Joshua Chapter 17
Today’s chapter finishes up with the allotment of land to the 2 sons of Joseph – Manasseh and Ephraim.
Yesterday we read of Ephraim’s allotment. Now it was to the 2nd half tribe of Manasseh – to occupy the West of Jordan. And they too failed to drive out all the inhabitants.
But there were more problem.
14 Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the Lord has blessed us until now?”
~ Joshua 17:14 ~16 But the children of Joseph said, “The mountain country is not enough for us; and all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth Shean and its towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel.”
~ Joshua 17:16 ~
What they were saying was this?
The land you allocated to us – a great an numerous tribe – is just not enough!
“The land given to us in the hill country is not enough. We cannot go to the plains because the Canaanites who live there are too strong for us–they have chariots of iron!”
When you consider the population of Manasseh and Ephraim – using Numbers 26 census as a proxy – you would realise that actually Dan, Issachar, Zebulun and Asher had populations larger that Manasseh – yet they got smaller lands.
So it would seem that the demands of Manasseh and Ephraim for more land was unreasonable.
But when we read Joshua’s reply to their demands, we start to see what the real problem is:
5 So Joshua answered them, “If you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you.”
~ Joshua 17:5 ~17 And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—saying, “You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, 18 but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its [g]farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.”
~Joshua 17:17-18 ~
Ephraim could go into the forest and clear more land for themselves. But … the land is occupied by the Perizzites and giants.
The plains north of Manasseh could be conquered. But … powerful Canaanites lived there with iron chariots!
The land was there for them to take it. But it would require them to fight for it. This was hard and dangerous work.
But (a lot of buts today), Joshua was telling them that if you are a great people, you should go and possess the land as God has promised this land to you!
But what Manasseh and Ephraim wanted to an easy way out. They wanted the land to be given to them instead of going out to conquer it.
This was in sharp contrast to what we see in Caleb when he asked for land i Chapter 14. He wanted land the hard way – to fight against the Anaks in the high places.
Was it that God could not just give the land occupied by the Perizzites and the giants and the Canaanites with iron chariots over to Ephraim and Manasseh? Of course not.
But (here is that word again!), maybe we should also consider ourselves today.
We know the promises of God. We even sing loudly that we are “standing on the promises of God.”
But do we truly believe in them? Do we shy away from working out our salvation with fear and trembling? Do we watch and pray? Do we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God?
Do we …. there are so many things…
So while we click our tongues and say that Ephraim and Manasseh were lacking in faith, let us also consider ourselves – whether we are the same today.