Joshua 15:13-17:18

Dear RTB’ers,

Continuing the division of the Promised Land to the twelve tribes. Yesterday in Joshua 15:1-12 we saw the first allotment of the land going to Caleb and the tribe of Judah. Today the Joshua 15:13-63 finishes that allotment of land by naming more than 100 cities assigned to Judah. In later years Judah will become prominent as the “Southern Kingdom”, contrasted with Israel as the “Northern Kingdom”. Hence we have much more detail on Judah’s allotment than we do on any of the other eleven tribes.

Joshua 16 then has Ephraim’s allotment, while Joshua 17 has the second half of the tribe of Manasseh. You will recall that Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph’s two sons – hence their primacy in the division of the land. In addition, Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim, also laying a second claim to primacy in receiving their allotment.

So after today’s reading we will have allotments for five tribes – Reuben, Gad, and one-half of Manasseh east of the Jordan; Judah in the south; and Ephraim and the other half of Manasseh in the center of the Promised Land. It would be helpful for you to locate a map from the Internet (if you do not have a Study Bible with maps). Here is a very simple one, with colors that nicely define the borders and a few important cities mentioned:

Two items are worth noting on this map. The first is the absolute size of Judah and Manasseh, much larger than any of the other tribal allotments. Part of their large size, however, includes hills, mountains and forested land, all of which are difficult lands for humans to carve out a living. Second, we can see that “east” and “west” Manasseh are now joined. That division is by editorial choice. Many other maps of the division of the twelve tribes have “east” Manasseh further north. Here is a second map (from Bible Odyssey) showing that division:

These maps will continue to serve us well as we read through seven more allotments in Joshua 18-19.

Blessings!

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See also: March 8 (2023) / Joshua 15-17

Joshua 13:1-15:12

Dear RTB’ers,

Today (and on through chapter 19), the division of the Promised Land to the twelve tribes. First, as to twelve tribes… We read today that the Lord had set the Levites apart from the other eleven tribes: To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no inheritance. The offerings by fire to the LORD God of Israel are their inheritance, as He said to him. … the LORD God of Israel is their inheritance, just as He said to them. (vv. 13:14, 33b) However, both of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh are included as full tribes in the inheritance, so including both of Joseph’s sons makes up a twelfth tribe.

Second, I don’t recall that the land east of the Jordan River was ever part of the Promised Land. However, Moses gave two and one-half tribes (Reuben, Gad and one-half Manasseh) their allotments in that trans-Jordan land, so it became part of Israel. The second half of chapter 13 (Joshua 13:15-33) details the partitioning of that land to these tribes.

Although we did not read the account of the twelve men spying out the Promised Land back in Numbers 13, two of those twelve men are still alive in today’s reading – Joshua and Caleb. Now Caleb reminds Joshua of the promise to him as to where he will receive his allotment: And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ (v. 14:9) So Caleb is granted his inheritance in Hebron before any of the other allotments are made. But with Caleb as part of the tribe of Judah, the first allotment to the other nine and one-half tribes goes to Judah (Joshua 15:1-12). Judah’s prominence was also established in Jacob’s blessing of him in Genesis 49:8-12, setting him as ruler over his brothers (esp. Gen. 49:8, 10a).

More portioning of the Promised Land in the next two days…

Blessings!

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See also: March 7 (2023) / Joshua 12-14

Joshua 11-12

Dear RTB’ers,

My apologies for late and short posts this past week. We had our Maryland daughter and her kids here all week, plus the rest of our kids and grandkids at the end of the week. In some measure, I was fortunate to be able to post at all! A big thank-you to Carol for watching the young-uns and giving me the morning space for notes to you all.

My post yesterday was short – intentionally so. I wanted to point out the complete destruction of the peoples in the Promised Land that the Lord had asked of Moses and Joshua and the Israelites. The author of Joshua continues that outcome today: And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the people of Israel took for their plunder. But every person they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed …, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses. (Joshua 11:14-15) Joshua is doing what the Lord had commanded, simply following instructions, no matter how hideous to our minds.

A bit of the geography of the Conquest. Phase One is Jericho, Ai (and Bethel?), and Gibeon, Joshua 6-9. Phase Two is the southern campaign, most of which became the territory of Judah (and Simeon), yesterday’s chapter, Joshua 10. Phase Three, then, is the northern campaign, today’s reading, Joshua 11. Surprisingly (to me), that coalition of armies doing battle with Israel today had gathered in the far north of the Promised Land, at the waters of Merom (Joshua 11:5, 7), northwest of the Sea of Galilee. You may recall from our reading of Luke’s Gospel that Samaria separated Galilee from Ephraim and Judah. So this coalition gathering in the far north showed the north-south extent of the Conquest of the Promised Land.

Finally, there is also a Phase Zero (if you will), Moses’ defeat of the two kings east of the Jordan – Sihon, the king of the Amorites (Joshua 12:2-3) and Og, the king of Bashan (Joshua 12:4-5). Two and one-half tribes (Reuben, Gad, and a half-tribe of Manasseh) settled there before Moses died. However, their warriors battled with Joshua and the Israelites in conquering the Promised Land.

Blessings!

Joshua 10

Dear RTB’ers,

He devoted to destruction every person in it; … none remaining. (v. 28; see also Joshua 10:30,33,36,39,40, ESV, translated as …no survivors… in the NASB). Complete destruction – buildings and people; save the animals for sacrifices and the gold and silver for worship materials. Inconceivable for our earthly minds. But God is God, we are not.

Blessings!

