Joshua 13-22 describe the distribution of the land to the tribes. We will make just a few comments. The section is best read with a map of the twelve tribes close by.
· 13:1: Joshua was well advanced in years when
the distribution took place.
·
13:14: It
is repeated, that the Levites received no land, God was their inheritance
(13:14, 33; 14:3-5)
· Hebron Study
o
14:10:
Caleb, from year 2 of wanderings until the day he was given Hebron as an
inheritance was 45 years. Thus at 7
years in the land, the South and North conquest was done and the giving out of
the land began.
o
14:12:
Hebron given to Caleb because it was the “epitome” of how the 10 spies
described the land and the reason the people would not go in – Num. 13:30-33. By the grace of God, Caleb took that scary land
and settled it.
o
21:13: So
Hebron was a great city. 1) It belonged to Caleb. 2) It was a City of Refuge.
3) And it was a city of Kohathites.
·
17:14-18: Typical! “We are great; give us more.” “Ok, take this section.” “No, it’s too hard, we can’t." “I thought you
were great. The LORD you credit with blessing you can be trusted to help you
settle this land.”
·
I love Mt. Tabor. Our first day in Israel we drove from Tel Aviv
to Tiberius and in the dark we could see we were passing an impressive mountain
on our left. Turns out it was Tabor,
which while not particularly high, the way it just rises out of the Valley of
Jezreel is impressive. The next day, as
we drove toward Haifa, we saw the mountain and decided to take a little
side-trip up to the top. Along the way,
on the west side, there were hang-gliders using a pull-out as a jumping off
spot. There were at least a dozen
already in the air when we stopped to watch.
Tabor is the traditional site of the Transfiguration, although many
students of the Bible consider that event to have happened somewhere on Mt.
Hermon. Tabor is a significant landmark
as you see in the following, how it helps define the territory of three tribes.
o
19:12: Zebulon has Chisloth Tabor, the flanks
(slopes) of Tabor (the west side of the mountain).
o
19:22: Issachar has Tabor itself.
o
19:34: Naphtali has Aznoth Tabor, the peaks of
Tabor or flats of Tabor (the east side).
·
21:4: The Kohathites were in the 3 tribes
closest to Jerusalem. This makes good
sense since they were the priestly family of Levi.
· Ch. 22: The story of the eastern tribes returning home is a good one. It shows the love for God both in the leaders who want to check out the situation as well as the love for God on the part of the two and a half tribes. There is a place called “Argamon” down in the Jordan Rift, east of Shechem, that some believe to be the place where Israel was camped at the time this happened. They believe they found the remnants of the memorial the tribes had built. In fact, these folks have erected a facsimile of that tower.
What catches my attention are the verbs that are laid on the eastern tribes in 22:5. These verbs describe what is to be the “ongoing” lifestyle of Israel. Heed/love/walk/keep/hold fast/serve! This works for us as well!
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| Mt. Tabor |
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| Hang-gliding off Tabor, overlooking the Valley of Jezreel. |
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