“The border of the descendants of Efrayim according to their families was as follows: the eastern border of their inheritance began at ‘Atrot-Adar and went to Upper Beit-Horon; then the border extended westward, with Mikhm’tat on the north; next the border turned eastward to Ta’anat-Shiloh and passed by it to the east of Yanochah; then it went down from Yanochah to ‘Atarot, went to Na‘arah, extended to Yericho and ended at the Yarden.”-Joshua 16:5-8
In the first 5 verses of Joshua Chapter 5, we were given the territorial boundaries that define all the property the Joseph tribe was to receive.
However, now from verse 5, we’re being shown how the land was divided up between the 2 Joseph tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh.
Since Ephraim was given the firstborn rights (in spite of being the younger son), we’re given his boundary information first.
The most interesting tidbit we’re given is the following:
“They did not drive out the Kena‘ani living in Gezer, so the Kena‘ani live together with Efrayim to this day, having become slaves to do the heavy work.”
So it seems like the Ephraimites were unable to completely drive out the Canaanites from an area called Gezer, so they settled for a compromise.
What was that compromise?
The compromise was the Canaanites could stay in Gezer but they had to work the land as serfs.
This is actually a common story we’ll see playing out over and over again throughout the Scriptures.
A tribe of Israel will receive their land inheritance but because they were unable to completely conquer their allotted territory (or it was just too much of a pain in the neck to do so), they decided to settle for a compromise with the enemy people they were supposed to drive out of the land.
However, this was NOT the Lord’s Will.
Just as the word “coincidence” is NOT in the Lord’s vocabulary, the same could be said for the word “compromise” .
To compromise is something only human beings do.
It is neither a Biblical ideal nor concept.
Biblically speaking, there ain’t no such thing as some kind of middle ground between doing what is right and committing a sin.
In other words, there ain’t no type of middle ground between obedience and disobedience.
Compromise was a sin back then as it is now.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
So, because you are lukewarm-
-neither hot nor cold–
-I am about to spit you
out of my mouth.
-Revelation 3:16
“Be perfect, therefore,
as your heavenly Father
is perfect.”
-Matthew 5:48
NEXT TIME WE BEGIN JOSHUA CHAPTER 17
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