A Divine Lot

“The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan according to its clans.” – Joshua 19:40 When the Lord brought His people back to Israel, He placed each of the twelve tribes in twelve distinct areas. The tribe of Dan was allocated a small coastal plain adjacent to Judah and Ephraim. Though there were advantages to this location, the Danites’ portion was smaller, and many were not happy about their lot. This is because to the south of them was Philistia, an enemy territory that was constantly attacking Bethshemish, their capital city. Since the Philistines were not a peace-loving people, the Israelites in Dan were forced to live in a constant state of war. Unfortunately, their discontent with where God placed them led them to take matters into their own hands. They were seeking to avoid a life of struggle and were unable to see that their battles were

“The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan according to its clans.” – Joshua 19:40 When the Lord finally brought His people back to Israel after leaving slavery in Egypt and then wandering around the wilderness for 40 years, He placed each of the twelve tribes in twelve distinct areas, kind of like states in the U.S. When He assigned territories, the tribe of Dan, which means “judge,” was allocated a small coastal plain adjacent to Judah and Ephraim. Though there were advantages to this location due to its access to the Mediterranean Sea, the Danites’ portion was smaller than most of the others, and it seems that many of its inhabitants were not happy about their lot. In part, this is because just to the south of them was Philistia, an enemy territory that was constantly attacking Bethshemish, their capital city. Since the Philistines were not a