Today, I am reading and commenting on  Joshua 18-20.

This passage sheds some interesting light on the process whereby the Israelites invaded and took control of Canaan.  It seems to suggest that Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh took control of lands west of the Jordan River during the wars led by Joshua, while Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh had control of lands east of the Jordan.  However, it appears that the remaining seven tribes, not counting the Levites (who were not getting a separate territory, had not done so.  In fact, it reads that where those seven tribes would settle had not been determined.  Actually, it reads as if these tribes had given no thought to what land they would settle, as if they were perfectly happy moving around as an army at war, sacking and razing enemy towns.  If I am right, when Joshua asked them at the beginning of the passage how long they would wait to claim their portion, he was calling them to account for their failure to choose a place to settle.

For the last few days I have found myself trying to read between the lines to understand what the people in these events were doing, and perhaps also what they were thinking.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.