Advanced Level, Block 5, Week 45: The Allotment of the Land

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Advanced Level, Block 5—Frustrations in the Land

Week 45
The Allotment of the Land

Point to Emphasize: Our concept of what is fair is far off from God’s.

Reference Reading: Joshua 13:1, 6b-8, footnote 71; 14:1-15, footnote 21

Memory Verse: For as the heavens are higher than the earth, / So My ways are higher than your ways, / And My thoughts higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)

Story Sample

After much fighting, all of the good land was ready for the children of Israel to possess it. God commanded Joshua to allot the land. Do you know what allot means? To allot means to divide or distribute as an inheritance. So, Joshua was responsible to divide this land among the tribes. How many tribes were to possess the land west of the Jordan? Nine and a half, because two and a half tribes had already chosen and received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan.

The important question I have for you today is, how should Joshua distribute the land? Let’s see. What if I have a big cake and there are 6 members in the family: dad, mom, and four children, how should I cut the cake to allot or distribute? What if I decide to cut a huge slice for myself and cut another five tiny slices for the rest of the family members? [Let the children answer.] You might argue with me and say, “That is not fair! You need to give each one an equal slice!” You say this because you think it is only fair when it is equal.

Do you think God commanded Joshua to divide the land equally and distribute it to the nine and a half tribes? You might be surprised when I tell you that this was not the way the land was allotted to the children of Israel. God did not command Joshua to give each tribe an equal piece of the land. God gave each tribe a different amount. Was God not fair? Don’t be too fast in saying God was not fair. We think it is only fair when it is equal but this is not how God thinks. God allotted the portion of the land according to what the tribes were and what they needed. In other words, because the tribes were different, God could not give the same land in the same way to every tribe.

In your daily life, there are many situations where you might be tempted to say, “This is not fair!” For example: (1) The playground is only for children ages 7 and under; (2) Your older brother gets to stay up later than you; (3) Your younger sister can play more than you because you have more homework; (4) The coach always picks the same children to start the game. Can you name some other situations? [Lead the children in a discussion of other instances in which they say things are not fair.] Yes, there are many situations in which you might think that things are just not fair. We think it is fair only when we get the better end of the deal. For example: (1) If you are under seven years old, then you think it’s fair that your older sister has to sit there and wait; (2) If you are the older brother who stays up later, it’s fair; (3) If you are the one who gets less homework, then it’s fair; (4) If the coach always picks you to start the game, it’s fair. Our notion of fairness is altogether selfish. But the truth of the matter is that you have one idea of what is fair but the adult in charge has another. They know why they arrange things or distribute them in the way they do. They know who needs something in particular and what they need is best given at a particular time.

I grew up as the oldest of four girls. On special occasions, my mom would give each of us a special gift. The interesting thing was that she would give each one of us something different. We would all see the gifts, and for a while, there was some rivalry, and then we said, ”Mom, it is not fair that she got that. Or, it is not fair I got this.” After a few days, we would realize that mom knew each one of us the best and she knew exactly what would be the best gift for each one of us. We learned to trust in her knowing what we needed and when we needed it. We no longer considered whether what we received was fair. [Storyteller, share your story of thinking something was not fair but later you learned it was for your good.]

Now that we know that mostly what we consider to be fair is always something in our favor, we need to consider God’s idea of what is fair. God gave nine and a half tribes the land that was best for them. Because the distribution of the land did not depend on Joshua, but on God, there was no reason for the tribes to complain about the portion allotted to them.

Our parents, grandparents, and other adults that we know often handle things in the way that is best for us. We don’t always end up with “the best end of the deal” but we always end up with what we need. Most often our view of fairness is selfish, but our parent’s view is what is good for us at this time. Our teacher or coach’s view may be what is best for the class or for the team. We need to accept their arrangement and there shouldn’t be any complaints. May we all grow out of our selfish view of what is fair. Again, after hearing this, it would be good to talk to your parents.

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