Day 85: Fighting for Each Other

Joshua 12:1-24 This is a record of the thirty-one kings and kingdoms that Israel had to conquer to acquire the Promised Land.


Chapters 13-19 These seven chapters provide great detail as to the allocation of land to the various tribes of Israel. The three tribes that had settled in Transjordan were allowed to keep those lands on the condition that they continued to support the other tribes militarily (POP QUIZ!! What were the three tribes who stayed in Transjordan? Turn in your answers on the Ascension Facebook Group Page 🤪). The remaining nine tribes drew lots and were apportioned property in that fashion. The lots were drawn in the Tent of Meeting so God would guide the process and determine the subdivision of the land. 


Ch 13:6 I will myself drive them out: Some nations were still living in areas around the fringe of the Promised Land, but God would move them out as necessary. Some of these nations remained on their land and coexisted peaceably with the Tribes of Israel.


Ch 13:33 When it came to time to divide the Promised Land among the Twelve Tribes of Israel, no territory was given to the Levites. They were designated by God as a priestly tribe who would be at the service of all the other tribes, conducting worship and offering sacrifices in atonement for sin. Their members were to live in all the tribal regions and were to be provided for by a tithe from the tribes. For the Levites, their inheritance was not the land but their special relationship with God. (CCC 1539)


Ch 14:6-15 The people of Judah requested that land be given to the family of Caleb. He and Joshua were the only survivors of the Exodus from Egypt, and Caleb had performed courageously as a spy and as a warrior. He was given the city of Hebron. 


Psalm 129 The description of welts, cuts, and gashes that covered the psalmist’s back on account of being scourged brings to mind the SCOURGING OF CHRIST before his Crucifixion. This may be a figurative reference to the suffering Israel had endured at the hands of its enemies. In spite of all the adversity, the hope of vindication and eventual restoration of Jerusalem remained in the heart of the psalmist. As always, the hopes for Jerusalem translate into Christians’ expectation of the heavenly Jerusalem, where we hope someday to enter and live forever in Christ. 


Cut the cords of the wicked: This is likely a reference to the cords used for scourging prisoners. Longer cords pick up much more speed than shorter ones, thereby inflicting greater punishment; this image of a reduction in the cord’s length may indicate a cessation of suffering imposed on Israel. 

(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)

Key Event 35: Tribal Allotment (Joshua 13-21)
Each tribe receives a designated portion of the Promised Land.  Reuben, God, and half of Manasseh settle east of the Jordan River (Josh 13).  West of the Jordan are Judah, Ephraim, and the other half of Manasseh (Josh 14-15), as well as the smaller tribes of Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan (Josh 16-19).  Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, are each counted as a tribe since the tribe of Levi has no allotment of land (Deut 10:9).

(*Walking With God: A Journey Through The Bible by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins)



Prayer by Fr. Mike “Father in Heaven, we give you praise and glory. We thank you for bringing us to this day. We thank you for bringing us all the way through The Bible, to this point, your Word, to this point. And we know that without your Word, we would not know who you are. We would not know who we are, God, without revealing yourself to us, and revealing your heart to us. Yes, we can see your traces, we can see your fingerprints in the world around us. We can see hints at your truth in the created world, the world you created, as we can see the person of the artist in the artwork. Yet Lord, we still might know your heart unless you reveal your heart to us. So we ask you to please, continue to reveal your heart to us that we can reveal our hearts to you. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”