EXPLORE THE TEXT
We will face daily opportunities to obey or disobey God’s instructions.
1 The Israelites received these portions that the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes gave them in the land of Canaan. 2 Their inheritance was by lot as the Lord commanded through Moses for the nine and a half tribes, 3 because Moses had given the inheritance to the two and a half tribes beyond the Jordan. But he gave no inheritance among them to the Levites. 4 The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. No portion of the land was given to the Levites except cities to live in, along with pasturelands for their cattle and livestock. 5 So the Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses, and they divided the land.
After detailing the battles Israel fought in the promised land,
the writer described the allocation of land to the tribes.
These verses reveal that the tribe of Levi received cities rather than a land allotment.
Describe the process of distributing land to the remaining nine and a half tribes:
Lots were used to determine God’s will in a matter.
For example, the high priests used the Urim and Thummim as sacred lots
to receive a divine answer (Ex. 28:15-30). .No one is sure what lots looked like or how people knew how to interpret them.
What is most important is that Scripture indicates the outcome of the lot was not random. .God was in control of the procedure and outcomes. (PSG, p. 58)
Suggest why the tribe of Levi (the Levites) did not receive an inheritance of land.
God said He was their inheritance.
Being spread across the land ensured they could teach the entire nation about God and His ways.
Verse 5 has a summary statement in it:
Israel and its leaders did everything as God directed.