Joshua 18-19
So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD. And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, to each his portion.
Joshua 18:9-10
Remember that Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh previously laid claim to land east of the Jordan River. Judah, Ephraim, and the other half of Manasseh have likewise already received their portions within the Promised Land. Now it is time to divvy up the rest of the land among the remaining seven tribes to encourage them to take hold of their inheritance.
I don’t know about you, but textual descriptions of borders (especially using names of places that I’ve never visited) are a bit challenging for me. Perhaps a map is in order. Fortunately, Wikipedia has one freely available.
Yep. That’s easier.
One thing to note here is that the tribes do not get to pick and choose which bits of land to take for themselves. Instead, each tribe receives the land assigned to it by lot. Each tribe should gratefully accept its inheritance, take hold of it, put down roots, and thrive there.
The same idea applies to us, as much as our current secular society preaches otherwise. We certainly have an abundance of choices to make all the way through life, but there is much that we do not get to choose at all. We simply get the hand that we are dealt. For instance, I am mostly white. I had no choice in the matter. I was born in the U.S.A. I had no choice in the matter. I was born in the 1960s, not in the 1840s, nor the 1320s. I had no choice in the matter. And I was born a male. Again, I had no choice in the matter — and I still don’t, even though some may scream that I do.
Yes, as I go through life there are any number of circumstances that I can work to change or improve, and I should insofar as Christ calls me to do so. But there are some things I simply cannot change, and any desire or attempt on my part to change them is a slap in my sovereign Creator’s face. It is discontentment that leads only to misery for myself and anyone in my vicinity. And it is covetousness, which amounts to idolatry. (Col. 3:5)
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr
One more thing…
When the territory of the people of Dan was lost to them, the people of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and after capturing it and striking it with the sword they took possession of it and settled in it, calling Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor.
Joshua 19:47
Although Dan is given territory near the center of the map (northwest of Judah, west of Benjamin, and west and southwest of Ephraim), Dan loses this territory somehow (or never actually takes possession of it) and relocates to the far north, where the city of Dan is situated in the northeast of Naphtali. If you think this action runs counter to the idea of accepting one’s lot, you would be right. Nothing in the text should be construed as approval of Dan’s relocation. (See also Judges 18.)