Joshua 19:51

"These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before Jehovah, at the door of the tent of meeting. So they made an end of dividing the land."

The division of Canaan among the tribes was conducted in all fairness and in such a manner as absolutely to preclude any charges of partiality or deceit.

The High Priest who presided over the religion of Israel, the military leader of the nation, and the heads of the fathers' houses (the princes of Israel) were all present to oversee and conduct the casting of lots, which in all probability was done by Joshua. Many wonderful lessons should be drawn from this.

The very details and the perfect agreement of all these assignments with each other and with the larger record of the total boundaries assures the authenticity of the narrative. The forging of such a record as this would be an absolute impossibility. That the offices of holy religion were honored and respected in this important task is most evident in the presence of Eleazar. Today, it may be feared that our nation has forgotten God. His name is not even invoked in the public schools of the people, and even wars are declared and conducted apart from any consultation regarding "What is the will of God?" We wish to close this chapter by citing a quotation from Plummer:

"However much the Israelites may have quarreled among themselves, there is not a hint of dissatisfaction with the final distribution."[14]

From this it is most evident that all Israel accepted the distribution as the gift of God and consented to receive their various portions as having been received from God Himself. This is the most powerful evidence of the truth and integrity of the entire Biblical narrative.