Joshua 16 and 17

 Read Joshua 16 and 17

Who? The tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim

What? The boundaries of the inheritance these tribes are given

Where? In central and northern Israel, also east of the Jordan for half of Manasseh

When? After the land is somewhat conquered

Why? Each tribe is given a specific land grant 

How? Lots were cast to tell the priest and Joshua the land grant God has for specific tribes 

These chapters cover the land inheritance for Joseph’s sons.  Remember that Joseph was given the “oldest” status rather than Reuben among Jacob’s twelve sons and the oldest son gets a double portion of the inheritance (see Genesis 30-50 and 1 Chronicles 5:1-2).  This means that Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, are each named as a tribe rather than a tribe of Joseph.  Throughout these lists of land assignments, God does not stick to birth order at all.  He is sovereign and puts them in the order He chooses, showing Judah to be the line of Messiah by putting that tribe first.  

From chapter 16- 

(16:10) Note that this verse tells us of the tribe of Manasseh’s disobedience.  God commanded the Israelites to eliminate all of the Canaanites and to possess all of their land.  Ephraim decided to use the Canaanites rather than eliminate them.  Later, Israel did gain the town of Gezer when Pharaoh killed the Canaanites around 948 BC and then gave the city to his daughter as a dowry to marry King Solomon, but not by any action of the Israelites.  

Manasseh was Joseph’s firstborn son and Ephraim was his younger son.  Note, however, that Jacob (Israel) blessed Ephraim as the older son so his inheritance is listed first (see Genesis 48:17). Ephraim’s whole inheritance is on the western side of the Jordan River.  The northern kingdom of Israel is later referred to as “Ephraim” because Ephraim was the strongest tribe in the northern kingdom (see Isaiah 7:17, 11:13; Hosea 5:5, 5:12-14, 6:4, 10:11, 11:12; Ezekiel 37:15-19; Zechariah 9:13, and 10:6-7).

From chapter 17-

Manasseh’s inheritance is listed by families because it is split - half on the eastern side of the Jordan River and half on the western side of the Jordan River.  Usually, only men received an inheritance, but Moses had made provision for a family with only daughters (see Numbers 27:5-7).  These daughters rest on God’s Word and go to Joshua to make sure he remembers Moses’ promise (as prompted by God).  They know that God will always keep His promises and do what He says He will do, so they are not afraid to approach Joshua.  We are told in this chapter that the territories of Manasseh and Ephraim intermingle because there are several border cities in Manasseh’s territory that belong to Ephraim.  Note that, once again, we see the disobedience of Israel, this time with the tribe of Manasseh.  They, too, chose to use the Canaanites rather than to eliminate them as commanded.  Obviously, they were not strong enough in the beginning to overtake them (17:12).  When they became strong, however, they chose their own ease over obedience (17:13).  

Ephraim and Manasseh have chosen disobedience and, in the end of chapter 17, they also choose discontent and laziness.  They go to Joshua and fuss that their territory isn’t big enough.  Remember, this is the territory that God has given them, not Joshua.  Joshua is just the messenger.  They then make excuses for not taking their whole territory.  They are unwilling to fight or to work at clearing the land.

Question 1: Did the Israelites obey God’s command concerning the Canaanites?  No, they did not drive the Canaanites out, killing them (see 16:10 and 17:12-13)

Question 2: What do we learn about God’s heart for women by looking at the daughters of Zelophehad?  He makes sure they are taken care of, even without a father or brothers.  He loves them and will not abandon them.

Question 3: Compare and contrast Caleb’s request for territory (from last week) with the request from the people of the tribe of Ephraim.

Caleb knows God will fight for them and is eager to possess the land given to him, even if it means fighting the Anakim.  Ephraim doesn’t want to have to work for their land.  Maybe they think they should have special privileges because Joshua is from Ephraim.

Applications:

Do we obey completely, even when it will make life harder?  We need to take an honest look at our lives and repent if we are only partially obeying.  Partial obedience is disobedience.  Compromise is partial obedience and leads to spiritual drift.  We must be careful to hold fast and obey completely so that we avoid this drift away from God.

Are we lazy and discontent?  Do we complain and try to take the easy way out, expecting others to do our work or do we work hard for the things the Lord wants us to have?  

Do we trust the Lord to watch over us and care for us, no matter who we are, trusting Him to follow through with His Word?