Joshua 23

Joshua 23 - Joshua’s Farewell to the Leaders

Joshua begins his farewell address – 23:1-5

(1) The years passed, and the Lord had given the people of Israel rest from all their enemies. Joshua, who was now very old,

• This is about 13 or 14 years after the conquest of Canaan, and seven after the division of the land among the tribes.
• Remember he was 80 years old when the Israelites left Sinai.
• Joshua 13:1: When Joshua was an old man, the Lord said to him, “You are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered.
• Judges 2:7-12: And the Israelites served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who outlived him - those who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. They buried him in the land he had been allocated, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. The Israelites did evil in the Lord ’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord.

(2) called together all the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel. He said to them, “I am now a very old man.

• We do not know whether this took place at Timmoth-serah where Joshua lived or at Shiloh where the Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant were located or at Shechem, the location of the speech recorded in Joshua 24.
• Chapter 23 is a farewell speech just to the leaders of Israel. Chapter 24 is a speech to all the Israelites.

(3) You have seen everything the Lord your God has done for you during my lifetime. The Lord your God has fought for you against your enemies.

• It was natural for the Israelites to credit Joshua for the success. But, Joshua shows them that all their enemies had been defeated because the Lord their God had fought for them and that God alone should have the glory. A good example for us! If only our country's leaders had this attitude! True humility seems to be lacking in our political leaders today. A big ego seems to be a requirement for office in this land of ours.
• Joshua is giving a brief history lesson to remind the leaders what God has done for them in the past and can yet do for them - if they remain faithful and do not follow the ways of the Gentile inhabitants of the land.

(4) I have allotted to you as your homeland ALL the land of the nations YET UNCONQUERED, as well as the land of those we have already conquered - from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.

• The power of the Canaanite armies had been broken so that they could make no defeat the Israelites, but they were still strong enough in some areas, especially along the coast, to keep the Israelites out without major warfare - which the tribes were unwilling to conduct.

(5) This land will be yours, for the Lord your God will himself drive out all the people living there now. You will take possession of their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.

• So he had divided the land up. However, they had not yet taken all of the land. They had taken enough to settle but they had not yet fully driven out all of the enemies. And so Joshua is telling them that God will lead them to victory and encourages them to take the rest of the territory that God had promised to them.
• To fail to finish taking and occupying the rest of the land was sinful!
• Israel was ordered to finish the work of totally conquering the remaining heathen and to fully dispossess them. God would be with Israel in the remaining conflict, Joshua declared. But, they did not fully obey Joshua’s command as given here.

Warning to keep God’s law and be faithful to Him – 23:6-10

(6) “So be very careful to follow EVERYTHING Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. DO NOT DEVIATE from it, turning either to the right or to the left.

• Joshua’s words are a reminder of Moses’ exhortation to the nation of Israel just before his death to keep all that had been written in the Law. Now Joshua did the same thing. But, he knew their heart and knew they'd quickly depart from the laws set down by God through Moses.
• The Torah was then in written form and complete and was to be the strict rule of faith and conduct for all Israel! It is evident that Joshua ended the Torah after Moses' death. Who will wrap up Joshua's book after his death?

(7) Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them.

• Daniel 3:16-18: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
• John 17:15-16: I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do.
• Romans 12:2: Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
• 1 Corinthians 15:33: Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”
• 2 Corinthians 6:14-15: Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?
• Philippians 2:14-15: Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
• James 4:4: You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
• Joshua was now concerned  about Israel’s winning the spiritual war just as he had been dedicated to their victory in the military realm.
• Israel was to have no dealings, social, commercial, civil, religious or business, with their heathen neighbors. If Israel became involved with their heathen  neighbors, these pagans would lead them astray from following the true God of heaven and earth.
• During the closing years of Joshua's life, he became increasingly aware of Israel's growing complacency and their tendency to compromise with the heathen. Some of the heathen had already been put into slavery to the Israelites rather than being eliminated, and that was a source of wealth that added new power to the temptation to allow the nations a place among God's people. The former slaves enjoyed becoming slave owners.
• This is the problem we have today of living with worldly people around us. The influence of these people can be very strong. We are in the world, but we must not be of the world. We must not practice the ways of the world. God wants His people to be holy, for He is holy.

(8) RATHER, *CLING tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.

• *CLING:
• Same word is used in verse 12 to provide a direct contrast!
• Cling has three definitions: To hold fast or adhere, remain close (resist separation) or remain emotionally attached. Vines and their tendrils physically cling to an object. A child clings to his parents. This is emotional but also can be physical.
• The word cling means to be diligent. It means persistence. It means commitment.
• Genesis 2:24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.(ASV). An intimate inseparable oneness of mind - body - soul. "Cleave" in Genesis is the same Hebrew word for "Cling" here.
• Deuteronomy 10:20: You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone.
• Ruth 1:14: And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi.
• Jeremiah 13:11: As a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the Lord. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory - an honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.
• Clinging to the Lord does not come naturally to those living by the flesh.
• They are to remain so tightly to the Lord that they are inseparable.
• Madvig notes: “ The Hebrew word translated “cling” (dabaq) is used in Genesis 2:24 to describe the intimate and binding relationship between husband and wife. It is used several times in Deuteronomy to describe a close relationship between God and man (4:4; 10:20; 11:22; 13:4). In spite of occasional lapses, Israel’s behavior was characterized as holding fast to the Lord.”
• They have been faithful up to this point but there were signs of moral breakdown among the people. It was not yet complete but it was already beginning.

(9) “For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat you.

• It was because God fought for Israel that they won, not because they were better soldiers or Joshua was a better general.
• Psalm 44:1-3: O God, we have heard it with our own ears - our ancestors have told us of all you did in their day, in days long ago: You drove out the pagan nations by your power and gave all the land to our ancestors. You crushed their enemies and set our ancestors free. They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them.

(10) Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.

• Here and throughout this entire speech that Joshua is giving to the leaders, he is quoting from the book of Deuteronomy. There are about 12 quotes from Deuteronomy in his charge to these people. This “put to flight a thousand” comes from the song of Moses in the book of Deuteronomy. And it is interesting that this indeed has happened in their history where God has been with them and one has chased a thousand. Actually, in the next book (Judges), when we get to the case of Gideon, we find that three hundred chased a hundred and thirty-five thousand and put them to flight. God being with them, God strengthening them and God helping them, they were able to put to flight their enemies.
• Leviticus 26:8: Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath your sword.
• Deuteronomy 32:30: How could one person chase a thousand of them, and two people put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?
• The Lord often works through a group of believers. However, there are also many times when God works through one man. We may say we're only one person and can't make changes or influence others, but God only needs one person. Here are a few examples of the many times God used one person:
• ONE MAN SLEW A GIANT - David - 1 Samuel 17.
• ONE MAN STOOD AGAINST FALSE RELIGION - Elijah - 1 Kings 18.
• ONE MAN SHARED THE GOSPEL - Philip - Acts 8:5-12, 26-40.
• ONE MAN SUPPORTED A NEW CONVERT - Barnabas - Acts 9:26-28.
• Daniel, Gideon, Dinah, Samuel, Luther and so many others! Hebrews 11 lists many more.

