We shall continue with
the study of the Book of Joshua this week.
The designating of cities of refuge had been described in Exodus 21:12-14, Numbers 35:6-34, Deuteronomy 4:41-43 and 19:1-13. If you do not have time to read all the passages, at least scan through Numbers 35 which is the most exhaustive of them all.
The contents of these passages may be summarized as follows:
- The cities of refuge should be centrally located. (Deut. 19:2)
- They would be cities where Levites were present. (Num. 35:6)
- They were there to allow those who had killed someone accidentally, unintentionally or without hostility (Num. 35:22-23) to seek refuge so that their case may be tried (Jos. 20:9; probably they would be escorted back to their own town for trial — Num. 35:12)
- If proven innocent, they may return to the city of refuge and stay there till the death of the high priest. (Num. 35:32)
- But if they strayed out of the city of refuge, their protection would be voided. (Num. 35:26-28)
- If proven guilty, they would be punished accordingly. (Deut. 19:12)
- This protection was granted even to aliens and anyone living among them. (Num. 35:15)
(1) How does this law reveal the character of God?
(2) How does this law compare to similar laws of your land today?
(3) We understand why these cities should be centrally located, but why should they be located within the cities of the Levites?
(4) Why would the guilt of the one who fled be totally absorbed upon the death of the high priest? What function then did the death of the high priest play in absorbing the guilt of the person concerned?
(5) How significant was the provision that the law would apply to aliens and anyone living among them?
(6) Do you think the Israelites had actually enforced this law? What might be the difficulties in enforcing it?
(Note: According to the opinion of two scholars, Boling and Wright, “For a couple of hundred years, in any case, the ideology and system of asylum-towns must have been highly effective…”.)
(7) What is the main message to you today that you can apply to your life?
The God of the Old Testament (who is, of course, the same God of the New Testament) has been labeled as blood-thirsty and violent by skeptics of Christianity and Judaism, and the Book of Joshua is one the books in the Bible that is being used for such attacks.
But the provision of the cities of refuge itself speaks volumes of what kind of God we have in the Lord (Yahweh). In fact, one can hardly find any parallel in the Ancient Near East culture that had such a wholesome, well balanced set of laws in this respect — guaranteeing fairness of trial by witness to those who might have accidentally, unintentionally or without hostility killed another person.
It is not a stretch to say that this law has impacted the principle of such law in the civilized world up till today.
In the reading of all the provisions concerning this set of laws, I am very moved by the equal protection granted to aliens and anyone living among the people of Israel.
These days in North America, illegal immigrants have been blamed for a host of social problems, ranging from taking jobs from the locals to the increase in the crime rate. The fact that they also add to the cost of and strain our welfare system is also undeniable. However, God has constantly reminded the people of Israel that they and their forefather, Abraham, were once aliens in a foreign land. So, the protection granted to Abraham by the rulers wherever he roamed in Canaan, should be granted to Israel’s aliens now that they had become a nation and had their own land. It is only fair! We, who live in North America, were once foreigners or are descendants of aliens as well.
These two verses in the Scripture, in particular speak to me as I struggle with my attitude towards aliens in our midst:
“Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.” (Exod. 23:9)
“The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” (Lev. 19:34) (Italics, mine)
After all the tribes received their allotment of land as their inheritance, the family heads of the Levites now came forward based on what was commanded by the Lord to Moses back in Numbers 35:1-8. Please read the passage in Numbers in conjunction with the passage in Joshua today:
(1) Timothy Ashley points out that the passage in Numbers 35 purposely uses the verb, to dwell in, and not the verb, “to inherit” which is used for all the other tribes. Why is that? (See Num. 18:24; Jos. 13:14; Deut. 10:9, 18:2 and Jos. 13:33)
(2) How does the gifting of the land to the Levites set the example of how those who devote their life to serving the Lord entirely should be taken care of? (See 1 Co. 9:4-14; 1 Tim. 5:17-18)
(3) All the cities of refuge are also cities in which the Levites dwell and Richard Hess adds that, “Many of the Levitical towns were previously Canaanite and lay on the borders of the tribal lands”. How does this speak to the responsibilities of the Levites?
