The Tent of God Set up in Canaan, and the Land of Canaan Divided

From: Messages of God's Love: 1938

After the wars in Canaan were ended, and Israel could live safely, the Tabernacle was taken from Gilgal to a place called Shiloh. The people all met there and the Tent was set up, no doubt as it had been at Mt. Sinai, with its pillars and coverings, its court and furniture.

Shiloh was near the center of the land and must have been the place chosen by God for that time. As He had told them before they entered, that they should bring their sacrifices and gifts to a place He would choose (Joshua 18:1¹And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them. (Joshua 18:1); Deut. 12:11¹¹Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord: (Deuteronomy 12:11)).

Later, God chose Jerusalem. This must have been a happy time, when they could thank God for their new homes and lands.

Also, before Israel crossed the Jordan River, God had said that when they had taken the land of Canaan, it should be divided among them,—the largest shares to the large tribes, and smaller shares to the small tribes (Numbers 33:54⁵⁴And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit. (Numbers 33:54).)

Excepting the tribe of Levi should have no land by themselves, for the men from that tribe were to care for the Tabernacle and the worship of God. But they were to have cities in each of the other tribes, where they could live with their families, and have fields for their cattle (Josh. 14:4⁴For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance. (Joshua 14:4)).

You remember all these people were of the families of Jacob’s twelve sons, who had become so many that those of each son were called a tribe.

But the people of Joseph were divided in two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. Judah was the tribe and was given the most land, the country south from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. The tribe of Simeon was given their share with Judah (Josh. 19:9⁹Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them. (Joshua 19:9)). The tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of Manasseh got no share in Canaan, because they had wanted their land across Jordan.

So the land was divided just as the Lord said, and the people went to live in their lands.

We cannot now know just where all the boundaries were, as the names are not all the same now. But if you look on a Bible map of Canaan, you will see the land marked for each tribe, as well as is now known.

How many cities were given to the people of Levi? (Josh. 21:41⁴¹All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs. (Joshua 21:41)).

Can you name the thirteen tribes? Their names can be found in Joshua 18:7,11⁷But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them. (Joshua 18:7)
¹¹And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. (Joshua 18:11), and 19:1,10,17,24, 32, and 40.

ML 05/08/1938

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