Warning of consequences for being influenced by the nations – 23:11-16

(11) So be very careful to love the Lord your God.

• Deuteronomy 6:5: And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
• Luke 10:27: The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
• Jude 1:21: and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
• Joshua makes it clear the Israelites’ only future hope is to walk close to God. He is the one who had granted victory, even to the extent that one of their men could chase a thousand of the enemy. Sadly, today’s average Israeli doesn’t realize the only reason Israel as a nation exists against overwhelming odds is because God continues to protect His chosen people, in spite of their unbelief.

(12) “But IF you turn away from him and *CLING to the customs of the survivors of these nations remaining among you, and IF you intermarry with them,

• *CLING: See verse 8! We either "cling" to the Lord or we "cling" to the things of the world. We can't "cling" to both!
• Joshua was worried that the Israelites would turn from God to idolatry. In order to keep the Israelites focused on God, Joshua is reminding them of the past where God has led them and kept them safe. Joshua knew this was an issue to bring up and fight.
• In the book of Judges, (the next book of the Bible) that next generation of Israelites did in fact turn to idolatry.
• Exodus 34:15-17: “You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them. Then you will accept their daughters, who sacrifice to other gods, as wives for your sons. And they will seduce your sons to commit adultery against me by worshiping other gods. You must not make any gods of molten metal for yourselves.
• Deuteronomy 8:19: “But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed.
• Judges 3:1-6: These are the nations that the Lord left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. These are the nations: the Philistines (those living under the five Philistine rulers), all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. These people were left to test the Israelites - to see whether they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors through Moses. So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods.
• 1 Kings 11:1-8: Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, ‘You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.’ Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord. In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been. Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done. On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.
  • A Christian young person must take great care in choosing a mate for life. He or she can help draw the other closer to the Lord or can draw the other away from the Lord.
• Jeremiah 3:6-8: During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. I thought, ‘After she has done all this, she will return to me.’ But she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw this. She saw that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution.
• 2 Corinthians 6:17: Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.

(13) then know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive them out of your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs and thorny brambles in your eyes, and you will vanish from this good land the Lord your God has given you.

• Numbers 33:55: BUT if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live.
• Deuteronomy 7:16: “You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God hands over to you. Show them no mercy, and do not worship their gods, or they will trap you.
• Note the conditional nature of the land promise. God had given them the land in fulfillment of His promise to the fathers. He was willing even to remove the remnant of the people of the nations from the land. But whether or not He did that and whether or not Israel would remain in the land would depend on their faithfulness in obedience to Him. Receiving the land was unconditional. Keeping it was conditional. See Leviticus 26:14-33; Deuteronomy 28:15-68. The record of Israel’s history after this point, of course, shows they were not faithful and were therefore eventually removed from the land as God promised here and elsewhere.
• 2 Kings 10 tells us that the Reubenites, Gadites, and one half Manasseh were the first to be cut off from Israel.  They’d totally succumbed to the sin of the ungodly people around them.

(14) “*Soon I will die, going the way of everything on earth. Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed!

• Joshua 24:29: After this, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110.
• At the end of a long, full and fulfilled life, Joshua's greatest concern was not about himself but about the people and his concern about what was going to happen to them after he was gone. His fear is that bringing them into the Promised Land will have been in vain because he knows, as did Moses, that they will quickly turn from the Lord.
• Genesis 25:7-10: Abraham lived for 175 years, and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. This was the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites and where he had buried his wife Sarah.
• Genesis 49:29-33: Then Jacob instructed them, “Soon I will die and join my ancestors. Bury me with my father and grandfather in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. This is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a permanent burial site. There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried. There Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, are buried. And there I buried Leah. It is the plot of land and the cave that my grandfather Abraham bought from the Hittites.” When Jacob had finished this charge to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and joined his ancestors in death.
• Numbers 23:10: Who can count Jacob’s descendants, as numerous as dust? Who can count even a fourth of Israel’s people? Let me die like the righteous; let my life end like theirs.”
• 1 Kings 2:1-2: As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon: “I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man.
• Acts 7:59-60: As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
• Hebrews 9:27: And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,
• 2 Timothy 4:7-8: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me - the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

(15) But as surely as the Lord your God has given you the good things he promised, he will also bring disaster on you if you disobey him. He will completely destroy you from this good land he has given you.

• God kept his His promises and expects Israel to keep His commandments.

(16) IF you break the covenant of the Lord your God by worshiping and serving other gods, his anger will burn against you, and you will quickly vanish from the good land he has given you.”

• Read Leviticus 26 for God's promise for obedience and His punishment for disobedience.
• Deuteronomy 4:26-27: “Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. IF you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed. For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive.
• Joshua 24:19-20: Then Joshua warned the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. IF you abandon the Lord and serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you.”
• Today there can be many other gods that a believer can follow after. Money can become a god; career can become a god; sex can become a god; popularity can become a god; power can become a god. Anything that comes in the way of putting God first can become a god or idol.
• It wasn't long after Joshua's death that this disintegration began, though God was patient with Israel, seeking all through the history of the Judges and of the Kings to draw Israel back from their idolatry, until eventually their stubbornness became so determined that the nation was carried away from their land. Even then, God worked to restore Judah from the bondage of Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:22-23), bringing a remnant back, but that remnant became guilty of the enormous wickedness of crucifying the Lord of glory, and now for nearly 2000 years Israel has borne the solemn results of their rebellion.
  • 2 Chronicles 36:22-23: In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom: “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are the Lord’s people may go there for this task. And may the Lord your God be with you!”
• He knows that they are going to fail. He has observed these people long enough through the forty years in the wilderness, through all the testings. He realizes that there’s going to be failure down the line.
• What does history show? That these people did forsake the covenant of God. They’ve begun to worship other gods. And first of all, the Assyrians came and conquered the ten northern tribes. Took them into captivity. And then the Babylonians came and conquered Judah and carried them away to the Babylonian captivity. Later, the Greeks, the Romans, the Muslims, the Crusaders and Hitler came to destroy the Israelites and now Persia (Iran) wants to "wipe them off the map."
• In the archaeological diggings in the Kidron valley just above the spring of Gihon in what is known as the city of Ophel which was the city of Jerusalem, the city of David, as they have been excavating this particular section of Jerusalem, Professor Yigal Shiloh in charge of the digs has uncovered the houses that were destroyed by the Babylonian army when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem in 607 and then later 595 B.C. In these houses, they found hundreds of little idols, idols of the pagan gods. Of course, Jeremiah cried out against this as did Isaiah and the other prophets. But the people forsook the living God as Jeremiah said, God has two complaints against them. First of all, you have forsaken Me, the fountain ofliving water and you’ve carved out for yourselves cisterns. But they’re broken cisterns that can hold no water. Turning from God they began to worship other gods and as the ultimate result, they were taken in captivity and they were taken away from the land that God had given them. Even as Joshua speaks of this as an event that surely will happen.
• This speech, Ziese explained, was a “recollection of past deeds, encouragement for present action, and warnings concerning the future.”
• Joshua’s one anxiety appears to have been about the nations that were left. Seven times he refers to the nations of the land. What God had done to them; how they were allotted to be an inheritance; how God was prepared to thrust them out; and especially how great a temptation would be suggested by their perpetual presence, lest the people should be tempted to cleave unto them, intermarry with them, and adopt their gods. It was as though the old man realized that he was the only barrier between Israel and the inroads of worldly conformity and idolatrous rites; and his exhortation anticipates that addressed by the apostle Paul to the elders of the church at Ephesus: Acts 20:29: I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.

