Joshua 21:9-42

Introduction

The Lord teaches in Matthew 6:33, “³³Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” The Lord adds things necessary to accomplish His purposes. To seek His kingdom is to let God prevail in us. Asking God for wisdom and knowledge is allowing Him to reign in us. God told Solomon in 2 Chronicles 1:11-12, ¹¹ “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, ¹² therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”

As Christ’s disciples, we need His wisdom and knowledge to lead others to God. He would surely grant wisdom and add other things, too. When we ask for wisdom, God would not ignore it. It says in James 1:5, ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

When God commands us and we obey, He makes sure that things needed to accomplish His plan would also be included. The tribe of Levites were chosen by God to serve Him. They receive no inheritance but God supplied what they needed to serve.

It says in Joshua 13:33, ³³But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them.

The Lord chose the Levites to have unique responsibilities and provided things they need to perform their duties. While the rest of the Israelite tribes have been given wider territories to develop, the Levites were only given towns with pasturelands for their flocks. They received no extra tract of land to farm or grow vineyard.

The Lord promised the Levites that He is their inheritance. The Lord, the Eternal Source of everything is their inheritance. Remarkably, when they cast lots to assign towns and pasturelands for the Levites, the descendants of Aaron were given priority.

1. Priority

⁹ From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they allotted the following towns by name ¹⁰these towns were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them.

The Israelites drew lots to determine which town was to be assigned for each clan. They determined which town God wants them to live not the preference of the Levites. The six cities of refuge for one accused of murder (Hebron, Shechem, Golan in Bashan, Kedesh in Galilee, Bezer, and Ramoth in Gilead) were assigned to the Levites.

We believe that God shows no favouritism. He does not practise unfair partiality, or preferential treatment to a person. Yet, the Lord prioritized the descendants of Aaron to receive the first lot. Is it some kind of favoritism? God chose Aaron’s descendants as priests not because they were the most qualified. God had to choose. He chose them.

The Lord would choose anyone He preferred for certain ministry. He does not choose based on qualification, experience or social status. It says in 1 Corinthians 1:27,

²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Aaron and his descendants were not the most religious but the Lord chose them to serve as priests. They were given priority when the towns were allotted. Was priority a practical testament that regard and respect should be given to the priests of God?

The Lord commanded that His priests should be given dignity and honor.

Exodus 28:1-2 teaches, ¹“Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. ² Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor.

Believers are a Royal Priesthood. As priesthood of believers, God desires us to have dignity and honor. That is why, by faith in Christ, we become new creations, and granted the ministry of reconciliation. When we lead others to believe in Christ, we reconcile others to Christ. When they believe and put their faith in Christ, just like what happened to us, it is by God’s grace they are saved, and become new creation like us.

It says in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

How do you choose ambassadors? Look for achievements, status or experiences, right? When Prophet Samuel was about to anoint one of Jesse’s sons, instinctively, he thought that the oldest son was God’s chosen king. The oldest son was the most qualified in Samuel’s eyes. But the Lord said in 1 Samuel 16:7, ⁷ “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Christ chose us not because of appearance, substantial experiences or status in life but by His grace through faith in Him, He transformed us into new creation, and our transformation becomes our qualification as His ambassadors. Has Christ transformed you? You are have been given dignity and honor as ambassadors of the King of kings.

The command of the Lord for the Israelites was to give the Levites towns with pasturelands was a tangible proof that God wanted His servants to have dignified life.

2. Pasturelands

⁴¹ The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands. ⁴² Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns.

Each town assigned to the Levites lived in has pastureland included. Pasturelands are tangible proofs of added things needed to accomplish God’s purposes.

Why would the Levites need pasturelands when their food comes from offering to the Lord? Why should they own flocks? The lord commanded in Leviticus 4:2-3, ²When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands—³If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. 

God required sin offering even for sin unintentionally committed. No one is exempted, anointed priest, Levites or ordinary citizen.  The Levites have to have animals for offerings. Bringing offering to God teaches being responsible, especially, the Levites.

By His grace, God saved us and give responsibility to reconcile others Christ. Action and lifestyle testify to our faith that we have become ambassadors of Christ.

In James 2:22, 24, 26, ²²You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²⁴ You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. ²⁶ As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Action as evidence of faith is performed through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and not by human effort. How do we measure actions that exhibit faith? Good deeds done by faith are measured by the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Ask: “Do my actions have love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control?”

This is why it says in 1 John 5:3, ³In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.

That expounded what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The yoke of Jesus pertains to His command. Obeying His command is easy and light. When we come to Him and seek to be empowered by His Spirit, obeying His command is easy, and we have rest, love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That is the wholesome experience of life that Christ wants us to have when we allow Him to perform His lordship in and through us.

What’s God’s command? Know your status in life. Parents, children, masters, servants, citizens, authority, and members of the church, God has particular command. We respond to His commands based on our current situation or status in life.

By faith, seek to be empowered by the Holy Spirit and obeying God is easy.

God has added things needed to accomplish His purposes as we trust and obey Him. King David wrote a picture of rest in the Lord in Psalm 23:1-6,

¹ The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. ²He lets me lie down in fields of green grass. He leads me beside quiet waters. ³He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths for the honor of his name. ⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid. You are with me. Your shepherd’s rod and staff comfort me. ⁵ You prepare a feast for me right in front of my enemies. You pour oil on my head. My cup runs over. ⁶ I am sure that your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. And I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

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