(4) How might you reconcile the statement in vv. 43-44 with the repeated comments that some tribes failed to drive out the Canaanites (e.g. Jos. 16:10 and 13:13)?
(5) V. 45 affirms that “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; everyone was fulfilled”. Can you recall when the promise of land first given by God was? (See Gen. 12:7) Can you count how many generations had passed before the promise was fulfilled? Can you remember some of the crises that might have threatened the fulfillment of this promise?
(6) Can you say in your life that “Not one of the Lord’s good promises” to you failed but that every one was fulfilled? Why or why not?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Additional Note:
1. The Levites were not sole possessors of these towns, but they simply received dwelling-houses, with meadow land for their cattle in the suburbs of the towns, whilst the rest of the space still belonged to the different tribes. (see Keil & Delitzch, 154)
2. Four groups of Levites were to receive their dwelling place among the tribes. The descendants of Aaron had a special role among the Levites (Num. 18:1-6) which necessitated placing them near the temple of Jerusalem. (Hess, 282)
3. While the actual size of the pastures allocated for the Levites was variously interpreted, even with the most generous interpretation (i.e. 3000 x 3000 ft. x 48 cities), each male Levite who would become a family unit (according to the 2nd census in Num. 26:62) would only be able to farm or pasture less than half an acre of land.
Since quite a number of fine commentaries resort to quoting the words of Calvin in explaining the apparent discrepancy between the claim that “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed" (Jos. 21:45) and the actual result in the conquest of the land, I’ll simply share Calvin’s insight with you as follows:
“(In) order to remove every appearance of discrepancy, it is right to distinguish well between the clear, unwavering, and certain fidelity of God in the fulfillment of His promises, and the weakness and indolence of the people, which caused the blessings of God to slip from their hands. Whatever war the people undertook, in whatever direction they carried their standards, there was victory ready to their hand; nor was there anything to retard or prevent the extermination of all their enemies except their own slothfulness. Consequently, although they did not destroy them all, so as to empty the land for their own possession, the truth of God stood out as distinctly as if they had; for there would have been no difficulty in their accomplishment of all that remained to be done, if they had only been disposed to grasp the victories that were ready to their hand.” (Calvin, Joshua, 248; Keil & Delitzsch, Joshua, 157)
The parallel to our Christian life cannot be clearer. We, who have the complete victory of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, have no excuse in not driving out our inner enemies. It is our “weakness and indolence” that we are living a less-than victorious life.
(1) This passage begins with “then”. What has transpired leading up to this moment of the passage?
(2) Joshua pointed out that it had been a long time. How long had it been in your estimation?
(3) What was their mission according to Joshua?
(4) How did Joshua describe God’s promise in v. 4? How does it reflect the heart of God?
(5) What had the two and half tribes sacrificed in obeying the mission commanded by God?
(6) What did they get now in return?
(7) How did Joshua sum up the commands of Moses? What is meant by “be very careful to keep”? What does it mean to you?
(8) How special were these two and half tribes and how may you emulate them?
(9) Without reading further, what do you think was the intention of their erection of an imposing altar?
(10) Why do you think the whole assembly of Israel was so upset to the point of waging war to them, their own brothers, who had just sacrificially helped them?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how might you apply it to your life?
Additional Note:
The length of the conquest is not certain. Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible estimates that “It covers a period about twenty-five years” (p. 86).
As the two and a half tribes were about to return to their homes to settle into their inherited land, Joshua blessed them and sent them home with an exhortation. This exhortation in 22:5 resembles the “Shema” of Deuteronomy 6 and sums up not only the duties of God’s people, but also the keys to a faithful relationship with God. I believe that a reflection of this exhortation will be of great help to our relationship with the Lord as well.
Be careful to keep the commandments: This speaks to our attitude toward the commandments in that we need to be careful or as some versions would translate, watchful. This speaks of alertness and watchfulness that comes only with constant self-examination. If I ask you whether you are keeping God’s commandments today, you would probably not be able to answer me right away. You would need to pause, to reflect and to pray for the Spirit to show you your erring ways. This is what should happen at our daily time of devotion.