APPLICATION and LESSONS to LEARN:

1. Even though Joshua was not perfect, he proved that a life of obedience to God bears great rewards.
2. Obedience, faith, and dependence on God made Joshua one of Israel's strongest leaders. He provided a bold example for us to follow. Like us, Joshua was often besieged by other voices, but he chose to follow God, and he did it faithfully.
3. Romans 8:31: What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
1. It’s so important to be aligned with God and His plan. It’s important that we understand that God is for us, which gives us the confidence to face any kind of a problem or any kind of a situation.
2. If we're faithful, obedient and on God's side, we are unbeatable. But, if we depend upon our own strength and abilities, we are already defeated and robbed of the victory.
4. Consider our own lives where we have not completely given ourselves over to God. The danger is our own idolatry:
   1. To live the Christian life is to walk by faith. It is to trust that Jesus was a living human who gave His life for our sins and at the same time, understand that He was, is and always will be God.
   2. To act on that faith is all about living a life that makes a difference for Christ. It is about trusting God with EVERY aspect of our lives.
   3. When there are areas of our life we don't give to God, that is idolatry.
   4. When we are trusting in God and "something else" that too is idolatry.
5. The whole point is to get us to examine our own lives and ask ourselves, "Are there areas of my life where I am trusting in God and something else?"
6. The point for the Christian is just as God has given us spiritual victories as we draw close to Him, it is also a guarantee if we start to turn our lives against Him, we still start having real losses in whatever we face in life.
7. I know of cases where devout Christians turned to adultery or a "party all the time" lifestyle. I have then watched their lives go way downhill. I know of a few cases where people have turned back to God, but the warnings of these verses is true. Once we know God and decide to turn from that lifestyle, we do pay the price in this lifetime. It is almost as if God is saying to such people, "What do I have to do to get you to turn back to me? How low do you have to sink in life before you realize how much better it is to be obedient to me?" It is amazing to watch the lives of people go to very low levels and still such people would rather live in that lifestyle than turn back to God. That is the danger being presented in these verses.
8. The goal for Joshua's being called by God has been met. At the end of our life, like Joshua, we need to be able to say with Paul:
1. 2 Timothy 4:7: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
9. We need to heed Joshua's admonitions to Israel and apply them to our own lives:
1. Remember what God has done for you (verse 3).
2. Finish the task God has give you (verse 5).
3. Keep God's Word (verse 6).
4. Don't let unbelievers to tempt you or move you away from the Lord or compromise (verse 7).
5. Cling tightly to the Lord (verse 8). Be faithful to the Lord.
6. Love the Lord (verse 11).
7. Bear in mind the consequences of backsliding (verse 12-16).
10. Moses was an example to Joshua. Joshua was an example to the people. We are to be an example to our family and those God brings to us and places around us.
11. Do you desire a life of impact and victory like Joshua’s?
12. There is one truth that we hold in common with the Israelites. It is irrefutable that God is faithful. We may not understand all that is going on in our lives, but if we will step back and look at the larger picture, we will see that God has been working in our lives all along. He has been faithful. So, let us respond to God’s fulfilled promises with faithfulness. Since God has been faithful, we should respond in the same way.
13. Jesus, please let my life make a difference like Joshua.
14. Joshua lived about twenty years in Egypt, forty years in the wilderness and fifty years in the promised land. He went from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the desert and then to the promised land. In a way, that is the journey of a Christian. We are born and live in sin until we put our faith in Jesus. We live in newness of life as Christians in this world, a place that is not our home. Eventually we die to live in our promised land – heaven where Jesus is waiting for us.
15. True success is not what the world thinks of you and what you have done, but what God thinks of you and what you have done.
16. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?
17. What advice and statements would you give to others, especially your children, when you near the end of your life's journey?
18. Our idols may be more subtle than Israel’s, because they may include family, ministry, health, success, prosperity, the avoidance of pain, etc. In fact, our “gods” may be anything and everything of prime importance in our lives, anything other than God Himself.
19. Is your heart divided?  Have others things become more important to you than the things of God? If so, realign your priorities and put God first in your life.
20. It is often interesting in a journey to look back over the way which we have traveled, and it is interesting to remember events and experiences through which the years have brought us. Sometimes in old age people enjoy the memory of past years, especially recognizing the Lord's mercy which has led them. They see it now in events which at the time seemed hard. Such memory of the Lord's goodness in the past should make us grateful and should lead to stronger resolutions to be faithful to the Lord. Live with no regrets!

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources whenever possible at http://joshua-biblestudy.blogspot.com/2011/07/joshua-references-and-sources.html

Joshua 22

Joshua 22 begins a different section of the Book of Joshua. Chapters 1 to 21 focus on conquest - crossing the Jordan - the central, southern and northern campaigns to conquer the Promised Land - and the division of that land - among the tribes of Israel. This section of Joshua is framed by a concern for those parts of the people of God who live OUTSIDE of the Promised Land; for those who live away from Israel proper, away from the sanctuary of God and away from the priesthood of God.

What is the book of Joshua about? Real people facing enormous challenges and learning to trust God along the way.

(1) Then Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

(2) He told them, “*You have done as Moses, **the servant of the Lord, commanded you, and you have obeyed every order I have given you.

• *You have done: We would want said of us that we have done what we had said we would do.
• **the servant of the Lord: There is no greater designation than “the servant of the LORD.” Are you “the servant of the LORD.”

(3) During *all this time you have not deserted the other tribes. You have been careful to obey the commands of the Lord your God right up to the present day.

• *all this time: This had to have been hard - at least 7 years away from family and fighting for someone else. Now, it's up to each individual tribe to possess their territory.
• Numbers 32:28-29: So Moses gave orders to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the clans of Israel. He said, “The men of Gad and Reuben who are armed for battle must cross the Jordan with you to fight for the Lord. If they do, give them the land of Gilead as their property when the land is conquered.
• Deuteronomy 3:18-20: “At that time I gave this command to the tribes that would live east of the Jordan: ‘Although the Lord your God has given you this land as your property, all your fighting men must cross the Jordan ahead of your Israelite relatives, armed and ready to assist them. Your wives, children, and numerous livestock, however, may stay behind in the towns I have given you. When the Lord has given security to the rest of the Israelites, as he has to you, and when they occupy the land the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan River, then you may all return here to the land I have given you.’
• Joshua 1:12-18: Then Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He told them, “Remember what Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you: ‘The Lord your God is giving you a place of rest. He has given you this land.’ Your wives, children, and livestock may remain here in the land Moses assigned to you on the east side of the Jordan River. But your strong warriors, fully armed, must lead the other tribes across the Jordan to help them conquer their territory. Stay with them until the Lord gives them rest, as he has given you rest, and until they, too, possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. Only then may you return and settle here on the east side of the Jordan River in the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, assigned to you.” They answered Joshua, “We will do whatever you command us, and we will go wherever you send us. We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. And may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your orders and does not obey your words and everything you command will be put to death. So be strong and courageous!”

