On the west side of the Jordan River we've already seen three tribes beginning to settle in their allotments: Judah, Ephraim, and the half tribe of Manasseh that had not chosen land on the east of the Jordan. Along with those Manassites who chose to dwell east of the Jordan, the tribes of Reuben and Gad had their territories there too. Today Joshua asks the rest of the people (the remaining seven tribes who are to inherit allotments), "What are you waiting for? Begin taking hold of the inheritance the Lord is giving you."
"The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The country was brought under their control, but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance." (Joshua 18:1-2) As we've already learned, not all of the tribes and clans of Canaan have been driven out at this point, but enough of them have that Israel can be said to hold sway over the majority of this land mass. The Israelites are in a position to take up residence in Canaan and to root out any remaining heathen idolaters from the region---if they will boldly move in and do so as Joshua encouraged them in yesterday's passage. In verse 1 we find the Israelites setting up the tabernacle at Shiloh where it will remain for about the next 369 years. The Israelites have enough control over the region and enough stability in the region to protect and maintain the tabernacle at this semi-permanent location for several centuries. There is no reason for the delay in the seven remaining tribes to take possession of their portions.
"So Joshua said to the Israelites: 'How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you?'" (Joshua 18:3) He asks, "What are you waiting for? What more has to happen for you to move in and claim the promises of the Lord?" I believe the Lord sometimes says this same thing to us. He has made us great and precious promises. He has called us out of darkness into light and has made us the children of the living God. Yet we are prone to doubts and fears. We hesitate and hang back. I think sometimes He says to us, "What are you waiting for? Why are you not living in the bold confidence that belongs to the children of the King? What more must I do to prove that I love you and that I hear your prayers and want to provide for you and do great things in your life? Step out in faith knowing that I am with you! I will never leave you or forsake you."
Joshua has to take steps to get the ball rolling and to end the people's hesitation. He is about to direct the people to appoint men to survey the remaining land. He is demonstrating good leadership. He starts taking action to encourage the people to take action. Have you ever noticed in a group setting that sometimes it takes one person making the first step toward a goal to get all the others to begin taking action toward that goal? In those situations, the person who takes the first step is usually a person with leadership qualities. It's usually a person who has an encouraging spirit, a person who believes the thing can be done and who shows enthusiasm for the task at hand. Surveying and taking over the large area of land must have seemed like a daunting task but as the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Great things can't be accomplished until the first step is made. The first step can encourage people enough to keep them moving forward and Joshua knows that. He embodies the qualities of a leader when he says the following, "Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me." (Joshua 18:4) He tells the people what to do first so he can get things moving in the right direction.
He continues, "You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the tribes of Joseph in their territory on the north." (Joshua 18:5) We are dealing here with only the land on the west side of the Jordan. Judah and the tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) have already received their allotments in this region. Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh already have their allotments east of the Jordan. That's why the remainder of the land is divided into seven parts; seven tribes are not yet in possession of their allotments.
"After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord our God." (Joshua 18:6) As we've said before, the casting of lots in the Old Testament should not be compared to the rolling of dice or the flipping of a coin in today's world. It was done "in the presence of the Lord our God", as Joshua says, in a prayerful and obedient spirit, asking the Lord to cause the lots to fall according to His will. As we move through the Old Testament we'll find this method used less and less until it is not mentioned anymore. As the Scriptures began to be written down, they were available for guidance in making decisions. In our day, we who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord are indwelt by the Holy Spirit who directs our path in conjunction with our reading of the word of God and with our prayers for guidance.
"The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance." (Joshua 18:7a) The Levites were given towns to dwell in throughout the territories of the other tribes. If the Levites were going to be given an allotment west of the Jordan, the land would have been divided into eight portions instead of seven. But because the Levites did not receive allotments in the promised land, we still generally refer to Israel as having twelve tribes although technically there were thirteen since Joseph's descendants through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh were essentially two tribes and each of them received their own separate allotment. The land Israel occupied on both sides of the Jordan was divided into twelve territories, excluding a territory for the tribe of Levi. The Levites did have some livestock and they did raise some crops, but they did not need large swathes of territory in which to raise great herds and flocks because they made their living serving the Lord.
Joshua reminds the people that Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh already have land east of the Jordan and are not to be considered when dividing up the remainder of the land on the west. "And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them." (Joshua 18:7b)
After three surveyors are selected from each tribe, Joshua repeats his instructions to them before they depart. "As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, 'Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it. Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord.' So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions." (Joshua 18:8-10) We will study these allotments as we move on through the book of Joshua.
But today a good question to ask ourselves is, "What are you waiting for?" If we are not living in the bold confidence of the children of the King, why not? If we don't feel the assurance that our God loves us and is for us, why not? If we don't believe He hears our prayers and wants to direct our lives, why not? If He has told us to step forward and we haven't done it yet, why not? What more could He do than He has already done to prove to us that He loves us with all His heart? Why then do we not always trust that His love is everlasting and unchanging? And if we do believe He loves us and always will, why aren't we quicker to obey Him, considering He has our best interests at heart? If we spent more time fixing our thoughts on the goodness and greatness of our God, we'd spend far less time hesitating and far less time struggling with doubts and fears. I'm guilty of that myself; today's text speaks to me and convicts me as much as it does anybody. So I'm asking myself, "What are you waiting for? Go forth in the strength of the Lord your God who loves you and was willing to do anything it took to save you. Do what He says to do because He will never tell you to do anything He won't enable you to do. He won't ever tell you to move forward without being right there with you every step of the way."
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