What I Noticed Today (Joshua 16-18)
Joshua 16
In Joshua 16, the people of Joseph, (Ephraim and Manasseh) receive their inheritance.
- Their inheritance was north of the land of Dan and Benjamin. The northern border was the Kishon River from the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
- But, they failed to drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. Instead, they made the Canaanites do forced labor.
Note: The fact that they did not drive out the Canaanites is going to be a problem by the time we get to Judges.
Some thoughts for further consideration:
- Caleb impresses me. He was a man of great faith from the time he spied out the Promised Land and knew by faith that God would be with them, through all the wilderness journeys, and now in all the battles to drive out God’s enemies he maintained his faith. Even at 85 years old he was determined to finish the battle and drive out the very giants that had scared everyone else 40 years before. Such great faith in God and God’s promises over an entire lifetime is unusual among the Biblical leaders we have studied and certainly unusual among our leaders today!
Joshua 17
Joshua 17 announces the inheritance of Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn.
In verses 1-2, Makir, Manasseh’s firstborn son received his inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan River. The rest of Manasseh’s sons received their inheritance on the western side of the Jordan River.
In verses 3-6, the daughters of Zelophehad are called out because their father had no sons. The daughters had been promised an inheritance by the Lord through Moses (Numbers 36:1-13). They appeared before Eleazar the priest and Joshua who gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers.
Note: Zelophehad was a great-great-grandson of Manasseh.
In verses 7-11, the towns and villages of Manasseh are listed.
In verses 12-13, within the borders of their allotment were some Canaanite cities who they did not drive out but did submit to forced labor (Beth Shan, Ibleam, Dor aka Naboth, Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo).
In verses 14-18, Joseph’s descendants complained that they did not get an inheritance large enough for the size of their tribe, so Joshua told them to also take the forest lands of the Perizzites and Rephaim and drive them out.
Note: The people of Manasseh seem to have little faith that they could drive out the remaining Canaanites in their land. This is quite a contrast to the courage and faith displayed by Caleb!
Joshua 18
In Joshua 18, the entire Israelite community gathered at Shiloh, and they set up the Tent of Meeting. Shiloh which was the center of the land that had been acquired so far.
In verses 3-10, The inheritance for seven tribes had not yet been allotted. Joshua ordered three men from each of the seven remaining tribes to go scout out the land. They returned with descriptions of the cities and countryside.
- In the presence of God at the Tent of Meeting, Joshua cast lots for the remaining tribe’s inheritance. Benjamin’s, Simeon’s, Zebulun’s, Issachar’s, Asher’s, Naphtali’s, and Dan’s inheritances were given based on the casting of lots.
In verses 11-28, the first lot fell to Benjamin. The borders of the tribe of Benjamin are described along with a listing of 14 of their major cities (including Jerusalem, fulfilling Moses’ prophecy in Deuteronomy 33:12).
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
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Tomorrow: Day 87 Joshua 19-21
