The land distribution ends today with the faithful spy and leader Joshua receiving his land in the mountains of Ephraim. So all the land was distributed according to the lots assigned by the Lord in Shiloh at the door of the tabernacle. 

Then Joshua appoints the six cities of refuge: Kedesh, Shechem, Kirjath Arba, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan. “These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwelt among them, that whoever killed a person accidentally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation.”

Joshua also appoints forty-eight cities, which includes the six cities of refuge, for the Levites just as the Lord instructed Moses:

• 13 cities to the children of Aaron the priests
• 10 cities to the remaining Kohathites 
• 13 cities to the Gershonites 
• 12 cities to the Merarites 

The Levites are to maintain the cities of refuge and minister to the people as teachers, judges, and medical caregivers through the word of the Lord.

“So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.” 

Tomorrow’s reading concludes the Conquest Era as we hear Joshua’s final words to Israel, so keep reading! (Joshua 19:49-21:45, 1 Chronicles 6:54-81)

“Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them. But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance.” 

Shiloh was a city in the land of Ephraim. The presence of the Lord will rest in the tabernacle at Shiloh for over three hundred years until the Ark of the Covenant is taken in battle by the Philistines. Shiloh, meaning peace, was previously mentioned in this story when Jacob blessed Judah. “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people” (Genesis 49:10). This prophecy points toward kings to come. The Lord will make a covenant with King David, from the tribe of Judah, promising that the kingdom will not leave the Davidic line. The ultimate King, our Savior Jesus, will come from this lineage as the ultimate Shiloh because no geographical location could ever give the people the rest they needed. Only Jesus can meet the deepest longings of our hearts for peace and rest. When Jesus arrives on the scene, He will declare Himself to be the ultimate King – “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’” (Matthew 28:18). Jesus will also declare Himself to be the place where we find rest – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Until then, we have the presence of the Lord at Shiloh, where Joshua is dividing the land among the tribes of Israel – “Then Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.” The remaining seven tribes receive their land with the tribe of Simeon receiving land from Judah’s inheritance.

Tomorrow the Levites move into their towns, so keep reading. (Joshua 18:1-19:48)

Today we read about the towns allotted to the tribe of Judah. However, “As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.” 

The tribe of Ephraim, Joseph’s youngest son, is also allotted their land inheritance. “And they did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day and have become forced laborers.”

Lastly, the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s eldest son, receives their inheritance, including the daughters of Zelophehad as the Lord instructed back in Numbers 27. However, the tribe of Manasseh also failed to drive out the inhabitants of the land – “Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, but the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. And it happened, when the children of Israel grew strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.” 

We end the reading with Ephraim and Manasseh complaining to Joshua about not having enough land for all of their people. So Joshua tells them to go and fight for the land in the mountains and clear the land of the trees for their people and livestock to dwell. Joshua is telling them that they need to work for what they want. God doesn’t expect us to passively sit around expecting things to be given to us. The Lord desires His people to trust what He has said and live boldly obeying His word and walking in light of His promises. That’s why Joshua says to the children of Joseph, “You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.”

We see today that all three tribes, Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh, failed to drive the inhabitants out of the land. There will be repercussions to this disobedience. Tomorrow the remaining tribes receive their land inheritance. Keep reading to discover the influence the Canaanites, people steeped in sexual sin and idolatry, will have on the children of Israel. (Joshua 15:20-17:18)

Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh inherited the land east of the Jordan. “Nevertheless the children of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maachathites, but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.” Remember the Lord instructed the Israelites over and over again to drive the people out of the land and not to commingle with those walking outside the presence of the Lord. As with any other disobedience, there will be consequences to their failure to drive the people out of the land. 

The remaining nine and half tribes will inherit the land west of the Jordan. “For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe on the other side of the Jordan; but to the Levites he had given no inheritance among them. For the children of Joseph were two tribes: Manasseh and Ephraim. And they gave no part to the Levites in the land, except cities to dwell in, with their common-lands for their livestock and their property.” The Levites will be scattered amongst the tribes of Israel in order to minister to and serve the people.

The first to receive the land inheritance west of the Jordan is the faithful spy Caleb from the tribe of Judah. Caleb steps forward and requests to be given the land in Hebron where the descendants of Anak live. Remember when the twelve spies initially went to scout out the land they came back and ten of the twelve spies said, “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:33). Caleb, now eighty-five years old, is as strong as he was at the age of forty when he first scouted out the land, and he is just as faithful. Caleb is basically saying that this grasshopper is going to take down the Anakim because he trusts the Lord –  “Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.” And that he did! 

Then Caleb says, “He who attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife.” Othniel, Caleb’s nephew, conquers Kirjath Sepher and as a reward he is given Caleb’s daughter in marriage. Othniel will show up again later in the story in the Judges Era as Israel’s first judge. But first, the remaining tribes have to settle into the land, so keep reading. (Joshua 12:7-15:19)

When the king of Jerusalem hears of Israel’s defeat of Ai and Jericho and how the great city of Gibeon made peace with Israel, he conspires with four other kings, king of Hebron, king of Jarmuth, king of Lachish, and king of Eglon, to make war against Gibeon. The men of Gibeon ask Joshua for help since all the kings of the Amorites, descendants of Canaan, gathered against them. 

The Lord tells Joshua not to fear them because He has delivered them into the hand of Israel. “So the Lord routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon… And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.” Then Joshua asks the Lord to hold the sun and moon still until they have revenge on their enemies. “So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.”  God once again gives the Israelites victory in an unusual way and by His Mighty Hand!

