Clear Borders

“Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.” (Nu 36:9 AV)

The account above regards the daughters of a father who inherited their father’s land because there was no male heir.  The tribes of Joseph correctly assumed the land would stay within their tribal allocations.  That is, when these daughters married, they would have been prohibited from marrying outside their tribes so the land would stay within the tribal allocation.  A daughter who had no land would be free to marry any.  Regardless of tribal affiliation.  She brought no land with her to the marriage and thus the borders of the tribes would be secure.  Upon reflection, one might ponder the strictness of these border assignments.  As long as Jews married Jews, why would it matter if the tribal borders were a bit blurred or disappeared altogether?  What difference would it make if the entire nation become a great melting pot with no distinct affiliations?  The key is in Jacob’s dying declaration and summation of his twelve sons.  Upon his death bed, Jacob allocated to each tribe their characteristics and assignments.  When those lines became blurred, the nation had problems.  The greatest of these was the constant struggle between Judah and Ephraim.

Joseph, for all intents and purposes, was the first central leader of the nation of Israel.  Then Moses, from the tribe of Levi was the next great central leader.  Seven of the thirteen judges were from the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim.  Ephraim and Manasseh were the two sons of Joseph.  Only one was from the tribe of Judah.  The problem arose from Jacob’s dying declaration.  Judah was supposed to be the tribe from which Israel’s leaders arose.  When it came time for a king to be chosen, the first was from Benjamin.  Then came David and his descendants.  All from the tribe of Judah.  The tribe from which the Savior would be born.  There was a constant internal conflict between the house of David and the kings of the north because long ago, the nation assumed leadership would continue from Joseph to his descendants.  The nation was never truly united and will not be until Christ comes back.  These lines of tribal inheritance were more than mere lines on a map.  These were more than mere allocation of property.  They were a way to delineated tribal assignments for the efficient and peaceful function of a nation.  This principle is found throughout the organization of this nation.  For instance, the LORD divided the tribe of Levi by families and assigned specific duties to each family.  These were handed down from one generation to another.  This is only possible if they kept a strict separation within the nation and tribe itself.  Each in their place doing their thing.

The church of Corinth had serious problems.  One of those problems was competition for prominence among God’s people based on gifts and callings.  It was erroneously thought certain gifts or callings had more importance and thus greater standing.  This is why Paul spent the time explaining that each member of the body has important significance.  He instructs them to stay within the calling of which the LORD ordained.  There is no reason to compete.  There is no reason to desire the calling of another.  Stay within the boundaries which the LORD has assigned.  If the daughters mentioned above marry outside their tribe, generations of doing so would blur the lines set down for the orderly function of the nation.  The same is true of the home, the church, and society at large.  If we don’t have the gifts and calling to be something we desire, we need to find that which the LORD has gifted us for, and pursue it.  We need to learn to be content in the calling which the LORD has given and flourish where we have been planted.