Tribal Inheritances

Back in Joshua for a bit....

When I was reading back in December about the Levites, so much jumped out at me.  In Ch. 14 when all the inheritances of land were being distributed, to the Levites, it read, "he gave no inheritance among them...And no portion was given to the Levites in the land, but only cities to dwell in, with their pasturelands for their livestock and their substance."

I wondered at the time that I first read that if the Levites ever questioned their inheritance.  They were really at the mercy of others giving honestly and appropriate amounts, not cheating or procrastinating, not unlike those in ministry today I suppose.  But, at the same time, God did give them cities to dwell in and pasturelands, just what they would need - a place to live and food to eat.  I looked around and realized I have a "city to dwell in", my house.  I have literal pasturelands for livestock!  We now have two freezers full of meat just recently slaughtered from off our land - food from heaven really.

Later, it says, "and the Lord was their portion."  God has to be enough.  They had to lean on Him for everything.

Other tribes received their inheritances, too.  I, again, wondered if any of them looked at what other tribes were getting and then go and think to themselves, "Uh, I don't think that was exactly a fair distribution of land?"  Sure enough, the people of Joseph went up to Joshua with some words....

"Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the Lord has blessed me?" (Ch. 17:14)

Allow me to give my version of the complaint, "What is going on here Lord?!  You asked me to trust you with the number of children I would have.  Now I have a lot of kids and I just don't feel like you are giving me what I need, when I need it and how much I think I need?  Don't you see the size of our family?!"

Joshua's answer is amazing, "If you are a numerous people, go up by yourselves to the forest, and there clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you."

Basically, he was saying, "Oh yeah?  Ok, well, if you are such a big family, then go over there!  We have options for you!  You just have to clear a forest with that big family of yours!"

But that didn't make Joseph's tribe very happy, "The hill country is not enough for us.  Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have chariots of iron...."

Excuses, excuses.  They complained.  Joshua gave them a solution.  They didn't like the work that was ahead of them and all they saw were big chariots of iron in their way.  So Joshua responded again,

"You are a numerous people and have great power.  You shall not have one allotment only, but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders.  For you shall drive out the Canaanites thou they have chariots of iron and though they are strong."

Again, my translation, "You told me you are a big family and you are, but that means you have great power!  I will give you what you need, but it is going to take your whole family to be on board and work hard together!  It'll be like clearing a whole forest, but you can do it!  And those chariots of iron won't be a problem.  You can drive them out!"

So, I sat there pondering what our family could do.  I asked God for a forest!  What can we clear?!  I thought it was such a great little side story in the whole book.  A large family wondering if they were going to be taken care of, yet looking back seeing that God had always blessed them.  Then, going to Joshua, just to make sure there hadn't been some mistake.  No.  They were given an extra inheritance, but it was going to require some work and a lot of faith.  I took away a great lesson that God does notice my large family.  He will give us what we need, but it might just take some work on our behalf.  I think we are willing to do whatever it takes!

Caleb, too, was an awesome example of faithfulness.  From the time he first went in with Joshua to spy out the land to the time of the inheritances being distributed, he waited faithfully, but finally he approached Joshua and said, "And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness.  And now, behold I am this day eighty-five years old.  I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming.  So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day ....." (ch.14:10-12)

That became my prayer for my husband, that he would remain strong and faithful like Caleb and that would sustain him.  He often wakes up in pain, perhaps some arthritis in his feet.  I long for him to be as strong at 85 as he was at 40!  I pray he would remain strong to fight this war against debt and for his going and coming.  Caleb was just one man.  Joshua was just one man.  We have only one leader in our family, too.  But he is enough and I pray that he will be able to continue to lead our family to the final victory.