Brilliant Plan

“And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.” (Jos 18:8 AV)

 

The method Joshua devised to survey and divide up the remaining land had to be of the LORD.  It was brilliant.  I imagine as the seven remaining tribes considered the land yet before them, self-interest crept in.  The remaining land had to be surveyed to establish natural borders.  Then these seven parcels could be doled out to the seven remaining tribes yet without inheritance.  Naturally, they would prefer one parcel over another or larger portions over less.  Joshua had to devise means to survey and divide the land as the LORD would have it and still keep the unity among the tribes.  So, the first step in his plan was for each tribe to assign three men to the survey team.  That would include the five tribes who already had their inheritance.  These five tribes would have absolutely no self-interest in the borders of the seven remaining tribes.  They could emotionally detach themselves from the process and give an honest survey.  Next, the men were sent out as a team.  All thirty-six, working together, to survey the land.  That way, there could be no allegiances formed that would benefit one dispossessed tribe over another.  Most importantly, Joshua told these men before they left the inheritance would be chosen by lot.  This means names would be drawn and assigned as the LORD dictated.  Human reasoning would not play a part in the inheritance each tribe would receive.  Brilliant.  This three-step plan assured the unity of the nation while doing God’s work.

I have to confess, I don’t know exactly how the LORD wishes to apply this truth today.  Reading and thinking through the process of Joshua’s plan, I was struck at how masterful it was.  There was more than one objective here.  The plan was not solely about dividing the remaining land to the seven tribes yet without an inheritance.  There were multiple objectives here.  First and foremost was to keep the unity among the brethren.  If the plan did not end with the nation unified, then even if the seven tribes had their land, the nation would have been at odds.  There was also the objective of keeping the five tribes who had their inheritance as part of the nation as a whole.  Unity is more than mere agreement.  It is striving towards the same goal.  Moses warned the two and a half tribes that settled on the east side of the Jordan if they did not help the rest of the nation settle their lands, there would be a division in the nation that would never heal.  This plan of Joshua’s was a brilliant one.  Assigning inheritance was the easy part.  That could have been done in human reasoning alone.  Larger tribes would receive larger allotments.  Allotments could be considered based on tribal purposes like industry or abilities.  There could have been a logical way to accomplish that which needed to be done.  Rather, Joshua devised means by which the mean kept one another honest and allowed God to determine the final outcome.

I don’t know exactly how to apply this other than to say the wisdom of leaders is often underappreciated and misunderstood.  We may find a much more logical way of accomplishing the same task, however, we cannot see the entire picture.  We may be able to read topographical maps and plan out the most logical of all borders that would guarantee security, water, and the ability to take care of one’s relatives.  Perhaps we can see how best to evenly distribute resources like lumber, tillable land, or water rights.  But what we lack is the ability to see the unseen.  Like unity, spirit, calling, cohesiveness, purpose, abilities, etc.  A good leader is not obsessed with the simple and pragmatic.  He understands there is much more involved that most cannot see.  He understands there are greater considerations than how many acres one tribe receives over another.  Most challenges are not that simple.  Joshua shows us how a three-step plan solved more problems than was initially seen.  The LORD gave him the wisdom to devise the means by which the nation could go forward, united as a whole, and behind God’s plan.