Inheritance Secured: The Legacy of Manasseh Text: Joshua 13:29-31
Introduction: God's Meticulous Providence
We live in an age that despises boundaries. Our culture is in a high state of rebellion against every form of divine definition, whether it be the distinction between male and female, good and evil, or truth and falsehood. And so, when we come to a passage like this one in Joshua, a meticulous accounting of land allotments, our eyes can glaze over. It can feel like reading a property deed from three thousand years ago. We are tempted to ask, "What does this list of ancient towns have to do with me?" The answer is, everything. These verses are not just about real estate; they are about reality. They are not just about geography; they are about the gospel.
The book of Joshua is the story of God fulfilling His promises. For centuries, the people of Israel had wandered, first in Canaan as sojourners, then in Egypt as slaves, and then in the wilderness as pilgrims. They were a landless people with a landed promise. God had sworn an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would give them a particular place, a home. And here, in these seemingly dry administrative records, we see the ink of that promise drying on the page of history. God is not a God of vague spiritual sentiments; He is a God who moves boundary stones. He is a God of particulars, of names, of places, of families.
This detailed record of Manasseh's inheritance on the east side of the Jordan is a profound statement of God's faithfulness. It is a declaration that what God promises, God performs. But it is also a polemic. This land was not empty. It was the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaim, the giants. The world is full of giants, full of Ogs, who mock the people of God and claim title to what is rightfully His. This passage is a reminder that our God is a giant-slayer, and the inheritance He gives us is always a conquered inheritance. He gives it to us freely, but we must take it by faith, which is always a fighting faith.
So as we look at this inheritance given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, we must see it as more than just a historical footnote. We must see the pattern of our own inheritance in Christ. God has promised us a kingdom, a heavenly country. And that inheritance is just as certain, just as meticulously planned, and just as fiercely contested as the one described here. This is a record of a promise kept, a battle won, and a future secured.
The Text
Moses also gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh; and it was for the half-tribe of the sons of Manasseh according to their families. And their territory was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all of Havvoth-jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities; also half of Gilead, with Ashtaroth and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh, for half of the sons of Machir according to their families.
(Joshua 13:29-31 LSB)
A Gift Given by God's Man (v. 29)
We begin with the simple declaration of how this inheritance came about.
"Moses also gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh; and it was for the half-tribe of the sons of Manasseh according to their families." (Joshua 13:29)
The first thing to notice is the agent: "Moses also gave." This portion of the land, east of the Jordan, was allotted before Israel ever crossed over into Canaan proper. It was done under the authority of Moses, God's chosen leader. Joshua is now administering and confirming what Moses had already decreed. This provides a crucial link of continuity. The promises of God do not die with His servants. The work of God is not dependent on one man. God raises up leaders, and He takes them away, but His covenant plan marches on, uninterrupted.
The inheritance is given "to the half-tribe of Manasseh." Why a half-tribe? This goes back to the request made in Numbers 32. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh saw that the land east of the Jordan was good for livestock and asked if they could settle there. Moses agreed, on the condition that their fighting men would cross the Jordan and help their brothers conquer the rest of the land. They were not to enjoy their inheritance while the rest of Israel was at war. This is a permanent principle for the people of God. We are in this together. You cannot settle down in comfort while your brother is on the front lines. The inheritance is corporate before it is individual.
And the inheritance is distributed "according to their families." God does not deal with us as an undifferentiated mass. He knows us by name. He deals with us in our covenant households. The family is the basic unit of God's kingdom, the building block of society. This meticulous, family-by-family distribution shows that God's gift of grace is not abstract; it is personal and generational. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the God of your father and your father's father. The inheritance is meant to be passed down, stewarded, and expanded from one generation to the next. This is the essence of the covenant.
The Spoils of a Conquered Kingdom (v. 30)
Verse 30 gives us the specific boundaries and contents of this inheritance, and it is a fearsome list.
"And their territory was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all of Havvoth-jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities;" (Joshua 13:30)
This is not just any piece of land. This is "all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan." Who was Og? Deuteronomy 3 tells us he was the last of the Rephaim, a race of giants. His bedstead was made of iron and was over thirteen feet long. He was a formidable, terrifying enemy who ruled a kingdom of sixty fortified cities. He was the ancient equivalent of a pagan dictator with a massive military-industrial complex.
