Introduction
A couple of weeks ago we studied Joshua 13 together, where our narrator told us how the land on the eastern side of the Jordan was allocated to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of Manasseh in accordance with what was agreed with them in the days of Moses. And from chapter 14 to chapter 19, which we’re focussing on this evening, our narrator tells us how the land on the western side of the Jordan was allocated among the remaining nine and a half tribes. So, I mentioned last time that a lot of other preachers take these chapters together in one go. And that seems a sensible approach to me, because all these names of cities and places don’t mean much to us. It meant a lot to the Israelites, because the narrator was listing their inheritance from the Lord. He’s describing where they will live and where they will settle down and make a living for themselves and their families. But these names don’t mean so much to us. And so, we’ll take these chapters together and see what we can learn from them about the Lord and our salvation.
14:1–5
Verses 1 to 5 of chapter 14 form the introduction. The narrator tells us in verse 1 that these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance in the land of Canaan. In other words, this is the land they received on the western side of the Jordan. By saying they received the land as an inheritance, the narrator is making clear that this is the Lord’s gift to them which they’re to pass down from one generation to another. And the process to allocate the land to each tribe was overseen by Eleazar the priest and by Joshua and by other leaders. According to Numbers 34, there were ten of these leaders, one taken from each of the nine and a half tribes. And these men oversaw the allocation of the land. But which tribe received which land was determined by lot. Do you see that in verse 2? That means it was determined by the Lord, who controls the outcome of the lot. God decided which land went to which tribe.
And just in case we’ve forgotten, the narrator reminds us once again in verse 3 that two and a half tribes have already received land on the other side of the Jordan and that the tribe of Levi was not given any land, because the Levites were to make their living from serving the Lord in the tabernacle and temple and not by working the land as farmers.
14:6–19:51
The allocation of the land, which is described from verse 6 of chapter 14 to the end of chapter 19, is bookended with two individuals. It starts with Caleb and it ends with Joshua. Caleb and Joshua were among the men who were sent out by Moses to spy out the land of Canaan over forty years before. Most of the spies returned and reported that there’s no way the Israelites would be able to take the land, because the Canaanites were too powerful. Only Caleb and Joshua trusted the word of the Lord who promised that he would give them the land. The people listened to the other spies and turned back. But because Caleb and Joshua trusted the Lord and believed his word, they are now rewarded with an inheritance of their own in the Promised Land. So, men from the tribe of Judah, which was Caleb’s tribe, approached Joshua on his behalf. And Caleb himself was there and reminded Joshua of what happened all those years ago. And in verse 12 he asked Joshua to give him the hill country that the Lord promised him at that time. And according to verse 13 Joshua gave him the city of Hebron as his inheritance. Hebron is located on the highest peak in the area assigned to the tribe of Judah.
In chapter 15 we read about the land assigned to the tribe of Judah. Judah comes first and is given the largest territory presumably because of the special blessing Judah received back in Genesis 49, when Jacob blessed his twelve sons. At that time, Jacob said that Judah will rule over his brothers. And so, Judah will be first among the other tribes. And as first among the others, he received the first inheritance.
Then in chapters 16 and 17 we read about the land allocated to the sons of Joseph. That is, to the tribe of Ephraim and to the rest of the tribe of Manasseh. And the narrator lists for us the land allocated to Ephraim and then the land allocated to Manasseh. Verses 3 to 7 of chapter 17 are about the daughters of Zelophehad. Back in Numbers 27 we read how this man died, leaving only daughters. At that time his daughters asked Moses if they could received his inheritance so that his name was not blotted out from Israel. Normally only sons could inherit the land. Moses consulted the Lord and agreed to their request. And so, in these verses we hear about the land they received.
And in verse 14 of chapter 17 we read how the people from Ephraim and Manasseh complained that they received only one allotment of land. In other words, in the distribution of land, they were treated as one tribe and not two tribes. They wanted more for themselves, because, they said, they are a numerous people. Joshua responded by saying that if they are a numerous people, then they can clear more land for themselves which was currently a forest and which was still under the control of some of the Canaanites. It seems, though, that the people of Ephraim and Manasseh are afraid of the Canaanites. They say about them that they have iron chariots. But Joshua will not listen to their worries. He says they are numerous and they are very powerful and they can surely drive the Canaanites out of the land. And the reason Joshua is so confident, of course, is because of the Lord’s promise: He promised to give the land to his people and to help them drive away their enemies.
