“Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the LORD said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.”
This had taken time and now Joshua was getting old and The LORD reminded him of that (v1). We are not told how old he was, but it is estimated by some that he was near to 100, he died at the age of 110 (24:19), but he is also reminded that there was a lot of land yet to be possessed. In one sense Joshua’s age did not matter, The LORD still had work for him to do. What the land was to Israel, The LORD Jesus is to us, and we must press on to know more of Him and to fulfil His will in us.
In verses 2-13 God lists the lands still to be possessed and how they were to go about it. God begins by telling them that He will drive the occupants out before them, but Joshua had to divide up the land as an inheritance between the nine- and one-half tribes who were to occupy the land west of the Jordan. He also allocated the land for the two and a half tribes on the eastern side. They all had a personal responsibility to possess their own portion. They were to obey and trust God completely.
All seemed to be planned well and good, but, and it is a big ‘but’ v13 tells us that, “Nevertheless the children of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maachathites, but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.” It is thought that they were small tribes, but they were significant. God told them to drive out the occupants completely, but they failed.
Failing to fully obey The LORD’s instructions led to problems later, it always does. King David had several wives, one of which was the daughter of the king of Geshur, Absalom was their son (2 Samuel 3:3) and later Absalom used Geshur as a place to plot against his father.
The only tribe not to have been allocated an inheritance was the tribe of Levi, the priests. Their inheritance was to sacrifice to The LORD (v14). However, they were given cities (Joshua 20,21). Their inheritance was The LORD God Himself. (v33). One writer has said that if there is any tribe that Christians are spiritually connected to, it is the tribe of Levi. We also are called priests and have a special inheritance in God. (See 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 1:4; Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 1:12.) What more do we need than God Himself?
Moses had conquered the lands on the eastern side and the allocation to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half tribe of Manasseh is listed in verses 15-32.
