Commentary - Joshua 18:1-10

Bird's-eye view

This passage marks a pivotal transition in the book of Joshua. The initial, large-scale military campaigns are over, and the land has been subdued. The central place of worship, the tabernacle, is now established at Shiloh, signifying that the life of Israel is to be grounded in the presence of God. However, a spiritual lethargy has set in. Seven of the twelve tribes have not yet taken possession of their allotted inheritance. Joshua confronts this sinful procrastination with a sharp rebuke and a practical plan. He commands them to survey the remaining territory, an act of faith and diligence, so that the final distribution can be made by lot before the Lord. This text is a powerful illustration of the relationship between God's sovereign gift of victory and man's responsible action to possess that victory. It is a story about moving from promise given to promise possessed, a crucial lesson for the Church in every generation.

The core issue is a failure to act on God's accomplished work. The victory was won, the inheritance was theirs for the taking, but the people were content to remain in camp. Joshua's response is not to do the work for them, but to command them to do their part. The surveying of the land is a tangible expression of faith, mapping out the specifics of God's general promise. The casting of lots, in turn, demonstrates that the final apportionment is not a matter of human conniving but of divine, sovereign pleasure. The passage serves as a permanent rebuke to Christian passivity and a call to diligent, faithful action in taking every thought, every institution, and every nation captive to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Outline

Context In Joshua

Joshua 18 comes after the major military victories described in the first twelve chapters. The land has been conquered as a whole. Chapters 13 through 17 describe the initial division of the land, with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh receiving their portion east of the Jordan, and the prominent tribes of Judah and Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) receiving their inheritance west of the Jordan. However, the process has stalled. This chapter marks the beginning of the second and final phase of distribution. The establishment of the tabernacle at Shiloh in verse 1 is a significant theological marker, centralizing the worship of Israel before the remaining details of the inheritance are sorted out. This section, running from chapter 18 through 19, details the settling of the final seven tribes, demonstrating God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promise to Abraham to give this land to his descendants.

Key Issues

Possessing Your Possessions

There is a great difference between having a title deed to a property and living on that property, cultivating it, and enjoying its fruit. In the Christian life, this is the difference between justification and sanctification. At the cross, Christ subdued the enemy and purchased our inheritance. The title deed is signed in His blood. But we are then commanded to go in and possess the land, to actively and diligently work out our salvation with fear and trembling. The Israelites had the victory, but they were dawdling in the camp. They were behaving like heirs who were content to know they were rich, but who couldn't be bothered to go to the bank. Joshua's rebuke is a bucket of cold water in the face of this lazy contentment. God's gifts do not absolve us of our duty; they establish the ground for it. The gospel is not a hammock; it is a sword.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled themselves at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there; and the land was subdued before them.

Everything of importance happens when God's people gather as one. The "whole congregation" assembles, and their first order of business is to establish the center of worship. Shiloh now becomes the spiritual capital of Israel. Before they can properly inherit the land, they must properly orient themselves to the God who gave it. Worship precedes work. The tabernacle, the place of God's manifest presence, is the true center of the nation. And notice the concluding clause: "the land was subdued before them." This is a statement of accomplished fact. The enemy's main armies were broken. The victory was won. The rest was a mopping-up operation. This is a picture of our position in Christ. Through His death and resurrection, He has subdued the powers of darkness. The world is a conquered territory. Our task is not to win the war, but to enforce the terms of the King's surrender.

2-3 And there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance. So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you?

Here is the problem. Despite the victory and the establishment of worship, seven tribes were sitting on their hands. They had not "divided," or apportioned, their inheritance. Joshua's response is a sharp, pointed rebuke. "How long will you put off...?" The Hebrew word here for "put off" carries the sense of being slack, idle, or remiss. This was not a logistical problem; it was a spiritual problem. It was sloth. Notice the basis of his rebuke: this is the land "which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you." Their inaction was a form of ingratitude. It was a failure to take God at His word. God gives, and we are responsible to take. This question should ring in the ears of the modern church. How long will we be slack in taking possession of the promises of God for our families, our churches, and our culture?

4-5 Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe that I may send them, and that they may arise and walk through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance; then they shall return to me. And they shall divide it into seven portions; Judah shall stay in its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north.

