JOSHUA 19


1 And the second lot came forth to Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.

Benjamin was numbered among the seven tribes which had not yet taken up their inheritance... Now, Joshua records details concerning the lots given for the tribes of Simeon (v 1-9), Zebulun (v. 10-16), Issachar (v. 17-23), Asher (v. 24-31), Naphtali (v. 32-39) and Dan. (v. 40-48).

Simeon was given a portion of the land south of Judah, much of which had been originally included in Judah's allotment.

At the last census it was revealed that Simeon was the smallest of the tribes, numerically. Thus, "the part of the children of Judah" which was "too much for them" was made available to Simeon. Judah must have willingly agreed to this change. There is no record of argument or debate over the question. A spirit of sacrifice prevailed among the people of Judah towards their brethren of the tribe of Simeon,which was highly commendable.

Bro John Ullman



49 When they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their coasts, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them:

It is typical of the man's faith and character, and his selfless devotion to the cause of Yahweh and his people, that Joshua asked nothing for himself. He became the last man in Israel to receive his inheritance.

Such is the spirit of the Truth working in the lives of men and women, preparing them for the Kingdom of God.

'Trust in Yahweh and do good, dwell in the land and feed on fidelity; yea, rest thy

delight on Yahweh, that He may give thee the requests of thy

heart. . ." (Ps. 37:3-4, Roth.).

When all others had received their respective portions of the land, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them. . .".

Upon Israel overcoming the combined military might of the Canaanites,Joshua could easily have used his position as leader of the nation to demand first choice. Had he been so minded, he would have been selfishly and politically motivated. In such an event he may well have insisted on receiving Shiloh (which was within the province of his own tribe, Ephraim).

As Shiloh was to remain the spiritual capital of the nation for some centuries, Joshua could well have also made it the political capital, to his own personal advantage. Any number of

possibilities had been open to Joshua when the time came to divide the land. He considered none of them. Self-interest found no part in his character.

Finally, almost as an afterthought, representatives of the people asked Joshua to state his wish in regard to a personal inheritance for himself.

He requested the city of Timnath-serah. It has been suggested that this city lay eleven miles west-south-west from Shiloh, and seventeen miles south-west of Shechem. Joshua's choice met with Yahweh's approval.

Timnath-serah means "portion of abundance". It was anything but that. Set on the bleak north side of the mountain of Gaash, it offered nothing that was particularly inviting from a fleshly point of view.

However, although the meaning of the place appears to be something of an anomaly, such is not the case. Since Timnath-serah offered Joshua nothing of special value in this present mortal state, he must have seen in this inheritance a type of his future reward, which he will

receive during the dispensation of Messiah's Kingdom. Then, he will truly receive a "portion of abundance" from the One who is

"able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. . . " (Eph.

3:20).

Bro John Ullman - Joshua His life and Times