The book of Joshua begins with excitement and adventure. After the Israelites had wandered for years in the wilderness, the Lord finally brings his people into the promised land. The chapters on the conquest of Canaan are some of the most memorable in biblical history. Think about the destruction of Jericho, the failure at Ai, and the stoning of treacherous Achan. Think of how the sun stands still at Joshua’s command. We might say the early chapters are epic, but what about Joshua’s second half?

Joshua 13–24 is hardly epic reading in our modern estimation. These are the sorts of chapters you may read when you have a hard time falling asleep. Dale Ralph Davis says, “Probably even the most stout-hearted reader of Joshua begins to crumble and nod as he enters chapters 13–21. Watching war movies always tends to be more exciting than participating in land surveys.”

With such an exciting beginning, why does the author bore us with geographical locations ad nauseam? Is there any reason we shouldn’t just pass over these chapters and skip ahead to the “good stuff” at the beginning of Judges?

God’s Faithfulness to Abraham, Joseph, and Moses

The chapters on Canaan’s division demonstrate the Lord’s faithfulness in keeping his promises. Far from being boring, they describe the promise-keeping character of Israel’s God.

God promised Abraham that he’d bless him and make him into a great nation (Gen. 12:2) and give him Canaan as an everlasting possession (15:18–21; 17:8). He told Abraham his descendants would be afflicted in a land that wasn’t their own and that they’d afterward return to Canaan with many possessions (15:13–16). God accomplishes those promises and more through Canaan’s conquest and settlement (Josh. 21:43).

We might say the early chapters are epic, but what about Joshua’s second half?

Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph made his people swear to carry his bones up from Egypt and back into the land of promise (Gen. 50:25). The Lord sees to it that the people of Israel made good on this promise during Joshua’s day (Josh. 24:32). After Joseph, God also spoke to Moses at the burning bush. He told Moses he’d seen his people’s suffering and would rescue them from slavery and bring them into the promised land (Ex. 3:7–8). The book of Joshua emphasizes God’s promises realized not only in the conquest but also in the allotment of Canaan (Josh. 21:45).

God’s Faithfulness to Joshua, Caleb, and the Daughters of Zelophehad

Caleb and Joshua were promised an inheritance in Canaan because of their faith in the Lord when they spied out the land. While the other spies disseminated doubt in Israel’s ranks, Caleb and Joshua championed God’s ability to do what seemed impossible (Num. 13:30; 14:6–9). For their faithfulness, God promised to preserve them alive through the desert, bring them into the land, and let them enjoy their inheritance (14:30).

In the land-division chapters, these promises are fulfilled. Caleb receives for his inheritance the mountain fortress of Hebron, an important city in Israel renowned for its connection to the patriarchs (Josh. 14:13–15). Joshua receives the city of Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim (19:50), and he’s given a proper burial there (24:30).

We find a lesser-known demonstration of God’s faithfulness in the land given to the daughters of Zelophehad (Num. 27:1–11; Josh. 17:3–5). Zelophehad of Manasseh had five daughters but no sons. He died in the wilderness before entering Canaan. His daughters boldly asked Moses for the right to possess their father’s inheritance when they entered the land.

Moses took the case before the Lord, and the Lord told Moses these women were right to ask for this inheritance. The Lord then made a standing ordinance in Israel that if a man died and had no son, his inheritance should go to his daughter (Num. 27:8). After Canaan’s conquest, these daughters come before Joshua and Eleazar the priest, asking for this promise to be fulfilled. “So according to the mouth of the LORD he [gives] them an inheritance among the brothers of their father” (Josh. 17:4).

God’s Faithfulness in the Christian Life

God’s faithfulness to accomplish his promises isn’t just the major theme of Joshua’s chapters on land division; it’s the theme of the book as a whole. The book champions God’s faithfulness to Israel, on both a national and individual level, as the tribes receive the land flowing with milk and honey: “Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (21:45).

God’s faithfulness to accomplish his promises isn’t just the major theme of Joshua’s chapters on land division; it’s the theme of the book as a whole.

God is faithful to Israel not because of Israel’s obedience or righteousness; the Lord’s faithfulness arises from his internal integrity. What he speaks, he does. The word the Lord promises always comes to fruition.

This is Joshua’s argument in his charge to Israel’s leaders (23:3–5). Because God has shown himself reliable, always faithful to keep his word, he can be trusted to bring to pass what he’s promised for the future. He’d promised Israel possession of Canaan. Joshua cuts off the ruling kings of Canaan, and he gives the tribes a golden opportunity to finish the job in their own territories. Their failure to fully possess the land is a symptom of the greater issue of their disbelief in God’s promises and power.

God’s people today still struggle to believe he’ll fully keep his promises. So the “boring” land-division chapters have great practical application for our Christian lives.

Paul says in Romans 15:4, “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” This verse includes even Joshua’s chapters on tribal inheritance. God’s faithfulness on display in Joshua 13–24 is for us—for our instruction, to produce endurance, giving us encouragement and hope.