Hey Cameron,
Hope all is well. Just because you disagree with me on Joshua doesn’t mean that you’re wrong. Just because I have different observations doesn’t mean I am wrong necessarily.
So It seems clear to me that Chapter 13 through chapter 21 combine to make 1 segment. The repetition of ‘King’ ends with chapter 12.
You know you are in a different segment of the train of thought in Joshua because there is different stuff that ends at chapter 12 and new stuff that begins in chapter 13. The significant repetition in these 9 chapters is: INHERITANCE, LOT, CITIES, COAST, BORDERS, VILLAGES, SIDE, PORTION, DIVIDE, & SUBURBS. Now coast, border, and side are a continuity(maybe even divide). Cities, villages, and suburbs are a continuity as well. With all 7 of those, Lot is probably a continuity. So our job then is to figure out what the author is communicating within all that repetition & continuity. Clearly, something is being communicated about borders, and that is consistent with the entire book of Joshua. So let me suggest some good questions based only on your observations. We are asking what the text specifically can answer.
- Who gave the boundaries?
- Where were the boundaries to be drawn?
- What is significant about the fact that they didn’t have these boundaries outside of the land?
- What is the new land to them?
- What is significant about the fact that they didn’t need boundaries outside of this new land?
- Is this new land literally a new life?
- At what point is God giving them the boundaries?
- Does God wait until they are in the land to communicate the boundaries?
- Does God give them the boundaries as they move into this new life?
- Are the boundaries for each tribe very specific?
- Does God want the people around Caleb to see his boundaries?
- What is significant about God giving Caleb alone a new life with boundaries?
- Will these boundaries for God’s people be limiting?
- If these boundaries are limiting, will this change their lifestyle?
- Did Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh want boundaries that were different from the rest of God’s people? Who did they want to draw the lines for their lifestyles?
- Did Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh think they had arrived already?
- Did Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh think that they knew better than God when it came to the borders for their lives?
- Does God have specific lots and places for His people?
- Did the Manassites in 17 want more land than God had allotted to them?
- Did they think they deserved more? Is that called entitlement? Had they conquered all the land God had given them already or did they just not want to keep fighting? Did the manassites just want it easier?
- In 18, what do the people put in its proper place?
- Is the temple the focus of the nation?
- Does the temple represent the place of relationship with God?
- Are the people putting their relationship with God in the proper place?
- At what point do God’s people begin moving in to take advantage of all God has for them?
- Do the people begin moving in to take advantage of all God has for them after they put their relationship with God in its proper place?
- What is the implication of God making very clear that the larger tribes will not take anymore land than what’s been allotted to them?
- At what point do God’s people begin being satisfied with their lots in their new life? Is it before or after they put their relationship with God in its proper place?
- What kind of boundaries did the cities of refuge provide?
- Who were the boundaries for?
- What perpetration resulted in someone being forced to live in one of the cities of refuge?
- How suddenly would life change for the perpetrator?
- What would dictate the lifestyle of this criminal?
- Would the life of the high priest be what dictates this sinners lifestyle?
- Was what brought the perpetrator into this more narrowed lifestyle an accident?
- What does this say about what God is doing in the life of this individual?
- Who is drawing out the boundaries of the tribes, cities, villages, and lots?
- What does God want His people’s lives to be governed by?
- In 21:43-45, What do the people experience when they allow their lives to be dic5tated by the Lord’s boundaries?
- In 21:43-45, What are the people of God given when they allow their lifestyles to be dictated by the Lord?
Cameron, I think you will find that this segment is incredibly insightful, and will motivate you to ask many more questions. Usually our problem is we ask to few questions. If 40 questions seems like over kill, then you need to stop tryin to study the Bible Inductively. These 40 questions are the best out of the 4,000 that I asked of these 9 chapters. This is the only difference I see in our studies & observations. It is an issue of spending the time asking the right questions. Blessings, Leep