Joshua 13: Remaining Land to Be Conquered
1 Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed. 2 This is the land that yet remains: all the territory of the Philistines and all that of the Geshurites, 3 from Sihor, which is east of Egypt, as far as the border of Ekron northward (which is counted as Canaanite); the five lords of the Philistines—the Gazites, the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites; 4 from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians as far as Aphek, to the border of the Amorites; 5 the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath; 6 all the inhabitants of the mountains from Lebanon as far as the Brook Misrephoth, and all the Sidonians—them I will drive out from before the children of Israel; only divide it by lot to Israel as an inheritance, as I have commanded you. 7 Now therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”
"Thou art old [and] stricken in years, "thou hast not long to do; up therefore and be doing; work while it is yet day; the night of death cometh, when none can work." (Trapp)
This is the land that yet remains— “unconquered by thee, and to be conquered by the Israelites, if they behave themselves aright.” (Wesley)
“Divide what thou hast conquered, yea, that which is yet to be conquered, among the tribes; for all is theirs, unless they forget their charter. [1 Cor 3:22-23]” (Trapp Commentary)
All that remain- “them will I drive out before the children of Israel- “I will do it by my word; so the Chaldee here, as in many other places: by the eternal word, the captain of my host. But the promise of driving them out from before the children of Israel, supposes that the Israelites must use their own endeavours, must go up against them. If Israel, thro' sloth or cowardice let them alone, they are not likely to be driven out. We must go forth on our Christian warfare, and then God will go before us.” (Wesley)
"God had never promised Joshua that he should conquer the whole land of Canaan; but only, that he should bring his people into it, Deuteronomy 31:23 and divide its territories among them, ch. Joshua 1:6." (Coke)
“Them will I drive out from before the children of Israel, presently after thy death, if the Israelites do not hinder it by their unbelief or wickedness. Though they be now unconquered, yet divide them, partly, as a pledge to assure them of my help in conquering them after thy death; partly, to lay an obligation upon the Israelites to proceed in conquering work, and to bear witness against them in case they did not; and partly, as a wall of partition between them and the Canaanites, to prevent all agreements, contracts, and confederacies with them, to which God saw they began to incline.” (Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible)
This generation was faithful while Joshua yet lived, but they must finish the work- persevere to the end. They must remain faithful to the LORD of host- the Commander of the Lord’s army. “The Scriptures teach that all of the prophecies, covenants, promises, and threats found in the Scriptures are conditional whether or not a condition is stated; their fulfillment is contingent upon man's response to God's commands. Promises of blessing cannot be fulfilled to a disobedient nation or individual, and prophecies of punishment will not be fulfilled against the repentant. This principle is clearly stated in Jeremiah 18:7-10.
There are a number of examples of conditional prophecy in the Scriptures, as the following list illustrates. First we note instances in which promised doom was averted by repentance, then instances in which promised blessing was averted by wickedness.
· Jonah's prediction that Nineveh would be destroyed was not fulfilled (Jonah 3:4,10), even though his prophecy of doom was not qualified by any stated conditions.
· God's prophecies of Jerusalem's destruction in the days of Hezekiah were not fulfilled when the people repented (Jer. 26:18,19).
· Isaiah's prophecy that Hezekiah would soon die of his present sickness was not fulfilled (2 Kings 20:1-6).
· God promised through Elijah to punish Ahab, then relented when Ahab repented (1 Kings 21:17-29).
· Because of Eli's disobedience, God retracted His promise that his descendants would serve the Lord forever (1 Sam. 2:30).
· God's promise to bring the Israelites who came out of Egypt into the Promised Land (Ex. 6:8) was not fulfilled (Num. 14:30-34).
· Though God through Moses promised the Israelites they would never see the Egyptians again (Ex 14:13), He threatened to break that promise if they were disobedient (Deut. 28:58,68).
· Ezekiel 5 contains God's promise to destroy Jerusalem, which was fulfilled a few years later (586 B.C.). Here God promised never to repeat this terrible punishment (verses 9,10), but the same sort of destruction happened again in A.D. 70.
· God promised Aaron and his sons a perpetual priesthood that would last throughout their generations (Ex 40:15; Num. 25:13). Yet the Levitical priesthood was replaced with the Melchizedekian (Hebrews 7).
Conditionalism helps us to understand why many of the prophecies of the Old Testament, such as the description of the new Temple in the last nine chapters of Ezekiel, were never literally fulfilled. Some prophecies will never be literally fulfilled on earth because their fulfillment was conditional upon the Jews' remaining faithful in their covenant relationship with God. The promise that Israel would inherit the land of Canaan was clearly conditional on their obedience (Deut. 4:25-31; 11:13-17,22-28; 28:1-68; 29:22-30:10; 30:15-20; 31:16-29; Jeremiah 7; 17:24-27). Though they were God's chosen people, God threatened them with destruction for unfaithfulness (Deut. 8:19,20).
The New Testament teaches that literal Israel, as a nation, has been rejected by God. The nation finally sealed its fate when it crucified its promised King. Because the Jews rejected the Promiser, they lost the promises; because they rejected the King, they lost the kingdom. This is clearly stated in the allegorical parable of Israel's history in Matthew 21:33-43. According to verse 43, the kingdom of God was to be taken from the Jews and given to another ‘nation’—namely, the Christian church (1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6). Christ also foretold in two other parables the rejection of the Jewish nation as His people (Matt. 8:11,12; 22:1-14). ‘Your house,’ Christ said, "is left unto you desolate" (chap 23:38), and Paul said that God's wrath had finally come upon them (1 Thess. 2:16). Thus the promises to the Jews were nullified by their own apostasy.” (Tim Crosby)
Yet for that generation as well as this one, "even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2Cor 3:15-17)
Joshua 13: The Eastern Heirs
7 Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh, 8 With the other half-tribe the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses had given them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the Lord had given them: 9 from Aroer which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and the town that is in the midst of the ravine, and all the plain of Medeba as far as Dibon; 10 all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the border of the children of Ammon; 11 Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salcah; 12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants; for Moses had defeated and cast out these.