(4) And now the Lord your God has given the other tribes *rest, as he promised them. So go back home to the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you as your possession on the east side of the Jordan River.

• *rest:
• Hebrews 4:8-9: Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God.
• This is the sixth time the word “rest” is used in Joshua. Each time it refers to the tribes on the west of the Jordan - not the east.
• An underlying point is that even after the "big mission" has been completed, life will still go on. There are always going to be new issues in life to deal with once the significant major issues have been resolved. That is a point of this chapter.
• The rest that they so desired in the land and which necessitated these battles with the previous occupants of the land was secured. Rest must not be equated with full possession for there were areas where the Canaanites still dwelt in the land. But there was peace in that the land had rest from war. The people on the Canaan side of the river were going to enjoy a period of rest and the warriors from the two and half tribes were to go to their tents

(5) But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”

• It appears that Joshua feared that they'd quickly fall away from the Lord since they wanted to settle on the wrong side of the Jordan and since they'd be so far from the center of worship of God. Great advice to a believer today!

(6) So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went home.

(7) Moses had given the land of Bashan, east of the Jordan River, to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The other half of the tribe was given land west of the Jordan.) As Joshua sent them away and blessed them,

• Of all the tribes to be taken into captivity the two and a half tribes were the first.

(8) he said to them, “Go back to your homes with the great wealth you have taken from your enemies—the vast herds of livestock, the silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and the large supply of clothing. Share the plunder with your relatives.”

• The Eastern Tribes had fought the Canaanites, had taken spoils from these victories and were permitted to return home with this great wealth. The soldiers, upon their return to Bashan  and Gilead, were ordered to share their wealth obtained in warfare with their relatives who had kept the “home fires burning” during the wars.
• Numbers 31:27: Then divide the plunder into two parts, and give half to the men who fought the battle and half to the rest of the people.

(9) So the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the rest of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. They started the journey back to their own land of Gilead, the territory that belonged to them according to the Lord’s command through Moses.

(10) BUT while they were still in Canaan, and when they came to a place called *Geliloth near the Jordan River, the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh stopped to build a large and imposing altar.

• *Geliloth: (Gilgal) Or to the circle of stones.
• A. Coffman wrote that what was so serious about this action was that the Mosaic religion held the principle that there was to be “only one sanctuary” for the entire nation. This sanctuary was to be under the authority of the high priest. "This sanctuary as to location had been moved many times in the wilderness (no less than forty-two (42) times,” Coffman concluded and to Shiloh from Gilgal after Israel entered the Promised Land.
• That such an altar was actually built has been long ago verified by the discovery of the site.

(11) The rest of Israel heard that the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at Geliloth at the edge of the land of Canaan, on the west side of the Jordan River.

(12) So the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them.

• Leviticus 17:3-4: “If any native Israelite sacrifices a bull or a lamb or a goat anywhere inside or outside the camp instead of bringing it to the entrance of the Tabernacle to present it as an offering to the Lord, that person will be as guilty as a murderer. Such a person has shed blood and will be cut off from the community.
• Deuteronomy 12:5-7,11,13-14: Rather, you must seek the Lord your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored. There you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, your offerings to fulfill a vow, your voluntary offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn animals of your herds and flocks. There you and your families will feast in the presence of the Lord your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the Lord your God has blessed you. ... you must bring everything I command you—your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, and your offerings to fulfill a vow—to the designated place of worship, the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored. ... Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings just anywhere you like. You may do so only at the place the Lord will choose within one of your tribal territories. There you must offer your burnt offerings and do everything I command you.

(13) FIRST, however, they sent a delegation led by *Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to talk with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

• *Phinehas: Psalm 106:30-31: But Phinehas had the courage to intervene, and the plague was stopped. So he has been regarded as a righteous man ever since that time.

(14) In this delegation were ten leaders of Israel, one from each of the ten tribes, and each the head of his family within the clans of Israel.

(15) When they arrived in the land of Gilead, they said to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,

(16) “The whole community of the Lord demands to know why you are betraying the God of Israel. How could you turn away from the Lord and build an altar for yourselves in rebellion against him?

• Three accusations are made - verse 16.  You’ve acted unfaithfully towards us and God.  Second: You’ve turned away from God - backslidden. Third - you’ve rebelled against God. You’ve deliberately turned against God’s will.

(17) Was our sin at *Peor not enough? To this day we are not fully cleansed of it, even after the plague that struck the entire community of the Lord.

• *Peor:
• See Numbers 25:1-18 where they "defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. .. 24,000 people had died."
• This incident would be especially meaningful to Phinehas, because he was the one who stopped the plague by making a dramatic stand for righteousness in the midst of gross sin.

(18) And yet today you are turning away from following the Lord. If you rebel against the Lord today, he will be angry with ALL OF US tomorrow.

(19) “If you need the altar because the land you possess is defiled, then join us in the Lord’s land, where the Tabernacle of the Lord is situated, and share our land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar other than the one true altar of the Lord our God.

• Phinehas may be asserting that the land west of the Jordan was God’s country which, in his opinion, the land east of the Jordan was not God’s country. 

(20) Didn’t divine anger fall on the entire community of Israel when Achan, a member of the clan of Zerah, sinned by stealing the things set apart for the Lord? He was not the only one who died because of his sin.”

(21) Then the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the clans of Israel:

(22) “The Lord, the Mighty One, is God! The Lord, the Mighty One, is God! He knows the truth, and may Israel know it, too! We have not built the altar in treacherous rebellion against the Lord. If we have done so, do not spare our lives this day.

(23) If we have built an altar for ourselves to turn away from the Lord or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings, may the Lord himself punish us.

(24) “The truth is, we have built this altar because we fear that in the future your descendants will say to ours, ‘What right do you have to worship the Lord, the God of Israel?

• The size of the monument would have made it visible from both sides of the river attesting to the solidarity of the tribes.

(25) The Lord has placed the Jordan River as a *barrier between our people and you people of Reuben and Gad. You have no claim to the Lord.’ So your descendants may prevent our descendants from worshiping the Lord.

