Joshua 16:-19:9; 1 Chronicles 4:24-33; Joshua 19:10-31

One major theme running through the Bible’s book of Joshua is that Joshua allocates the land just as Moses had instructed and that Moses had given instruction according to the information given to him by the Lord. However, dissenting subthemes are emerging. For example, at Joshua 16:10 the tribe of Ephraim is criticized:  They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor.

Two observations concerning Joshua 16:10:

1. After repeatedly receiving instructions to drive the Canaanites out completely the tribe of Ephraim either could not or would not do so.
2. All Israeli tribes, including the tribe of Ephraim, had been required to do forced labor during the 400 years or so that they had lived in Egypt. By God’s power and Moses’ leadership the Israeli tribes threw off the shackles of slavery and oppression in Egypt and marched in freedom to this land. It seems ironic, if not wrong altogether, for the tribe of Ephraim now to subject the Canaanite people to forced labor.