To love the Lord, your God: To think of this love relationship that God desires from us, especially from His people who lived among the Canaanites and their gods, is amazing. Fear dominated the pagan’s relationship with their gods then, and it still does today. What grace and what mercy are behind this invitation to love Him. Without love, there is no genuine relationship between us and God. Without love, there is no lasting motivation and strength to keep His commandments.
To walk in all His way: Even in the Old Testament times, it is not the letter, but the spirit of the law that matters. The failure of God’s children in keeping the commandments often springs from a failure to understand of the heart of God — His ways. The erection of the gigantic altar by the two and half tribes aptly reflected their understanding of the ways of the Lord which on the surface may be against the letter of the Law. It is therefore important for us to look intently in the Scripture, not so much to live a legally approved life, but to understand the very heart of the Lord and walk in a way that pleases Him.
To obey His commands: The ultimate measurement of whether we truly love the Lord is in our obedience. If even grudging obedience is valued by the Lord (Matt. 21:28-31), how much more pleasing to Him is our sweet obedience of love.
To hold fast to Him: This is picture of our faith being shaken, perhaps by suffering, by death, by financial loss, by broken relationships, by doubts or unanswered prayers. Joshua’s admonition is for us to hold fast to God, and repeatedly he appeals to the Israelites to remember their first-hand experience of how faithful and mighty God has been throughout their journey.
To serve Him with all your heart and all your soul: This obviously echoes the greatest commandment cited by our Lord in Matthew 22:37. The emphasis is in “all”, meaning the total person, without exceptions, and at all times. To serve is more than service, but an act of worship for which Paul uses the analogy of a living sacrifice of our total person to express the “all” emphasis (Rom. 12:1).
(1) Look up the following two passages to see what might the two and half tribes have violated in their erection of an altar in Geliloth: (Lev. 17:8-9; Deut. 12:4-14)
(2) What was God’s purpose in restricting the place of worship to one location?
(3) Were the ten tribes then justified in taking action against the two and half tribes?
(4) Even though they had already gathered their troops to wage war against the offenders of the law, what did they choose to do first in vv. 13-14? How did their action echo that prescribed by our Lord Jesus in the resolution of dispute among God’s people in Matthew 18:15-17?
(5) What was their sin in Peor according to the account of Numbers 25:1-9? Why did the erection of an altar besides the designated one remind them of this sin?
(6) What did the ten tribes perceive as the intention of the two and half tribes in their action according to v. 19? If such was the intention what did they propose to them?
(7) How special were these ten tribes in their response to the perceived sins of their brothers? How may you emulate them?
(8) What was the real intention of the two and half tribes in erecting the altar then? How special were they and how may you emulate them?
(9) As much as their intention was admirable, do you think they did violate the law of worship as prescribed by the Lord in terms of the following?
a. The letter of the law
b. The spirit of the law
(10) What can you learn from this incident about resolving problems and keeping unity in God’s household?
(11) Reflect on this long name given to the altar:
a. What is meant by “a witness between us”?
b. And what does it witness?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how might you apply it to your life?
The story of resolving the conflict over the erection of an altar away from the designated place by the two and half tribes is one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible.
You have to admire the people of the two and half tribes who dwelled in the Trans-Jordan region east of Jordan (i.e. which was not part of Canaan or the Promised Land, strictly speaking).
These men had sacrificially delayed the enjoyment of their inheritance until the rest of Israel possessed their inheritance on the west side of Jordan, and in the words of Joshua it had taken “a long time” (Jos. 22:3).
Yes, as they were allowed to return to their inheritance (to realize their dreams of planting vineyards and to enjoy their wives and children), they carried with them large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing (22:8). This was their reward, rightfully. But their focus was not on the present, but on their future generations and their relationship with God. They realized that because of their more remote geographical location, away from Canaan, given time, the rest of Israel might not look upon them as part of Israel. Worse, such rejection might cause their own children “to stop fearing the Lord.”
I do not think these were empty words, because as the dispute was resolved, they named the altar, “A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God” (22:34). This name has a two-fold meaning:
(1) It serves to remind the rest of Israel that the two and half tribes are part of their people.
