Deuteronomy 16
Joshua 16 records, among the twelve tribes of Israel, the boundaries of the inheritance that belonged to the descendants of Joseph—that is, the land that Ephraim and the tribe of Manasseh came to possess. This chapter highlights the extent of the portion Joseph’s descendants received during the division of the land of Canaan, showing that this process is connected to the fulfillment of God’s promise.
1verseObserve the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the LORD your God; for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
2verseYou shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to cause his name to dwell there.
3verseYou shall eat no leavened bread with it. You shall eat unleavened bread with it seven days, even the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste) that you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.
4verseNo yeast shall be seen with you in all your borders seven days; neither shall any of the meat, which you sacrifice the first day at evening, remain all night until the morning.
5verseYou may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you;
6versebut at the place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell in, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at evening, at the going down of the sun, at the season that you came out of Egypt.
7verseYou shall roast and eat it in the place which the LORD your God chooses. In the morning you shall return to your tents.
8verseSix days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD your God. You shall do no work.
9verseYou shall count for yourselves seven weeks. From the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain you shall begin to count seven weeks.
10verseYou shall keep the feast of weeks to the LORD your God with a tribute of a free will offering of your hand, which you shall give according to how the LORD your God blesses you.
11verseYou shall rejoice before the LORD your God: you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, in the place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there.
12verseYou shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt. You shall observe and do these statutes.
13verseYou shall keep the feast of booths seven days, after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and from your wine press.
14verseYou shall rejoice in your feast, you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates.
15verseYou shall keep a feast to the LORD your God seven days in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your increase and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be altogether joyful.
16verseThree times in a year all of your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which he chooses: in the feast of unleavened bread, in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty.
17verseEvery man shall give as he is able, according to the LORD your God’s blessing which he has given you.
18verseYou shall make judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
19verseYou shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality. You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.
20verseYou shall follow that which is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD your God gives you.
21verseYou shall not plant for yourselves an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the LORD your God’s altar, which you shall make for yourselves.
22verseNeither shall you set yourself up a sacred stone which the LORD your God hates.
Structure and Flow
- The beginning of the division (verses 1–3): The boundaries that were granted to the descendants of Joseph are presented at the outset in a summary form. These include specific regions mentioned from the Jordan River to the western sea.
- The boundaries of the tribe of Ephraim (verses 4–9): Specific place names of the land that the Ephraimites possessed are given, explaining that even some towns within the land of Manasseh were owned by Ephraim.
- The remaining Canaanite peoples (verse 10): It records that the Ephraimites did not completely drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, and states that these people were not destroyed but became servants of forced labor.
Overall Meaning
This chapter shows what position and role Joseph’s descendants occupy within God’s promise and plan. It also reminds us that conquest and division were not yet complete by pointing to the continued existence of the remaining Canaanite peoples. God gave the land to the people of Israel, but it contains the message that the completion of their obedience and responsibility continues to be required.
Meditation Points
- When the promised land is being divided, we can reflect on the fact that God cares in detail for the situation of each household and family.
- As we look at a reality that has been fulfilled yet is still not complete, we are led to think that even in our journey of faith, our obedience and responsibility remain necessary.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Let’s consider whether we can trust that God also has tailored guidance and a plan for my life.
- Take a look at what remaining tasks are still left in the area entrusted to us (unresolved parts such as the Canaanite peoples), and let’s reaffirm our determination to bring God’s will to fulfillment through wholehearted obedience.
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