“Now these are the portions that the Israelites inherited in the land of Canaan, as distributed by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of Israel.” (Joshua 14:1, BSB)

Joshua 14-19 is a curious portion of Scripture. One wonders just what the point of recording all the minute details of the boundaries of each of Israel’s tribes is for you and me today?

Yeah, we get it for the Israelite’s back then. But do you and I really need to know that “the allotment for the clans of the tribe of Judah extended to the border of Edom, to the Wilderness of Zin at the extreme southern boundary: Their southern border started at the bay on the southern tip of the Salt Sea, proceeded south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, continued on to Zin, went over to the south of Kadesh-barnea, ran past Hezron up to Addar, and curved toward Karka. It proceeded to Azmon, joined the Brook of Egypt, and ended at the Sea. (Joshua 15:1–4, BSB)”? And this for every tribe in detail?

What’s this all about?

Good question.

And I want to argue that there is no wasted or useless information here. No, God isn’t interested in you and I becoming experts in ancient Israeli geography. But He is after something. Something very practical and instructive. Something He saw fit to record in what seems to be a lot of unnecessary detail.

What’s the point? It is one brought up again by the Apostle Paul in his discourse on Mars Hill when he said: [God] “made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. (Acts 17:26–27, BSB)

Just as it was for every Jew who was there to receive the apportioning of their territories, so it is for you and I today.

Each tribe, and each individual in each tribe, was assigned a place and boundaries by God Himself. Just like you and me.

Some would have a coastline. Some would be landlocked. Some would dwell near the headwaters of the Jordan. Others by the fruitful shores of Galilee. Some would be in mountainous regions, and others by the arid plains by the Dead Sea. Some would face the remnants of the Canaanite giants and find their warfare perpetually hard and dangerous. Others would more easily rout their enemies and settle the land quickly. But all by divine appointment. All by the most wise and loving design. All part and parcel of being God’s people, in God’s place, at God’s time.

And so are we.

Beloved, the boundaries of your habitation may be filled with particularly stubborn remnants of indwelling sin. Or, you may be in a place where that warfare seems easier for you than for your brother or sister. The boundaries of your job, your gifts and talents, your family with all of its blessings and challenges. You may have easier access to streams of spiritually refreshing waters, or be in a place where seeking out such sustenance is a daily chore. The ground you plant in may yield crops easily, or may need to cleared of stones and other impediments almost without end. You may have a bounty of close spiritual friends to aid you. You may struggle almost alone. You may have sins easily subdued, and others that spring up like thorns and nettles at every turn.

Take heart Beloved. You have not been placed in your circumstances and brought into your unique experiences by accident. Your loving and wise Father has set your boundaries to bless you, not to curse you. Each has been lovingly and wisely crafted so as to give you the greatest advantage in seeking, knowing and relying upon Him. That you might know Him better. Experience Him more. Draw closer to Him. Learn to trust Him. And see His loving hand in all things.

Yes, there will be sorrows in your assignment, as well as joys. Seasons more pleasing than others. Times of victory, and times of stumbling. Times when you feel hemmed in, and times when you rejoice at just how safe and comforting the borders are. Times of frustration and times of freedom. But He has set your borders with meticulous care. He knows you. He knows what will be most useful in your growth in Christ. What will give the maximum opportunity for eternal blessing. What suits your gifts, abilities – or even lack thereof – and best aids you in your journey to being conformed to the image of Christ.

Don’t wish for someone else’s allotment. Seek Him in yours. Don’t chafe against the lot lines. Learn to praise Him for His precise appointments. Don’t envy someone else’s gifts. Rejoice that even if you cannot see it now, He has set all in place for your best advancement.

Trust Him.

He loves you far more than you can love yourself. He desires higher for you than you do for yourself. He is wiser in His appointments than you would be if you had the reins.

He gave His Son for you. So what good thing – if it were really better – would He withhold from you now?

The Grand Geographer never errs.