(2) It also serves as a reminder to all that Yahweh (i.e. the Lord) is God.
They wanted their future generations to always remember who God is and to serve the Lord only!
Yes, they should have consulted Joshua and the High Priest beforehand in the erection of the altar, but their intention was certainly good, godly and pleasing to the Lord.
I wonder if we have as deep and godly a concern for our future generations!
Here are Joshua final words to the leaders:
(1) What do you think prompted Joshua to gather the leaders at this time of his life? What did he hope to accomplish with his speech?
(2) What was his emphasis in his introductory words in v. 4?
(3) What have you seen with your eyes concerning what the Lord has “fought for you”? Give three examples.
(4) As much as Joshua had conquered the nations, what had remained?
(5) In reiterating that the Lord will honor His promise in pushing the nations out before them, Joshua set out the conditions in vv. 6-11:
a. List the positive instructions in vv. 6-11.
b. List the negative instructions in vv. 6-10.
(6) What might be the key to their ability to listen to what Joshua instructed them?
(7) Why was it so essential that they would not ally, intermarry and associate with the nations according to vv. 12-13?
(8) How may you apply the same principle to your life?
(9) Were Joshua’s words simply empty words? Read II Chronicles 36:14-20 for the sad fulfillment of his warning.
(10) What is the main message to you today and how might you apply it to your life?
As Joshua was nearing the end of his life, he must have had at least one regret and that is that Israel had failed to totally eliminate their enemies and had allowed them to remain among them. Perhaps, Joshua realized that after all, his people were indeed weak in faith, and so he had come to accept this fact. However, he foresaw the danger of such a compromise. As a result, he admonished the leaders, saying, “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, then…they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you” (23:12-13).
I invite you to reflect on the lyrics of the following hymn which has helped many in their resolve to resist temptation:
Refrain:
O my Savior, come, I pray Thee;
As I at Thine altar bow;
Hear, O hear my heart’s confession,
Pardon, cleanse, and fill me now.
1
Have I grieved Thy Holy Spirit?
Have I quenched His power within?
If I have, O Lord, forgive me,
Cleanse my heart from ev’ry sin.
2
Do I yield to sin’s allurement,
Having lost the power to win?
Since I grieved Thy Holy Spirit,
When I let the tempter in?
3
Lord, I come in deep contrition,
Yielding all I have to Thee;
Making a now a full surrender—
Thine forever would I be.
(Oswald J. Smith, 1889-1986)
After admonishing the leaders, now Joshua assembled all the people for his final words:
(1) In contrast to the message to the leaders, where according to Joshua did this message come from?
(2) V. 2: Here the Lord opened the message with re-tracing their history beginning with Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor. Was Terah any different from the people beyond the River (Euphrates)? What might God’s message be here?
(3) Vv. 3-4: In re-tracing the migration of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, what was the pronoun being repeated many times? What was God’s message?
(4) Vv. 5-7: In re-tracing the journey out of Egypt, what was being highlighted? What was God’s message?
(5) Vv. 8-10: In re-tracing their wilderness journey, what was being highlighted? What was God’s message?
(6) Vv. 11-12: In re-tracing their journey into Canaan, what was being highlighted? What was the message?
(7) V. 13: Referring to the land they now possessed, what was being highlighted? What was the message?
(8) Summing up the above, what was the central message to the people?
(9) V. 14: What would be the relationship between this command and the foregoing history of Israel? Was it the most reasonable command to Israel? Why or why not?
(10) In what way is your personal history similar to that of Israel?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how might you apply it to your life?
As Joshua gave his parting words to the people whom he led across Jordan, he was prompted by the Lord to retrace their journey all the way back to their forefathers, as early as Terah. And in retracing their history, several themes appear to be God’s emphases:
(1) It was God who chose them: Their forefathers, like Terah, worshipped the gods beyond the River (Euphrates), just like everyone else in that region in their time. It was God who took the initiative to take their father, Abraham, away from that region of many gods to Canaan.
