Joshua 19, 20, 21, and 22

Thank you for joining me in another study into the Word of God. It is beautiful to both be in the presence of God and in the presence of one another. Though we may not always be able to be seated right next to one another, surely the Lord is present with us and our unity of mind in studying his Word allows us to be with one another in spirit. May the Spirit surely fill the spaces in which you are currently experiencing and may the Word penetrate your life. 

We are once again studying Joshua and for the second week in a row I am really making you work for it. Reading four chapters in one go is tough, especially when they are filled with names and places that do not mean a lot to our current situations. But I want to remind and encourage you the Scripture is God breathed and even in a list of names it can be useful for God to teach, rebuke, correct, and train. May the truth of that promise exist in our own study today. Also, these chapters are further reminders of the specificity of our own inheritance. We are not given a blanket promise, but rather a promise that fits us like a perfect tailored suit. If God knows each of his creation by name and he formed our characteristics and gifting then surely our inheritance will not be a one size fits all. Thank the Lord for his promise of goodness and blessing that has existed since the times before Joshua and exists into our present age. 

Join me in the breaking down of today’s Scripture:

• 19-We see the granting and specifications of the inheritances of Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, Dan, and Joshua. The inheritance of Joshua was one that brought a smile to my face because Joshua had been the vessel to disperse this blessing to the people of Israel, and Israel turns around and blesses their leader. What a blessing for the people to not only receive but to take part in the giving. 

• 20-It is certainly an interesting concept that is ordained by the Lord in this chapter. God institutes specific cities that will be places of refuge for those fleeing from their predicament, specifically the offense of manslaughter. These cities would hide those who commit manslaughter, which is to accidentally kill another, that they may hide from the vengeful. Skip to the concluding thought section titled Our Protection to see my thoughts on this section. 

• 21- The Lord does not give the the Levites, his priests, their own specific piece of land as an inheritance. Rather, the Lord grants them cities and pastures that they may go from land to land of the tribes surrounding them. This is significant as the Levites would be able to give their priestly influence to all the tribes of Israel as they tended their sheep. The Lord then gives all his people rest that his promises may come to pass. Surely the tribes of Israel have inherited the land. 

• 22- Joshua releases the tribes of Israel to go and fill their inheritances. He gives them the stern command to be obedient to the Lord and the law that was given through Moses. Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh built a huge altar and the other tribes thought it was to worship a false God. But it was explained that it was not that but a witness to the only true God and the faithfulness the Lord of Israel had proven. 

Here are some concluding thoughts from our chapters:

Our Protection: It seems strange to have this rule for protecting those who have committed manslaughter. After all, it is hard for me to imagine in my context today not wanting some punishment enforced for those who commit manslaughter. But, we surely do not have people taking justice into their own hands and killing those who have committed manslaughter, either. The penal system was slightly different then than now. But, the idea of cities of refuge is one that we need to hold onto. Manslaughter is no joke and there should be a system that holds people accountable. Sin, in this way, is very similar. In an inadvertent way, our missing the mark, the definition of sin, also results in death. Just as killing a person in biblical days meant one would take your life in return, when we sin our fate has been decided for us and we will face death. But praise the Lord because he has provided for us, who are guilty of sin and worthy of death, a city of refuge in the name of Jesus Christ. Christ came to save the lost, wicked, and ashamed and instead of death offered life full of new opportunity and freedom from their past mistakes. All of a sudden, a system that seems archaic and gross feels like a blessed image of the undeserved life we can live through Christ!

War on False gods: Though the Eastern tribes were not setting up an altar to a false god, the rest of the tribes of Israel were not having it. They prepared themselves to war against these tribes in the name of protecting the Holy Name of the God of Israel. They were willing to war against there brothers for the sake of keeping the land holy. Are we that driven towards holiness? Would we be willing to abandon all things for the sake of the Lord? In order to grasp his character more fully, would we go to war on sin and uncleanliness in our lives? It is certainly something we should be both thinking and praying about. We need to build altars to the Lord and break down the altars to the false gods in our lives if want our churches to grow, the Gospel to spread, and the glory of the Lord to shine through us.