Joshua 21 – Cities Appointed for the Levites

Video for Joshua 21:

A. The people of the tribe of Levi receive their cities with their common-lands.

1. (1-3) The leaders of the tribe of Levi ask for what was promised to them.

Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel. And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “The LORD commanded through Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their common-lands for our livestock.” So the children of Israel gave to the Levites from their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their common-lands:

a. The LORD commanded through Moses to give us cities to dwell in: The Levites received no region of land as the other tribes did; however, they had to live somewhere. So, each tribe gave certain cities and common-lands (land immediately surrounding the cities) to the tribe of Levi.

i. Through Jacob (Genesis 49:5-7) God promised that the tribes of Simeon and Levi would be scattered throughout Israel. Simeon was scattered in somewhat of a negative sense, absorbed into the land given to Judah (Joshua 19:9). Levi was scattered in a blessed sense, distributed all over the land of Israel in 48 Levitical cities, spreading their influence as priests, teachers, and spiritual leaders of the nation.

ii. “In the scattering of Levi we see God’s righteous judgment on sin. But we also see judgment turned to blessing. If you are suffering from what others have done—perhaps from the sin of a parent, as the descendants of Simeon and Levi suffered for the sin of their parents—do not think you are excluded from God’s favor or that it is impossible for you to gain God’s favor again by godly living.” (Boice)

b. So the children of Israel gave to the Levites from their inheritance: The tribe of Levi had no region of land because God had declared that He would be their inheritance (Joshua 13:14, 13:33).

i. These cities and their common-lands would help ensure that the Levites were supported even if the Israelites failed to tithe as God commanded. “He left not his Levites to the will and devotion of the people: for then they should have had Micah’s allowance (Judges 17), prisoners’ pittances, such as will neither keep them alive, nor suffer them to die.” (Trapp)

2. (4-8) Cities are appointed for the Levites, according to their three family divisions.

Now the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. And the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had thirteen cities by lot from the tribe of Judah, from the tribe of Simeon, and from the tribe of Benjamin. The rest of the children of Kohath had ten cities by lot from the families of the tribe of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dan, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh.
And the children of Gershon had thirteen cities by lot from the families of the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
The children of Merari according to their families had twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun.
And the children of Israel gave these cities with their common-lands by lot to the Levites, as the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses.

a. The families of the Kohathites: The Kohathites were responsible for the sanctuary, including the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use. The priestly family of Aaron came from the family of Kohath. Their allotment of the cities given to the priests is considered here. Their cities came from the central hill country, the regions surrounding Jerusalem.

i. “It is worthy of remark, that the principal part of this tribe, whose business was to minister at the sanctuary, which sanctuary was afterwards to be established in Jerusalem, had their appointment nearest to that city; so that they were always within reach of the sacred work which God had appointed them.” (Clarke)

b. The children of Gershon: The Gershonites were responsible for the transport of the tabernacle’s coverings and curtains through the wilderness (Numbers 3:25-26; 4:24-26). Their cities were in the area of Galilee and Bashan.

c. The children of Merari: The division of Merari guarded the tabernacle and transported its boards and pillars through the wilderness. Their cities were in the Transjordanian and Zebulun areas.

3. (9-42) The distribution of the cities through the tribes.

So they gave from the tribe of the children of Judah and from the tribe of the children of Simeon these cities which are designated by name, which were for the children of Aaron, one of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi; for the lot was theirs first. And they gave them Kirjath Arba (Arba was the father of Anak), which is Hebron, in the mountains of Judah, with the common-land surrounding it. But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his possession.
Thus to the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), Libnah with its common-land, Jattir with its common-land, Eshtemoa with its common-land, Holon with its common-land, Debir with its common-land, Ain with its common-land, Juttah with its common-land, and Beth Shemesh with its common-land: nine cities from those two tribes; and from the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its common-land, Geba with its common-land, Anathoth with its common-land, and Almon with its common-land: four cities. All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their common-lands.
And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites, the rest of the children of Kohath, even they had the cities of their lot from the tribe of Ephraim. For they gave them Shechem with its common-land in the mountains of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the slayer), Gezer with its common-land, Kibzaim with its common-land, and Beth Horon with its common-land: four cities; and from the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with its common-land, Gibbethon with its common-land, Aijalon with its common-land, and Gath Rimmon with its common-land: four cities; and from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with its common-land and Gath Rimmon with its common-land: two cities. All the ten cities with their common-lands were for the rest of the families of the children of Kohath.
Also to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, from the other half-tribe of Manasseh, they gave Golan in Bashan with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), and Be Eshterah with its common-land: two cities; and from the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its common-land, Daberath with its common-land, Jarmuth with its common-land, and En Gannim with its common-land: four cities; and from the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its common-land, Abdon with its common-land, Helkath with its common-land, and Rehob with its common-land: four cities; and from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), Hammoth Dor with its common-land, and Kartan with its common-land: three cities. All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their common-lands.
And to the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its common-land, Kartah with its common-land, Dimnah with its common-land, and Nahalal with its common-land: four cities; and from the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its common-land, Jahaz with its common-land, Kedemoth with its common-land, and Mephaath with its common-land: four cities; and from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), Mahanaim with its common-land, Heshbon with its common-land, and Jazer with its common-land: four cities in all. So all the cities for the children of Merari according to their families, the rest of the families of the Levites, were by their lot twelve cities.
All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their common-lands. Every one of these cities had its common-land surrounding it; thus were all these cities.

