I am stunned today during my time reading in Joshua chapters 21 and 22. The words seemed to come to life as I read them. It can be easy to just read through the Bible just to finish a particular book or chapter. It was encouraging to see how scripture is fulfill which God promised and proclaimed to the Israelites. God is faithful to complete all that He promises us and that is a great encouragement. The Levites receiving cities to dwell in and the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returning home after the other tribes were at rest testifies to the faithfulness of God.
In my post on Joshua 17 and 18 I wondered about the future of leadership of the Israelites. It was easy for me to imagine that once the people of Israel separated after entering the promised land they were on their own, but as I read chapter 21 it became apparent that God was placing leadership all throughout the promised land. When the Israelites laid out the camp in the wilderness the Levites camped “around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there will be no wrath on the congregation of the sons of Israel.” Numbers 2:17 They stood between the Israelites and God’s wrath just as Jesus Christ is our mediator between God and the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. The Levites were given cities to dwell in and land to farm from among the inheritance the tribes of Israel. How was God using the Levites by placing them in all the cities throughout the promised land? Does this symbolize something similar to Numbers 2? The Levites also lived in the Cities of Refuge so they were used to protect the people who sought refuge and also hear the accusation. I love the verses at the end of Joshua 21 because they give a feel of what things were like.
So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He has sworn to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.
Joshua 21:43-45
Do you ever jump to conclusions or have your mind made up before you even hear about an event? All too often it is easy to build up preconceived notions, ideas, and prejudices about people and situations. The time of departure for the tribes who claimed their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan to comes in chapter 22. Joshua exhorts the men to “be very careful to observe the commandments and the lay which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Joshua 22:5 As the sons of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh were heading home, near the Jordan river, they built a larger altar. The other sons of Israel thought that these men were already turning away from God. They were preparing to go to war because of the altar that was built. After Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, confronted the sons of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh it was found out that the altar was not built for sacrifice but as a marker, memory, and witness to the tribes set apart from the rest of Israel across the Jordan that they are a to be in service to God. These men were concerned about how to instill a faith in God throughout the generations to come. It is all too easy to believe that we are able to build up our legacy for the future apart from God but in the end we need signs that point to God and our need for Him. This is exactly what the sons of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh did on the shore of the Jordan. Lord please grant me the ability to build up markers that witness to your faithfulness to the generations that proceed after me.