The world looks at men like Og and trembles. They seem invincible. Their kingdoms seem permanent. But our God specializes in toppling giants. The defeat of Og, recounted in Numbers 21, was a staggering display of God's power on behalf of His people. God told Moses, "Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land." And they utterly destroyed him. So when Manasseh receives this land, they are not just receiving fields and cities; they are receiving a monument to the victory of Yahweh. Their inheritance is a constant, tangible reminder that the biggest, baddest enemies of God are nothing before Him.
This is a direct lesson for us. The inheritance we have in Christ is also a conquered territory. The apostle Paul tells us that Christ has "disarmed the powers and authorities" and "made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross" (Colossians 2:15). The principalities and powers, the spiritual Ogs of this world, have been defeated. Our inheritance is not a truce with the enemy; it is the spoils of his utter defeat. We are called to live in the territory that once belonged to the prince of this world, and to do so without fear, because our King has already won the decisive battle.
Notice the detail: "sixty cities." This is not a vague promise. God's blessings are concrete. He gives them cities they did not build and wells they did not dig. The sixty cities of Og's kingdom, once centers of pagan power and idolatry, are now to be homes for the families of Manasseh. This is the pattern of the kingdom: God takes what the enemy has built for his own glory and He repurposes it for the glory of His Son.
A Legacy for the Sons of the Warrior (v. 31)
The final verse narrows the focus, showing how this great inheritance is passed down to the specific clan that led the charge.
"also half of Gilead, with Ashtaroth and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh, for half of the sons of Machir according to their families." (Joshua 13:31)
The inheritance is specifically for "the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh." Who was Machir? Numbers 32:39 tells us that "the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it." Machir was a warrior. His sons were men of valor who took the initiative in the fight. Because they led the conquest, they received the heart of the conquered land. Ashtaroth and Edrei were the capital cities of Og's kingdom. These were the centers of his power. And God gives them to the men who were willing to fight for them.
This is a foundational principle. God's grace is free, but it is never lazy. The inheritance is a gift, but it must be taken. There is a reward for faithfulness in battle. Those who are willing to engage the enemy, to take risks for the kingdom, to lead the charge, will be given greater responsibility and greater blessing. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. This does not mean we earn our salvation. It means that true faith is a fighting faith. It is a faith that takes God at His word and acts upon it, even when a giant is standing in the way.
The inheritance is for "half of the sons of Machir." The other half would receive their inheritance on the west side of the Jordan. This splitting of the tribe is a picture of the church's mission. Some are called to settle and build up the conquered territory, to establish homes and families and cities for God. Others are called to press on to the front lines, to cross the next river and take the next hill. Both are necessary. Both are part of the same tribe, fighting for the same King, and inheriting the same promise. The work of consolidating the victory and the work of extending the victory go hand in hand.
Our Conquered Inheritance in Christ
This detailed accounting of Manasseh's inheritance is a picture for us. It is a type and a shadow of the greater, eternal inheritance that is ours in the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as God gave Israel a specific land, He has given us a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
First, our inheritance is a gift, secured by our Mediator. Just as Moses gave the land, Christ, our true and better Moses, has secured our inheritance for us. He is the one who leads us out of slavery to sin and brings us to the border of our promised rest. We receive it not because we are worthy, but because He is, and because we are united to Him by faith.
Second, our inheritance is a conquered territory. We have not been given a peaceful plot of land in a neutral world. We have been given the kingdom that once belonged to the great spiritual Og, to Satan himself. Jesus Christ met that giant in the wilderness and on the cross, and He crushed his head. He has defeated him utterly. Therefore, when we preach the gospel, when we plant churches, when we raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, we are settling the conquered territory of our King. We are taking ground that the enemy used to hold and raising the flag of Christ over it.
Finally, our inheritance must be taken by a fighting faith. The land was given to Manasseh, but the sons of Machir still had to go in and take it. The victory of Christ is total and complete, but the outworking of that victory in history and in our own lives requires us to fight. We must fight sin in our own hearts. We must fight unbelief and fear. We must fight for the truth in a world that loves lies. We are called to be sons and daughters of Machir, to be warriors who take God at His word and advance His kingdom. God has given us all of Bashan, all the kingdom of Og. The question is, will we, by faith, go in and possess it?