Day #87

Sermon - Audio
Joshua 19-21 - Audio
Joshua 19-21 - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Joshua 19

The distribution of the land continues. In an excellent book called Old Testament Ethics and the People of God, Chris Wright makes the point that each tribe is not given the same amount of land, but each is given enough . Land is inextricably tied to Israel's economy (really: it still is for us today. EVERYTHING material we have has it's roots in the earth). The land (which is a divine gift) is the source of all Israel's food/wealth. People who don't have land (widows, orphans, aliens) are always provided for because without land they have no means to support themselves.

Vs 1-10: Simeon. This is a unique case for the 12 tribes. The tribe of Simeon is not given it's own boundaries. Instead they are scattered among towns within Judah. They do not form a contiguous whole (NICOT). The maps in the back of your Bible are misleading. The reason is for this is not clear, but it is hinted at already when Jacob “blesses” his sons in Genesis 49.7: “Cursed be their anger [Levi and Simeon], so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.” The two censuses in Numbers show Simeon to be in decline. They dropped from 59,000 to less than half that amount: 22,000 by the end of Numbers. Remember they are absent from Moses blessing in. It seems they are now paying the price for Simeon's role in violence after the rape of Dinah in Genesis 34.

Note the reason they are portioned land within Judah. “”Judah's portion was more than they needed (vs 9).”

vs 10-16 Zebulun. Do not confuse this Bethlehem with the Bethlehem in Judah (vs 15). Although not mentioned here, Nazareth (Jesus home town) would have been within the borders of Zebulun.

Vs 17-23 Issachar. This tribe was granted the very fertile plane of Jezreel.

Vs24-31 Asher. This border touched the powerful pagan territories of Tyre and Sidon.

Vs 32-39 Naphtali.

40-48 Dan. This tribe was under constant pressure from the Amorites which forced them up into the hill country (Judges 1.34).

vs 49-51 Just as the allotment of land was began with an individual (Caleb), it also ends with an individual (Joshua): the two faithful spies and the only two who came all the way from Egypt. Their courage and faith are an important focus of the whole book. Joshua is given his choice of land within his own tribe: Ephriam.

End note: though not made obvious by these passages. A survey of the land reveals that what will become the northern 10 tribes who quickly fall away from God are given the more fertile land. The more faithful Judah is far from “farm land.” Very little could be grown there beyond hardy olive trees and grape vines. What will be the southern kingdom was more suited for wandering shepherds with their sheep and goats. The tribes who had more abundance forgot God, while the tribes who had less were more dependent on him. Material wealth is not always a blessing. Neither is poverty always a curse.

Joshua 20

This passage illustrates God's justice in God's land. We have already read about the cities of refuge in Numbers and Deuteronomy. They are meant to be safe havens for people who had unintentionally killed another. These cities are listed in the context of the allotment of the 12 tribes showing their importance to Israel's societal structure

Vs 1 Notice that the LORD speaks directly to Joshua as he did to Moses. This is the last time he does so. He started talking to Joshua (very significant) in Joshua 1.1.

Vs 4 This does not suspend justice, it looks to uphold it. The man who flees must present his case to the elders at the city gate before entrance and later face trial before the “assembly” (vs 6)

vs 9 Foreigners are given the same protection as Israelites.

Joshua 21

vs 1-42 The Levites are given cities spread throughout all of Israel. Most tribes receive 4 levitical towns in their territory. It is interesting to note that between Simeon and Judah, there are 9 (and are settled by the Aaronite branch of the tribe of Levi). Naptali revieves only three. The number of Levitical towns are not dependent on population or land area of the tribe.

vs41-45 READ THESE FEW VERSES OVER AGAIN! They are a treasure nuzzled up against some dense reading. This concludes the distribution of the land. ALL of God's promises are said to be fulfilled.

Vs 44 Especially significant is the phrase: “The LORD gave them rest on every side.” The word for rest is NUACH, which is first found in Genesis 2.15 (literally: “the LORD God took the man and caused him to rest in the garden of Eden.”) Joshua 21.44 reads literally “God caused them to have rest all around.” The language is similar; more importantly the source of rest is the same. In a small way God has restored his people to the way things ought to be. He will do the same for the whole world when Jesus returns. All his good promises will be fulfilled.