16 March

Bible In 365 Days     

Joshua 19-21

Joshua 19

In this chapter we have the account of the distribution of the remainder of the land among the last six tribes- Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan.

Now that all had been provided, Joshua was given a special portion. Moreover, he was given what he asked.

The time and the nature of his choice are alike revelations of the character of the man. As to time, he did not ask for a possession until all had been supplied. He was content to wait, taking only when others had received. Then as to the nature of to the mountains and possess their possessions. Now when his opportunity came, he proved that he was prepared to act for himself on the advice he had given. To that very hill country he went, and there is a splended ring of resoluteness in his character in the statement, "He built the city, and dwelt therein."

Thus the conquered country was now divided, and the division was made under the superintendence of Eleazar the priest, Joshua the leader, and the heads of the tribes of the nation. All this, moreover, was done at the door of the Tent of Meeting and in recognition of those great principles of religious life which lay at the heart of the national life.

Joshua 20

Having come into possession of the land, the cities of refuge were provided according to arrangements already made. Three were fixed on the west of the Jordan and three on the east. They wire so placed as to cover the whole area. Moreover, they were Levitical cities.

Jewish interpreters tell us how in later times, the roads leading to the cities of refuge were always kept in thorough repair-all obstructions were removed that might stay the flyer's feet or hinder his speed. No hillock was left, no river was allowed over which there was no bridge, and at every turning there were posts erected bearing the word 'Refuge.'

In this method of dealing with the most heinous of all sins as between man and man, certain interesting principles are manifest. First, God does make a distinction in degrees of guilt. Premeditated murder was to find no sanctuary even in the city of refuge. Second, man must not punish man save after the fullest inquiry. Third, all deliverance was closely connected with the priesthood, which forever stands for sacrificial mediation.

Joshua 21

Jacob's prophecy concerning Simeon and Levi: I will divide them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel, was fulfilled in the case of Levi in the distribution of the tribe through all the other tribes. What sounded like a curse thus proved to be a blessing. The presence of the Levites everywhere was intended to serve as a perpetual witness to the relation of the nation to God.

This second division of the Book of Joshua dealing with the settlement of the people ends with a statement that Jehovah gave and they possessed the land. His promises to them had been fulfilled. No man had been able to stand before them. Their enemies had been wholly delivered into their hands. Their responsibilities, however, had not been completely fulfilled. Not yet were all their enemies driven out. Not yet had they fully possessed their possessions. As a matter of fact, they never did completely realize the purpose of God in these matters. The failure, however, was wholly due to their own disobedience, and so the record at this point fittingly closes with the declaration of the fidelity of God "There failed not aught of any good thing which Jehovah had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass." Failure to possess what God gives is always due to His people, and is never the result of His unwillingness or weakness.