What role did Joshua play in bringing the tabernacle "into the land"?

Joshua’s Key Contributions to Establishing the Tabernacle in the Land

• Joshua kept the Ark—the heart of the Tabernacle—at the very center of Israel’s entry:

“When you see the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD your God… you are to follow it” (Joshua 3:3).

By ordering the priests to carry the Ark into the Jordan (Joshua 3:6, 14-17), he literally brought the sanctuary’s holiest piece into Canaan first, signaling that God’s presence, not human strength, would secure the land.

• He chose the first permanent site for the whole Tabernacle:

“Then the whole congregation of the Israelites assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. And the land was subdued before them” (Joshua 18:1).

Joshua gathered all the tribes, oversaw the raising of the Tabernacle, and made Shiloh the nation’s worship center.

• He apportioned every tribal inheritance in front of the Tabernacle, rooting civic life in worship:

“These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the tribes apportioned by lot at Shiloh before the LORD, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting” (Joshua 19:51).

• He secured cities and pasturelands for the Levites—the Tabernacle’s ministers—before his own portion (Joshua 21:1-3, 41-42), ensuring continuous service and care for God’s house.

• He renewed covenant commitment beside the sanctuary, keeping the people’s hearts aligned with the God who dwelt among them (Joshua 24:1, 25-26).

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Why Joshua’s Role Matters

– He made God’s presence the first priority in conquest and settlement.

– He linked national administration to worship, conducting every land allotment “before the LORD.”

– He guaranteed provision for Levites so Tabernacle worship would flourish.

– He modeled servant leadership by placing God’s house and people’s needs ahead of his own (Joshua 19:49-50).

Through these steps Joshua not only led Israel militarily but shepherded the nation spiritually, anchoring the Tabernacle—and therefore the Lord’s manifest presence—securely in the Promised Land.