“Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled themselves at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; and the land was subdued before them” (Josh 18:1).
It’s difficult to imagine how much theological weight a single verse from the Bible is able to carry, but the entire storyline from the first verse of Genesis until Joshua 17 has been building up to this verse in Joshua 18:1. The primary inspiration for this verse comes from the Creation Narrative (Gen 1:1-2:3) as well as the Garden of Eden Narrative (Gen 2:4-3:24).
The word “subdued” in Joshua 18:1 has been very strategically chosen. It’s the same word used in God’s creation mandate to Adam and his wife: “God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and SUBDUE it'” (Gen 1:28). Joshua’s extraordinary military success has resulted in a very short-lived and partial fulfillment of the creation mandate. The land has now been subdued.
Now let’s consider another highly charged word in Joshua 18:1. The verb “to set up” (i.e., the tent of meeting) comes from the Hebrew root which means “to dwell/to tabernacle.” This is the same root for the well-known term for “shekinah,” which refers to the special manifestation of God’s presence with his people on earth. And the particular stem used for verb in Joshua 18:1 (the causative stem) rarely occurs in the Hebrew Bible. It cannot be a coincidence, therefore, that it’s only other occurrence since the Bible story began is in Genesis 3:24. Immediately after Adam sinned, God banished Adam from his garden-like temple and blocked its eastern entrance by causing cherubim “to dwell” there with flaming swords. But now that Joshua has subdued the land, a model of the garden of Eden (the tabernacle) is set up so that God can once again “walk among” (Gen 3:8; Lev 26:12; Deut 23:15; see also Josh 18:4, 8) and tabernacle with his people (Exod 25:8).
Upon this single verse rests the net sum of all of the Bible’s eschatology. This verse offers us a glimpse of what the prophets dreamed about and longed for, and it’s where the story in the biblical canon finally ends. In the final chapters of Revelation, the New Testament Joshua comes to subdue the land (Rev 19:15), the New Eden (Jerusalem) descends from heaven (Rev 21:2), and “the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them” (Rev 22:3).
The garden of Eden is not just a thing of the past. It’s also the trajectory for the future. And God longs for us to walk together with him in the new Eden. So let’s not be like Adam who traded it all for a piece of fruit (Gen 3:6), or like Achan who traded it for the sake of a robe along with some gold and silver (Josh 7:21). Oh God, help us make enjoying your “shekinah” in the new Eden our most coveted treasure.
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Rev 22:17).
“You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psa 16:11).