In verse 1 of chapter 18 we read that the whole assembly gathered at Shiloh, which was to become the place of worship for the Israelites for the time being. And it says in verse 2 that there were still seven tribes who had not received their inheritance. And in verse 3 Joshua rebukes them for not taking possession of it. He then commanded them to appoint three men from each of the seven tribes to survey the land. Once they had done that, he will cast lots to see how the land should be distributed among them. And we read how the men went and mapped out the land and returned to Joshua. And in the following verses we read how the land was allocated to Benjamin and to Simeon and to Zebulun and to Issachar and to Asher and to Naphtali and to Dan. And so, all the tribes received their inheritance from the Lord.
In verse 49 of chapter 19 we read that the Israelites gave land to Joshua as his inheritance among them. And the whole section ends with a summary in verse 51: ‘These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the hands of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. And so they finished dividing the land.’
God always keeps his promises
What can we learn from these chapters? First, we learn that, though the Lord may take his time, he always keeps his promises.
Way back in Genesis 12, the Lord commanded Abraham to leave his father’s household and go to the land he will show him, where God will bless him. Abraham believed and obeyed and went. And in Genesis 13 the Lord told Abraham to lift up his eyes and to look north and south and east and west. All the land that he sees God will give to him and his offspring. And though Abraham’s descendants lived in Egypt for 400 years, the Lord brought them out of Egypt and through the wilderness and into the Promised Land just as he said he would. He enabled them to overcome the Canaanites and to settle in the land. And so, he kept his promise to them.
And he has promised to bring us to perfection in his presence in the life to come. And though we have to wait for it, and though we are often frustrated by our imperfections and sins and shortcomings, we can count on the Lord to do what he has promised and to bring us to the Promised Land of Eternal Life, where we will be freed completely from sin and where we’ll be made perfectly holy and happy for ever. Of this we can be sure, because God always keeps his promises.
God gives an abundant inheritance
So, God keeps his promises. Two, God gives his people an abundant inheritance.
He gave the Israelites an abundant inheritance, because he gave them life in the Promised Land, which was that Eden-like land, flowing with milk and honey. In other words, they would have everything they needed. And each tribe received enough land for all of them and he richly blessed them with sunshine and rain so that their crops grew and they had plenty of good things to eat and to enjoy. Though the sons of Joseph complained that their inheritance was too small, their complaint was unfounded, because they received a large enough inheritance if only they had the faith to believe that God would help them drive away the remaining Canaanites and clear away the forest.
And God is always good to us. He has promised us everlasting life and happiness in his presence in the life to come. And even in this life, he gives us a foretaste of the glory that will be ours in the life to come, because already in this life he gives us a sense of his overflowing love to us and he gives us peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Spirit and the hope of glory. And when we die, he makes our souls perfect in holiness and he’ll receive us into his wonderful presence to await the resurrection of our bodies. And at the resurrection, he will raise our bodies in power and reunite them with our souls. And in body and soul we will behold the glory of God and we’ll rejoice in his love for us for ever. The Lord is not stingy. He loves us with an abounding love and he pours out his blessings upon us in this life and the next.
Canaan only a foretaste
So, God keeps his promises. And God gives his people an abundant inheritance. And third, life in the land of Canaan was only a foretaste of what God has in store for his people. It was only a foretaste and not the reality.
We know life in the land of Canaan was only a foretaste, because life in the land of Canaan was not yet perfect. In 15:63 there’s the little note that Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites who were living in Jerusalem. And in 16:10 there’s a little note that the sons of Joseph did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer. And in 17:12+13 it says that they did not drive out the Canaanites completely. In other words, while they were able to take over most of the land, there were still places that belonged to the Canaanites. And we know from the book of Judges how those Canaanites made their lives miserable, because they continued to attack the Israelites. So, instead of living in perfect peace and rest, the people were often afraid and under attack from enemies. And the Canaanites were a snare to them, because the Israelites were often tempted to bow down and worship the gods of the Canaanites instead of worshipping the one, true and living God. And so, life in the land of Canaan was not perfect. And many years later, because of their persistent sin and unbelief, the Israelites were driven from the land of Canaan and into exile.
So, life in the land of Canaan was only a foretaste and not the reality. But the Lord Jesus is even now preparing the reality for his people. And when the time is right, he will return to gather his people from every generation to bring us to to our eternal home, in our Father’s heavenly house, where we will dwell with our God for ever and for ever. And there we will be for ever freed from sin and there will be no one to tempt us to do evil. And we will never have to leave.
That’s the great hope that God gives to us, of which life in the land of Canaan was only a foretaste. That’s the great hope that God gives to us and we receive it through faith in the Lord Jesus, who died to bring us to God.
