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Context No. 4250 of 4322 · Joshua

Context · Reflection

Joshua 18:8-23: in context

8The men arose and went. Joshua commanded those who went to survey the land, saying, “Go walk through the land, survey it, and come again to me. I will cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh.” 9The men went and passed through the land, and surveyed it by cities into seven portions in a book. They came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh. 10Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD. There Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions. 11The lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families. The border of their lot went out between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. 12Their border on the north quarter was from the Jordan. The border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward. It ended at the wilderness of Beth Aven. 13The border passed along from there to Luz, to the side of Luz (also called Bethel), southward. The border went down to Ataroth Addar, by the mountain that lies on the south of Beth Horon the lower. 14The border extended, and turned around on the west quarter southward, from the mountain that lies before Beth Horon southward; and ended at Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim), a city of the children of Judah. This was the west quarter. 15The south quarter was from the farthest part of Kiriath Jearim. The border went out westward, and went out to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16The border went down to the farthest part of the mountain that lies before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the valley of Rephaim northward. It went down to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En Rogel. 17It extended northward, went out at En Shemesh, and went out to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim. It went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 18It passed along to the side opposite the Arabah northward, and went down to the Arabah. 19The border passed along to the side of Beth Hoglah northward; and the border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the south border. 20The Jordan was its border on the east quarter. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the borders around it, according to their families. 21Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

As the land of Canaan is divided among the tribes, Joshua does not simply parcel it out by his own judgment. The land is surveyed, described in a book, and then the portions are assigned by casting lots before the LORD at Shiloh. The allotment of each tribe's inheritance is placed in God's hands; the lot falls as he directs, and Benjamin, along with the others, receives the portion God appoints.

What stands out is that the inheritance was assigned by God, not chosen by the people. They did not grasp for a larger portion or negotiate for advantage; they received, as from God's hand, the lot he apportioned to them. The casting of lots before the LORD was a way of entrusting the outcome to God, confident that the portion each received was the one he had assigned.

So much of what shapes our lives, our circumstances, our place, our portion, is not chosen by us but assigned, and we can either grasp and envy and resent, or receive our lot as from God's hand. As the tribes received their inheritance by lot from the LORD, we can trust that the portion God has apportioned to us is not random but appointed, and rest in it. The lot is cast, but its every decision is from the LORD.

Can I receive my lot in life, my circumstances, place, and portion, as assigned by God rather than left to chance, trusting as the tribes did that what he has apportioned to me is appointed and good, rather than grasping, envying, or resenting the portion I have been given?

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