We will conclude Chapter 17 today by studying the land allotted to the tribe of Manasseh and by taking a look at a complaint the people descended from Joseph will bring to Joshua.
"The territory of Manasseh extended from Asher to Mikmethath east of Shechem. The boundary ran southward from there to include the people living at En Tappuah. (Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah itself, on the boundary of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites.) Then the boundary continued south to the Kanah Ravine. There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. On the south the land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the Mediterranean Sea and bordered Asher on the north and Issachar on the east. Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan, Ibleam and the people of Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo, together with their surrounding settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth)." (Joshua 17:7-11) We'll use our map below to illustrate these verses. This region is titled "West Manasseh" and it is in yellow right above Ephraim which is in light purple.
We were told earlier in the book of Joshua that the division of the land was accomplished by casting lots. The casting of lots performed in the Bible was done prayerfully and in a submissive spirit to the Lord, trusting that He would cause the lots to fall according to His will. (You and I, however, are not to make big decisions by flipping a coin, for example; the ancient Israelites were not playing a game of chance when they cast lots in the Old Testament. In the church age, Christians are to be guided by the Holy Spirit who indwells us and by prayer and by the word of God.) If the division of the land had been left up to human discretion, anyone unhappy with their lot could have claimed Joshua and the elders of Israel had slighted them somehow. We will actually find the descendants of Joseph making a complaint about the size of their portion, but I dare say that complaints would have been far more widespread had the division of the land not been done by casting lots. The casting of the lot was to be accepted as the decision of the Lord, not as the decision of mere mortals. The reason I mention the casting of the lots is due to our next segment of Scripture which tells us that although the boundaries of Manasseh were established by lot, the Manassites did not take hold of all of it. They did not drive out all the heathens from their land, just as we previously learned that the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Ephraim did not make an end of the pagan peoples in their land.
"Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely." (Joshua 17:12-13) The Lord wanted the tribe of Manasseh to fully occupy the land, but they had to do their part. They had to have the faith and the courage to take hold of what the Lord promised them. The Lord's promises never fail, but as we've noted time and time again, many of His promises are conditional upon our faith and obedience. They are the type of promises where the Lord says, "If you will do this, then I will do that." I have no doubt I've missed out on some of the things the Lord longed to give me because I didn't have the faith to believe I could have them or because I didn't do my part by being obedient to Him.
"The people of Joseph said to Joshua, 'Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the Lord has blessed us abundantly.'" (Joshua 17:14) When the second census was taken at the end of the book of Numbers, we were told that the tribe of Ephraim had 32,5000 men able to serve in the army and the tribe of Manasseh had 52,700 men able to serve in the army. Combined, these tribes were quite large, for those counted in the census for the army did not include women or children or males too young or too old or too infirm to serve as soldiers. The descendants of Joseph feel they should have been allotted more territory, for the Lord has blessed them abundantly in human offspring and in flocks and herds. But the truth is, the size of their allotment is not unfair, and Joshua points out that if they will do as the Lord commanded and drive the heathens from the towns they have not yet occupied, they will have more than enough. The fault does not lie with God or with Joshua and the leadership of Israel, but with those who lack the faith and obedience to do what the Lord has said. "'If you are so numerous,' Joshua answered, 'and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites.'" (Joshua 17:15)
The Perizzites are believed to have been metalworkers, and we'll see in a moment that they had horses and chariots---something the Israelites did not have---and iron was incorporated in the construction of their chariots. Their weapons of war were superior to that of the Israelites, but the God of the Israelites is superior to the false gods of the Perizzites. The Rephaites, who also inhabited the region, were giants. God is greater than any giant and He has enabled the Israelites to defeat giants before now. Still, we can see by the reply made to Joshua in our next verse that the descendants of Joseph are being held back by fear. They propose that Joshua allot them more land instead of asking them to rid more portions of their own land of its current inhabitants. "The people of Joseph replied, 'The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have chariots fitted with iron, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the valley of Jezreel.'" (Joshua 17:16) They've taken hold of the hill country but are afraid to take hold of the forested areas of their allotment because of the fierce warriors they'll have to face down.
Joshua doesn't give in. Giving in wouldn't help them grow their faith. Giving in wouldn't encourage them to be obedient to the Lord. The forested hill country can be theirs as well as the portion they're already inhabiting if they will trust the Lord and boldly move in to take it. "But Joshua said to the tribes of Joseph---to Ephraim and Manasseh---'You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment but the forested hill country instead. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have chariots fitted with iron and though they are strong, you can drive them out.'" (Joshua 17:17-18) Joshua uses "tough love" when dealing with this complaint. He's not being rude or unsympathetic. He's doing what a godly leader should do: encouraging the people to trust and obey the Lord. His reply to them is something like this: "It is as you said---you are numerous and very powerful and the Lord has blessed you abundantly. You have the numbers needed to take the forested hill country from those idolaters who now occupy it. Then you will have more than enough land for all the people and livestock with which the Lord has blessed you."
Joshua doesn't give them an easy way out by supplying territory from which they won't have to drive out giants or men with the highest-tech weaponry available in ancient times. Instead Joshua asks them to face their fears and fight their enemies in the strength of the Lord. He asks them to trust the promises of God.
In our own lives there will be times when the Lord tells us to stand back and watch what He will do but there will be other times when He asks us to step up our faith by participating in the battle and in its victory. There will be times when promises can be obtained only through faith and obedience. If we would just take the Lord at His word more often, we'd obtain great victories more often. We'd receive huge boosts to our faith more often. If we never step out in faith, we can never say what David said to the Lord, "Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and Your servant loves them." (Psalm 119:140) David was a great warrior and army commander. David fought a giant and won. David received the kingdom promised to him by God. How did he accomplish these things? By taking the Lord at his word and by stepping out in faith to do what the Lord told him to do. David tested the promises of God by living them out. You and I can do the same! The men and women of the Bible were ordinary people just like we are. The reason they saw and did extraordinary things is because they trusted and obeyed the Lord for whom nothing is impossible. You and I can experience extraordinary things just like they did. If we trust and obey our God, no mountain can stand in our way, no sea can block our path, and no giant can defeat us. If the Lord tells us a thing can be done, it can be done, but we have to be men and women with the faith to believe the Lord can do what He says He can do.
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