt which were made of wood and tipped with iron. It has been reported that the chariots had forward facing, iron tipped spikes attached to the yokes of their horses.� In addition, they were made with strongly fortified wheels and had iron scythes attached to poles projecting from the center of the wheel.� As the chariot flew through the enemy ranks, these iron implements mortally wounded anyone who did not get out of the way.

Without the Lord on their side, the Israeli soldiers would certainly have been terrified, especially considering that their own army consisted entirely of foot soldiers.�

All of Israel's previous battles had been fought man-to-man in the mountainous terrain near Jerusalem.  The battle for the north, however, took place near water on a flat plain.  This made it feasible for the enemy to use chariots.  Scripture tells us the name of the lake was Merom, but it exact location is unknown.

Nevertheless, it is always good for the people of God to remember that even though the majority of us cannot see into the spiritual realm, we can be assured that those who are for us are greater than those who are against us (II Kings 6:16). 

Joshua 11:6 – And the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel.  You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire."

Before this epic battle, Joshua did not fail to stop and consult the Lord.  God, in his great mercy, reassures Joshua that due to his intervention, Israel would once again be victorious over her enemies, just as he had promised:

Deuteronomy 20:1 -When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, and chariots, and a people more than you, be not afraid of them: for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

Even though they enemy was to be slain by the swords of Israel, the scriptures give the credit to God; he was the one who delivered them into the hands of Israel.� Without his presence and protection, Israel would have been defeated.

We cannot help but notice that God reiterates his promises of victory to Joshua over and over and over again.  Why does God do that?

He does it because our faith is in constant need of nourishment.  If we regularly meditate on the past victories God has given to us personally, to the church and to our nation, it keeps our faith healthy and strong.

We can also feed our faith through testimonies. There can be no doubt that testimonies are extremely powerful in the spiritual realm.  Scripture tells us that the combination of the blood of Jesus with the word of our testimony defeats our enemy, Satan:

Revelation 12:11 -And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death.

Let me say it again:  Your testimony is powerful!  Open your mouth and proclaim what God has done for you!  Doing so will prepare you for the next battle you face.  It is also important that you share it with others because your testimony will feed their faith too.  After all, if God has delivered you, he will do it for others as well!

God goes on to remind Joshua that two things must be done after the victory:

One, Israel was to hamstring the horses.  This means that they were to cut the hamstring tendons in the thigh of the horse.  Once severed, this sinew cannot be healed, so the horse would be lame or unable to walk/run properly. 

Second, they are to not only destroy but burn all the enemy's chariots.

Why would God make Israel do that?

The answer is simple – because God did not want Israel to adopt the methods of warfare used by the heathen nations.  If they became adept with these weapons, they would soon begin to trust in their own strength and power, which would eventually fail them.  Victory for God's people can only come through depending on Him (Psalms 20:7). 

Before we move on, let's discuss the word 'tomorrow'.� In this verse God says that 'tomorrow' at the same time, he would give the enemy into Joshua's hands.� We know that Hazor was approximately 60-80 miles from Gilgal, the base camp of Israel.� Josephus tells us that Joshua spent five days traveling from Gilgal to the encampment of the kings.

So, either Joshua was already near to the enemy camp when God spoke to him, or the word 'tomorrow' is used in a general sense meaning soon or immediately.

Joshua 11:7 – So Joshua and all his warriors came suddenly against them by the waters of Merom and fell upon them.

Just as in the battle with the southern alliance, Israel catches the northern confederacy by surprise.  They believed Israel was still miles away, but they suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere! 

Israel caught them off guard while they were garrisoned between the mountains and the lake.  Because of this position, the horses and chariots would not have had room to deploy effectively, and the confederacy had no time to organize them into a fighting position.  Before they could do anything, Israel attacked.   

Joshua 11:8 – And the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and chased them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh.  And he struck them until he left none remaining.

First of all, we cannot overstate the hand of God in the conquest of the Promised Land.� The kingdoms cities in Canaan were in close enough proximity that they could have solidified as a single fighting unit the minute that Israel crossed the Jordan.�

But because of the influence of God, they didn't.  Even Jericho, who was the first kingdom to fight the unknown invaders, did not request reinforcements from the other kingdoms. 

After that miraculous victory, it could only have been the mercy and goodness of God which caused the Canaanites to form a southern alliance and a northern confederacy, dividing Israel's enemies so they could be defeated more easily.

Just as with the southern alliance, the slaughter of the northern confederacy was swift and sure.  As the fighting intensified, the confederate soldiers turned and fled as fast as possible to one of two distant locations.

Some fled northwest to the metropolis of Sidon.  In ancient times, Sidon was the capital city of Phoenicia.  You may have read about this city other places in the scriptures.  It is often mentioned in conjunction with its nearby neighbor, Tyre (Matthew 23:11, Mark 7:31, Luke 10:13-14, etc).  Sidon is described as 'great', which refers to its wealth, its importance as a commercial/trading hub, and its overall size.  As a well-fortified city, it was a logical place for the fleeing soldiers to seek refuge (or so they thought).

