Joshua 14:1-15.  Sorry for the late posting of this, my internet was down all day today.  Yesterday I mentioned that Chapters 13-21 of Joshua describe the division of the promised land.  Chapter 13 remineded us that Moses had given land to 2½ tribes on the East side of the Jordan River.  If you followed chapter 13 closely you might have noticed that twice we were told that the tribe of Levi did not get any land (Joshua 13:14,33).  Those verses also explained why, God was their provider, they were to get a part of the offerings to God (See also “The Twelve?”).  Numbers often have symbolic meaning to different people.  The Jewish people seem to favor the number twelve as a number of human completeness.  Therefore they tried to keep things in lists of twelve.  To compensate for Levi not getting a piece of the land Joseph was divided into two parts, Manasseh and Ephraim.  This was by their grand-father, Jacob (Israel, see “What’s In A Name?”).  At that time he also blessed them both but he gave a greater blessing to the younger brother Ephraim (Genesis 48:1-20).  Jacob then went on the tell Joseph that one day he would return to the promised land and would receive the a double portion.  Of course that would happen over 400 years later though his descendants.

After blessing Joseph, Jacob turned to his other children and made prophetic statements about each of them (Genesis 49:1-27).  In Genesis 49:28 these statements are called blessings.  In Genesis 49:5-7 Levi and Simeon receive their “blessing” together.  It seems more like a curse though when Jacob tells them that their inheritance is to be scattered and disbursed in the land.  As we have seen Levi did not receive a territory.  Later we will see more detail about how this worked out.  Also Jacob’s blessing for Judah was generous (Genesis 49:8-12).  Overall many of the “blessings” given by Jacob find at least part of their fulfillment in the distribution of the land.  These divisions were not equal but they did seem to fit the particular families or tribes that received them.

As we will see Judah will be favored in the division of the land.  They will also be first to receive their part with a special member of the tribe, Caleb, receiving his first.  Today’s reading is about Caleb’s portion and he didn’t wait around for Joshua to get to him.  Caleb was one of two people from his generation allowed to enter the promised land, the other was Joshua.  They were tow of twelve spies went into the promised land when the Israelites first arrived 45 years earlier.   The other ten spies scared the people about taking the land.  Caleb and Joshua encouraged the people to take the land promised by God.  The people listened to the tem and got banished from the land.  In Numbers 14:24 God praised Caleb and promised the land to his descendants.  Moses also mentioned Caleb’s faithfulness in Deuteronomy 1:36 using almost the same words.  Finally here in Joshua 14:8 Caleb, using the same words, describes his faithfulness.  In verse 9 he adds the information that Moses had made a solemn promise to him about receiving the very land he had walked on.  We also find out at least part of why he is in such a hurry in verse 7, he was forty back in the day when he spied out the land, now it was forty-five years later.  That’s a long time to wait for a promise.  But he had remained fit both spiritually and physically (Joshua 14:11) and was ready to fight.  So he was given a city in the hill country of south central Israel.  Later in the book we will see that the city included surrounding villages and land.  The interesting part about this city was it’s name.  It was renamed Hebron when Caleb took it over  but it had benn called Kiriath-arba.  Kiraith means “city of” and Arba was the name of the greatest of the people known as Anakim.  As we saw in an earlier post these people were great and powerful and Anak was the best, but he was now match for a revved up Caleb especially with God behind him, and evidently Caleb always made sure God had his back.

It’s interesting that different people received different promises, different blessings, and as we will see different allotments.  But the blessings of Jacob seemed to fit who the people were.  And Caleb received a special promise because he was faithful.  It’s nice to know that God notices and that He cares.  It’s also cool that Caleb had conviction that God would reward his faithfulness.  God help me be faithful to you.  Help me stick up for you.  Help me be patient, waiting for your timing.  Let me be ready when you open the door.  Let me be like Caleb.

Joshua 13:24-23. Chapters 1-12 described the taking of the land promised to Israel’s descendants over four hundred years earlier.  Chapters 13-21 of Joshua tell of the division of the land.  In the first 12 chapters we saw God very active alongside of the Israelites as they took the land.  It has been very clear that God was the major player in those battles.  In fact very early on, at Ai, they learned the cost of fighting without God.  God will be active in this portion of the book too but in a different sort of way.  And people will also be involved.  In yesterday’s reading Joshua was told it was time to divide up the land.  He had been assigned this job by God before Moses died (Numbers 34:16-17).  There was still land that was not entirely conquered within the boundaries that were divided up but Joshua was getting old, those conquests would have to wait for the next generation.  Incidentally those people groups mentioned in Joshua 13:2-4 are not the same ones mentioned earlier in the book nor are they the same as the ones mentioned in Deuteronomy 7:1 (See the 3/5/12 post).  Those tribes mentioned earlier had been completely wiped out in the land (Except for the Gibeonites and Rahab’s family).  God was faithful but the work needed to go on.  We do not live in a static world.  In fact the Philistines did not really start coming to the land until 1200 BC.  The Philistines in Chapter 13 must have been some of the first.

As we saw earlier the battles had taken at least 5 years (3/9/12).  This is based on some statements made by Caleb in the next chapter.  In those statements Caleb mentions being 85 years old.  Many scholars assume that Joshua was about the same age as Caleb since they were both part of the original spies that Moses had sent into the land before Israel spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness.  Because of his conduct at that time Joshua, along with Caleb, was exempt and was not banished from the land.  Joshua would have to have been over twenty to be under that curse.  So he was at most 20 years younger than Caleb.  I think he was probably older though.

The events of chapters 13-21 seem to take place immediately after chapters 1-12 and that makes the most sense.  The conquest got them the right place and the next step would be to divide it up.  If too much time passed other people groups might repopulate and the battles would have to be re-fought.  As I mentioned above the Philistines were just starting to enter the land.  Later in the book of Judges we see that some of theses other people groups begin to reenter the land.  At the end of the chapters on the division of the land we are told that the people lived in the land, possessed it, and had rest.  That might lead us to believe that some time was passing.  Chapter 22, though, tells a story about the 2½ tribes from the eastern side of the Jordan River returning home.  It seems unlikely that the rest of the tribes were living in peace and those guys were hanging around for too long.  Chapter 23 begins with “after many days” so there may be some time there after the conquest and division before Joshua dies.  In Joshua 23:1 the exact same phrase is used to describe Joshua as is used in Joshua 13:1. Though. Chapter 23 begins Joshua’s final speeches to the Israelites before he died.  At the end of his two speeches he died at the age of 110 (Joshua 24:29).  Whether Joshua was 85 when he divided the land or older God wanted him to follow through an that assignment.

In the reading yesterday and today God is very specific about the land.  In today’s reading he gives details about the land on the eastern side of the Jordan River that was given to the 2½ tribes by Moses.  The details given here were not given in the Bible before this but we are told that this is what Moses did.  This sets the stage for Joshua.  Through out this book we see Joshua following in the footsteps of Moses.

I think that it is important to keep remembering that God is detail oriented.  He is closely involved in our lives.  Also it is important to remember that God is both faithful and consistent.  The leadership of Joshua was connected with the leadership of Moses.  We need to be very careful when people come along with a whole new way of doing things.  I know that Jesus upset many people in his day (and ours) but it really was consistent with the Old Testament (See “The Old Testament Connection”).  It’s nice to know that God is faithful and close and consistent.  God help me be comforted by your “sameness”. There should be no surprises.  You told us we can know we have eternal life (1 John 5:13).  Thank you for showing us the way and not changing it.  Thank you for your love and for eternity.