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 Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel ² at Shiloh in Canaan and said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.” ³ So, as the Lord had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

⁴ The first lot came out for the Kohathites, according to their clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. ⁵ The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.

⁶ The descendants of Gershon were allotted thirteen towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

⁷ The descendants of Merari, according to their clans, received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

⁸ So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their pasturelands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

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

¹¹ They gave them Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pastureland, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) ¹² But the fields and villages around the city they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

¹³ So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Libnah, ¹⁴ Jattir, Eshtemoa, ¹⁵ Holon, Debir, ¹⁶ Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands—nine towns from these two tribes.

¹⁷ And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon, Geba, ¹⁸ Anathoth and Almon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

¹⁹ The total number of towns for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands. (NIV)

As we see in today’s reading (and will do so again when we come back to the remainder of chapter 21, in a few days time), the Levites did not have any tribal land as such, but were allotted ”towns to live in with pasture-lands” for their animals (see, e.g. vv.2/8). This was according to the Lord’s own Word, which they ‘claimed’. In Gen.49:7 God had said that He would scatter the Levites throughout Israel. and He gave them forty-eight towns, including the cities of refuge.

‘The distribution of the Levites through the tribes is of obvious significance…consider what a wide and wholesome effect must have been produced throughout the country, especially when Levi fulfilled the lofty possibilities of this high-calling. Moreover, the teaching of the Law was a special prerogative of the Levites, who appear to have travelled through their apportioned districts…The distribution of the Levites was the Lord’s provision for the preservation of Israel’s faith in the land.’ J.Sidlow Baxter

”He teaches your precepts to Jacob
    and your law to Israel.
He offers incense before you
    and whole burnt offerings on your altar.” (Deut,33:10)

Yesterday, my wife, Jilly, had a physio appointment in our nearby city of Ripon. We decided that, while we were there we would attend evening prayer in the Cathedral. We made a couple of observations about our experience:

1. The Cathedral conveys such a sense of how big God is and how small we are, and that is a good thing for people to be made to see and feel (if they do). In a way, it preaches a sermon, and the presence of Cathedrals and other church buildings in cities and towns and villages across the land remains so important. They remind the general population about God, and prayer, and that there still are believing people. But we also noted that…
2. There is something wonderful and precious about the daily rhythm of prayer, praise and worship offered in so many of these churches scattered across our home nations. There were only three attendees (including ourselves) at evening prayer yesterday, plus four clergy. But it would go ahead regardless. Who can tell the life-giving, health-giving effects of these services? Their restraining power? Their preservative influence? Their ‘salt’ and ‘light’ impact? God only knows. But there is something of simple beauty and power in the ancient (and modern) prayers, and the reading of Scripture. Thank God for the presence of His faithful ‘Levites’ in the land.

Then the Lord said to Joshua: ² “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, ³ so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood. ⁴ When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state their case before the elders of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them. ⁵ If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought. ⁶ They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.”

⁷ So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸ East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly. (NIV)

The cities of ‘refuge’ are mentioned in Exodus 21:12,13, Numbers 35 and Deut.19. They were a divine provision to offer protection to those who had committed certain wrongs unintentionally.

From our perspective, Jesus is our ‘City of refuge’. But there is contrast here as well as a comparison, for, thanks be to God, in Jesus we find forgiveness ”from all sin” (1 John 1:7). The ‘refuge’ is not just from accidental and unintentional sins, but ”all sin”. Outside of Jesus there is no mercy for us; but in Him there is all mercy.

‘Other refuge have I none;
hangs my helpless soul on thee;
leave, ah! leave me not alone,
still support and comfort me.
All my trust on thee is stayed,
all my help from thee I bring;
cover my defenceless head
with the shadow of thy wing.’ (From the hymn, ‘Jesus, lover of my soul, by Charles Wesley)

‘Jesus Christ is our ”city of refuge” (Heb.6:18-20), but the salvation He gives is in contrast to the refuge given to the manslayer. It is true that the sinner must come to Christ (Matt.11:28-30), but it is also true that Christ first comes to us (Luke 19:10)…When we come to Christ, there is no trial to determine our guilt. We know we are guilty! That is why we fled to Him! We did not stand at the door and wait; we entered the open door (John 10:9) and were welcomed by the Saviour, knowing that we would never face condemnation (John 5:24; Rom.8:1).’ Warren Wiersbe

J. Sidlow Baxter also comments helpfully: ‘Even when we are ”in the land” we may do many things that are wrong without realising they are wrong. In strict justice the law of God cannot but pursue us as guilty. Yet there is provision made for this in the blood of Christ. Mistakes, inadvertencies, ”sins of ignorance,” unintentional wrongs are provided for in the Atonement. Christ Himself is our ”City of Refuge”; and by holding to Him we are protected and covered…’

The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because Judah’s portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.

