Borders Defined

Joshua 15:1-12

¹The allotment for the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans reached southward to the boundary of Edom, to the wilderness of Zin at the farthest south. ² And their south boundary ran from the end of the Salt Sea, from the bay that faces southward. ³ It goes out southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, passes along to Zin, and goes up south of Kadesh-barnea, along by Hezron, up to Addar, turns about to Karka, ⁴ passes along to Azmon, goes out by the Brook of Egypt, and comes to its end at the sea. This shall be your south boundary. ⁵ And the east boundary is the Salt Sea, to the mouth of the Jordan. And the boundary on the north side runs from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan. ⁶ And the boundary goes up to Beth-hoglah and passes along north of Beth-arabah. And the boundary goes up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. ⁷ And the boundary goes up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, and so northward, turning toward Gilgal, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the valley. And the boundary passes along to the waters of En-shemesh and ends at En-rogel. ⁸ Then the boundary goes up by the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the southern shoulder of the Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem). And the boundary goes up to the top of the mountain that lies over against the Valley of Hinnom, on the west, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. ⁹ Then the boundary extends from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and from there to the cities of Mount Ephron. Then the boundary bends around to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim). ¹⁰ And the boundary circles west of Baalah to Mount Seir, passes along to the northern shoulder of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), and goes down to Beth-shemesh and passes along by Timnah. ¹¹ The boundary goes out to the shoulder of the hill north of Ekron, then the boundary bends around to Shikkeron and passes along to Mount Baalah and goes out to Jabneel. Then the boundary comes to an end at the sea. ¹² And the west boundary was the Great Sea with its coastline. This is the boundary around the people of Judah according to their clans.

I grew up as the product of an agrarian culture. Farming runs deep in my father’s bones. So, one of the things I learned about early in life was the importance of boundaries. Those fence lines run for hundreds of miles where I come from. As we read about the continuation of Joshua and the rest of Israel acquiring the land, we see that the setting of boundaries was critical to their success as a nation. And, we learn that God had set aside land for every one of them. This detailed description of the boundary lines for the Tribe of Judah will be followed by similar words for each tribe in turn.

What we are seeing here is the formation of Israel as an actual nation, placed where God wanted them to be – at the center of civilization at the time. That smallish chunk of land is in what was the crossroads of the world at the time. People from all four corners on the compass would pass through Israel to do commerce, share cultures, and even make war. God positioned His people so that they could influence the world in His name.

Wherever you are, it is by God’s design. You are positioned to influence your world for the Gospel. Over 400 years later, David will write about the “boundaries” in his life. It is one of my favorite passages, for here I am reminded that God has chosen the borders for my life, just as He did for the ancient Hebrews.

Psalm 16:5-6

⁵The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. ⁶The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Not only has God given me a place from which to share the Gospel, He has hemmed me in with salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ and that includes my eternal inheritance. The fence lines have been erected and I stand secure.