Josh 17.1-18 tells us about the lot (on the east side if the Jordan; a lot shows that this inheritance was from God) for Manasseh (to forget). He was the firstborn of Joseph (remember, the first born represents the flesh).
v 1…Now this was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the first-born of Joseph. To Machir the first-born of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, was allotted Gilead and Bashan because he was a man of war (To Machir (bought/bartered), the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, was allotted Gilead (heap of stones/witness) and Bashan (in the tooth, ivory). The believer was bought at Golgotha (heap of witness/stone) by the pure (ivory) word (tooth) of God)
v 2…So the lot was made for the rest of the sons of Manasseh according to their families: for the sons Abiezer and for the sons of Helek and for the sons Asriel and for the sons of Shechem and for the sons of Hepher and for the sons of Shemida; these were the male descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.
v 3…However Zelophedad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughter; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah (it says that Zelophedad (dark shadow) did not have any sons, only daughters. So they came before Eleazar the high priest and Joshua to plead for an inheritance, and they were given one among their fathers’ brothers. This is discussed here because it was unusual for women to receive an inheritance. In this case it was more important to have the land stay within the ancestral families than to follow custom. This was already decided upon with Moses back in Num 27.1-11).
In Josh 17.7-13 we have the boundaries of the western half of Manasseh and their incomplete defeat of the land. Ten portions (ten is the number of God’s government) to Manasseh, besides Gilead and Bashan. The border of Manasseh ran from Asher (happy) to Michmethath (place of hiding) which was east (direction away from God) of Shechem (shoulder), then went south (direction of faith) to En-tappuah (fountain of an apple, to breathe). The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah on the border belonged to Ephraim.
v 4…And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun and before the leaders,saying, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So according to the command of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers.
v 5…Thus there fell ten portions to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan (east side),
v 6…because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons. And the land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.
v 7…And the border of Manasseh ran from Asher to Michmethath which was east of Shechem; there the border went southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah.
v 8…The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the sons of Ephraim.
v 9…And the border went down to the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook, these cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh, and the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook and ended at the sea (Mediterranean).
v 10…The south side belonged to Ephraim and the north side to Manasseh, and the sea was their border, and they reached to Asher on the north and to Issachar on the east.
v 11…And in Issachar and in Asher, Manasseh had Beth-shean (house of quiet= believers can have peace-Phil 4.7) and its towns and Ibleam (he will swallow= reminds us that Satan can ruin us) and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor (habitation) and its towns, and the inhabitants of Endor (fountain of Dor) and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach (who answers you) and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo (he will afflict you) and its towns, the third Napheth (height).
v 12… But the sons Manasseh could not take possession of these cities because the Canaanite persisted in living in the land (Spiritually, the merchants and the traffickers will always hinder us in the congregations).
v 13..And it came about when Israel became strong they put the Canaanites to forced labor but they did not drive them out completely.
v 14…Then the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion for an inheritance, since I am a numerous people whom the Lord has thus far blessed (their portion was too small, they were numerous)?”
v 15…And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow or you (They are like believers today who want more spiritual territory without doing the work).
v 16…And the sons of Joseph said, “The hill country was not enough for us, and all the Canaanites in the valley land have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth-shean (house of quiet) and its towns, and those who are in the valley of Jezreel (God will sow-Spiritually, the traffickers in the faith are powerful as they rule but God will sow the good seed of peace and quiet-Psa 46.10).”
v 17…And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people and have great power, you shall not have one lot only (tells them that they will have another lot because they were too numerous and had great power. We will have our lot on earth, but we will have an additional lot in the Olam Haba),
v 18…but the hill country (mountain) will be yours. For though it is a forest, you shall clear it, and to its farthest borders, it shall be yours; for you will drive the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron and though they are strong (This alludes to the fact that the kingdom, seen as a mountain-Dan 2.35; Isa 2.2-4, shall be ours even though the spiritual traffickers and merchants rule now. They will be driven out of the kingdom when Yeshua comes -Zech 14.21; Rev 22.15).
