Before the final divisions of the land are made, the Israelites move en masse from Gilgal in the Jordan Valley to the hill country of Shiloh, about 30 km northwest.

Why? Probably because Shiloh, located at the centre of the promised land, is a convenient location for the tabernacle, or Tent of Meeting. Here, it can remind the Israelites that the key to prosperity and blessing in the land is worshipping and serving the Lord. Already, the dissatisfaction of the sons of Joseph over their allotment (Joshua 17:14-18) has given an ominous foreshadowing of the future disintegration of the nation over self-interest. To counteract this tendency, the tabernacle is set up in Shiloh to promote a sense of national unity (18:1).

Joshua is committed to dividing the rest of the land among the remaining seven tribes. The tribes aren't complaining like Ephraim or Manasseh, but they don't seem to be taking any action. They've done the waiting, but they haven't started the action to go with it (v. 3). So, Joshua organises them for action: he sends 21 men to survey the remaining regions, and with their report, he ″then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions″ (v. 10).

Throughout the book of Joshua, Joshua hears the Lord God in a variety of ways. Sometimes, as in this case, he receives the Lord's will through the casting of lots. We will see this happen again later.

Of course, being assigned land is not the same as trusting the Lord and going on to conquer that land. Sadly, short-sighted self-interest and spiritual complacency go together. Oh, to be like Joshua and Caleb, who have worshipped and served the Lord wholeheartedly for a lifetime. What heroes of the faith, indeed!