Faithfulness of God

The book of Joshua is divided into two main parts. The first part, chapters 1 through 12, tells about the conquest of the land of Canaan. And the second section, chapters 13 through 24, deals with the settlement of the land. As we come now to chapter 13, we are beginning the chapters that tell about the settlement. Now we would think, as we have studied these preceding chapters, that this war of conquest must have taken a relatively short time. Everything we read about seems to indicate speed. And yet, when we come to this chapter, we are aware immediately that there has been a considerable passage of time. The chapter begins by saying, “It was when Joshua was old now and well advanced in years that the Lord gave him instructions for the dividing of the land.”

So what you have in this first division of the land is an effort to settle the strongest peoples, the most numerous tribes on the frontiers of Canaan. It was only after Joshua had first fixed these people on the frontiers of the country that he proceeded to a survey of the land and the casting of the remainder of the lots, which determined how the land would go to the other people.

Once Joshua had made settlement of the frontier areas, he moved into the center of the land and began the second stage of the distribution, which we have in chapters 18 and 19. There are seven tribes remaining. Because Benjamin was a very small tribe, he gave Benjamin a relatively small territory. Ephraim was to the north, and Judah was to the south. And Benjamin is the tribe that filled in that little narrow area in between. But though a small area, it contained important cities. This was where Jericho had been located, as well as Ai, Bethel, and Gibeon. Jerusalem was just to the south of Benjamin, which meant that the people had easy access to the city, which went on to become a great capital of the country. Later on, Benjamin’s location to the tribe of Judah and Jerusalem was very important, spiritually speaking.

In the previous studies when we were looking at the battles in the south and the north, we took time to look at some of the great characteristics of Joshua. This is certainly a point where we can look at his character and say that if anything characterized this man in a complimentary way, it was certainly his faithfulness in duty to the very end. Even at his advanced age, Joshua was carrying out the duty God had assigned him. Here was a man who was given a task to do, and he did it. He kept at it year after year. He didn’t take his hands off and retire to his city until the task that had been assigned to him was completed.

And I ask the question, are you Christ’s? Are you His? Are you following Him? Is He really your Lord? Is He directing what you think, and how you act, and what you say? If that is not the case, you really can’t find a better example of what it means to follow Jesus in that way than this great example of the Old Testament general.