After hearing from the Lord, Joshua reaffirms the territorial assignments that Moses had made east of the Jordan River (Joshua 13:8-33). He does so before apportioning the lands to the west, so as to reassure them of their rightful inheritance.

Such reassurances are well deserved. Joshua will later applaud the military men from these eastern tribes for serving with courage, steadfastness, and valour to help their fellow Israelites conquer their share of the promised land (22:1-5).

Yet, in the rest of biblical history, no prominent judge, prophet, or ruler will ever arise from these two-and-a-half tribes; with perhaps the exception of Elijah from Tishbe in Gilead. This is not surprising in the case of Reuben (see Jacob's curse in Genesis 49:3-4), but it is in the case of Gad (see Moses' blessing in Deuteronomy 33:20). It's also surprising in the case of East Manasseh (compared with West Manasseh's heroes of the faith). The Lord wants to raise up godly leaders among all groups of His people everywhere. When it happens, it's cause for rejoicing. When it doesn't happen after years and decades, it's cause for concern.

Joshua 13:13 offers sober news: ″But the Israelites did not drive out the people of Geshur and Maakah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.″ We hear this indictment again four more times in 15:63, 16:10, 17:12-13, and 17:16-18. Without godly leaders, people often stop trusting the Lord, obeying Him, and claiming His promised blessings. That's exactly what we see here. Tribe after tribe refuses to trust the Lord and drive out the remaining hostile inhabitants within their territories.

Joshua 13:14 and 13:33 give what sounds like more sober news. Actually, it is the best of news: the tribe of Levi is not given a territory of their own because the Lord, and the sacred food offerings presented to Him, are ″their inheritance, as he promised them″ (v. 33). We see this again in 14:3-4 and 18:7. This does not mean they will not have places to live. In fact, it's just the opposite. As we will see later, the Levites are given an average of four cities with each of the other tribes. What blessings, both to Levi and the rest of Israel!

The question of places to live will come up again, when six women of faith–Caleb's daughter Aksah and Zelophehad's daughters Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah secure property that blesses their families for generations and centuries to come. Like them, women of faith today can rest assured that the Lord God wants to bless them, too!