13 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.
14 Only to the tribe of Levi he had given no inheritance; the sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as He said to them.
15 AND MOSES HAD GIVEN to the tribe of the children of REUBEN an inheritance according to their families. 16 Their territory was from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the ravine, and all the plain by Medeba; 17 Heshbon and all its cities that are in the plain: Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, 18 Jahaza, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kirjathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the mountain of the valley, 20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth— 21 all the cities of the plain and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses had struck with the princes of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, who were princes of Sihon dwelling in the country. 22 The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, among those who were killed by them. 23 And the border of the children of Reuben was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben according to their families, the cities and their villages.
24 MOSES ALSO HAD GIVEN an inheritance to the tribe of GAD, to the children of Gad according to their families. 25 Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer, which is before Rabbah, 26 and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir, 27 and in the valley Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, with the Jordan as its border, as far as the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth, on the other side of the Jordan eastward. 28 This is the inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families, the cities and their villages.
29 MOSES ALSO HAD GIVEN an inheritance to half the tribe of MANASSEH; it was for half the tribe of the children of Manasseh according to their families: 30 Their territory was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair which are in Bashan, sixty cities; 31 half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, for half of the children of Machir according to their families.
32 These are the areas which Moses had distributed as an inheritance in the plains of Moab on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho eastward. 33 But to the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel was their inheritance, as He had said to them.
“In chapter 12, we saw a summary of Israel’s conquests that began with the taking of the lands east of the Jordan under Moses. Now, just before the partitioning of Canaan begins, the writer of Joshua recounts Moses’ division of the eastern lands for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. This account, like the summary of the conquest, shows the Israelites that God is using Joshua to complete what Moses began, thereby fulfilling His promises to His people.
These somewhat dry accounts of territorial boundaries are sprinkled with reminders of God’s goodness to Israel. The first allotment was to the tribe of Reuben; its territory generally stretched eastward from the northern half of the Dead Sea. Within that area, Israel had conquered Sihon king of the Amorites (Num. 21:21–24) and taken vengeance on the ‘princes of Midian’ (Num. 31:1–8; see also Num. 25). It was there, too, that Israel killed Balaam, who attempted to curse Israel but blessed it instead (Num. 22:1–24:25; 31:8). And Mount Pisgah, where Moses viewed the Promised Land before his death, was in this territory. The next allotment was for Gad; its land lay north of Reuben’s and stretched eastward from the Jordan between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. This was more of Sihon’s realm and encompassed Gilead, famous for its medicinal 'balms,' and Sharon, noted for its roses. Finally, north of Gad and to the east and northeast of the Sea of Galilee lay the inheritance of half the tribe of Manasseh. Part of this land was taken from Og (Num.21:33–35), and the Manassehites drove out other inhabitants (Num. 32:39–42).
Two other aspects of this passage bear mention. First, the tribe of Levi received no inheritance in the east. This was according to God’s design; the Levites were to have cities among all the tribes and were to receive portions of the people’s offerings for their maintenance (Josh. 13:14). Above all, God Himself would be their inheritance as they served Him in tabernacle and temple (Josh. 13:33). Second, the eastern tribes failed to drive certain enemies out of their territories (v. 13). We will see this same failure by the tribes settling in Canaan itself, but the indictment is particularly strong here in juxtaposition to God’s assurance of divine aid (v. 6). Sadly, it appears that the Israelites lost their zeal to carry out God’s command as they settled in their lands.
CORAM DEO— a Latin phrase translated ‘in the presence of God’ from Christian theology which summarizes the idea of Christians living in the presence of, under the authority of, and to the honor and glory of God.
David was of the tribe of Judah, but he sometimes speaks like a Levite, referring to God as his ‘portion’ or ‘inheritance’ (Psa. 16:5; 142:5). He wanted God more than land or treasure. We, too, should see God as our supreme treasure and count it our greatest blessing to possess Him and be possessed by Him.”
http://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/the-eastern-heirs/
The lesson might be that occupation of Canaan is not an indicator of being a faithful Israelite, but faith in the Lord and obedience to His Commandments is a gauge. Seekers must have the Levite Spirit of Coram Deo to be an Israelite indeed. The lessons at the tabernacle, and subsequently the temple, by the priests with the help of the Levites were designed to replicate beliefs by teaching and administration of the ordinance of the Old Testament, as directed by the Lord.
Concerning the land, each tribal parcel was determined "by lot (Joshua 13:6), as announced in Numbers 33:54, a system which accomplished two purposes: the prevention of partiality on the part of the leaders, and the acknowledgment of God’s rights in the disposal of His and not their property. The lot seems to have been used only in determining the general locality where a tribe should be settled, the actual extent of the settlement being otherwise determined (Numbers 26:54). The control of God in the whole matter is seen in that each tribe received the possession predicted by Jacob and also Moses (cf. Gen 49 and Deut 33)." (James Gray) “It may be proper to remark that it was wise to put these boundaries on record. In case of any misunderstanding or dispute arising about the exact limits of each district or property, an appeal could always be made to this authoritative document, and a full knowledge as well as grateful sense obtained of what they had received from God (Psalm 16:5, Psalm 16:6).” (Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown)