As much as we like to plan our lives, God’s unexpected adjustments tune things to the best outcome.
At long last, after 400 years, God’s promise to Abraham at Mamre was to be fulfilled: “But in the fourth generation they shall return here” (Gen 15:16). So we read, “These are the areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed as an inheritance” (Jos 14:1). This is the point where most commentators suggest the book moves from exciting to, well, less than exciting. But I don’t find that true at all. Historical geography is an area of Scripture that makes the Bible seem 3-D to me. I hope you find this true as well. So let’s begin. After a few introductory words that “their inheritance was by lot, as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes and the half-tribe” (v 2), we are again reminded of three exceptions or clarifications. We are told that Moses had already “given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe on the other side of the Jordan” and that the tribe of Levi was excluded (v 3), for the reason we have just discussed. However, the Levites did receive “cities to dwell in, with their common-lands for their livestock and their property” (v 4) within all 12 tribal territories. Also it is noted that Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, had received the double inheritance of the firstborn. How? “For the children of Joseph were two tribes: Manasseh and Ephraim” (v 4). These were Jacob’s grandsons, not his sons. By adopting them (whose mother was a Gentile, and Egyptian, no less), with Levi excluded, this restored the number of tribes to 12. So when life doesn’t seem to come out fairly, remember: it may take time, but eventually we’ll see that “As for God, His way is perfect” (Ps 18:30).