RPG Adults
JOSHUA BEGAN SUB-DIVIDING THE LAND
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22
Joshua 13
Proverbs 9:1-10
“Give instruction to a wise man,
and he will be yet wiser…”
JOSHUA BEGAN SUB-DIVIDING THE LAND
It took time for Joshua to divide the land amongst all the tribes. God guided him in every detail. He had to settle the nine-and-a-half tribes in the land of Canaan west of Jordan. Though the Levites were not given inheritance, it was still the responsibility of Joshua to see to it that their welfare was taken care of. God spelled out the boundaries of the land that was yet to be acquired and the names of those cities. Much of this was on the coastal strip towards the Great Sea.
God told Joshua that He was going to drive out the inhabitants of those cities from before the children of Israel. One significant factor in the conquest of this remaining land is observed. God did not command Joshua to use military power to chase away those inhabitants. How God got these people out of the land is left to one’s imagination. One thing is clear: God has all the resources and it was not a problem for Him to get those people out of the land. Joshua’s task was to subdivide the land amongst the tribes of Israel.
The full picture of the land that God had given to Israel begins from the land east of Jordan that Moses had already given to the two-and-a-half tribes of Israel. The house of Levi became the thirteenth tribe of Israel, but this tribe was not counted. Since they had a spiritual duty among all the tribes, they were in a way assimilated into the rest of Israel, though they remained a distinct tribe. This tribe was not counted as a separate tribe, but they were scattered among all tribes by virtue of their duty. God used Jacob’s adoption of the two sons of Joseph to make up the number. The house of Joseph thus contributed the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.
THOUGHT: The wisdom that God gives is an asset to any leader.
PRAYER: Father, may Thy wisdom be a mainstay in my duties to Thee.