a. They had the cities of their lot: When these cities are located on a map, it can be seen that God wanted the Levites scattered throughout the land of Israel. He never intended there to be one state or province of Levi, but every tribe was to have the priestly influence and presence among them. Though the Levites were not priests, they were the representatives of the priesthood throughout the land of Israel.

i. 2 Chronicles 17:9 describes the work of the teaching priests, who had the Book of the Law of the LORD, and who went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people. The work of these priests and Levites was important. According to Leviticus 10:11, one responsibility of the priests was to teach God’s word to the people of Israel. This responsibility on the part of the priests (and their associates, the Levites) is often overlooked. Priests are often seen only as those who offered sacrifices.

ii. Sacrifice was part of a priest’s work, but they also were called to be active Bible teachers. The “teaching priest” is seen in many Old Testament passages. Their work was commanded by the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 33:10). The prophets reminded Israel of the priest’s duty (Malachi 2:7).

iii. The absence of the teaching priest was noted by God and missed by God’s people (2 Chronicles 15:3). The prophets criticized the priests who taught God’s word prompted by greed (Micah 3:11).

iv. The Levites were assistants to the priests, and God appointed that the Levites be distributed throughout the land of Israel in cities set aside for them. As they were spread evenly through the land, no one in Israel was far from the ministry of God’s word. This shows how important it was for God’s people to have the ongoing teaching and explanation of God’s word.

v. Today, God also wants to distribute His people broadly throughout the world. God does not intend that there be a single Christian nation or state where all the Christians live together in spiritual bliss, and say to the world, “come and join us if you want.” Instead, God wants Christians to be as priests (1 Peter 2:5, 2:9) sprinkled throughout the whole world, influencing people for Jesus Christ and being messengers of His word.

b. All the cities of the Levites: Perhaps it is also significant that the priests received their cities last of all the tribes. Priests are appointed to serve, not to be served, and there is something priestly about letting others go first.

i. The Levitical cities would not be populated only by Levites, but they were given properties in these cities. “It is therefore very likely that, in the first instance, the Levites had simply the right to choose, in all the cities assigned them, the houses in which they were to dwell, and that those of the tribe to which the city belonged occupied all the other dwellings.” (Clarke)

ii. “Copies of this document may have served the purpose of keeping track of the Levites and thus ensuring that their important roles as priests, teachers and spiritual leaders of the people of Israel were fulfilled.” (Hess)

iii. “We may also observe that the Levites were not absolutely bound to live in these and no other cities: for when the tabernacle was at Nob, priests and Levites dwelt there, see 1 Samuel 21:1, etc.; and when the worship of God was established at Jerusalem, multitudes both of priests and Levites dwelt there, though it was no Levitical city: as did the courses of priests afterwards at Jericho.” (Clarke)

iv. The list of Levitical cities again reminds the reader that these were real places, not the description of a symbolic or spiritual inheritance. When God promised a land to Abraham and his covenant descendants (Genesis 13:15, 17:8), God meant a real land.

B. Israel takes full possession of the land.

1. (43) The land is Israel’s, given to them by God.

So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.

a. So the LORD gave to Israel all the land: All the tribes had their land. They were still required to go into every corner of what God had given, and take full possession, but God had provided everything necessary for them to do so.

i. “The Gibeonite deception and the pockets of resistance still holding out do not contradict the fact that Israel was victorious over every enemy that they faced in battle.” (Madvig)

2. (44) The rest in the land is Israel’s, given to them by God.

The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.

a. The LORD gave them rest all around: This was the point where Israel stopped commemorating the Passover as if they were equipped to travel (as described in Exodus 12:11). Now they would eat the Passover reclining at rest (as described in John 13:23), because the LORD had given them rest in the land.

3. (45) Not one word of God fails.

Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.

a. Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken: God was completely faithful regarding the land, but Israel was not. Any failure to fully possess was not because God had not made adequate provision, but because Israel had failed to fully follow the LORD.

i. “These three verses (Joshua 21:43-45) are the trophy reared on the battlefield, like the lion of Marathon, which the Greeks set on its sacred soil. But the only name inscribed on this monument is Jehovah’s. Other memorials of victories have borne the pompous titles of commanders who arrogated the glory to themselves; but the Bible knows of only one conqueror, and that is God.” (Maclaren)

b. All came to pass: God has been completely faithful to each believer and made provision for consistent growth and progress in the Christian life. God has given great things, but not every individual believer possesses what God has given.

i. “Failure to possess what God gives is always due to His people and is never the result of His unwillingness or weakness.” (Morgan)

ii. “In the light of the Cross, is it not true that the enemy has no right to dwell in the land? Is it not true that Satan’s claim to your life was taken from him at Calvary? Is it not true that sin has no right to a foothold in the life of the child of God? Is it not true that Satan has no power in the presence of Omnipotence? Is it not true that by virtue of His blood and His resurrection, Jesus Christ is pledged to destroy the enemy utterly? Is it not true that in the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit there is strength for every temptation, grace for every trial, power to overcome every difficulty?” (Redpath)

iii. “Heaven will be full of wonder at the way in which God has kept his word, and done all that He had promised, and more.” (Meyer)

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