• *barrier:
• The Lord didn't place the Jordan as a barrier - they did by insisting with Moses to stay on the East side of the river! The nation was divided and those East of the Jordan quickly took on the sins of their neighbors.
• “It’s interesting that the Transjordanic tribes pointed to the children as their concern. But it wasn’t their children who would ask, “What have we to do with the Lord God of Israel?” No, their children would be provoked by the children of the tribes in Canaan! Reuben, Gad and Manasseh were not even living in the land of God’s choice, yet they feared lest the children across the river would lead their children astray! The danger was just the opposite. In choosing to live east of the Jordan, the two and a half tribes separated themselves from their own people and from the land God had given to all of them. They put their cattle ahead of their children and their fellow Jews, but they blamed God and other tribes for the problem they created. But what kind of “witness” was this huge pile of stones? It was in reality a witness to expediency, the wisdom of man in trying to enjoy “the best of both worlds.” The two and a half tribes talked piously about their children, but it was their wealth that really motivated their decision to live east of the Jordan.” - Wiersbe

(26) “So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,

(27) but as a memorial. It will remind our descendants and your descendants that we, too, have the right to worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no claim to the Lord.’

(28) “If they say this, our descendants can reply, ‘Look at this copy of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors made. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; it is a reminder of the relationship both of us have with the Lord.’

• Israel sought to be and was one nation, but the geography of the region separates the east from the west by the Great Rift Valley including the Sea of Galilee, the descending Jordan River and the Dead Sea. 

(29) Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord or turn away from him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar of the Lord our God that stands in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that purpose.”

(30) When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of Israel—heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied.

(31) Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, replied to them, “Today we know the Lord is among us because you have not committed this treachery against the Lord as we thought. Instead, you have rescued Israel from being destroyed by the hand of the Lord.”

(32) Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the other leaders left the tribes of Reuben and Gad in Gilead and returned to the land of Canaan to tell the Israelites what had happened.

(33) And all the Israelites were satisfied and praised God and spoke no more of war against Reuben and Gad.

(34) The people of Reuben and Gad named the *altar “Witness,” for they said, “It is a witness between us and them that the Lord is our God, too.”

• Some believe that an inscription was put on this altar, which pointed out the purposes for which it was erected. The real intention of building this altar was to be a witness or a testimony of the unity of the 12 tribes for future generations.
  
• They built eight altars of witness in the land:
  1. Pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan in 4:9.
  2. Pile of twelve stones in Gilgal in 4:20.
  3. Over Achan in 7:26.
  4. Over the king of Ai in 8:28-29.
  5. Joshua engraves a copy of the law in 8:30-32.
  6. Over the Amorite kings at Gibeon in 10:27.
  7. Peace in the land of Gilead in 22:34.
  8. Covenant renewed at Shechem in 24:26-27.

APPLICATION and LESSONS to LEARN:

1. Be very careful about believing and acting upon gossip, rumor and innuendo! Always get the facts and then decide what God would have you do.
2. If only the people of the tribes on the West of the Jordan had continued with this attitude of obedience to the Lord and avoidance of even a hint of straying from Him. We need to be just as careful not to compromise.
3. We must worship God in the way He has commanded. Unauthorized worship is unacceptable, even if it is not specifically condemned in Scripture.
4. We cannot worship God any way we please, or justify a manner of worship just because we like it.  First and always, our worship must be pleasing to God.  We must worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
5. The two and a half tribes were content to stay on the east side of Jordan. The blessings were to be found on the west side of Jordan. They were content with second best. The land flowed with milk and honey but that was beyond the river. There may be giants in the land but with God on their side these would be overcome. Sadly, there many Christians who do not come into the full blessing that God wants each Christian to enjoy. They remain baby Christians with one foot in the world and allowing the flesh to dictate when the Spirit wants to be in the ascendancy.'
6. The following is adapted from the work of H. Rossier 1852-1942 - "It was their circumstances which led them to choose the east side of Jordan. They had much cattle and that was uppermost in their mind. It was not what lay beyond Jordan but they had acquired much cattle and what was best for them. They had not seen nor considered what lay beyond the river. The place they chose was a place for cattle - adapted to their circumstances. (Numbers 32:1) It is the same with many Christians. The main point in the Christian life of some believers is the circumstances of this life, the everyday needs, abundance or want (Numbers 32.16). Their Christianity is worldly in the sense that, although they have no wish to go back to Egypt, they want a life of faith for earthly circumstances only. They do not want to enter into that which speaks of the blessing of heavenly places. Moses was at first indignant with the two and a half tribes but he afterwards bore with them, seeing that although their faith was weak, still it was faith, and that these earthly links did not separate them from their brethren. This Christianity trusts the Lord Jesus for His providential care, and in the details, great or small, of daily life. The Lord Jesus is known as the Shepherd but the Shepherd is not just able to care for the things of time and sense. There is a spiritual dimension to His Shepherd care. He leads us through this world but it is not in material things that He gives us rest. The green pastures and the still waters are not the fields, nor the sheepfolds, nor the cities of Gilead, but the rich pastures of the land of Canaan. The picture is clear. These did not set their hearts 'on things which are above' (of the enjoyment of which things Canaan speaks). There is nothing wrong in confiding in Him for everything but let us know something of the joy of entrance into the blessings of the place where a glorified Christ is to be found, of being attached outside this world, drawn away from this scene, to be introduced, dead and risen with Him, into a heavenly Canaan. There, the motive for our walk will no longer be 'much cattle'. It will not be a question of arranging our life more or less faithfully according to what we possess but, having left all behind, self, and the affairs of this life, in the bottom of the river of death, we have now to fight to take possession of all our privileges in Christ, realizing them by faith, and enjoying them in the power of the Spirit."
7. God promises Reuben, Gad, and 1/2 Manasseh the same thing He promises the other 9½ tribes - the whole Promised Land is theirs. But Reuben, Gad and 1/2 Manasseh choose what is less than God’s choice for them. Why? Looks like the better part of the deal for us.
8. Rest comes when we learn to choose to trust in God - to leave our lives in His hands.
9. We want the blessings west of the Jordan. But we can’t let go of the east. We experience God’s victory - see God do amazing things in our lives - but ultimately we choose to hang on to our selfish desires - choose to remain with the comfortable - choose to hold back from totally trusting God. We want God on our terms. Spiritual growth at our pace. Stepping out in faith when we choose. Worship that entertains us. Sermons that don’t step over the line and challenge us - too much. It is crucial for us to see that we either live west of the Jordan or east of the Jordan. There’s no island in the middle.
10. Chapters 22 to 24 focus on what it means for God’s people to live by faith as possessors of the Promised Land - the promises of God. How do we live by faith now?

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation.
• Sources and References are on line at: http://joshua-biblestudy.blogspot.com/2011/07/joshua-references-and-sources.html

Joshua 21 - The Levitical Cities

Above Map source: http://dailytruthbase.blogspot.com/2011/10/numbers-32-36-do-to-others-or-god-will.html

Above Chart Source: Levitical Tribes Inheritance:
www.foundationsforfreedom.net/References/OT/Historical/Joshua/Joshua13-24/Joshua21.1-7_Special_Calling.html

The purpose of the tribe of Levite Tribe in the wilderness:
(www.koinoniafellowship.com/audio-video/message/joshua-20-21.html)

1. All throughout the forty years of the wilderness period of Israel's history, the tribe of Levi primarily served the worship life of the nation.
2. They always camped the closest to the tabernacle, literally surrounding the tabernacle as it moved through the wilderness.
3. They were gifted by God to minister to The Lord and His people in the tabernacle.
4. The Levites had responsibility for transporting the ark of the covenant from place to place. Even those who moved the furniture of the tabernacle had to be called by God to do it.
5. Remember, when the nation crossed the Jordan River, it was the Levites who stood all day in the bed of the Jordan River and held the Ark of the Covenant high.
6. The Levites were in charge of maintaining the tabernacle itself with all its cords and curtains and coverings.
7. They had responsibility for all of the sacred furniture of the tabernacle, all the vessels for worship and sacrifice, and all the poles and boards and bars that held the tent up.

