J18-7: The Size Of Any Given Tribe’s Assigned Territory Was In Constant Flux

“So the men got up and went. Y’hoshua gave them this commission as they left to describe the land: ‘Go; walk through the land; and describe it; then come back to me, and I will cast lots for you here before Adonai in Shiloh.’  The men went and passed through the land, surveying it by cities, dividing it into seven regions and writing the results on a scroll. Then they came to Y’hoshua in the camp at Shiloh.   Y’hoshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Adonai, and there Y’hoshua divided the land among the people of Isra’el according to their regions.”-Joshua 18:8-10

Let’s get our bearings of where we’re at in our study of Joshua Chapter 18.

Recall that Joshua was sick and tired of waiting for the remaining 7 tribes to go up and claim their land inheritance.

So in order to accelerate the process, he ordered each tribe to send forth 3 men to go up and reconnoiter the areas they were to inherit as decided by a lot drawing Moses had overseen many years earlier.

These 21 men (7 tribes x 3 men) were to head on up to their yet unconquered but respectively assigned territories and record the existing cities, villages, important landmarks and any other geographical features that stood out.

When they returned, they were to report the results of their expedition to the leadership who would then in turn make decisions about about how much land would be assigned to which tribe based on their current population numbers.

Again, how was all of this decided?

It was decided the good ‘ole fashioned way by Joshua and the High Priest (Eleazar at this time) going before the Lord and casting lots.

Notice the phrase…

…”Y’hoshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Adonai“.

The phrase going “before Adonai” or “going before the Lord” Biblically speaking means that whatever event being described took place before the Tabernacle.

And here’s something interesting.

We’ll see this phrase in BOTH the “Old” and New Testaments.

One thing I want you to notice is how many times lots had been drawn up until now and just how much flexibility was exercised during this whole process depending on a variety conditions.

Contrary to the 10 Words of God, this process of assigning land to the tribes was NOT set in stone.

As we fast approach the end of the Book of Joshua and then once we jump into the Book of Judges, we’re going to see that the tribal territories were enlarged, reduced, moved and heck in some cases were just completely eradicated.

Because the size of a tribe’s territory was in constant flux, if we want to know where a given tribe’s land possessions stood, we have no choice but to examine the situation within a narrow snapshot of time…because as I just said, the situation was NOT static.

It was ever changing.