Joshua 13:24-28

Joshua 13:24-28

And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families.

And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah;

And from Heshbon unto Ramathmizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir;

And in the valley, Betharam, and Bethnimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward.

This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages.

a. The inheritance of Gad stretched from the southern edge of the Sea of Chinnereth (Sea of Galilee), almost all the way to the Dead Sea. It includes almost all of the eastern shore of the Jordan river between the two seas. Centuries later, during the time of Christ, the Gadarenes  who settled on the shore of Galilee were pig farmers.

b. Mark 5:1-20 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.

For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.

And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.

And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.

And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.

Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.

And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

1). Looking at some of the verses in this passage is in one way astounding. For instance, we can reliably say these people were of the tribe of Gad. The first verse in this passage says, “And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.”

2). Another thing I am struck by is after Jesus cast the devil out of this guy and the herd of pigs were destroyed, thus destroying someone’s income, the people of the surrounding city and countryside came out and “prayed” for Jesus to leave the area. Wow!

c. The fact they became pig farmers in spite of the divine command not to eat or even touch pig carcasses reveal their failure to obey.

1). Leviticus 11:7, 8 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.

Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.