The purpose of the Levites, now that they were in the Promised Land:
(www.koinoniafellowship.com/audio-video/message/joshua-20-21.html)

1. The tabernacle wasn't moving anymore; it was going to be settled first in Shiloh and later in Jerusalem.
2. They would serve in the temple, that place of unified corporate worship in the life of the nation.
3. They would assist in all of the great annual feasts and festivals, the high holy days for the nation.
4. They would lead musical worship in great choirs and orchestras, and become composers of psalms and hymns of praise for the nation.
5. They would be part of the sacrificial system as the problem with sin was dealt with in the life of the nation.

Why scatter them throughout the nation?
(www.koinoniafellowship.com/audio-video/message/joshua-20-21.html)

1. We see from Joshua 21, that God intended them to live in cities throughout the nation.
2. God didn't want the Levites concentrated around Shiloh, or eventually around Jerusalem.
3. Why? God ordained this so that they could model worship as a lifestyle and teach it as they traveled back and forth between their hometowns and the temple.
4. In addition to their worship leadership, they were to become living examples to the rest of the nation.
5. It made clear that the Levites didn't own the forty-eight Levitical cities or the grazing land around the cities.
6. They simply were to live in those cities side-by-side with the members of the tribes that owned the respective territories.

1 Chronicles 6:45-81 also lists the Levitical cities, but there are some differences because of changes in the city names. There were 48 Levitical cities, of which 6 were also cities of refuge. Each of the tribes contributed 4 cities, except Judah and Simeon, who together contributed 9 and Naphtali who contributed 3. The descendants of the three sons of Aaron (Kohath, Gershon and Marari) were assigned to the 48 cities, although other Jews also lived in them. Numbers 26:62 states there were 23,000 Levites before Israel entered the land.

Instead of receiving a whole portion of land, they would receive a city and a certain portion of its outlying areas to feed their flocks. They could not expand but were limited to their cities. We find that they were fairly equally distributed over the land of Israel, on both sides of the Jordan.

Aaron and the priests were descended from Kohath (Kohathites). Kohath means "congregation or obedient ". The Hebrew word for "priest" is "kohen", a word that continues today in the family name "Cohen". Kohath (verses 4-5) is first described, though second born. It seems that the more honored positions received their portions closer to Jerusalem, though it is not stated here. Aaron’s descendants received 13 cities all around Jerusalem which would later become the capital of Israel. Other Kohathites received a portion a bit further north. Only the Kohathites were responsible for the ark, sanctuary and its duties (Numbers 3:31-32).

Gershon’s descendants (verse 6) received cities in the northern part near where Jesus grew up in Galilee. They were responsible for the tabernacle’s coverings and screens (Numbers 3:25-26).

Merari’s descendants (verse 7) received property also in the north on both sides of the Jordan. They were responsible for the frames of the tabernacle (Numbers 3:36).

God redeemed Israel. He saved them from the angel of death at a cost. They were saved from death, but now they belonged to Him. The Lord later said that instead of taking the firstborn of each family as his own, he would take the whole tribe of Levi. The Levites were now His own. No one else could do what they were appointed to do. This special privilege was kept sacred and special. Later King Saul was severely reprimanded for making a sacrifice on an altar.

The Book of Joshua is about God redeeming the Land and is His next step in redeeming all creation.

What then was God’s special plan for the Levites? God’s representatives were scattered all about Israel, whether it was on the west bank or east bank of Israel. It didn’t matter if they were in the north or the south. The Levites would have various towns and the pasture lands around those towns. They were to be the "salt" of Israel.

• Matthew 5:13: “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

RELEVANT VERSES:

• Numbers 3:45: “Take the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. And take the livestock of the Levites as substitutes for the livestock of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me; I am the Lord.
• Numbers 35:1-8: While Israel was camped beside the Jordan on the plains of Moab across from Jericho, the Lord said to Moses, “Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites from their property certain towns to live in, along with the surrounding pasturelands. These towns will be for the Levites to live in, and the surrounding lands will provide pasture for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock. The pastureland assigned to the Levites around these towns will extend 1,500 feet from the town walls in every direction. Measure off 3,000 feet outside the town walls in every direction—east, south, west, north—with the town at the center. This area will serve as the larger pastureland for the towns. “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can flee for safety. In addition, give them forty-two other towns. In all, forty-eight towns with the surrounding pastureland will be given to the Levites. These towns will come from the property of the people of Israel. The larger tribes will give more towns to the Levites, while the smaller tribes will give fewer. Each tribe will give property in proportion to the size of its land.”
• Deuteronomy 33:10: They teach your regulations to Jacob; they give your instructions to Israel. They present incense before you and offer whole burnt offerings on the altar.
• Joshua 14:3-4: Moses had already given a grant of land to the two and a half tribes on the east side of the Jordan River, but he had given the Levites no such allotment. The descendants of Joseph had become two separate tribes—Manasseh and Ephraim. And the Levites were given no land at all, only towns to live in with surrounding pasturelands for their livestock and all their possessions.
• 2 Chronicles 17:6-9: He was deeply committed to the ways of the Lord. He removed the pagan shrines and Asherah poles from Judah. In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah. These officials included Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah. He sent Levites along with them, including Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah. He also sent out the priests Elishama and Jehoram. They took copies of the Book of the Law of the Lord and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people.
• Jeremiah 33:20-22: “This is what the Lord says: If you can break my covenant with the day and the night so that one does not follow the other, only then will my covenant with my servant David be broken. Only then will he no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. The same is true for my covenant with the Levitical priests who minister before me. And as the stars of the sky cannot be counted and the sand on the seashore cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of my servant David and the Levites who minister before me.”
• Ephesians 1:3-4: All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
• 1 Peter 2:5,9: And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. ... you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
• Revelation 1:5-6: and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

(1) Then the leaders of the tribe of Levi came to consult with Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the other tribes of Israel.

• Why did the Levites have to remind the leaders of Israel that they were to set aside cities for them, especially when the cities of refuge had already been assigned? Notice that that their inheritance is based not on works but on grace - as is ours (Ephesians 2:8-9)! The principal of compensating ministers for the Lord apply today too:
  • 1 Corinthians 9:14: In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.

(2) They came to them at *Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us towns to live in and pasturelands for our **livestock.”

• *Shiloh became really sort of the first capital city in the new land. Later the capital was moved to Jerusalem but in the beginning, Shiloh was the place where the ark of the covenant and the tabernacle were established.
• **livestock: All of the Israelites were required to pay a "tithe" (10% of their income) to the Levites. That payment was often in the form of animals. The Levites needed places to live and places to keep their animals that were given to them.