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See also: March 6 (2023) / Joshua 9-11

Joshua 9

Dear RTB’ers,

The Gibeonites. One key verse today; I’m sure it jumped off the page for all of you: So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. (v. 14) No doubt multiple thousands of sermons have been preached on this chapter and the Israelites’ mistake of not first seeking the Lord. And it’s a good caution. Yesterday I posted about making plans and seeing successes. What I did not say (I left it up to all of you) was that all of our plan-seeking needs to be submitted to the Lord. He alone, our Creator and Redeemer, knows what’s best for us, in what direction we should go.

So Joshua and the leaders did not seek the Lord. That doesn’t mean that they were cursed because of that failure. Many chapters down the road we will see that Israel pays the price for not seeking God. However, in the present instance, the Lord smiles on them with a good outcome: But Joshua made them that day cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, in the place that He should choose. (v. 27) We will see in II Chronicles 1 that the place that He should choose (for the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting prior to the building of the Temple in Jerusalem) was, in fact, Gibeon.

Blessings!

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See also: March 6 (2023) / Joshua 9-11

Joshua 8

Dear RTB’ers,

The battle for Ai – actually, not much of a battle!! After Ai’s defeat of Israel in yesterday’s reading, the people of Ai had gotten a bit overconfident – not knowing that their gods could not do serious battle with Israel’s God.

Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will give it into your hand. (v. 7) There are times when we make our plans, when we undertake our preparations, when we are confident of the result, and the outcome is as we had anticipated. Think back to a school exam or graduation or to a successful interview. You’ve made your plans, you’ve worked hard, and you’ve succeeded. Now, looking back, where was the Lord in all that? In the planning – where did you get the initial idea? In the preparation – how did you come by the necessary resources to adequately prepare? In the actual exam or interview – might God have acted on your mind on the exam or in the heart of the interviewer or in everything that led to your graduation? With or without your seeking Him, He was there! You “rose up” and you “seized the city”, but it was God who “gave it into your hand”. Again, as I’ve so often suggested, look back on your life and see God at work, whether you had invited Him or not! He was there!

Blessings!

Joshua 7

Dear RTB’ers,

Does today’s story surprise you? Everything has been going so well for the Israelites, and then: …about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them… (vv. 4-5a). One man violates the ban against taking anything of value, yesterday’s direct command from the Lord: But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD. (Joshua 6:18-19) I’m sure that hundreds of stewardship sermons have been preached on this story, with Achan’s materialism set up against his personal responsibility, how one man’s greed, one man’s covetousness affected an entire nation. Makes me wonder how my sin can have impacts far beyond my own personal space…

I had a question from one of you yesterday about the Israelites utterly destroying all of Jericho, including the men, women and children. I had no answer, other than it’s God’s call, His judgment, His responsibility. Today we find a similar fate for the household of Achan: And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah … and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. … And all Israel … burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. (vv. 24-25) Why the sons and daughters and all that he had? Again, God’s call, His judgment, His responsibility.

Blessings!

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See also: March 5 (2023) / Joshua 6-8

Joshua 5-6

Dear RTB’ers,

Two chapters today – preparation and conquest. The preparation was two-fold; the first was the circumcision of all adult males and the second was the celebration of the Passover. My Study Bible indicates that neither of these covenant activities had been celebrated since the Israelites had celebrated the Passover at Sinai. I cannot find Scriptural evidence for these claims, but they are not unreasonable.

As for the conquest of Jericho… This is an event that we find covered in every children’s Bible! I’ll leave it at that! The number “seven” is repeated fourteen times in this chapter, and fourteen, itself, is twice seven. Interesting.

Blessings!

Joshua 3-4

Dear RTB’ers,

Israel crossing the Jordan River. I was first going to re-tell the story a bit, but then thought to have the rest of you do that–finding all the differences between Israel’s Exodus crossing of the Red Sea and their crossing the Jordan River today. There are many. I’ll hope to hear from you before I post again much later in the day.

There appear to be two sets of twelve stones, one from stones carried from the river by men from each tribe and set up at Gilgal (Joshua 4:20) and a second pile set up by Joshua in the middle of the Jordan (Joshua 4:9). My Study Bible offered a second translation, “Then Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in…” that would argue for only one set of twelve stones. You decide…

I neglected to mention yesterday about the two-and-one-half tribes – Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Owing to the fact that they had much livestock, they had requested of Moses that they be allowed to remain east of the Jordan River. Moses granted their request, but required that they join the other tribes in conquering the Promised Land. So we see them today (actually, a portion of their numbers) crossing over in battle array (Joshua 4:12-13).

So, until later today…

Blessings!

Joshua 2

Dear RTB’ers,

Today’s key verse (Rahab speaking): … for the LORD your God, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. (v. 11b) Today’s reading is a good example of God at work in our lives – with His work done alongside our efforts. Consider man’s contribution: Joshua’s leadership, the spies’ activities, and Rahab’s deception. And God’s intervention: He led the spies to Rahab and He gave her a heart of faith in Him.

Joshua’s plan would have failed and the spies likely would have been executed had it not been for the Lord’s guiding the spies in Rahab’s direction and His gifting Rahab with active faith. However, Joshua did not sit idly by, waiting for the Lord to bring devastation on the Promised Land as He had on the Egyptians. Joshua acted, using his God-given wisdom and training. The spies went forward as directed, gathered the necessary information about the town and the people, and returned safely to Joshua. A plan was formed and the mission succeeded.

Before the advent of power steering, we used to say that it was easier to turn the steering wheel on a car in motion than on one that was still. Likewise, if we are waiting for God to act in our lives, He might act more quickly, moving us in one direction or the other if He sees that we are already at work. I can truthfully say that the Lord led me to the University of Maryland where I met my wife, Carol. However, there’s a lot of back-story leading up to that outcome – God at work in both our lives!

Blessings!