Joshua 17:1

Joshua 17:1 says, There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph; to wit, for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.  This verse begins to tell of the inheritance of the tribe of Manasseh, who had half of his inheritance on each side of the Jordan.  First, we are told of Machir, who was a man of war.  Verse two states, There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.  We are told that here was also an inheritance for all the male children of Manasseh, who were named.  Verse three adds, But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.  One of Manasseh's great-grandsons, Zelophehad, had no sons, but had five daughters.  They were not listed among those receiving an inheritance, since males were generally the ones to receive the inheritance.  We today may feel that this is totally unfair, but it was the nature of the law then.  There may be things today that we see as unfair in the world, but we will never be able to make everything totally fair, but we should always do our best to overcome them with God's guidance and under His power.  Verse four declares, And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our  brethren.  Therefore according to the commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.  The daughters went to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua, claiming the promise that Moses had made that they would receive an inheritance along with their cousins.  Eleazar and Joshua represented God to the people of Israel, so it was only right that these daughters went to them for help.  We today should go to God, and even those that are His spokesmen in the world, the preachers, if we have problems with someone else.  We should not have to look to the leaders of the lost world for guidance, but we should be able to settle our disputes ourselves under the guidance of God if we are followers of Christ.  Verse five says, And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side Jordan;  The land of Manasseh was divided into ten parts on this side of the Jordan, as well as being divided in two parts on the other side of the Jordan.  Verse six adds, Because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons: and the rest of Manasseh’s sons had the land of Gilead.  The daughter's of Zelophehad received an inheritance together, and not a separate inheritance for each daughter.  Verse seven states, And the coast of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethah, that lieth before Shechem; and the border went along on the right hand unto the inhabitants of Entappuah.  Then verse eight adds, Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah: but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim;  These verse again establish the boundaries of the land of Manasseh, given to his descendants.  It bordered on the land of Ephraim at times.  Verse nine says, And the coast descended unto the river Kanah, southward of the river: these cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh: the coast of Manasseh also was on the north side of the river, and the outgoings of it were at the sea:  We are once again told that some of the cities of Ephraim were in the land that Manasseh owned.  We might not have divided it that way, but this was done by the guidance of God, so we can say it was done for His purpose.  Though each tribe had their own inheritance, they also intermixed with each other, because they were all God's chosen people.  Even if we have our own land today, wherever we may be in the world, as followers of Christ, we are all God's people and none is more valuable than another.  Verse ten states, Southward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea is his border; and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east.  Verse eleven adds, And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.  This verse just further states the fact that the lands had some intermingling of the inheritance given to the different tribes.