The last time we met, we talked about how the Joseph tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim were complaining about the land inheritance they had received and their lame attempts to explain why their assigned territory just wasn’t sufficient enough to meet their needs.
Well, as I said yesterday, their complaints were based on nothing but a bucket of dead cockroaches.
And I’m about to prove it by showing you the numbers.
When their total population is calculated, it comes to about 58,000 men who were eligible to fight in the army.
I’m aware that the last census taken showed Ephraim’s total was 32,500 and Manasseh’s total was 52,700.
However, keep in mind that about half of Manasseh received territory on the EAST side of the Jordan River.
So we’re only dealing with about half of Manasseh in these verses plus the whole tribe of Ephraim.
Do you know what this means homies?
It means that this other half of Manasseh combined with the entire population of Ephraim were smaller than Judah.
And come to think about it, at this point in Israel’s history, they were even smaller than the Tribe of Dan,
Point being folks is that the piece of real estate these descendants of Joseph received was whopping huge!
The area was at least as big as Judah’s territory and a heck of a lot larger than Dan’s territory.
And to top things off, the Jezreel Valley, which is the area we’re talking about here, was the most fertile land bar none anywhere in the entire Middle East even including outside of Canaan!
We’re talking about a huge plot of land with super rich soil going down at least several feet.
Let me give you an even better idea of just how fertile this region was.
If Ephraim and Manasseh put forth the necessary effort to drive out the Canaanites who were living there, they would have been able to feed all 12 tribes for decades to come and then some!!!
And I ain’t even kidding man!
However, as you can imagine, it is for this very same reason that the Canaanites weren’t about to be kicked out of this area so easily.
Again, understand I’m explaining all of this to demonstrate just how full of nonsense the request of the Joseph’s tribes was.
I get where they’re coming from though and I’ve been there myself.
It ain’t no picnic to drive out a people group who have been native inhabitants entrenched in a certain area for literally centuries.
Yet, that was the challenge facing the Joseph tribes and there was no skirting the issue.
As we can see, Joshua held his ground and basically told ’em…
…”If you think you’re so great and mighty, go drive out the Canaanites from the region EVEN IF they possess a bunch of iron chariots”.
The takeaway for today pretty much remains the same as yesterday.
God has reserved tremendous “fertile” treasures for YOU too in this life and the life after (which is way more important), so gosh darn it, stop making excuses and IN FAITH go out and get what the Lord has in store for you!
What in the heck are you waiting for?!
Yeah, metaphorically speaking, I know you might have to face a bunch “Canaanites with iron chariots” but so what!
The Lord has already promised you the victory.
So let’s do it!
Encouraging write up. No excuses, but do you not think some people need like a path guide? Sometimes the terrains we find ourselves can differ from one another. Some of us find ourselves in harsh and toxic terrain, our even very existence is threatened.
Hi Williams, Thanks for reading. Of course, people need a path guide. That’s why God has given us His word. However, in this particular case, based on Joshua’s response, it appears the Joseph tribes were a being both a bit haughty and lazy and Joshua called them on the carpet for that.