Josué 17

Josué 17

MacDonald - When Joshua said, “You shall not have only one lot” (v. 17b), he didn’t mean that they would get additional land but that they must occupy all the land that had been given to them. (Believer's Bible Commentary) Joshua 17:18 but the hill country shall be yours. For though it is a forest, you shall clear it, and to its farthest borders it shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron and though they are strong." the hill country: Jos 17:15 15:9 20:7 for you shall drive out the Canaanites Jos 11:4-6 13:6 Nu 14:6-9 De 20:1-4 Ps 27:1,2 Isa 41:10-16 Isa 51:12,13 Ro 8:31,37 Heb 13:6 but the hill country shall be yours - Now ponder this scenario a moment. God had given the sons of Joseph a lot and they should have been content but were not. They started whining and complaining, which in some OT scenes was a sure recipe for the disciplining hand of the LORD. And yet in this case Joshua shows them grace upon grace. They did not deserve another lot, but in grace (and mercy) Joshua, the administrator in charge bestows it on them. This is unmerited favor in real-time! For though it is a forest, you shall clear it, and to its farthest borders it shall be yours - The hill country was a rugged country but Joshua explains they will clear it and possess it. Kenneth Gangel " As Israel's military commander and chief executive officer, Joshua set a helpful example in the way he dealt with Joseph's people: "Clear the land and drive out the Canaanites and stop your bellyaching." We need to learn how to help ourselves and others when we get stuck in the spiritual mud of complacency, compromise, or complaint..(Holman Old Testament Commentary - Joshua) Wycliffe Bible Commentary has an interesting note - That the Central Ridge was once heavily forested is attested by acorns and terebinth seeds and deer antlers found in many excavations and a wild boar's tooth at Gezer, as well as cypress and pine lumber in King Saul's fortress at Gibeah (Tell el-Ful). For - Term of Explanation. Here Joshua elaborates on how they will be able to clear and possess the land. you shall drive out the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron and though they are strong - Yes the Canaanites are strong, and yes, the Canaanites have iron chariots, but who did the sons of Joseph have? The answer is obvious -- they had Yahweh. Joshua surely recalled the promise of Yahweh in Joshua 13:6 “All (HOW MANY?) the inhabitants of the hill country (from Lebanon as far as Misrephoth-maim, all the Sidonians, I will drive them out from before the sons of Israel; only allot it to Israel for an inheritance as I have commanded you. ESV Study Bible note on chariots of iron - In contrast to the lighter chariots of Joshua 11:4+, the chariots of iron of the plains-dwelling Canaanites were of heavier construction, perhaps armored with iron fittings and sporting iron-shod, six-spoked wheels (see also Jdg. 1:19+). Daunting as such military machinery must have been, Joshua insisted that it was no impediment to the eye of faith (ESV Study Bible) Donald Campbell sums up this last section - "While there is some similarity between this section and the one recording Caleb's request (Joshua 14:6-15), their outlooks were opposite. Caleb's request was motivated by faith, whereas that of the Josephites stemmed from fear. The purpose, however, of this episode may well be to alert the Israelites to the fact that the tribes had to act in courageous faith if they were to possess the Promised Land fully. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary Old Testament) The sons of Joseph were also present when Moses gave this encouragement to Israel in the time of battle... “When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; (WHY NOT?) for the LORD your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. (Dt 20:1+) Thompson - If we are to lay hold of great blessings and a great inheritance, we need to learn these same lessons. We have the power of God to succeed in our lives, but we must do our part in working and warring for God; and if we do we will win. We cannot sit idly by and earn a great inheritance. We need to get active. Arthur Pink said, “men will excuse themselves from labor on any pretense.” What amazes me about this is that God put up with this and still does today. God gives us so much and often times it is not enough. We whine and complain and are not satisfied. God says fine–you want more, I’ll give you more and then you will whine and complain about that. There is an inheritance that is there for the earning. We cannot earn salvation, but we can lay up treasures in heaven. Cyril