The scriptures indicate that survivors of the confederacy also fled to Misrephoth-maim.� The location and significance of this city is unknown.� The meaning of its name is 'burning waters'.� This leads to speculation that the area was either a natural hot springs, or a place filled with ditches where salt was manufactured through the evaporation of water.

Despite their efforts to flee, the men of Israel continued to pursue and destroy their enemies until none were left.  However, this was only because they had rejected the mercy of God.

The people of the northern confederacy had ample opportunities to surrender to Israel.  But they rejected the chance to become proselytes and vassals/tributaries of Israel, where they could have experienced God's grace.  Therefore, God delivered them into the hands of Israel who became his instruments of justice.

Other soldiers fled northeast to the valley of Mizpeh, but their efforts were also in vain.    

Joshua 11:9 – And Joshua did to them just as the Lord said to him:  he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

As previously mentioned, the confederacy was unable to use their horses or their chariots because of Israel's surprise attack.� So, once they fled the battle in fear, Israel was free to enter their base camp, destroy their horses and burn their chariots. �

Again, this was done according to the command of God, who did not want Israel to develop a trust in their own abilities; he wanted Israel to remain dependent on him for their military victories.

But it served another purpose as well - to teach Israel not to be afraid of man-made weapons/war implements.  The disabled horses and charred chariots were clear evidence that no weapon of man could defeat the children of God, regardless of how formidable it may seem at first.  For the children of Israel, seeing the destruction of the horses and chariots served the same purpose as putting their feet upon the necks of the five kings – it reminded them that no weapon formed against them could defeat the living God!

Isaiah 54:17 – No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication is from me, declares the Lord.

The conquest of the Promised Land also demonstrates how God builds up or matures his people spiritually.� When Israel first crossed into the Promised Land, their faith was not exceptionally strong.� God used the smaller battles against Jericho and Ai to build up the faith of his people, so they could withstand the tests that were still to come.

The next war involved a much bigger enemy – the alliance of the five southern kings.� Again, we see that God encouraged his people to go to war because he would be with them, just as he had in Jericho.� Victory in this greater war caused Israel's faith to grow even stronger and deeper.� Their fighting skills also increased at the same time.

It was only after this growth that they were in a position to take on the extremely formidable northern confederacy which had both cavalry and chariot divisions.

It has been observed that God proportions our trials to our strength and our strength to our trials.  How true this is!

In other words, God trains his people in such a way that each battle the church faces makes us stronger and fuller of faith.  This in turn sets us up for even greater victories for the kingdom of heaven.  The same principle holds true in our personal lives as well.

So, the next time you encounter a battle, instead of thinking, 'why me', think, 'what is God doing in my life through this moment', because you can be sure he intends that battle to be for your good!    

Let me offer you some encouragement and relief:

In this narrative, we find that the enemies of Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore.  They were also better equipped and better trained.  When looking at the situation from the natural point of view, Israel had every reason to be afraid of losing the battle – but they were victorious!

We know that God never sets us up to fail.  If he brings you to a battle, he will never leave you; he will fight on your behalf just as he did for Israel. 

Deuteronomy 31:8 – The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.� Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

The key is that we must do our part.  For example, suppose there was an issue with your local school board.  Suppose they decided to adopt a practice that was completely against the word of God. 

This would qualify as an example of God bringing you to a battle.  The established school board may be bigger, more organized and have more resources on their side, just like the northern confederacy.  In the natural, it may seem like you don't have a chance.

But don't look at things from the natural point of view; see them as God sees them.

Start by emulating Joshua - spend time praying and if necessary, fasting.� Confess the word of God over the situation.� Then formulate a plan – schedule a meeting or come to the next meeting prepared to give a succinct, well written rebuttal to the issue at hand.� Wait for your turn to speak and make your case.�

If the battle isn't won at that point, be persistent.  Calmly find out what the next step should be.  Gather other Christians and people of the community who are on your side and continue to fight through social media, news outlets or other public forums.  Then watch for God to bring you the victory.

Let me offer you some strength:

We all go through seasons where everything in life seems difficult.  Accomplishing even a simple goal seems almost impossible due to numerous obstacles!  But instead of complaining, giving up or lamenting 'why me', let's begin to look at these situations from another point of view.

We know that God often stretches and grows our faith through trials and difficulties.  This somewhat painful process is for our good:

• It matures our faith so we can be even more effective in the kingdom of heaven.�
• During the process, we come to know God in a deeper and greater way.�
• By winning battle after battle, we will be earning greater and greater rewards in heaven.�
• Our victories will be a testimony which helps others overcome.�

The list of benefits goes on and on.�

The next time you find yourself in that kind of a situation, why not just ask Holy Spirit what he is trying to teach you through that difficulty?� If we work with him instead of against him, we will undoubtedly get through the process must faster, which is what we want anyway!