Some people just need a little prodding, you know? I love team-building workshops where you get to learn about why some people jump up and tackle a task and others sit back and wait for a different opportunity … or clearer direction in the form of pointed instruction: just get it done. That’s pretty much what Joshua was saying to the seven remaining tribes who had not claimed their allotments yet. We can see that maybe the book of Joshua is written also according to how the official documents came trickling in. I love how Joshua tells the tribes to go measure their lands and write out the boundaries themselves. That’s a manager there! All this time I was just kind of assuming Joshua was doing all the footwork and writing himself, but that’s not the case at all. He assigned tasks – even writing tasks! – as he thought appropriate, and even the recording of borders was a team effort. The same is true today when it comes to our lands. It is our responsibility to take the proper documents, facts and figures to the officials that be so that they can record the deed in the official books. It’s funny to think of your court clerk or government official as someone as important as Joshua, isn’t it? But I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, everyone has a purpose.
I had to underline that the Tabernacle was FINALLY set up in Shiloh. Remember way back when, when God said the Israelites will set up the Tabernacle in the place He chooses? He said it several times, and I got so excited. Joshua refers twice to the Tabernacle – and therefore God’s presence – being in Shiloh. I don’t know if this is the official landing spot, and I can’t tell from my map where Shiloh is located, but I know this is a special moment and a special meeting. God was right there when those lands were assigned. We only read the allotment for Joseph in this chapter, but we’ll get to the others in the next chapter, and while this isn’t the most thrilling read in history, it definitely is an important one. I hope you can have a little fun by envisioning the “surveyors” exploring their new territories and recording their findings as they trotted along.
Writing prompt: surveyor
Be a surveyor today and map out an area through writing. I know we did this one before, but try to create something a little different this time. If you mapped out a large territory last time, try to map out a smaller territory within that territory, or vice versa.
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