(3) So by the command of the Lord the people of Israel gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own grants of land.

(4) The descendants of Aaron, who were members of the *Kohathite clan within the tribe of Levi, were allotted thirteen towns that were originally assigned to the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

• *Kohathite clan:
• Aaron was from that family, and his family (the priests) were given thirteen cities by lot, from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. This was appropriate, for Jerusalem (God's center) was on the borders of Judah and Benjamin, and Simeon was included in Judah. Thus, the priests would be near to God's sanctuary, to do service there. The priests were (typically) the worshipers, so that in the service of God they came first. The rest of the Kohathites were given ten cities by lot in Ephraim, Dan and Manasseh. Their service was connected with those things that speak directly of Christ, caring for the furnishings of the tabernacle (Numbers 4:4-15), so that Kohath's ministry would involve the blessedness of the position that all believers have "in Christ."
• The family of Kohath was the family from which the high priest should come. At this point, Shiloh was the place where the ark of the covenant which was in the area of Benjamin. But, at this point, little did they know that God would ultimately choose the city of Jerusalem to place His name. By giving them the thirteen cities to Kohath, it kept them near the place where the temple was ultimately to be built and the place where God was to be worshipped. And so God shows His advance work by having the lot for Kohath to come in this area.

(5) The other families of the Kohathite clan were allotted ten towns from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

(6) The clan of *Gershon was allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

• *Gershon: was the first son of Levi. Gershonites were given thirteen cities by lot from Issachar, Asher and Naphtali and the half tribe of Manasseh east of Jordan. Gershon means "a stranger there," speaking of that service for God that does not settle down in the world, but serves God without selfish, material motives. Gershon's service was connected with the curtains and coverings of the tabernacle, the hangings for the door and for the court. Thus the spiritual significance of Gershom's service is that of encouraging a godly walk through a world in which we are strangers, a walk that honors God, though the world does not understand.

(7) The clan of *Merari was allotted twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

• *Merari was Levi's youngest son. The descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulon, with surrounding lands (verses7-8). The service of Merari involved caring for the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, pillars and sockets, pegs and cords with all their furnishings (Numbers 4:29-32). The boards speak of believers joined together by bars and sockets, and the pillars, of believers holding up hangings, etc. All of this indicates not only the walk of believers personally through the world, but of their united testimony as joined together by the power of the Spirit of God.

(8) So the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s command to Moses and assigned these towns and pasturelands to the Levites by casting sacred lots.

(9) The Israelites gave the following towns from the tribes of Judah and Simeon

• All the cities except Ain in verse 16 were in the territory which later became the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Levites had been distributed throughout the land but those in the northern area fled to Judah after the apostasy of Jeroboam.
  • 2 Chronicles 11:14: The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and moved to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons would not allow them to serve the Lord as priests.

(10) to the descendants of Aaron, who were members of the Kohathite clan within the tribe of Levi, since the sacred lot fell to them first:

(11) Kiriath-arba (that is, *Hebron), in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding pasturelands. (Arba was an ancestor of Anak.)

• *Hebron is one of the most ancient cities in the world still existing. It was originally called Kirjath-Arba, " The city of Arba." It was afterwards known as Mamre. The area was long the favorite camping-ground of the patriarchs. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob dwelt here, and it was here that Abraham bought a tomb - the Cave of Machpelah. After the occupation of the land by the Israelites, Hebron became one of the cities of refuge. It was David's first capital.
  • 2 Samuel 2:1-4, 11: After this, David asked the Lord, “Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?” “Yes,” the Lord replied. Then David asked, “Which town should I go to?” “To Hebron,” the Lord answered. David’s two wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. So David and his wives and his men and their families all moved to Judah, and they settled in the villages near Hebron. Then the men of Judah came to David and anointed him king over the people of Judah. When David heard that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul, David made Hebron his capital, and he ruled as king of Judah for seven and a half years.
  • 2 Samuel 5:5: He had reigned over Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months, and from Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.
  • 1 Kings 2:11: David had reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.

(12) But the open fields beyond the town and the surrounding villages were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

(13-16) The following towns with their pasturelands were given to the descendants of Aaron the priest: Hebron (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ain, Juttah, and *Beth-shemesh—nine towns from these two tribes.

• *Beth-shemesh (house of the sun). This point is clearly determined by the account of the return of the ark by the Philistine lords from Ekron (1 Samuel 6:9-19). They returned the ark to Beth-shemesh,

(17-18) From the tribe of Benjamin the priests were given the following towns with their pasturelands: Gibeon, Geba, Anathoth, and Almon—four towns.

• Anathoth: Jeremiah would be born there. It suffered greatly from the army of Sennacherib, and only 128 men returned to it from the Exile (Nehemiah 7:27; Ezra 2:23). It lay about 3 miles north of Jerusalem.

(19-21) So in all, thirteen towns with their pasturelands were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron. The rest of the Kohathite clan from the tribe of Levi was allotted the following towns and pasturelands from the tribe of Ephraim: *Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Gezer,

• *Shechem (shoulder) was the first spot where Abraham pitched his tent after entering Canaan. It was a prominent place in the days of the Patriarchs, and is frequently mentioned in the Book of Genesis. It became, four centuries later, the first great gathering place of the Israelites after their occupation of the Promised Land. (Joshua 8:30-35.) It was the first capital of the kingdom of Israel. It was called by the Romans Neapolis, and the Arabs have corrupted this into Nablus, its modern name. Near the city is the well at which Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman. Jacob's well and the tomb of Joseph are also close by in the valley.  Here also Jacob "bought a parcel of a field at the hands of the children of Hamor" after his return from Mesopotamia, and settled with his household, which he purged from idolatry by burying the teraphim of his followers under an oak tree, which was afterwards called "the oak of the sorcerer" (Genesis 33:19; 35:4; Judges 9:37). Here too, after a while, he dug a well, which bears his name to this day (John 4:5, 39-42). To Shechem Joshua gathered all Israel "before God," and delivered to them his second parting address (Joshua 24:1-15).

(22-24) Kibzaim, and Beth-horon—four towns. The following towns and pasturelands were allotted to the priests from the tribe of Dan: Eltekeh, Gibbethon, *Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon—four towns.

• *Aijalon (place of deer or gazelles) was a city west of Jerusalem and below the hills, in the low lands. The Danites failed to take it from the Amorites (Judges 1:35), although the men of Ephraim enslaved its inhabitants. Here Saul and Jonathan won a great victory over the Philistines (1 Samuel 14:31). At one time it was held by the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:13). Rehoboam fortified it against the kingdom of Israel (2 Chronicles 11:10). In the days of King Ahaz it was captured by the Philistines (2 Chronicles 28:18). Its antiquity goes back to the Tell el-Amarna Letters, in which it is mentioned.

