The Tabernacle, and Benjamin’s Inheritance
Joshua 18
Joshua 18
Joshua 18. In this chapter we have a recounting of the slackness of the final class of tribes in their slowness to possess their inheritance, and we have the first of these seven (Benjamin) given their inheritance. Previously was saw the two and a half eastern (trans-Jordan) tribes who were still part of Israel but chose not to settle in the land God desired for them. They chose instead according to their commercial interests the rich cattle lands to the east of Jordan. They represent believers who have not laid hold of their heavenly portion in Christ. We have also seen the two and a half western (or cis-Jordan) tribes who settled in the land and quickly took possession of their inheritance (Judah, Ephraim, and the half tribe of Manasseh). This represents full grown Christians. These tribes are covered in Joshua 15-17. Next we come to the seven tribes who settled in the land but hesitated to possess (Simeon, Levi, Dan, Issachar, Zebulon, Naphtali, Asher). Joshua worked to stir them up to possess their inheritance (Josh. 18:1-9). These represent believers who do not fully understand their portion in Christ; yet God is working with them and will show them more. These are the “otherwise-minded” to whom Paul was confident God would reveal the truth to in good time (see Philippians 3:16).
The Tabernacle at Shiloh (18:1)
CHAPTER 18
1 And the whole assembly of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; and the land was subdued before them.
v.1 The Tabernacle at Shiloh. At the beginning of Joshua 18 we find an interesting fact, that Tabernacle was set up at Shiloh, which is in the tribe of Ephraim. Shiloh was the first stationary lodging place of the tent which represented the Lord’s presence in the promised land, after its journey through the wilderness. The Lord placed His name there at the beginning, but later set it aside because of the people’s wickedness (Jeremiah 7:12-14). When the people were in the wilderness there wasn’t one place where the people were to worship; “each one whatever is right in his own eyes” (Deut. 12:8). But according to God’s purpose for Israel, in the land there was to be one city where the Lord had placed His name (Deut. 12:5; 2 Chron. 6:5-6). The city of Jerusalem at the border of Judah and Benjamin was still under the control of the Jebusites, and therefore the Tabernacle could not come home there yet. The tabernacle was therefore placed in Shiloh, and it was there that the people were to gather together and regularly bring their sacrifices, etc. It says that the land was subdued before Israel, meaning that there was no large scale fighting happening. However, we find that this respite became a snare to them, and in it we see seven tribes had failed to take possession.
The Remaining Seven Tribes (18:2-10)
2 And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not been distributed to them. 3 And Joshua said to the children of Israel, How long will ye shew yourselves slack to go to take possession of the land which Jehovah the God of your fathers hath given you?
vv.2-3 Rebuke for Delay in Possessing the Land. We next come to the seven tribes who had not yet possessed their inheritance: Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan. The blame for this is laid by Joshua at the feet of these tribes; “How long will ye shew yourselves slack to go to take possession of the land?” We can apply this spiritually to the Christian who through lack of interest and energy fails to enter into the understanding, appreciation, and practical outworking of our spiritual blessings in Christ. If we are found in this state, we are deserving of a rebuke, like these seven tribes. Yet the solution to the problem is not found in rebuke only (vv.4-6).
4 Provide you three men for a tribe; that I may send them, and they shall rise and go through the land, and describe it according to the proportion of their inheritance, and they shall come to me. 5 And they shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall remain in their border on the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their border on the north; 6 and “ye” shall describe the land into seven portions, and bring the description hither to me, and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah our God.
vv.4-6 Instructions to Survey. What Joshua did, as a solution to the difficulty, was to have the seven tribes choose three men from each tribe to be sent into the land to survey it. These twenty-one surveyors would bring back a description of the land broken down into seven portions. There was much wisdom in this. First, describing the land to the people would whet their appetite for that which they had been slack in possessing. So it is with the Christian. What stirs our appetite for more of the things of God is being shown from scripture the goodness of our inheritance. Second, as far as fairness in possessing the land, all twenty-one surveyors would be involved in sketching the land and partitioning the boundaries, before they knew which of the seven portions would be the one given to their tribe. We see that the portion already given to Judah and to the house of Joseph was fixed. These seven tribes were not to take any of the land already possessed by Judah, Manasseh, and Ephraim. When the surveying was complete, Joshua would cast lots for the seven tribes before the Lord in Shiloh.
7 But the Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of Jehovah is their inheritance. And Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave them. 8 And the men arose and went away. And Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah in Shiloh. 9 And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven portions, in a book, and they came to Joshua, to the camp at Shiloh.
vv.7-9 Survey Carried Out. The survey was carried out by the twenty-one surveyors. However, mention is made of the Levites who had no territorial inheritance among the tribes, but instead, “the priesthood of Jehovah is their inheritance”.
