Dividing the Land Chapters 13-19

Joel B. Curry, D.Min. P a g e | 1

Introduction

- Today we are going to do something we rarely do . . . cover 7 chapters in one session - The book of Joshua is primarily a historical account. - While there are valuable lessons to be learned and preached—obeying God, dependence on God, faith and miracles—not every page has on it a neat 3-point sermon on how to live. - This is true of chapters 13-19. There are valuable facts to notice about our relationship with our Lord on these pages, but these chapters are mostly the historical account of subduing and dividing up the land. - I am taking an overview approach, and we will stop occasionally to zero in on certain sections. - As chapter 13 opens, Israel has a good foothold in the land and controls parts of it. - There are still cities and regions to conquer, but the fears of the people in the land have been realized: Israel by now are a major force in the land. - Israel has won some major battles, but there is still much of the land to conquer to finish the task - That will be left up to each individual tribe within its own territory - And so the land is divided up among the Israelite tribes

Now in our overview of these chapters this evening I want you to notice several things:

1. Caleb’s faith and spiritual strength (14:6-15; 15:13-19)

There are a number of things that these verses teach us about Caleb as comes to receive his portion of the land.

A. He was an enthusiastic servant of God a. He was devoted b. Look at 14:8, 9, 14—Caleb himself testifies to his complete devotion to God. i. “Nevertheless, my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God” (8) ii. He is referring to the events recorded in Numbers 13-14 when he together with the other 11 spies were sent from Kadesh Barnea to survey the land of Canaan, when the Israelites first came to the borders of the land 40+ years before.

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iii. Most of the spies were discouraged, but Joshua and Caleb recommended that the Israelites press on and possess the land, trusting in the presence, the promises and the power of God to overthrow the inhabitants of the land regardless of how formidable they seemed to be. c. Others noticed his complete devotion. Look at v. 9. Joshua also makes note of it when he writes about Caleb’s portion of the land. (14) B. He had been a servant many, many years (10) a. Strong, healthy—having lived for more than 40 years among a hard-hearted, complaining people who had been afraid to take possession of the land 40+ years before They witnessed all of that unbelieving generation dying one by one while they lived on. b. At 85 Caleb was still following the Lord completely and enthusiastically. C. He looked ahead to serving God in the future despite his age (10) a. He did not think, “I’ve served my time and now I plan to rest.” b. It evidently did not dawn on him that he was too old to serve.

2. Manasseh: the tribe that compromised (Read 17:11-13) A. The tribe of Manasseh did not drive the Canaanites out, but allowed them to stay a. It is important to realize that God had commanded the Children of Israel to completely destroy the inhabitants of Canaan when they went in to possess the land b. They were not to make any peace treaties with them, and they were not to allow them to continue to live among them. (Read Exodus 23L31-33) God also warns the people in Exodus 34:11-16 and Deut 7:1- 6 c. God had warned them that any compromise with the inhabitants of Canaan would ultimately prove to be a snare to Israel. d. He warned them that if the inhabitants were not destroyed and were allowed to remain in the land, they would continue to practice idolatry and live immorally and that they would try to convert Israel to their way of life B. But the tribe of Manasseh was not able dislodge the Canannites from their cities a. The Bible doesn’t tell us why. But on several occasions God had made it clear that all the inhabitants were to be driven out of the land i. Perhaps it was lack of faith, maybe it was lack of commitment; we don’t know. But we do know they had the ability to drive out the inhabitants because God promised to defeat them

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ii. We do know that they did not deal with them in the way God ordered them. Even when they became strong (v.13), they did not drive them out but instead enslaved them. iii. It’s a case of choosing an easier path than obedience, or perhaps seizing the short-term advantage—free labor—rather than obeying God. iv. Manasseh is not the only tribe to compromise, however. In Judges 1:27-34, we read of other tribes that let the inhabitants remain in their territories—Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan. v. We also read in the book of Judges the repeated accusation of the Israelites just a couple of generations later . . . “So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs” (3:7) . . . And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord” (3:12), etc. b. That compromise, although it brought short-term advantages, in the long term proved to be disastrous for Israel i. The Israelites eventually intermarried with the Canaanites and quickly accepted the idolatry of the Canaanites into the worship of God ii. They began to adopt Canaanite moral standards and values and in time became thoroughly corrupt and sinful

3. Ephraim: the complaining tribe (Read 17:14-16) A. Manasseh and Ephraim were sons of Joseph and are sometimes called “half-tribes” and “the house of Joseph.” a. The people of Ephraim complained to Joshua because they were not satisfied with their share of the land. b. They may have thought he would give them preferential treatment because Joshua also was a descendant of Joseph c. But Joshua showed them no preferential treatment. i. Instead he pointed out that their discontent was unjustified: There was more than sufficient land in their allotment. ii. True they would have to work hard to get the best out of it. They would have to work to clear the forest and make it suitable for cultivating, but they could do that. iii. Still not content, they complained about the strength of the Canaanites who still occupied some of their territory (Read v, 16)

4. The selflessness of Joshua (19:49-50) A. Despite the fact that he was the God appointed leader of the people, Joshua was the last person to receive his allotment. a. There was a selflessness about his conduct.

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b. Yes he wanted his share, but he was happy enough to wait until he had sorted out all the details of the division of the land to all of the tribes first c. I imagine he was pretty tired of all the complaining and could have acted differently. But rom the account in Joshua chapters 13-19, we find Joshua, the leader of the people, setting the example of righteousness and unselfishness.