After sending the 21 men to survey the remaining land and receiving their written report (Joshua 18:9), Joshua gathers the leaders of the tribes. 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). This distribution is for the seven tribes who are still awaiting their territorial assignments (18:11-20:9), plus the Levites (21:1-45).

The first two lots go to Benjamin and Simeon (18:11-20; 19:1-9). Their lands are tightly bound to those of Judah: Benjamin's territory rests atop Judah's, and Simeon's territory is within Judah's.

In later years, two or all three of these tribes will work closely together some of the time. In the book of Judges, Judah and Simeon will combine their might to fight the Canaanites (Judges 1:3, 17). And during King Rehoboam's reign, after the nation is divided, Judah and Benjamin will come together to war against the northern tribes of Israel (1 Kings 12:21-24).

At other times, Judah and Benjamin will find themselves competing fiercely against each other. This competition was seen during King Saul's reign, after his successor, David, was anointed. David came from the tribe of Judah, while King Saul came from the tribe of Benjamin. While David never tried to harm Saul, Saul repeatedly tried to kill David (1 Samuel 18, 19, 24, 26).

Besides King Saul, other notable descendants of Benjamin include Ehud (Judges 3:15), Esther (Esther 2:5-7), and the apostle Paul (Romans 11:1). The tribe of Simeon, however, produces no biblical heroes of faith.

Whether a tribe produces heroes or not, one thing remains true: God has no grandchildren. Each generation, and each person within that generation, will have to answer this important question: Will I choose to love the Lord my God wholeheartedly now and for the rest of my days? Or, will I reject the Lord and choose to do whatever is right in my own eyes?