Joshua 19

 

1 The second allotment came to Simeon for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah. 2 They had in their inheritance Beer-sheba, or Sheba, Moladah, 3 Hazar-shual, Balah, Azem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, 6 Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities and their villages: 7 Ain, Remmon, Ether, and Ashan; four cities and their villages: 8 And all the villages that were around these cities to Baalath-beer, Ramath of the south. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. 9 The inheritance of the children of Simeon was out of the portion of the children of Judah: for the allotment of the children of Judah was too much for them: so the children of Simeon had their inheritance within their inheritance.

 

  • Real Estate in Palestine will be divided according to God’s specifications like these in the future. Imagine inheriting 13 cities. God has an astounding inheritance for everyone who overcomes by faith (Revelation 3:21, 21:7)
  • 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.

 

God gave His children the best

 

10 And the third allotment came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families: the border of their inheritance was to Sarid: 11 And their border went up toward the sea, and Maralah, and reached to Dabbasheth, and reached to the river that is before Jokneam; 12 And turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrising to the border of Chisloth-tabor, and then goes out to Daberath, and goes up to Japhia, 13 And from there it passes on along on the east to Gittah-hepher, to Ittah-kazin, and goes out to Remmon-methoar to Neah; 14 And the border surrounds it on the north side to Hannathon: and its boundary is in the valley of Jiphthah-el: 15 Kattath, Nahallal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages. 16 This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.

 

  • Nations are still fighting over this little piece of real estate.
  • Ezekiel 20:6… which is the glory of all lands:

 

17 The fourth allotment came out to Issachar, for the children of Issachar according to their families. 18 Their border was toward Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Abez, 21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez; 22 And the boundary reaches to Tabor, Shahazimah, and Beth-shemesh; and the end of their boundary was at Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages. 23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages. 24 And the fifth allotment came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families. 25 And their border was Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, 26 Alammelech, Amad, and Misheal; and reaches to Carmel westward, and to Shihor-libnath; 27 And turns toward the sunrising to Beth-dagon, and reaches to Zebulun, and to the valley of Jiphthah-el toward the north side of Beth-emek, and Neiel, and goes out to Cabul on the left hand, 28 And Hebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, to great Zidon; 29 And then the boundary turns to Ramah, and to the strong city Tyre; and the boundary turns to Hosah; and ends at the sea from the coast to Achaia: 30 Amah also, Ape, and Rehab: twenty-two cities with their villages. 31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages. 32 The sixth allotment came out to the children of Napthali for the children of Napthali according to their families. 33 And their coast was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, to Lakum; and ended at the Jordan: 34 And then the coast turns westward to Aznoth-tabor, and goes out from there to Hukkok, and reaches to Zebulun on the south side, and reaches to Asher on the west side, and to Judah on Jordan toward the sunrising. 35 And the fenced cities are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth/Galilee, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, 38 Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages. 39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.

  • The names of these places don’t mean much to us today. They don’t bring to mind vivid images like the names New York or Miami. But these were real places with cities and farmlands all ready to be lived in—a wonderful gift for this wandering homeless people.

 

40 And the seventh allotment came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families. 41 And the coast of their inheritance was Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Ajalon, Jethlah, 43 Elon, Thimnathah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, 46 Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Joppa. 47 And the coast of the children of Dan appeared too little for them: so the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem and took it. They struck it with the edge of the sword, possessed it, and dwelt in it, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father. 48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.

 

  • 1Timothy 6:12F ight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you are called, and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.
  • Ephesians 6:12 We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Therefore take to you the whole armor of God so that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

 

49 When they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their boundaries, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them: 50 According to the word of the LORD they gave him the city that he asked, Timnath-serah in mount Ephraim: and he built the city, and dwelt in it.

 

  • Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; he will give you the desires of your heart.
  • Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you: 9 And I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

 

51 These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So they finished dividing the land.

 

  • The Israelites had to march in and claim their inheritance.
  • If they had not done this they would have continued to wander in the wilderness.
  • How do we claim our inheritance? By faith.
  • Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
  • Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say to you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there; and it will move; and nothing will be impossible unto you.
  • Luke 1:37 with God nothing will be impossible.

 

                                              Joshua 20

 

1 The LORD also spoke to Joshua saying, 2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint cities of refuge for yourselves, which I spoke of to you by the hand of Moses: 3 That the slayer that kills any person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there: and they will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

  • God set apart cities of refuge for the person that accidentally killed someone.
  • God has been clear about intentional murder.
  • In Genesis 9:6 He commanded capital punishment.
  • If a person hates someone else and kills that person, that is murder and is forbidden in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:13).
  • Exodus 21:12, 13, and 14 explain exactly what God means.
  • The avenger of blood was a brother or the nearest living relative (Genesis 9:5).

 

God set the process to determine who entered a city of refuge

 

4 And when he that flees to one of those cities stands at the entering of the gate of the city, and declares his case in the ears of the elders of that city, they will take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, to dwell among them. 5 And if the avenger of blood pursues after him, then they will not deliver the killer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, and did not hate him before that time.

 

  • These cities of refuge were cities where Levites, servants at God’s temple, lived.
  • The person was therefore placed under closer supervision, a place where He would be exposed to more of God’s truth.

