Deuteronomy 17
Joshua 17 deals with the land allotment for the tribe of Joseph—that is, for Manasseh and Ephraim. In particular, it focuses on the inheritance that half of the tribe of Manasseh received on the west side of the Jordan River. In verses 1-6, the genealogy of the descendants of Manasseh and the descendants belonging to their various families are mentioned, along with the story of how the daughters of Zelophehad received their father’s estate in accordance with the promise given to Moses. In verses 7-13, the specific boundaries and regions of the land that Manasseh received are listed, and the relationship with the indigenous peoples living there is also mentioned (that they were not completely driven out). In the final section, verses 14-18, the chapter ends with a scene in which Joshua responds to the descendants of Joseph, who complain that their portion is too small, by urging them to clear the forested hill country and take responsibility for the land available to them.
1verseYou shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep in which is a defect or anything evil; for that is an abomination to the LORD your God.
2verseIf there is found among you, within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you, a man or woman who does that which is evil in the LORD your God’s sight in transgressing his covenant,
3verseand has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the stars of the sky, which I have not commanded,
4verseand you are told, and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire diligently. Behold, if it is true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is done in Israel,
5versethen you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil thing to your gates, even that same man or woman; and you shall stone them to death with stones.
6verseAt the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death. At the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
7verseThe hands of the witnesses shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
8verseIf there arises a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise, and go up to the place which the LORD your God chooses.
9verseYou shall come to the priests who are Levites and to the judge who shall be in those days. You shall inquire, and they shall give you the verdict.
10verseYou shall do according to the decisions of the verdict which they shall give you from that place which the LORD chooses. You shall observe to do according to all that they shall teach you.
11verseAccording to the decisions of the law which they shall teach you, and according to the judgment which they shall tell you, you shall do. You shall not turn away from the sentence which they announce to you, to the right hand, nor to the left.
12verseThe man who does presumptuously in not listening to the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or to the judge, even that man shall die. You shall put away the evil from Israel.
13verseAll the people shall hear and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
14verseWhen you have come to the land which the LORD your God gives you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, “I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,”
15verseyou shall surely set him whom the LORD your God chooses as king over yourselves. You shall set as king over you one from among your brothers. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.
16verseOnly he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; because the LORD has said to you, “You shall not go back that way again.”
17verseHe shall not multiply wives to himself, that his heart not turn away. He shall not greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
18verseIt shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write himself a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the Levitical priests.
19verseIt shall be with him, and he shall read from it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them;
20versethat his heart not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he not turn away from the commandment to the right hand, or to the left, to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the middle of Israel.
Key Content and Flow
This chapter shows how a community of faith should respond to various situations, requests, and problems during the actual process of dividing the promised land. The daughters of Zelophehad take an active, self-directed attitude in claiming an inheritance even though there are no male descendants. It also describes the reality that the tribe of Manasseh does not control all the estates and that the people of Canaan are still present. When the descendants of Joseph are not satisfied with their portion and demand something greater, Joshua leads them to take on challenges actively by encouraging their faith and abilities. In this way, the chapter shows that Israel’s process of taking the promised land is not merely a matter of distribution, but a process of spiritual challenge and the practice of faith.
Meditation Points
- God’s promise and the community’s obedience: You can confirm God’s faithfulness in assigning the promised land to each tribe. However, the text emphasizes that in order to enjoy that promise, active actions of obedience and faith are necessary.
- Personal requests and wise acceptance by the community: As seen in the daughters of Zelophehad’s request, you can reflect on the idea that even a person’s needs and voice can be respected and reflected within the community.
Try Applying It to Me
- My inheritance in life: Before the promises God has given me in my life, what kind of attitude am I taking? I reflect on whether I am perhaps sitting back or giving up.
- Challenge and faith: Even if real-world circumstances are difficult and not complete, you can examine whether a life of actively acting with faith is needed.
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