Friday, August 14, 2015

Joshua 21: Leave It To Levites

After hashing out the allotment of the land to the tribes and then establishing which towns would serve as "cities of refuge," there is one other detail needing Joshua's attention: the Levites!

As we have been reminded numerous times in scripture already, the Levites did not receive an inheritance like all the other tribes.  Instead, as God's special possession among Israel, they were to be given towns and pasture lands in each of the tribes' allotments.  In that way, perhaps God wanted to keep Israel "seasoned" with those dedicated to His service?

Here's how it all worked out:

Aaron's family received 13 towns in the south: Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.
The Kohathites received 10 towns among the tribes of Dan and Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh)
The Gershonites received 13 towns from among Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and Manasseh
The Merarites received 12 towns from Reuben, Gad and Zebulun

The conclusion of the matter?

"Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to their ancestors that he would give them; and having taken possession of it, they settled there.  And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their ancestors; not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands.  Not one of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass" (vs. 43-45).

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