 

God set a time for him to return home

 

6 And he will dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that will be in those days: then the killer will return and come to his own city, and to his own house, to the city from where he fled. 7 And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah. 8 And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness on the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. 9 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the foreigner that stayed among them that whoever killed any person at unintentionally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.

 

  • God is our refuge.
  • We committed capital offences against His eternal holiness but He has sheltered all under the blood of His Son.
  • Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
  • 1 Peter 2:24 He carried our sins in His own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness, but whose wounds you are healed.

 

                                             Joshua 21

 

1 Then the heads of the fathers of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel; 2 And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan saying, The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their fields for our cattle. 3 So the children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their fields.

 

  • God was the inheritance of the Levites.
  • They received no land; their living from the offerings that the people brought to the tabernacle.
  • However, they did not live inside the tabernacle.
  • They were spread throughout the nation and went to the tabernacle by rotation and brought back with them knowledge of the God and His word.
  • Matthew 5:13Y ou are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost its savor, with what will it be salted? It is good for nothing, but to be thrown out, and trampled under foot of men.

 

4 And the allotment came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, thirteen cities by lot out of the tribe of Judah, out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin. 5 And the rest of the children of Kohath had ten cities by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh. 6 And the children of Gershon had thirteen cities by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, out of the tribe of Asher, out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. 7 The children of Merari by their families had twelve cities out of the tribe of Reuben, out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun. 8 And the children of Israel gave these cities by lot to the Levites with their fields, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses. 9 And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities that are here mentioned by name, 10 Which the children of Aaron, being of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi, had: for theirs was the first allotment. 11 And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with its surrounding fields. 12 But the fields of the city, and its villages gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.

 

  • God rewards those who believe.
  • Numbers 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and has followed me fully, I will bring him into the land where he went; his seed will possess it.

 

13 So they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her fields, to be a city of refuge for the killer; Libnah with her fields, 14 Jattir with her fields, Eshtemoa with her fields, 15 Holon with her fields, Debir with her fields, 16 Ain with her fields, Juttah with her fields, Beth-shemesh with her fields; nine cities out of those two tribes. 17 And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her fields, Geba with her fields, 18 Anathoth with her fields, and Almon with her fields; four cities. 19 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, thirteen cities with their fields. 20 And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites who remained of the children of Kohath, they had the cities of their allotment out of the tribe of Ephraim.

 

  • The LORD set apart cities of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone. He will be a refuge for the oppressed. _
  • Numbers 35:11 Then you will appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee there, who kills any person accidentally.
  • Psalm 9:9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

 

21 For they gave them Shechem with her fields in mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the killer; Gezer with her fields, 22 Kibzaim with her fields, Beth-horon with her fields; four cities. 23 And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her fields, Gibbethon with her fields, 24 Aijalon with her fields, and Gath-rimmon with her fields; four cities. 25 And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her fields, and Gath-rimmon with her fields; two cities. 26 All the cities were ten with their fields for the families of the children of Kohath that remained. 27 And to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with her fields, to be a city of refuge for the killer; and Beesh-terah with her fields; two cities. 28 And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her fields, Dabareh with her fields, 29 Jarmuth with her fields, and En-gannim with her fields; four cities. 30 And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her fields, Abdon with her fields, 31 Helkath with her fields, and Rehob with her fields; four cities. 32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her fields, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammoth-dor with her fields, and Kartan with her fields; three cities. 33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their fields. 34 And to the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her fields, Kartah with her fields, 35 Dimnah with her fields, and Nahalal with her fields; four cities. 36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her fields, Jahazah with her fields, 37 Kedemoth with her fields, and Mephaath with her fields; four cities. 38 And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her fields, to be a city of refuge for the killer; and Mahanaim with her fields, 39 Heshbon with her fields, and Jazer with her fields; four cities in all. 40 So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families, who were remaining of the families of the Levites, were twelve cities by their allotment. 41 All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were 48 cities with their fields. 42 These cities were every one with their surrounding fields: this was all the cities.

 

  • The cities of the Levites are sprinkled throughout the nation.
  • Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savor, with what will it be salted? it is good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light to all that are in the house.

 

God keeps His promises

 

43 And the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt there.

44 And the LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that he swore to their fathers: and not a man of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45 Nothing failed of all the good things that the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel; all came to pass.

 

  • There are 7,000 promises in the Word of God.
  • He will keep for you each one that you learn and believe. Such as:
  • Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; and he will give you the desires of your heart.
  • Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you will find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
  • Deuteronomy 7:12 Therefore it will come to pass, if you listen to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD Your God will keep to you the covenant and the mercy which he swore to your fathers: 13 And he will love you, and bless you, and multiply you: he will also bless the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your land, your grain, and your wine, and your oil, the increase of your cattle, and the flocks of your sheep, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you. 14 You will be blessed above all people: there will not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. 15 And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you know, on you; but will lay them upon all those that hate you

 

 

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SUMMARY: Joshua 19-21


  • God gave His children the best-to claim by faith
  • He set the process for entering a city of refuge for accidental killing
  • He set the time to return home
  • He is our refuge
  • He rewards those who believe mightily
  • He keeps His promises
  • He delivers our enemies into our hands