Josh 18.1-28 tells us about the setting up of the Mishkan at Shiloh; that seven tribes had not received their inheritance; the lots that were cast for them and that land that was given to Benjamin, and the borders.
v 1…Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assemble themselves at Shiloh (the peaceful one; he who is to be sent-Gen 49.10), and set up the tent of meeting there, and the land was subdued before them (high places for worship were allowed and disallowed during the time Israel was in the land. Bamot, or high places, were permitted to be set up anywhere because the ark was not in the Mishkan at times. At Shiloh, the ark was set up in the Mishkan, so the bamot were not permitted. When the ark was in the Mishkan it was considered the “rest” of Deut 12.9. When the Mishkan was at Nob, the bamot were permitted because the ark was not there-1 Sam 4. When the Mishkan was at Gibeon the bamot were permitted because the ark was not there-1 Kings 3.1-4. Once Jerusalem was taken and the ark was brought there, it was seen as the “rest” of Deut 12.9 and the bamot were never allowed again, even if the ark was not there. Jerusalem was the “rest” of Deut 12.9-14).
v 2…And there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance.’
v 3…So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you.
v 4…Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe that I may send them,and that they may arise and walk through the land (the part that was yet to be dealt with and write a description of it according to their inheritance (seven parts and the inheritance of each depended on the lot), then they shall return to me (to give an account).
v 5…And they shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall stay in its territory on the south (where their lot fell), and the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north (of the tribe of Judah).
v 6…And you shall describe the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. And I will cast lots for you here, before the Lord our God (in Shilah at the Mishkan; it will be Yehovah who will assigns the portions according to his will and counsel).
v 7…For the Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh (see Num 32.33 notes) also have received their inheritance eastward beyond the Jordan, which Moses the servant of God gave them.”
v 8…Then the men arose and went and Joshua commanded those who went to describe the land, saying, “Go and walk through the land and describe it, and return to me; then I will casts lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.”
v 9…So the men went and passed through the land and described it by cities in seven divisions in a book (or maps); and they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.
v 10…And Joshua casts lots for them at Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land to the sons of Israel according to their divisions.
v 11…Now the lot of the tribe of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory of their lot lay between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph (Judah on the south and Joseph in the north; God’s will was to have Joseph and Benjamin together as they were the only brothers of Rachel and Jacob).
v 12…And their border on the northside was from the Jordan, then the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward, and it ended at the wilderness of Beth-even (house of vanity).
v 13…And from there the border continued to Luz, to the side of Luz, that is, Bethel, southward; and the border near the hill which lies on the south of lower Beth-horon.
v 14…And the border extended from there, and turned around on the westside southward, from the hill which lies before Beth-horon southward; and it ended at Kiriath-baal (city of Baal), that is Kiriath-jearim (city of forests), a city of the sons of Judah. This was the west side.
v 15…Then the southside waas from the edge of Kiriath-jearim and the border went westward and went to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah (spring of the opening).
v 16…And the border went down to the edge of the mountain (Moriah) which is in the valley of Ben-hinnom (this south border of Benjamin is the north border of Judah, and the same places are mentioned) which is in the valley of Rephaim northward; and it went down to the valley of HInnom, to the slope of the Jebusite (trodden down) southward (of Jerusalem) and went down to En-rogel (fountain or the traveler/pilgrim).
v 17…And it extended northward and went o En-shemesh (fountain of the sun) and went to Geliloth (circles) which is opposite the ascent of Adummim (root is “adam”) and it went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.
v 18…And it continued to the side in front of the Arabah northward and went down to the Arabah (the same as Beth-abarah-Josh 15.6.
v 19…And the border continued to the side of Beth-hoglah (house of the languished feast) northward; and the border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea at the south end of the Jordan. This was the south border.
v 20…Moreover, the Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families and according to its borders all around.
v 21…Now the cities of the tribe of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho and Beth-hoglah and Emek-keziz (valley of the cutting off),
v 22…and Beth-arabah (house of the desert) and Zemaraim (double holiness) and Bethel,
v 23…and Avvim (perverted) and Parah (heifer) and Ophrah (dustiness; fawn),
v 24…and Chepher-ammon (cover of Ammon) and Ophni (my darkness)and Geba (hill); twelve cities with their villages.
v 25…Gibeon (little hill) and Ramah (height) and Beceroth (first born/fruit)),
v 26…and Mizpeh (watchtower) and Chephirah (village, covered) and Mozah (unleavened; 4 miles NW of Jerusalem, possibly Emmaus),
v 27…and Rekem (embroidery) and Irpeel (God will heal) and Taralah (release the curse),
v 28…and Zelah (rib, side), Haeleph (thousand) and the Jebusite, that is, Jerusalem (inhabitants of Jerusalem were called this), Gibeah (hilly), Kiriath (city), fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families.
Leave a Reply