Go Take the Land!

In our studies last month, the Israelite tribes of Judah, Ephraim, and half of Manasseh become the first to receive portions of land within Canaan itself. Those distributions were made in Gilgal, Israel’s first camp in Canaan, on the bank of the Jordan. Now, however, with the land “subdued” before Israel, and with the Judahites, Ephraimites, and Manassehites presumably preparing to occupy their assigned territories, the national base of operations can become more permanent. Therefore, the entire nation comes together at Shiloh, in the heartland of Ephraim about 30 miles north of Jerusalem, to set up the tabernacle. It appears that Shiloh is chosen by God as the place where His name will abide (Deut. 12:11; see also Jer. 7:12). Just as the ark of the covenant had rested within the tabernacle at the center of the Israelites’ camp through all the years of their desert wandering, so it now comes to a permanent location near the center of the Land of Promise, where it will remain for about three hundred years. And all the Israelites who have not yet been given land set up camp near it.

However, these Israelites’ driving motive may not be pure devotion to God’s presence. The nation is at a point in its history when all its tribes should be settling the land and beginning to enjoy the inheritance God has given them. But seven tribes have not yet received land, and as Joshua’s words in verse 3 indicate, the blame lies largely with them. Matthew Henry surmises that “They were too well pleased with their present condition, liked well enough to live in a body together, [and] had no mind to be scattered abroad.” He adds that they also may be slothful, not wanting to take on the tasks of rebuilding cities, driving out the Canaanite remnants, and resettling their families. But God has brought them to Canaan to give them the land, and they need to press for their allotments while the Canaanites are subdued and move resolutely to settle them. To this end Joshua exhorts them.

To motivate the people, Joshua proposes that each remaining tribe select three men to help survey the unassigned portions of Canaan, divide the available land into seven parts, and report back so that Joshua might cast the lot to determine the tribal territories. This plan is carried out to the letter and Joshua casts the lot “before the LORD.” In other words, God assigns land to each tribe as He sees fit.