44. Unfinished Business

Unfinished Business

to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying, “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’ ... But ... all your mighty men of valor, shall help them, (the other nine and a half tribes) until the Lord has given your brethren rest, as He gave you, and they also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it. Joshua 1:12-15.

Notice that in chapter 11, Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war.  If we study a map of the division of Palestine by Joshua we see that the whole country was designated to the various tribes.  

However, if we follow the book of Joshua in chronological order, by the end of chapters thirteen and fifteen there are still some areas that have not been taken in spite of the fact that chapter 11 says Joshua took the whole land ... and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel.

there remains very much land yet to be possessed. “This is the land that yet remains: all the territory of the Philistines and ... the five lords of the Philistines - (and the list continues to contain about fourteen more "tribes"). Joshua 13:1-3.  However, the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, (which were never conquered) are not even mentioned in that list.  Some other areas were never completely taken, but still, Joshua sent the two and a half tribes back to their territory East of Jordan because, as he said, now the Lord your God has given rest to your brethren, as He promised them.

Of those inhabitants, we read that the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day. Joshua 15:63.  However, later, in Joshua's farewell address he contradicted that former statement; And the men of Jericho fought against you ... and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. Joshua 24:11.  It seems as if the history of conquering the Promised Land, in the days of Joshua, must be taken with a grain of salt because the facts do not all lineup.

Now these are the nations which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, ... five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. Judges 3:1-4.  This paragraph raises some serious questions:

1. If the Philistines, Canaanites, etc. were not yet removed from their territories how was Joshua able to divide up the land and allot certain areas to the Israelites?

2. Why did Joshua send the soldiers of the two and a half tribes back home before the wars were finished?

3. Why did Joshua say that the land rested from war before they had finished their mission? Jehovah had said, you shall possess this land from the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. Joshua 1:4.

the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem and took it; and they ... took possession of it, and dwelt in it. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan. Joshua 19:47-48.  

Later, in Judges 18, we find this story, in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them.

There is a statement I have quoted several times already, but it fits here again: The recording of history with literal exactness of detail is a fairly modern development. At the time, (the Bible was written) precise fact was far less important than the spiritual message of the stories shared.  Jesus and His Times, Readers Digest, 1987.

4. Did they quit warring before they should have and then turn around and blame the Lord for the fact that the natives were left alive?  The writer said they were left, that He might test Israel by them.  Maybe that wasn't Jehovah's plan at all.

5. If that was His plan and His purpose we must ask: did Jehovah not know whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord?

For more on the subject of Jehovah not knowing everything, I suggest: http://wwwthinkagai.blogspot.com/2012/05/jehovahs-limitations.html