10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Jehovah. And there Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.
vv.2-8 Lots Cast for the Seven Remaining Tribes. When the survey was complete Joshua cast lots for the seven tribes before Jehovah in Shiloh. Based on the outcome of the lots, each tribe was divided its land. Of the seven tribes, Benjamin received its lot first
The Lot of Benjamin (18:11-28)
11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families. And the territory of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.
v.11 Benjamin’s Lot: General Placement. The general placement of Benjamin’s lot was between that of Judah in the south and the children of Joseph in the north. This gave them a strategically valuable location between the most powerful tribes.
12 And their border on the north side was from the Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up to the mountain westward; and ended at the wilderness of Beth-Aven; 13 and the border passed on from thence toward Luz, to the south side of Luz, which is Bethel: and the border went down to Ataroth-Addar, near the hill that is on the south of the lower Beth-horon. 14 — And the border reached along and turned on the west side, southward from the hill that is before Beth-horon southward; and ended at Kirjath-Baal, which is Kirjath-jearim, a city of the children of Judah: this is the west side. 15 — And the south side was from the extreme end of Kirjath-jearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 And the border went down to the end of the mountain that is before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the valley of Rephaim on the north, and went down the valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite on the south, and went down to En-rogel; 17 and it reached along on the north, and went forth to En-shemesh, and went forth towards Geliloth, which is opposite to the ascent of Adummim, and went down to the stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben, 18 and passed along towards the side opposite to Arabah northwards, and went down to Arabah; 19 and the border passed on to the side of Beth-hoglah on the north, and the border ended at the tongue of the salt sea northward, at the south end of the Jordan: this is the southern border. 20 — And the Jordan borders it on the east side. — This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, according to its borders round about, according to their families.
vv.12-20 Benjamin’s Lot: Detailed Borders. The northern border of Benjamin began at the Jordan and went north of Jericho (likely including Gilgal, which was very close to Jericho. The northern border continued west to include Bethel (formerly Luz), and finally to lower Beth-horon, which was ten miles northwest of Jerusalem, and sat on the ancient road that led from the Aijalon Valley up to Gibeon. Benjamin’s western border was approximately half way between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. The western border went south and ended at Kirjath-jearim, “a city of the children of Judah”. The southern border seems to have a spur that dipped down to the waters of Nephtoah, approximately two miles west of Bethlehem, including part of the valley of Rephaim, southwest of Jerusalem. The southern border continued north east to “the side of the Jebusite on the south” which is Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem was shared between Judah and Benjamin. The southern border continued to the Salt Sea (Dead Sea). The eastern border was the Jordan River (v.20).
21 And the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were: Jericho, and Beth-hoglah, and Emek-Keziz, 22 and Beth-Arabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel, 23 and Avvim, and Parah, and Ophrah, 24 and Chephar-haammonai, and Ophni, and Geba: twelve cities and their hamlets; 25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth, 26 and Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah, 27 and Rekem, and Jirpeel, and Tharalah, 28 and Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, that is, Jerusalem, Gibeah, Kirjath: fourteen cities and their hamlets. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.
vv.21-28 Cities of Benjamin. Benjamin encompassed a number of very important cities in Israel. Of course we have Jericho (meaning ‘Fragrant’) the site of the Israel’s first victory, which was destroyed and later rebuilt by Hiel the Bethelite. Then we have Bethel (meaning ‘house of God’) first named by Jacob when he had the dream of the ladder reaching up to heaven (Genesis 28:19). Then we have Gibeon (meaning ‘Hill City’) where the Hivites lived whom Israel foolishly made a covenant with (Josh. 9), was given to the Levites (Joshua 21:17), and became the site of a famous high place where Solomon offered sacrifices and received wisdom from God in a dream (1 Kings 3:4-5). Then we have Ramah (meaning ‘Height’) where Samuel the prophet lived, and served as his base of operations as he rode his circuit judging Israel in the days of Saul. We also have Mizpeh (meaning ‘Watchtower’) and Gibeah (meaning ‘Hill’) which was the hometown of king Saul and his temporary capital, called “Gibeah of Saul” (1 Sam. 15:34). Gibeah was also known for the atrocious crime committed there against the Levite’s concubine, leading to civil war (Judges 19-21). Most importantly we have Jebusi or Jerusalem, the city which would be chosen for the Lord to place His name after Shiloh was rejected because of the people’s sin in the days of Saul and Eli. Jerusalem was finally conquered by David and made the capital of Israel (2 Samuel 5:6-10). Jerusalem would become the spiritual and political center of Israel throughout the kingdom. It was a privileged portion that Benjamin had!
