Joshua · chapter 21 of 24
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Joshua 21 tells that the heads of the Levites ask Eleazar and Joshua for the cities the Lord had commanded be given to their tribe. Forty-eight cities with their pasturelands are assigned by lot, spread among all the tribes, including the cities of refuge. The chapter concludes by affirming that the Lord gave Israel all the land, gave them rest, and that not one of all the good promises he had made failed.
The tribe of Levi received no territory of its own, but the Lord commanded that it have cities to live in among the other tribes. Joshua 21 describes the fulfillment of that command and, at the same time, closes the section on the inheritances with one of the most important declarations in the book: the Lord kept everything he promised. It is a chapter of lists with an ending of great theological weight.
The heads of the Levite families approach the priest Eleazar, Joshua and the heads of the tribes at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, and remind them that the Lord commanded through Moses that they be given cities to live in with their pasturelands for their livestock. The Israelites give the Levites, out of their own inheritance, cities with their pasturelands, according to the Lord's command.
The lot falls first on the clans of the Kohathites. The sons of the priest Aaron receive thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. The rest of the Kohathites receive ten cities from Ephraim, Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh. The sons of Gershon receive thirteen cities from Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. The sons of Merari receive twelve cities from Reuben, Gad and Zebulun. In all, the Levites receive forty-eight cities with their pasturelands.
Among them are the cities of refuge, such as Hebron, whose fields and villages Joshua had given to Caleb, so that the Levites received only the city and its pasturelands. Shechem, Kedesh, Golan, Ramoth and others also appear in the list.
The chapter ends with a solemn summary. The Lord gave Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled in it. The Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that he had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies could stand against them, because the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Levite heads recall that the Lord commanded through Moses that they be given cities to live in with their pasturelands. The Levites do not demand: they cite God's word and expect it to be fulfilled.
The Israelites give the Levites, out of their own inheritance, the cities that had been commanded. Each tribe yields something of its own, and so service to God stays within everyone's reach.
The Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and lived in it. The text declares the promise fulfilled, though the complete occupation will still have its tensions.
Not one of the good promises the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass. It is the affirmation of God's faithfulness that the book of Joshua wants the reader to keep.
5 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: The heads of the Levite families. — Joshua 21:1-2
Answer: Cities to live in and pasturelands for their livestock, as the Lord commanded through Moses. — Joshua 21:2
Answer: Forty-eight cities with their pasturelands. — Joshua 21:41
Answer: All the land he had sworn to give to their fathers, and rest on every side. — Joshua 21:43-44
Answer: None; all came to pass. — Joshua 21:45
The final declaration of Joshua 21 is one of the most encouraging in the Old Testament: of all the Lord's good promises, not one failed. In a small group you can do a simple exercise: recall and share promises of God that were fulfilled in the life of the group, and write down those we still await. The memory of what has been fulfilled sustains patience for what is missing.
The Levites' cities also speak to how we support those who serve God and teach his word. The tribes gave up part of their own so that Levites would be nearby. A healthy community knows how to support generously those who devote their lives to service, and does not leave them isolated.
Joshua 21 closes the section on the inheritances with one of the most important sentences in the book: no promise of the Lord failed. In Joshua 22 the eastern tribes go home, but an altar by the Jordan will nearly provoke a war between brothers.
Because their task was to teach the law and serve in worship, and so they were near all the tribes. God gave them cities rather than a territory of their own so that their livelihood would depend on service and offerings, not on land. Their presence was a constant reminder of God's law.
The book of Joshua affirms at once that God kept his promise and that much remained to be possessed. The rest describes the general situation of security under Joshua. The task of occupying the land continued in each tribe, and the book of Judges will show the consequences of incomplete obedience.