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Chapter 23 begins with Joshua summoning the leaders of Israel to Shechem, the place that Jacob had first owned property hundreds of years ago.  Since the LORD will drive their enemies “out of [their] sight,” Joshua exhorts them to “be very strong to keep and do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses…”  Completing the conquest of the land is about obedience, not military might, and Israel cannot forget how they got this far.

Joshua’s words to Israel conclude with the same call that Moses’ had: “Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served… or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell,” or the LORD your God.   And he adds his own answer, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” 

Listen to the way Joshua goads the elders of Israel toward accountability:  You are not able to serve the LORD… “No, we will!”  Then you are witnesses against yourselves this day… “We are witnesses!” Then put away your foreign gods… “The LORD our God we will serve!”  Joshua indeed has been exalted, just as the LORD had promised. 

And with a final monument of witness, the journey ends.  The people are sent away, “every man to his inheritance.”  Sent away from Shechem, just as Jacob had been, but with a markedly different future.  Do they sense that a page is turning, that they will never pass this way again?  Will they indeed serve the LORD in the land He has given them?   

The book ends with the typical farewells, to Joshua, to Eleazar, to this chapter in Israel’s story.  But if you’ve been with this story from the beginning, ever since “…but God will visit you, and bring you up… to the land that he swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” then the author has one final reward in store. 

We’ll end our Joshua readings with the postscript at the end of Joshua 21: 

“Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there.  And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands.  Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”

Our verse for this week is Hebrews 11:30: By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 

Joshua 23 and 24.  Now let’s read it!

As we saw throughout the law so we have also seen in this distribution of land: the LORD is a God who loves details.  This second act of Joshua has reflected God’s intimate knowledge of the land and his devotion to just provision. 

Now that the land has been divided among the tribes of Israel, there are two final Mosaic commands to fulfill: designating cities of refuge and making provision for the Levites.  These divide neatly between chapters 20 and 21.

You’ll remember that the cities of refuge were set aside by Moses to provide space for justice to take its course.  These cities, within a day’s journey of every Israelite, were a refuge for someone who kills another accidentally.  You can review Numbers 35 for the details, but the basic purpose was to protect a manslayer from impulsive, unjust vengeance, and there await trial.

Chapter 21 contains an exhaustive list of the 48 cities given to the Levites, whose portion is the LORD.  Their special calling is to assist the priests in carrying out the sacrificial duties and in managing the Tabernacle.  They were to be provided for by the other Israelites, and thus were not permitted to accumulate wealth that would pass down through the generations. 

There might be additional significance in Joshua, rather than Moses, completing this task.  Moses, you’ll remember, was a Levite.  Joshua, of Judah, has no vested interest – beyond simple fairness – in looking out for the Levites.  By placing nine Levitical cities within the combined borders of Judah and Simeon, Joshua’s tribe is at least carrying, if not exceeding, its fair share.   

Chapter 22 records the homecoming of the Eastern tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh.  Place yourself among them, crossing the Jordan for perhaps the final time, leaving behind the land that they had been promised.  Did they see this as a natural expansion of Israel’s territory?  Were they indifferent, and just glad to be going home?  Did they see themselves as part of one great nation? 

And most importantly, how did they view their relationship with Yahweh, whose promises they had been following for decades?  Hold onto these questions at the end of today’s reading, when yet another inter-tribal crisis emerges. 

Our verse for this week is Hebrews 11:30: By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 

Joshua chapters 20 through 22.  Now let’s read it!

At the beginning of yesterday’s reading, the author duplicated his effort to call attention to Joshua’s advanced age.  He held up Moses’ arms against Amalek, spied out the land, replaced Moses as Israel’s representative before the LORD, and led Israel through the years of conquest.  He has served longer, harder, and more faithfully than anyone alive.

Keep this in mind as he faces new challenges today.  Our reading begins with Joseph’s inheritance, going all the way back to Genesis when Jacob doubles Joseph’s blessing between his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.  There’s an inset about Zelophehad’s daughters, a situation that Moses resolved in Number 27, reminding us of the detailed promise-keeping that Joshua maintained.

Chapters 18 and 19 are bookended by the affirmation that the rest of the land was allotted at Shiloh, “at the entrance of the tent of meeting.”  After Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh are settled, the remaining tribes are asked by Joshua, “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?”  Survey crews are sent out, lots are cast, and the remaining land is divided among these seven tribes.  And finally, once everyone else is accounted for, “the people of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun.”

This would be one big celebration if not for two caveats.  The first is emphasized in chapter 16: “However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor.”  While forced labor might sound better than annihilation (a tradeoff the Gibeonites were willing to make), remember God’s commands regarding the Canaanites, and pray that Israel’s present contentment doesn’t compromise their future.   

A second storm on the horizon appears in the middle of chapter 17, when Ephraim and Manasseh take issue with their allotment: “Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the Lord has blessed me?”  Joshua fires right back: “If you are a numerous people, go up by yourselves to the forest, and there clear ground for yourselves…”  We’ll see if this tension between the sons of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Judah is revisited in the future. 

One final note: there are plenty of good maps of the tribal divisions online.  A simple search of “Israel tribe map” can really help you visualize these chapters.  

Our verse for this week is Hebrews 11:30: By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 

Joshua chapters 16 through 19.  Now let’s read it!