(25-38) The half-tribe of Manasseh allotted the following towns with their pasturelands to the priests: Taanach and Gath-rimmon—two towns. So in all, ten towns with their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clan. The descendants of Gershon, another clan within the tribe of Levi, received the following towns with their pasturelands from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone) and Be-eshterah—two towns. From the tribe of Issachar they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Kishion, Daberath, Jarmuth, and En-gannim—four towns. From the tribe of Asher they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, and Rehob—four towns. From the tribe of Naphtali they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—three towns. So in all, thirteen towns with their pasturelands were allotted to the clan of Gershon. The rest of the Levites—the Merari clan—were given the following towns with their pasturelands from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal—four towns. From the tribe of Reuben they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Bezer, Jahaz, Kedemoth, and Mephaath—four towns. From the tribe of Gad they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), *Mahanaim,

• *Mahanaima ("Two camps or hosts") near the Jabbok, beyond Jordan, where Jacob was met by the "angels of God," and where he divided his retinue into "two hosts" on his return from Padan-aram (Genesis 32:2). This name was afterwards given to the town which was built at that place. Here, Saul's son Ishbosheth reigned (2 Samuel 2:8, 12), while David reigned at Hebron. Here also, after a troubled reign, Ishbosheth was murdered by two of his own bodyguards (2 Samuel 4:5-7), who brought his head to David at Hebron, but were, instead of being rewarded, put to death by him for their cold-blooded murder. Many years after this, when he fled from Jerusalem on the rebellion of his son Absalom, David made Mahanaim his headquarters, and here he mustered his forces which were led against the army that had gathered around Absalom. It was while sitting at the gate of this town that tidings of the great and decisive battle between the two hosts and of the death of his son Absalom reached him (2 Samuel 17:24-27).

(39) *Heshbon, and Jazer—four towns.

• *Heshbon ("reckoning"). Heshbon was originally a Moabite town, and when the Israelites arrived from Egypt it was ruled over by Sihon, called both "king of the Amorites" and "king of Heshbon." The city was taken by the Israelites (Joshua 13:21,26). Heshbon, now Hesban, is twenty miles East of Jordan and 4000 feet above the stream as it enters the Dead Sea.

(40-43) So in all, twelve towns were allotted to the clan of Merari. The total number of towns and pasturelands within Israelite territory given to the Levites came to forty-eight. Every one of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it. So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.

• Between verses 42 and 43, the Septuagint (translation into Greek) adds "And Joshua ceased dividing the land . . . and the children of Israel gave a portion to Joshua: they gave him the city which he asked: they have him Thamnasachar in the mount of Ephriam. . . . And Joshua took the knives of stone, wherewith he circumcised the children of Israel that were born in the desert by the way and put them in Thamnaschar."
• The land was theirs even though they weren't occupying it. They were to move in gradually Exodus 23:30.
• God had promised four hundred and seventy-five years earlier to Abraham as he stood at Bethel and he looked to the north, southeast and west: After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. (Genesis 13:14-15). It is now four hundred and seventy-five years later and God has now kept His word. And standing again at Bethel at this point, every direction as far as you could see were inhabited by the tribes of Israel.

(44) And the Lord gave them *rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies.

• *Rest: The nations around them were leaving them in peace but God intended them to become righteous and at peace with Him. Thus their failure is seen in Hebrews 4:1;8: God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come.

(45) Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.

The Lord fulfilled His promise. Yes, there were parts that still needed to be conquered. God pointed them out to them. But, the land as a whole was given to them. They had rest on every side. Not one of their enemies could stand against them. That every promise that God made to them was important. What the ten unbelieving spies at Kadesh Barnea said could never happen did happen because Joshua and the people believed God and obeyed His Word.

God's promises did come true, but only to the point that the Israelites were willing to be obedient. Many, if not most, of God's promises are conditional. We must do our part in order for Him to do His part. The Israelites were unwilling to utterly destroy those that God commanded them to. As a result they later paid the price. But the promises where they kept their part of God's covenant, He kept His.

The very fact that Israel exists as a nation today is a testimony to the faithfulness of God in keeping His word. Read Ezekiel chapters 35-37, where God promises that in the last day, He will gather again His people who have been scattered all over the world.

Remember that the Israelite "priests" were a subset of the Levites. All of the Israelite priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests. The Levites who were not priests were the "supporting casts" in that they helped the priests in their duties. It was the job of all the Levites to know God's laws and in particular, know the laws in relation to their particular duties. God held the Levites to a higher standard of knowing "right from wrong" (i.e., knowing God's laws) then the rest of the Israelites.

APPLICATION and LESSONS to LEARN:

1. Like the Levites, God has sprinkled His true believers amongst the unbelievers. He did not mean for us to separate ourselves and be like monks. We are to be like salt to restrain evil. We might think of the way salt is distributed throughout meat to preserve it. The meat is only preserved if the salt is rubbed into it. Let people know you are a Christian. Of course, then you cannot easily compromise. Everyone is watching you, expecting you to fail, hoping you won't.
2. We are also to be like light. Light to be effective must not be covered. Light stands for the revealing of truth. It goes along with the former. Jesus teaches both of them at the same time. The Levites would be distributed over all the land so that people would be reminded how they should live. The Christian is not only to keep the world from getting worse by being holy but also to bring God’s truth into the lives of others. If someone is sick or has a special need at work, we can on behalf of that person pray to the eternal and mighty God. People have a lot of needs. They pretend to be cool when they are with the majority of the people, but when they can find someone that they can trust, they share their heart. We might hear of the great needs of a person’s heart. Then as God’s priests we can both share what God thinks about such things and then pray for them. God spreads us throughout the world so that we can allow God’s love and light shine to all through our lives.
3. Unless we understand God’s plan, we will always misunderstand our circumstances!
4. If you really want to prove the truth of God and His Word, dare to live it out. First of all, become committed to Christ. You must resolve your purpose in life. Whom do you choose to live for? Secondly, start living as salt and light. We need to speak when our Lord prompts us. God has work for each one of us.
5. What has the Lord called you to do?
6. What "territory" has the Lord given you to minister?
7. Why did He plant you where you are today?
8. There were cities of Levites in each tribe. This shows us that God’s heart has always been for ALL His people, not simply for an elite that serve Him exclusively and on behalf of all the rest of the people. None of the people of Israel would have to travel far for moral guidance, for spiritual teaching and direction, or for a sense of connection to God. It was among them. Our role as believers in our world is to function the same way – to be in the midst of people seeking God.
9. The geography suggests that these cities were to be cities of witness, constantly reminding the unbelieving nations all around Israel about God who had saved that nation out of bondage in Egypt, sustained them in the wilderness, brought them into the land and led them in the conquest of the land he gave them. That's what we're to be! We are to be a place of witness to people in our community.
10. As the Levites were placed to be a witness to the unsaved nations around them, we are to be a presence in our communities for Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:20: So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
11. When we get close to people in our communities, and they are able to get close to us, they're going to see the credibility of our witness because of our Christ-likeness, or they'll see the hypocrisy of our lives!
12. Colossians 3:12-17: Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation.
• Sources and References are on line at: http://joshua-biblestudy.blogspot.com/2011/07/joshua-references-and-sources.html