Numbers 34:16-29 (ESV)
List of Tribal Chiefs
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “These are the names of the men who shall divide the land to you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun. You shall take one chief from every tribe to divide the land for inheritance. These are the names of the men: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Of the tribe of the people of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. Of the tribe of the people of Dan a chief, Bukki the son of Jogli. Of the people of Joseph: of the tribe of the people of Manasseh a chief, Hanniel the son of Ephod. And of the tribe of the people of Ephraim a chief, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. Of the tribe of the people of Zebulun a chief, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. Of the tribe of the people of Issachar a chief, Paltiel the son of Azzan. And of the tribe of the people of Asher a chief, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. Of the tribe of the people of Naphtali a chief, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.” These are the men whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance for the people of Israel in the land of Canaan.
At the end of the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the nation of Israel has come to the time to enter the promise land. They must divide the land up and begin to settle into the land. We still have the book of Deuteronomy to read before we read about Joshua leading them into the promise land. But, this is the time to divide the land, per tribe. God instructs Moses to take the heads of each tribe for this purpose. He was to allow the heads of each tribe to come together. The principle they are to follow was already given to them by God. Note:
Numbers 33:53-54 (ESV)
And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit.
The leadership of the tribes were to oversee the casting of the lots. It would still be God who decides who gets one lot vs another lot. But, the leadership would do the work. Here you have the sovereignty of God and the working of mankind coming together.
An interesting aspect of this work is not just the list of who is on the list of names but also who is not. This is a very important task. It might even have some political overtones to it. Yet, Moses himself is not on the list. Nor is Eleazar, Aaron’s son, who took over the priesthood upon Aaron’s death. Nor was Joshua, who would eventually lead the nation into the land. Caleb is on the list of chiefs. Remember, Caleb and Joshua would be the only two of those who came out of Egypt, 40 years earlier, to enter the promise land. So, we have this entire process being directed with a few of the major players not involved. God was trusting the system to those who were now the heads and Moses, Eleazar, and Joshua were not engaged. When God sets up systems we are to allow Him to make the decisions.
Proverbs 16:1-4 (ESV)
The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the spirit.
Commit your work to the LORD,
and your plans will be established.
The LORD has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.
God might give tasks to men, but it is men’s task that work the plan of God.
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