This is a lot of reading but mostly consists of a broad summary of the victories of Moses before Israel crossed the Jordan and the victories of Joshua from the crossing of the Jordan. Then chapters 13-21 cover the allotment of the conquered land to the twelve tribes of Israel.
If you’d like to read it online, read Joshua 12-21
13:1 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.
19:49 When they had finished distributing the several territories of the land as inheritances, the people of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun.
21:43 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. 44 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. 45 Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
In chapter 13 we see that Joshua was old (perhaps 100—he died at 110) and so God directed him to divide up the land amongst the tribes of Israel (Jos 1:6). The tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh were given their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan as agreed with Moses. The Levites received no specific land but they received 48 towns with pastures for their flocks and herds as Moses had directed. While the Levites received no inheritance of land, they were allowed sacrifices or offerings (Jos 13:14), the priesthood (Jos 18:7), and the LORD Himself (Jos 13:33). The amount of land each tribe was given was in accordance with the population size of the tribe.
While Caleb had his allotment first (Jos 14:6-15), Joshua waited until all of Israel had received their allotments before he asked for his. Joshua exhibited complete selflessness as a leader. Unlike many in leadership, he didn’t use his position and influence to enrich himself first.
Another important task was to designate the six cities of refuge which were cities people could flee to in the event of accidental manslaughter (not premeditated murder) in order to escape vengeance by the victim’s family.
In the concluding verses, we again see a record of God’s faithfulness. God did everything He promised He would do. It was not complete but God had said that the conquest of the land would be gradual (Deut 7:22). Unfortunately, Israel would waver in their faith and the conquest would not be complete. But that was Israel’s fault, not God’s. God remained faithful even in the face of Israel’s unfaithfulness (2 Tim 2:13).
I encourage you to consider deeply the truth we have seen in the book of Joshua and summarised in 2 Timothy 2:13, God is always faithful—even when we are not.
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Crossing the Jordan: Joshua 3-4