Settlement of the Promised Land

KEY VERSE: “The LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he swore to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.” —Joshua 21:43

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Joshua 21:43-45; 22:1-6

FOLLOWING the victory over Jericho we read that “the Lord was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.” (Josh. 6:27) However, disappointment awaited Joshua. God told Joshua that the Israelites had sinned and that a curse was upon them. In the capture of Jericho they had been instructed not to take any of the spoils for themselves. The silver and gold found in the city was to be put into the treasure of the Lord, but everything else was to be destroyed, and without exception.

One of the Israelites had disobeyed this order. It was Achan of the tribe of Judah. He coveted, and stole a “goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight.” (Josh. 7:20,21) He had hidden this loot under his tent, supposing no one knew about it. But the Lord knew, and because of it he allowed a defeat in Ai. This was to bring the matter to the attention of Joshua and the people in a manner to impress them with the great importance of obeying instructions if they expected him to continue fighting their battles for them.

The Book of Joshua, chapters eleven and twelve, relate the further victories of Joshua which the Lord gave him over the Canaanites, the latter part of chapter twelve listing the many kings destroyed. But all the land had not been conquered. In fact, as the Lord said to Joshua, “There remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.” (Josh. 13:1) Verses two to six list the remaining places to be conquered.

But, as the Lord said to Joshua, “Thou art old and stricken in years,” so he did not look to him to serve any longer as the general of Israel’s armies. Instead, he directed him to go on with the task of dividing the land among the various tribes, with the expectation that each tribe, when receiving the outline of its portion in the land, would undertake the task of wresting it from the Canaanites.

This was never fully accomplished, as indicated in Hebrews 4:8, where the name Joshua is translated ‘Jesus’. The text states that Joshua did not give the people rest in the land saying, “If Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” (vss. 8,9) Many enemies yet remained, and these continued to plague the Israelites from time to time. God’s blessings upon his typical people, even as with us, were upon the basis of their faith. They failed to enter into the full rest and blessings which might have been theirs because of their unbelief.

There were good reasons why it was best for the Canaanites to be destroyed, rather than merely conquered. They were all idol worshipers, and would have continued as such. This was a weakness of the Israelites in any case, and under the influence and example of such worshipers right in their midst the situation would have been aggravated for them.

Besides, the Lord wanted the natural descendants of Abraham to remain a pure stock. Had the Canaanites been permitted to live and to remain in their midst, there would have been intermarriage, and thus a corruption of the seed stock. God was working out a purpose through the Israelites which demanded that they be kept a separate people. This purpose will yet bring glory to God’s name. Even today this people remains unassimilated to a great degree.

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