After the victory, the Israelites go on to conquer the other southern cities – “All these kings and their land Joshua took at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.” Then the Israelites fought for the Northern Territory – “And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the children of Israel took as booty for themselves; but they struck every man with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they left none breathing. As the Lord had commanded Moses His servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses… So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war.” 

This excerpt from “Encountering the Old Testament” by Bill Arnold and Bryan Beyer provides further explanation for the conquest – “The Israelites had secured effective control of Canaan and the Transjordan. Although it seems these battles practically happened overnight, Canaan’s conquest actually required about six to seven years. Israel’s victory was really God’s victory, for God used Israel as his instrument to judge Canaan’s unbelieving people.” 

Tomorrow the children of Israel are allotted their land inheritance, so keep reading. (Joshua 10:1-12:6)

Today we see men making decisions based on sight instead of faith, which negatively impacts those around them. First is the story of Achan. After the huge victory of Jericho, the Israelites suffered defeat against puny Ai. Joshua tears his clothes, falls down at the altar, and blames the Lord. Little does Joshua know that the defeat was due to someone’s disobedience. However, the Lord knows because the Lord sees all, and He saw Achan take from the accursed things at the battle of Jericho. 

The Lord tells Joshua that they can not stand before their enemies because Israel has sinned and transgressed His covenant. He instructs the people to sanctify themselves, for in the morning He will identify the one who transgressed the covenant of the Lord and he shall be burned. 

The Lord singles out Achan, and when Joshua questions Achan, he responds saying, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.” So Achan made a decision based on sight and lust of the eye instead of faith and obedience to the Lord. The consequences of Achan’s disobedience are the deaths of thirty-six men in battle, the stoning of Achan’s entire family, and the impact on the entire community by stoning and burning of Achan, his entire family, and everything he possessed. A person’s choices always impact others either for good or bad. Achan, who grew up in the wilderness with the Lord, basically “in the church,” lacked faith, and it cost the lives of him and his family. In contrast, we saw yesterday how Rahab, an outsider harlot, showed such faith that it saved her and influenced her entire family to salvation.

After the disobedience is exposed and punished, the Lord gives the Israelites victory over Ai. Then Joshua renews the Lord’s covenant with the people and performs the ceremony on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal as the Lord instructed them in Deuteronomy 11 and 27 – “And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them.”

But then we discover that Joshua also makes a decision based on sight when the Gibeonites show up pretending to be from a far away country with moldy bread, old wine skins, and worn out clothing. Joshua and the leaders of Israel do not seek wisdom from the Lord and make a covenant with the Gibeonites. Remember that God already told the Israelites not to make covenants with the people around them (Exodus 23:32). Three days later Joshua finds out the Gibeonites deceived them and they are actually their neighbors. So Joshua makes them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and the altar of the Lord, which will have a long lasting impact on the Israelites.

We will see later in the story, in the Kingdom Era, King Saul is going to break the treaty with the Gibeonites, resulting in terrible consequences for Israel and the sons of Saul. But first, the Israelites still have to get settled into the promised land, so keep reading. (Joshua 7:1, 1 Chronicles 2:7, Joshua 7:2-9:27)

Today the Israelites prepare to cross the Jordan River. The Lord says to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” Then the Lord parts the waters of the Jordan so that the people of Israel can cross the Jordan on dry land, much like the miracle He did with Moses and the Red Sea, proving that the Lord is with the Israelites. After all the people cross the Jordan, the twelve tribes set up stones from the Jordan as a memorial to the children of Israel forever. Then Joshua makes a memorial in the midst of the Jordan with twelve stones where the priests stood as the Lord pushed the waters of the Jordan back to a town called Adam. When Joshua gathers the congregation he tells them, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan… that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” When the surrounding Amorites and Canaanites hear of the Lord drying up the Jordan for the Israelites to cross, “their heart melted; and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel.”

God has the Israelites reestablish His covenant ceremony of circumcision, for the males born in the wilderness had not been circumcised. Afterwards, the new generation of Israelites observe the Passover for the first time since they came out of Egypt, the manna ceases, and they eat the food of the land of Canaan.

Since the Israelites are about to engage in battle for the conquest of the land, the Commander of the army of the Lord appears to Joshua. As the Lord did with Moses at the burning bush, He instructs Joshua to take his sandal off because he is standing on holy ground. Joshua obeys the Lord and worships Him as did Moses. Then Joshua receives from the Lord some unusual instructions regarding the battle of Jericho that involve marching around the city, blowing trumpets, and shouting. This is not your typical attack plan, but the Lord is teaching His people that this battle is His, that the Israelites can’t rely on their own abilities, and that they must trust Him. 

Joshua orders that Rahab and anyone in her home be spared, and he tells the Israelites not to take the accursed things. They are to bring the silver, gold, bronze vessels, and iron to the treasury of the Lord because this is the Lord’s battle. So the Israelites take the city of Jericho, and Rahab’s family proves to share the same faith as Rahab as they chose to hide under her roof during the battle, resulting in the salvation of Rahab and her family. Rahab, the former harlot, will become the great great-grandmother of King David and ultimately a distant great-grandmother to the ultimate King, Jesus Christ. 

Tomorrow we discover that someone disobeyed God and took from the spoils of the battle of Jericho. Also, did you notice the last thing Joshua said today? – “Cursed be the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.” Surely no one will rebuild Jericho… or will they? Keep reading to find out. (Joshua 3:1-6:27)