Joshua 18:1-10--Allotment of the Remaining Land

Joshua 18:1-10
English Standard Version

Allotment of the Remaining Land
18 Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.

2 There remained among the people of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned. 3 So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you? 4 Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may set out and go up and down the land. They shall write a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then come to me. 5 They shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall continue in his territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall continue in their territory on the north. 6 And you shall describe the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God. 7 The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the LORD is their heritage. And Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.”

8 So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, “Go up and down in the land and write a description and return to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh.” 9 So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, 10 and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD. And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, to each his portion.

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Everything we've read so far were allotments that got made first because of those tribes either being promised something special by Moses or because that tribe held a special, privileged position--Judah had the birthright among his brothers because the kings and ultimately the King of Kings would come from that line, and Joseph received the blessing for the double-portion from Israel and all of Israel treated Ephraim and Manasseh well because of the injustice done to Joseph and how well Joseph had cared for them in return.  Levi will also receive a special allotment later according to the Cities of Refuge, but not at this time though it has been mentioned so that we know that they too have a special position among the tribes of Israel, even though they did not inherit any land of their own.

Now it comes time for the allotment of the remaining land that was not apportioned to Reuben, Gad, Manasseh, Judah, or Ephraim.  This leaves seven of the twelve tribes left to receive their inheritance by what we would call lottery, but notice this was no ordinary lottery.  We start off talking about how they set up the Tent of Meeting, that is the Tabernacle, so that the High Priest could go into the presence of the LORD and ask His will in this matter for it would be God's election in this matter.

Joshua's first instruction here is that each tribe should provide three men to be surveyors.  These men should divide the remaining Land into seven equal portions by what they thought to be fair division so that anyone who received any one of the remaining pieces would be pleased.  Judah was established as the leader in the South and Ephraim and West Manasseh (the house of Joseph) as the leaders in the North.  The Levites would receive no inheritance of the Land, and those in the Trans-Jordan area (Reuben, Gad and East Manasseh) had already received their inheritance.

The people did as the LORD commanded through Joshua and they returned to Shiloh, the place that the Tabernacle remained until the days of King David, and Joshua cast lots to fairly divide the remaining Land so that everyone had an equal chance of getting any particular parcel, but the LORD manipulated the odds so that His choice would be made each and every time.  We no longer determine the will of God by lots or lottery, but it was the practice that the LORD ordained in the Old Testament so that the people would understand that there was no such thing as "chance" or "luck" which are pagan concepts but even the things that appear random are all subject to the providence of the LORD and work together to accomplish His perfect will and purposes.  Even the laws of probability are subject to Him, and He had prepared a special place for each and every one of the twelve tribes.

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