Joshua 13, 14, and 15

 Read Joshua 13, 14, and 15.  Make sure you have a map handy while you are reading.

Who? Joshua and the Israelites, specifically Reuben, Gad, the half tribe of Manasseh, and Judah, including Caleb specifically

What?  Allotments given by Moses previously are recorded as well as allotments given to Judah by Joshua, including the specific allotment for Caleb

When?  Once they have conquered much of the hill country in the south and in the north

Where?  The land east of the Jordan and the southern part of the land west of the Jordan 

Why? God gives Joshua the instruction to go ahead and divide the land west of the Jordan because he is getting older and his time is limited

How? Most of the land is divided by the priest casting lots to see God’s will, although some of it is divided by specific instructions

These allotments are very specific and are an elaborate testimony of God’s faithfulness.  God had already told them that they would occupy the land gradually (Exodus 23:29-30 and Deuteronomy 7:22).  Though they have not conquered all the land yet, Joshua is instructed to divide it among the tribes.  Chapter 13 records the allotments given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh.  Chapters 14 and 15 record the allotment for the tribe of Judah, including the specific land for Caleb.

Joshua is advanced in years, probably in his nineties.  The Lord’s comments to him could imply that his part of the conquest is done and the rest of the conquest will be left to the individual tribes.  They have taken the hill country, but the fertile plains are still mostly inhabited by the Canaanites.  Specifically, the Phoenicians and the Philistines are the largest groups still in the land.  They are not strictly “Canaanite” in their ancestry, but are living in the land considered to be “Canaan.”  Notice that God tells Joshua that He will drive out the remainder of the people and instructs him to go ahead and count the land yet to be conquered as part of the inheritance, dividing it among the tribes.  We are reminded throughout these chapters that the tribe of Levi does not get an allotment of land, although they do have several cities spread throughout Israel (Deuteronomy 18:1-8).  

A few other notes:

(13:22) Even though it is noted that they kill Balaam, son of Beor, his influence continues for generations (2 Peter 2:15 and Revelation 2:14).

(14:1) Eleazar the priest is the son of Aaron.  It is his job to cast lots to find out the will of God in the allotment (Exodus 28:30 and Numbers 27:21).

(14:4) Even though Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son, Joseph was treated as the oldest.  Reuben lost his “firstborn” status because of his behavior (1 Chronicles 5:1-2).  Joseph was the firstborn of Jacob’s favorite wife.  In a patriarchal culture, the oldest son would receive a double portion.  They received the double portion because they were honored as the oldest and because they were responsible for the family when their father died.  Joseph received the double portion by having each of his two sons named as separate tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim.  

(14:6-15) “human faithfulness to God is inseparable from God’s faithfulness to His promises” (from the Reformation Study Bible); Caleb has been faithful to God all of these years with an active faith and active obedience and God is faithful to keep His promise.  Caleb is ready to drive out those who currently occupy his land because God has given him the land and he knows the Lord is faithful.

(Chapter 15) Judah has already begun settling this land and already occupies many of these cities.

(15:8) Jerusalem was captured by King David around 1004 BC (2 Samuel 5:7).  This is probably about 400 years after the Israelites entered the Promised Land.

(15:17) Othniel is later a judge in Israel (Judges 3:7-11).

(15:41) Beth-dagon - Dagon was the god of the Philistines.

(15:43) Nezib - from the meaning of this word there was probably a garrison or stronghold here

(15:62) Engedi - “the fountain of the kid” - many ancient cities were named for their water source

Question 1: Use a map to trace the inheritance of Israel.  Why would God include such detailed lists of boundaries in the Bible?

To show His faithfulness; He had promised Abraham all the land he could see (Genesis 13:14-18) and told him to walk through it.  If we could trace the history of each of these cities, I would think we would find a mention of Abraham being there at some point.  Maybe??  What do you think?

Questions 2: How does Caleb’s request show his faith? Cf. Numbers 13-14

He had believed God when He said, “Go!” the first time, now he believes the promise of God through Moses to reward his faithfulness (Deuteronomy 1:36).

Application:  Even when we have to struggle for something that God has given us we can trust Him to lead us to complete the job.  We just need to be patient and obedient.  As the old hymn goes, “Trust and obey.”  Sometimes God chooses to take a lifetime to give us what He promised.  We need to persevere and continue to fix our eyes on Him; His timing for His blessings.  He is faithful, even when we aren’t, even when we slip, even when we grow impatient, even when we don’t see it.  He is faithful and He is sovereign.