(2) It was God who delivered them: Throughout the retracing of their history, the personal pronoun, I, appeared over and over again, especially in their deliverance, whether from the hands of the Egyptians, the kings during their wandering in the desert or their enemies west of Jordan. “You did not do it with your own sword and bow.” (24:12) It means without God, they could do nothing against these powerful enemies. They would have still been slaves in Egypt.
(3) Grace upon grace: The retracing of their history ended with these words, “So I gave you land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant” (24:13). This was special favor; it was special grace — grace that they did not deserve.
With that, Joshua challenged them to make a decision whether to fear and follow the Lord or the gods that their forefathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Canaanites (24:15). Of course, it was an easy decision — a “no brainer”. Why would they choose to serve the gods who could not protect them, and not choose to serve the God who chose them, delivered them and poured grace upon grace on them?
But history shows us that their commitment did not last long. Soon after the death of Joshua, in the time of Judges, everything went downhill. They followed and served the gods of the Canaanites. Why?
I believe the key issue lies in the difference between serving these gods of the pagans and serving the Lord. The pagans worship and serve their gods for their own sake — hoping to derive benefits from them. In essence, they make their gods their servants and fittingly they have made and shaped their gods with their own hands and in their own image.
But serving the Lord is an entirely different business: He demands our total surrender and our love for Him, and is not based on any benefits we may derive from Him, but purely because of who He is — our Creator and our Redeemer God. In serving and worshipping Him, we are His slaves, He is our Master. It is He who has made us and will shape us in His image. Therefore, serving the Lord is not a “no-brainer”, but a conscious decision that calls for a serious commitment, made after counting the cost (Lk. 14:25-35).
No wonder so many people stop following Christ after making a public decision to believe in Him in evangelistic rallies, because they fail to distinguish the difference between serving the Lord Jesus Christ and serving the gods of the pagans.
The church as an “ecclesia” follows the OT tradition of the assembly of God’s people, and it is within this context that Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel as they now became a nation and a people, to make a covenant with them:
(1) As a preamble to this covenant, Joshua mentioned their past and their present, and offered them a choice. In what ways does it resemble the people of the church of Jesus Christ?
(2) What was the covenant that Joshua challenged them to make? And what was his decision? How significant were the words of his own commitment?
(3) In what way should our covenant be like Joshua’s?
(4) What reasons did the people give in pledging their allegiance to God?
(5) What reason(s) would you give in pledging your allegiance to the Lord?
(6) Why did Joshua say that they “are not able to serve the Lord”? What does history prove and why?
(7) Will you be able to “serve the Lord” on your own? How can you honor your words?
(8) Name the factors that will help you be able to serve the Lord till the end?
(9) Do any of your factors include being committed to one another within the family of the church? (Refer to 2 Tim. 2:22.)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how might you apply it to your life?
In challenging the people to make a commitment to serve the Lord, Joshua made a very shocking statement that “You are not able to serve the Lord” (Jos. 24:19). I believe it is not such a prophecy, but a fact of life in that by ourselves, no one — whether the Israelites of Joshua’s time, or we who are Christians — can serve the Lord.
Hannah Whitall Smith, whose writings have helped and influenced many Christians, including A.B. Simpson, also struggled in living out a victorious Christian life. This is part of what she shares in “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life”:
“Lord Jesus, I believe that Thou are able and willing to deliver me from all the care and unrest and bondage of my Christian life. I believe Thou didst die to set me free, not only in the future, but now and here. I believe Thou art stronger than sin, and that Thou canst keep me, even me, in my extreme of weakness, from falling into its snares or yielding obedience to its commands. And Lord, I am going to trust Thee to keep me. I have tried keeping myself, and have failed, and failed, most grievously. I am absolutely helpless. So now I will trust Thee. I give myself to Thee. I keep back no reserves. Body, soul, and spirit, I present myself to Thee as a piece of clay, to be fashioned into anything Thy love and Thy wisdom shall choose. And now I am Thine. I believe Thou dost accept that which I present to Thee; I believe that this poor, weak, foolish heart has been taken possession of by Thee, and that Thou hast even at this very moment begun to work in me to will and to do of Thy good pleasure. I trust Thee utterly, and I trust Thee now.”