Joshua 19
-The last six territories: Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher,
Naphtali, and Dan are covered in this explanatory chapter of Scripture. These
areas were all appointed before the LORD by lot and extensive descriptions are
given to each tribe’s boundaries and borders. Simeon was in the midst of Judah
including major cities like Beersheba. They had close to 20 cities with their
villages in the hill country/desert region to the south (Joshua 19:1-9).
Zebulun was situated in the middle of the country just north of Manasseh and
basically directly west of the Sea of Galilee, although it had no major water
areas. They had twelve cities with their villages including Bethlehem, but this
was a different city than the one where Jesus was born in Judah (Joshua
19:10-16). Issachar had the Jezreel Valley under their control over to the
Jordan River with the southern border near Beth-she’an, a cross point city
where the Jezreel Valley and Jordan Valley meet. Issachar had 16 cities with
their villages as an inheritance (Joshua 19:17-23). The territory of Asher fell
to the far west along the Mediterranean Sea from south of Dor way up to past
Tyre in the north. They had fortified cities and included Mt. Carmel, where
Elijah would one day battle the prophets of Baal with the Almighty God’s power.
There were, in all, 22 cities and villages in Asher (Joshua 19:24-31). Naphtali
had the sixth lot fall to it and received the fertile areas west and north of
the Sea of Galilee. They bordered Issachar and Zebulun on the south all the way
to the Jordan in the east and Asher to the west. Naphtali had nineteen cities
with their villages in the land that Jesus would day do most of His earthly
ministry (Joshua 19:32-39). The territory of Dan was the last allotted and fell
primarily to the middle western region to the south of Manasseh and to the north
of Judah. Ephraim bordered Dan to the northeast and Benjamin also bordered Dan
to the east. The Word says that the territory of Dan “proceeded beyond them;
for the sons of Dan went up and fought with Leshem and captured it.” They
possessed this area to the far north of the territory of Israel between
Naphtali and the eastern Manasseh to north of the Sea of Galilee. Therefore,
they inhabited two distinct areas of the country (Joshua 19:40-48). The
southern portion of Dan included the modern day areas of Jaffa (ancient Joppa
where Jonah took off from and where Peter had his vision on Simon the Tanner’s
roof, Jonah 1:3, Acts 10:1-23) and Tel Aviv. There is also a well preserved Tel
Dan in the north where ancient Leshem apparently was. “When they finished
apportioning the land for inheritance by its borders, the sons of Israel gave
an inheritance in their midst to Joshua the son of Nun. In accordance with the
command of the LORD they gave him the city for which he asked, Timnath-serah in
the hill country of Ephraim. So he built the city and settled in it.”
Therefore, Eleazar the priest and Joshua had distributed the land properly
under the guidance of the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting in Shiloh
(Joshua 19:49-51). The job was finished in regards to the sons of Israel’s
inheritance.
-*Application* Proper borders and boundaries are essential
in life. If you don’t believe me, go out on a major highway and try to make up
your own road rules with no regard to lanes and limits. A crash is inevitable
if we don’t have our proper place and abide in that sanctuary. Where has the
LORD placed us by His divine lot? Are we cultivating and conquering in that
land of inheritance He has blessed us with? Tend to the call and don’t worry
about going outside of it unless He guides in that direction. We may at times have
a Leshem to vanquish. God may proceed us out of an area, but make sure that that
is His will and direction. Only then will He be with us for assured victory.
Verse to Memorize:
Joshua 19:49