When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them, ⁵⁰ as the Lord had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for—Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there.

⁵¹ These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. And so they finished dividing the land.

I want to highlight two further things in Joshua 19: the first appears close to the beginning of the chapter, and the second at the end. Here they are:

1. The principle that those who have more should share with those who have less. This is illustrated in the story about the Simeonite share coming out of Judah. In two great chapters on ‘giving’, in 2 Corinthians, Paul writes in 9:13-15: ” Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. ¹⁴ At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, ¹⁵ as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”
2. Biblical leadership involves service – putting others first. It’s not about sitting at the top of the pile and keeping all the best for yourself – the cream from the top of the milk, as it were. Simon Sinek wrote a book with the wonderful title: ‘Leaders eat last’. This seems to encapsulate the principle. Warren Wiersbe writes, ‘Joshua saw to it that the distribution to the tribes was completed before he received his own inheritance (19:49-50). The city of Timnath was located in a mountainous region where life would not be easy. Joshua could have chosen the finest place in the land, but he put others first and let them take the best (1 Cor.10:24; Phil.2:1-4).’

 The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon according to its clans. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah. ² It included:

Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah, ³ Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, ⁴ Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, ⁵ Ziklag, Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susah, ⁶ Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen—thirteen towns and their villages;

⁷ Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan—four towns and their villages— ⁸ and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah in the Negev) (NIV).

I am still reading from an old Bible, slightly battered and falling apart through repeated use, that I have had in my possession for many years. Reading through Joshua 19 (and, as you can see, I’ve only printed a small part of a long chapter) I noticed that at one point I had highlighted the repeated phrase ‘…and their villages.’ It’s a chapter which outlines the God-given allotments of land for the tribes of Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan. In each case there are references to ”villages”.

I guess I highlighted it, because, since my mid-thirties, I have lived my life and conducted my ministry in villages – predominantly in one, Boston Spa, in West Yorkshire. It was probably not long after I distinctly felt the call to Boston Spa, that I was listening to a recording of a well-known evangelical leader of that time. In his sermon he said, ‘The villages must be among the most difficult places in the UK in which to minister at this time.’ Since he said this, many rural areas have seen declining congregations, and there have been multiple chapel and church closures. But God’s heart embraces ”towns and villages”, where there are many people whom God ”so” loves (John 3:16). ‘Lost sheep’ live in these remote parts: those the ‘Good Shepherd’ longs to bring home.

If God has placed you in a village, take heart. He has you there by His design, and He has a ministry for you in that place. There are no small places to God.

Maybe you live in a great city, or a bustling town, but there are villages on your heart? You know of them, or you know some people who live in them. Let’s join in prayer today for the vilages, and ask ‘the Lord of the harvest’ to ‘thrust out workers into His harvest field’ everywhere.

A good person’s mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom;
    a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp.

³² The speech of a good person clears the air;
    the words of the wicked pollute it.

11 God hates cheating in the marketplace;
    he loves it when business is aboveboard.

² The stuck-up fall flat on their faces,
    but down-to-earth people stand firm.

³ The integrity of the honest keeps them on track;
    the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin.

⁴ A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart,
    but a principled life can stand up to the worst.

⁵ Moral character makes for smooth traveling;
    an evil life is a hard life.

⁶ Good character is the best insurance;
    crooks get trapped in their sinful lust.

⁷ When the wicked die, that’s it—
    the story’s over, end of hope.

⁸ A good person is saved from much trouble;
    a bad person runs straight into it. (The Message)

Again, there is much to reflect on in this next set of Proverbs, but I want to highlight verse 8. Just recently, I fulfilled a long held ambition to visit Castle Drogo in Devon. It has been described as the last castle to be built in England.

Julius Drewe made a fortune from his business, ‘The Home and Country Stores’. So much so that he could retire at the age of 33. According to ‘Wikipedia’:

‘…in 1910 he bought about 450 acres (1.8 km²) south and west of the village (Drewsteignton); by the time of his death he had bought up an estate of 1,500 acres. He then went to Edwin Lutyens, a prominent architect of the time, and asked him to build his castle. According to his son Basil, he did so on the advice of William Hudson, proprietor of Country Life, who was both a patron and a champion of Lutyens. Drewe was now 54 years old, but he still had time, energy and money to create his new family seat. On 4 April 1911, Drewe’s 55th birthday, the first foundation stone was laid.

