June 17, 2019: Day 51 – Joshua 17

It is not often that you read about daughters who approach the leader at the time, that would be Joshua, and demand that they receive what was promised to them from their father.  We find that the daughters of Machir, who was the son of Manasseh, approached both the chief priest and Joshua and said that they were promised by Moses himself an inheritance along with their brothers.  They went all the way back to Moses to draw from his authority, and not from Joshua.  I wonder if there was a bit of bad blood between Joshua and this family.  We find them coming to him again because they were so numerous and the land that they were given was so small compared to the number of people that they were.  But if you look at the map you will see that they are on either side of the Jordan and their territory extended all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.  

But Joshua agrees to give them the forest that they could clear and settle in that area.  I love that detail of the daughters.  Being a father of daughters I would want my children to stand up and speak up if they felt that it was called for.  Strong Scripture here, not a normal one, but a strong one.  The heroes of Joshua in this chapter are Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.