Read: Josh. 16-18
If you look at a map depicting the land that the tribes inherited you will notice right off that Manasseh and Judah have the largest areas of land. Manasseh has land on both sides of the Jordan and several key mountains are in Manasseh. Mount Hermon is at the very top of their land where Jesus took his disciples to pray and was transfigured before them. Mount Carmel is part of Manasseh where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal. Also the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim are in Manasseh where the tribes read the blessings and the curses to one another. Judah had prophesied that Manasseh would be greater than Ephraim and he was. But, as great in number as Manasseh was they were afraid of the Canaanites and didn’t drive them completely out. When the leaders of Ephraim came to Joshua to complain that they land was too small, Joshua didn’t favor them because it was his tribe, but told them they could fight for more land if they wanted it. All they had to do was finish their job. They didn’t because they thought the Canaanites were too strong for them.
Joshua set up the tabernacle in Shiloah in Ephraim. Seven of the tribes hadn’t received their inheritance so their job was to survey the land and bring it back to Joshua so he could make the decision. The way he did it was to cast lots and let God decide which land was whose. Benjamin got the first lot. He got the land that they first came to when they crossed over the Jordan: Jericho, Ai, and Gibeon.
Lord, help us to not be afraid of the enemy no matter how large he seems.
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