History – Joshua 16 – 20
January 24, 2009
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The division of the conquered land of Canaan to the tribes of Israel continues in today’s…
Bible Passage: Joshua 16 – 20
Last week we read that Judah, Rueben, Gad and half the tribe of Mannasseh had received their portion of the land.
Today, we see the rest of the land being distributed by lots. This map will give you a better idea of how the land was finally allocated:
12 Tribes of Israel
In Chapter 20, we read about the cities of refuge that God specifically told the children of Israel to set up.
Some things to think about:
Must We Follow 100%?
The Bible is filled with many examples of what happens to God’s people when they do not follow God’s instructions to the letter.
We know that Israel has been reminded time and time again that when they enter the land of Cannaan, they must utterly destroy all the inhabitants of that land.
We have read earlier that they have spared the Gibeonites because of a deceptive treaty. But here we read that the tribes of Ephraim and Mannasseh decided to leave some of the Canaanites around and used them as forced labour.
We know, with hindsight, that this compromise of the Israelites allowed their enemies in their midst to always lead them astray throughout history.
Do we do that sometimes? Very often? We know what God’s word is and what we ought to do. But we make compromises, justifying it with ‘benefits’ and ‘logical’ arguments. But these inevitably lead us down the slippery slope of destruction.
Are there areas in our life we should make our 90% to become 100%?
Joshua 18:3 – “How long will you neglect and go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?”
It is indeed strange to think that after conquering the land of Canaan that at this stage, seven tribes of Israel still did not receive their inheritance. They chose to do nothing!
What keeps you from claiming the promises of God? What is holding you back from doing what He wants you to do?
How long will you neglect to possess the land that God has given to you?
You know what it is. The question is now… what will you do?
Perhaps the Israelites felt pity for the Canaanites and Gibeonites, so they saved some lives. Here God is asking them to kill all the people, when in the Ten Commandments, it is stated that “thou shalt not kill”. How does one resolve this conflict?