Nine and a half tribes

From this passage, the distribution of the land west of the Jordan River begins. (1) There were twelve tribes of Israel. (2) After the tribe of Joseph was divided into the tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Ephraim, the total number of tribes became thirteen. (3) However, as no inheritance was given to the tribe of Levi, the land was divided amongst the twelve after all. (4) The tribe of Rueben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had already received as an inheritance the land east of the Jordan River. (5) Therefore, the land of Canaan was going to be distributed amongst the nine and a half tribes.

General rules of distribution

(1) The leaders have great responsibilities. Eleazar, the third child of Aaron, the High Priest, and Joshua were present amongst the heads of the households of the tribes of Israel. They worked together in distributing the land according to God’s will. (2) The size of each territory was determined based on the total population of each tribe. Moses conducted a second census after exiting Egypt. (3) However, the allocation of the land was to be assigned by lot, which was the fairest method. Furthermore, this method taught the Israelites that the ultimate owner of the land was God himself and that it was He who gives each tribe a land as inheritance. It was much safer to inherit the land assigned by God’s providence in casting the lot, rather than selecting a land according to one’s own wisdom and desire. We can say the same for our lives as well. God gives us the very best things in each of our lives. Paul wrote, “Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches … Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called” (1 Cor. 7:17–20). With this in mind, let’s be diligent in fulfilling our callings wherever God has placed us, rather than comparing ourselves with others.