July 2, 2021
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Reading along with us in Joshua? Here’s today’s reading:
Joshua 21 (NIV)
Towns for the Levites
1 Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel 2 at Shiloh in Canaan and said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.”........Continue Reading
I love that this chapters end in a reflection of all God had done and all the promises He kept for the Israelites. He provided the land He promised. He delivered them from their enemies as He promised. Most of all He was with them all the while through the good and the bad He remained faithful to His word and His promises. A great reminder for us in our own lives!
The Israelites sacrificed quite a bit for the Levites, but considering all their allotments came from the provision of God and His grace, it both made sense and therefore hopefully was easy to do. It is similar to the giving we participate in. We do sacrifice in giving but when we consider all we have comes from God, then returning 10% to Him seems like a blessing. One wonders as the Israelites disobeyed God whether these lands still remained in the hands of the Levites. It was also interesting to see that a couple of the Levite towns were also cities of refuge. Who better to take care of the responsibilities that came with those cities than the Levites. And Hebron takes triple duty: city of refuge, a Levitical town and the inheritance of Caleb. Lots of good stuff happening there I imagine……..
Joshua 21
43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
A reminder that God always fulfills His promises to us. When we are unreliable, he is always there.
43So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. 45Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
The Levites are given cities and common lands among the tribes of Israel to perform their responsibilities before the Lord.
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.””
Joshua 24:15 NIV
https://www.bible.com/111/jos.24.15.niv