There were seven tribes which had not received an inheritance. The priesthood was the Levites’ inheritance. Hebron was Caleb’s inheritance or Judah’s. Two and a half tribes received their inheritance on the other side of the Jordan River. So, Joshua told his men to describe/divide the land into seven parts (18:6) so he could cast lots before the Lord their God (18:7) and give each tribe their portion. Verse nine tells us that seven portions were recorded in a book, and Joshua began to cast lots before the Lord and divide the land. Now that we all have a clear understanding of what the ‘casting of lots’ was and means (see the previous blog post), we can examine the 25 times Joshua uses this exercise. Amen? I thought so!

The first one is in 18:11 with the tribe of Benjamin and his border, which went from Judah to Joseph and from the Jordan to Jericho and descended to the stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben, including 14 cities, one of which was Jerusalem. The second lot came out to Simeon whose inheritance fell into Judah’s because they had too much, so Simeon got Ziklag, Rimmon, Ether, Ashan, four cities and their villages, and Ramah in the Negev. The third lot fell to Zebulun in verse 10, and to the east they got Bethlehem and 12 cities with their villages. The fourth lot fell to Issachar, whose border went toward Jezreel and reached Bethshemesh. Its end was at the Jordan with 16 cities and their villages. The fifth lot fell to Asher westward to Mt. Carmel to Zebulun, to Tyre, to Aphek and Rehob, including 22 cities with their villages. The sixth lot fell to Naphtali. Their border was from Adami-nekeb and Jabneel to Zebulun, to Asher on the west, to Judah on the sun rising, plus 19 fortified cities with their villages. The seventh lot fell to the tribe of Dan, from the border of Zorah and Joppa, and they fought against Leshem and took it, naming it Dan!

When they finished dividing the land, the children of Israel gave Joshua an inheritance according to the word of the Lord. They gave him the city of which he asked, ‘Tim-nath-se-rah’ in Mount Ephraim. He built the city and dwelt in it! After that, he assigned ‘cities of refuge’ where a person who killed another person ‘without premeditation and unintentionally’ may flee to for protection. Joshua 20:3 states that “they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.” In Deut. 35:6-34, the general command is given to set aside six cities of refuge; three on each side of the Jordan River. In Deut. 4:41-43, Moses sets aside three cities east of the Jordan (Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan). Joshua 20:7 tells of the assignment of three more cities west of the Jordan (Kedesh, Shechem, and Kiriath-arba). So, this made six cities of refuge for the children of Israel and for the stranger (S #1616 – gur – to turn aside from the road, to lodge for any purpose – Jew or non-Jew). The city of refuge is for anyone in Israel to seek protection who killed someone without malice, hatred, anger or premeditation until the High Priest died. So, the cities of refuge are set!

Joshua 21:1, a key verse here says, “Then came near the heads (S#7218 – ros – chief, rulers) of the fathers (S#H1 – Abi – fathers, papas) of the Levites (S#3881 – Leviyiy – descendant of Levi, son of Jacob) unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua (S#3091 – Yehoshua – Yehovah saves) the son of Nun (S#5126 – resprout, be perpetuated, perpetuity) and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes (S#4294 – matteh – branch, extending, tribe, rod, staff) of the children (S#1121 – ben – a son, as a builder of the family name) of Israel (S#3478 – yisra’el – he will rule as God; a symbolic name of Jacob; also typical of his posterity; Israel).”

So, Joshua now uses the lots (gorels) one last time, or should I say seven times, to give the Levites cities to live in and pasture lands for their cattle to graze in (v. 4, v. 4, v. 5, v. 6, v. 8, v. 10, v. 20, v. 40). The first lot gave the Kohathites priestly families 13 cities and pasture lands from Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. The second lot gave the families of Kohath 10 cities and pasture lands from Ephraim, Dan and Manasseh. The third lot gave the families of Gershon 13 cities and pasture lands form the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and a half tribe of Manasseh. The fourth lot gave the children of Merari and their families 12 cities and pasture lands from Reuben, Gad and Zebulun. The fifth lot went to the Levites with their pasture lands with the first lot and all their pasture lands for a total of 13 cities and their pasture lands. I could go on naming tribes and cities or you could read it for yourself in Joshua 20-21. Forty-eight cities and pasture lands, nine and a half tribes on the east of the Jordan and two and a half on the west of the Jordan.

However, Joshua 21:45 is the key verse here. “There failed not ought or nothing of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.” And it still is coming to pass! They are a blessed nation and God says, “They that bless Israel, He will bless, and they that curse Israel, He will curse!”

God called us into the ministry in May of 1976, while running radar as a police officer in CT, reading John chapter six. I went home and woke up my wife, Ann, who was 8 months pregnant with Becky, and we had an 18 month old son, Roger, whose adoption papers hadn’t come in yet. We sold everything we could, packed a U-Haul and moved to Chicago three month later with a  newborn, a 2 year old and $2,200, along with God’s promise! Now, here we are almost 50 years later, four children, 20 years in the pastorate and evangelism and 30 years in Jewish missions. Joshua 21:45 is as real to us as it was to Joshua and Caleb. Can you trust His promises in His Holy Book? Is water wet? Is ice cold? Does fire burn? Of course you can trust His promises. You can take them to the bank! God keeps His promises!!  ALL of them! Read His book and make a list of them. You will be glad you did!

I’ll see you next time ‘between the lines’ for a ‘worm’s eye view’ of the ‘two and a half tribes’ that came over to fight with their brethren so they could have their inheritance in Joshua 22:1-9. However, Joshua commands them to keep and diligently heed the commandments and the law “which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.” We will look at this verse more closely next time through a ‘worm’s eye point of view.’

Toda Raba!

Roger T. Boguski

piercedhandpublications@gmail.com