Joshua doesn't just rebuke; he provides a plan of action. Responsibility is placed squarely on the tribes: "Provide for yourselves..." They must choose their own representatives. Faith is not passive. They are commanded to "arise and walk through the land." This is shoe-leather diligence. They are to survey and map out the very gift God has given them. They are to "write a description of it according to their inheritance." This is an act of faith, claiming the promise in specific, tangible detail. They are not creating the inheritance, but they are responsible for understanding and defining it. This is a model for Christian discipleship. We are to walk through the Scriptures, mapping out the precious promises of God, so that we can claim them for our lives.

6 So you shall write a description of the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me. I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh our God.

The human responsibility of the survey is immediately followed by the divine sovereignty of the decision. The men do the work of mapping, but Joshua will "cast lots for you here before Yahweh our God." The casting of lots was a means of divine guidance in the Old Testament, a way of ensuring that the outcome was God's will, not the result of human politics or favoritism (Prov 16:33). The division of the land was too important to be left to a committee. This is a beautiful balance. We are to work with all our might, using all the diligence and wisdom God has given us. We plan, we survey, we write it all down. Then, we bring our work before the Lord and trust Him for the sovereign outcome.

7 For the Levites have no portion among you because the priesthood of Yahweh is their inheritance. Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh also have received their inheritance eastward beyond the Jordan, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave them.

This is a crucial parenthetical statement. Why divide the land into seven portions, not nine? Because the Levites are set apart. Their inheritance is not a plot of ground, but the ministry of the Lord Himself. To have God as your portion is an infinitely greater inheritance than any piece of real estate. This reminds all the tribes that the land is not the ultimate goal; fellowship with God is. The Levites are a living sermon in the midst of Israel about true spiritual treasure. This is a type of the New Covenant reality, where every believer is a priest, and our true inheritance is Christ Himself. The verse also tidies up the accounting by reminding us of the two and a half tribes who had already received their portion from Moses, underscoring the continuity of God's plan from one leader to the next.

8-9 Then the men arose and went, and Joshua commanded those who went to write the description of the land, saying, “Go and walk through the land and write a description of it, and return to me; then I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh in Shiloh.” So the men went and passed through the land and wrote a description of it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.

The rebuke and the plan worked. The men obeyed. They "arose and went." Repentance is not just feeling bad about your sloth; it's getting up and getting to work. Joshua reiterates the command, and they follow it precisely. They "wrote a description of it by cities in seven divisions in a book." This was a thorough, detailed, and laborious task. They took God's general promise and filled in the specific details through their diligent labor. Their work, written "in a book," formed the basis for the final division. When God's people are confronted with their sin and given a clear, biblical path forward, the proper response is simple obedience.

10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Yahweh, and there Joshua divided the land to the sons of Israel according to their divisions.

The process culminates here. All the elements come together. Joshua, the leader, acts as the mediator. The lots are cast "in Shiloh," the designated place of worship. The action is done "before Yahweh," under His watchful eye and sovereign authority. And the result is that the land is finally divided. The promise made to Abraham centuries before is now being brought to its detailed fulfillment. God's word is proven true, and the inheritance is delivered. This is the end for which they fought, and the end for which the surveyors worked. It is a final demonstration that God is faithful to finish what He starts, and He uses the faithful, diligent obedience of His people to bring His purposes to pass.

Application

The church today is encamped at Shiloh. The war has been won by our Joshua, the Lord Jesus. The land, which is the entire world, has been subdued and given to Him as His inheritance (Psalm 2). The tent of meeting is with us in Word and Sacrament. And yet, like the seven tribes, we are often slack to possess our inheritance. We are content with our salvation in the camp, but hesitant to walk through the land of our culture, our communities, and our vocations, mapping them out for the glory of God and claiming them for His kingdom.

This passage rebukes our spiritual passivity. It calls us to get up and get to work. It tells us to survey the land. This means we must do our homework. We must study, plan, and work diligently to apply the lordship of Christ to every area of life. We must map out a biblical approach to education, to politics, to art, to business. And as we do our work, we must bring it all "before Yahweh." We work with all our might, and we trust God's sovereignty for the results. The Levites remind us that our ultimate treasure is not cultural victory, but God Himself. But it is in the diligent pursuit of His kingdom on earth that we enjoy Him most. Let us therefore heed Joshua's call, shake off our sloth, and take possession of the land which the God of our fathers has given us.