 Then the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel.2 And they said to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, “The Lord commanded through Moses that we be given cities to dwell in, along with their pasturelands for our livestock.” 3 So by command of the Lord the people of Israel gave to the Levites the following cities and pasturelands out of their inheritance.
4 The lot came out for the clans of the Kohathites. So those Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, thirteen cities. 5 And the rest of the Kohathites received by lot from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh, ten cities. 6 The Gershonites received by lot from the clans of the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities. 7 The Merarites according to their clans received from the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. 8 These cities and their pasturelands the people of Israel gave by lot to the Levites, as the Lordhad commanded through Moses. 9 Out of the tribe of the people of Judah and the tribe of the people of Simeon they gave the following cities mentioned by name, 10 which went to the descendants of Aaron, one of the clans of the Kohathites who belonged to the people of Levi; since the lot fell to them first.11 They gave them Kiriath-arba (Arba being the father of Anak), that is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with the pasturelands around it.12 But the fields of the city and its villages had been given to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his possession. 13 And to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands, Libnah with its pasturelands, 14 Jattir with its pasturelands, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands, 15 Holon with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands, 16 Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands—nine cities out of these two tribes;17 then out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands,18 Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands—four cities. 19 The cities of the descendants of Aaron, the priests, were in all thirteen cities with their pasturelands. 20 As to the rest of the Kohathites belonging to the Kohathite clans of the Levites, the cities allotted to them were out of the tribe of Ephraim.21 To them were given Shechem, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands, 22 Kibzaim with its pasturelands, Beth-horon with its pasturelands—four cities;23 and out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its pasturelands, Gibbethon with its pasturelands,24 Aijalon with its pasturelands, Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands—four cities; 25 and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its pasturelands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands—two cities. 26 The cities of the clans of the rest of the Kohathites were ten in all with their pasturelands. 27 And to the Gershonites, one of the clans of the Levites, were given out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah with its pasturelands—two cities; 28 and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands, 29 Jarmuth with its pasturelands, En-gannim with its pasturelands—four cities;30 and out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands,31 Helkath with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands—four cities; 32 and out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Hammoth-dor with its pasturelands, and Kartan with its pasturelands—three cities.33 The cities of the several clans of the Gershonites were in all thirteen cities with their pasturelands. 34 And to the rest of the Levites, the Merarite clans, were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pasturelands, Kartah with its pasturelands, 35 Dimnah with its pasturelands, Nahalal with its pasturelands—four cities; 36 and out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its pasturelands, Jahaz with its pasturelands,37 Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands—four cities;38 and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,39 Heshbon with its pasturelands, Jazer with its pasturelands—four cities in all. 40 As for the cities of the several Merarite clans, that is, the remainder of the clans of the Levites, those allotted to them were in all twelve cities. 41 The cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the people of Israel were in all forty-eight cities with their pasturelands.42 These cities each had its pasturelands around it. So it was with all these cities. 43 Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. 44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. Meditation In 1 Peter, Peter writes to scattered Christians, elect exiles dispersed throughout the nations (1 Peter 1:2) who share a common identity and mission. Though scattered, the Church is identified as a “royal priesthood” with the mission of “proclaiming the excellencies of He who called us out of darkness and into God’s marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:19). The scattered nature of the saints amplifies Christian mission to be salt and light in a decaying and dark world. This section of Joshua details the scattering Levites throughout the promised land, serving the same purpose for Israel. At the beginning of the book, God’s presence was celebrated by the ark of the Covenant being carried by priests. Now, in a more diffused way, the scattering of Levites throughout the land sends the guardians of godliness throughout God’s inheritance, God’s presence available for all God’s people. The Levites were the priestly tribe called to mediate God’s blessings to Israel, as Israel was designated to mediate God’s blessings to the world as a priesthood of believers (Exodus 19:6). Christians scattered throughout the world, too, are designated priests who proclaim the excellencies of God and the glory of his work. Yet the climax is not focus on identity or purpose but on God and His work: “Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made” failed. Everything God promised came to pass! God is faithful and His purposes prevail. God’s people will fuel God’s plan to make His presence known throughout the earth, as the waters cover the sea! Richly Dwelling -The scattering of the priests throughout the land and the scattering of the priesthood of believers throughout the world serve the same purpose. Are you surprised by the continuity of the OT and NT in regards to identity and purpose of the people of God? -Why is it significant the cities for the Levites were mingled with the cities of refuge in regards to the relationship between godliness and justice? -Jesus is the great High Priest whose mission was to reveal the Father’s love to the world. By His grace, Christians become a part of the priesthood of believers with the mission to show and share God’s love to the world. How can you participate in this mission today? Be specific. Key Verse 3 So by command of the Lord the people of Israel gave to the Levites the following cities and pasturelands out of their inheritance… Comments are closed.
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