🏔️ Joshua 17

Joshua 17 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “This was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. As for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.

Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “Southward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea was his border. They reached to Asher on the north, and to Issachar on the east.” Joshua 17 opens with these words: “This was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. As for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of…” The line to keep is Joshua 17:8: “The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh; but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim.” Carry the word “land” from that verse into the rest of the day.

The line worth learning out loud is Joshua 17:8: “The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh; but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim.” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.

What happens first in Joshua 17? Then try this: Read “The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh; but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.