The castle took many years to complete, with the First World War and the economic downturn causing many delays. Castle Drogo was finally completed in 1930, a year before Julius died. Castle Drogo was the last castle to be built in England, and probably the last private house in the country to be built entirely of granite.’

As we toured the magnificent building, I was struck by the sight of a smaller bedroom next to a much grander one. Our guide explained that this was where Julius was confined after his stroke, and where it was easier for him to receive full time nursing care. But it is only today, in reading up on some of the history, that I realise how little time he had to enjoy any of it.

The words of Jesus come to mind: ” For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36 KJV)

I am not saying that Julius was not a believer. I don’t know and I can’t comment. But maybe you can see why he came to mind when I read Proverbs 11:4. There was something salutary about that smaller bedroom.

When Jesus saw him coming he said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.”

⁴⁸ Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.”

Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.”

⁴⁹ Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!”

^50-51 Jesus said, “You’ve become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven’t seen anything yet! Before this is over you’re going to see heaven open and God’s angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again.” (The Message)

Genesis 16:13, in the King James Version, says this about Hagar: ”And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me”

Certainly, in days gone by, it was not unusual to see these words on plaques in the homes of elderly Christians.

I believe it is intrinsic to our human nature, for the most part, that we want to be deeply known by others. We don’t want to feel lost and anonymous in the world, just another cog in an impersonal machine. We would like someone, somewhere, to know who we are, what we’ve done, what we’ve come through, and so on.

Nathanael was surprised that Jesus knew him, But He did. He knows you too. All about you, and He loves you. What is more, He wants you to know Him, and He desires to reveal more and more of the wonder of Himself to you.

F.B.Meyer writes beautifully about this passage: ‘Still others were brought by the call and ties of previous friendship, following on a long course of previous preparation. Philip had often crossed the hills that separated the lake from Cana, where Nathanael dwelt, and the two would earnestly discuss the signs of the time: the desperate straits of their country, the preaching of the Baptist, and the Messiah’s advent. The guileless Israelite would sit beneath his favourite fig tree, pondering over the things which Moses and the prophets had written. It was not difficult to win such a man when Philip broke in on him with the news of their discovery.

Jesus is always showing us ”greater things,” v.50. He leads his disciples onward and upward, for he is himself the ladder of ascent to God.’

For further thought: read Psalm 139

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, “Come, follow me.” (Philip’s hometown was Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter.)

^45-46 Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, “We’ve found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, the one from Nazareth!” Nathanael said, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding.”

But Philip said, “Come, see for yourself.” (The Message)

So the process of ‘one lighted torch serving to light another’ continues.

It’s been said that evangelism is just ‘one beggar telling another where to find bread.’

Christian witness is highly relational. We who have ”found” Jesus (or been found by Him!) find others, and invite them to find out for themselves.

”Come and see” (46b NIV)

This approach goes back to the Lord Himself (see vv.37-39).

I remember Michael Griffiths writing that, in his experience, he found that it was highly unusual for an adult to seriously investigate the gospel and not then be converted.

PRAYER: Lord, please lead me to people who you want me to invite into the goodness of Christ and the gospel

THOUGHTS:

• V.45: The more we consider the Old Testament background to Jesus, surely the more compelling the evidence of His uniqueness becomes?
• v.46: God often works in unexpected places
• ‘Jesus calls each one individually and uses different approaches, but the same Master calls. Have you heeded His call?’ Warren Wiersbe

The next day John was back at his post with two disciples, who were watching. He looked up, saw Jesus walking nearby, and said, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb.”

^37-38 The two disciples heard him and went after Jesus. Jesus looked over his shoulder and said to them, “What are you after?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

³⁹ He replied, “Come along and see for yourself.”

They came, saw where he was living, and ended up staying with him for the day. It was late afternoon when this happened.

^40-42 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s witness and followed Jesus. The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, “We’ve found the Messiah” (that is, “Christ”). He immediately led him to Jesus.

Jesus took one look up and said, “You’re John’s son, Simon? From now on your name is Cephas” (or Peter, which means “Rock”). (The Message)

‘One lighted torch serves to light another’. This is a story of ‘finding’ and ‘telling’.

We again see John pointing to Jesus, and look at the knock on effects! One simple word of witness and who knows where the ripples will spread?

Someone said, about Andrew bringing his brother to the Lord, ‘It was, perhaps, the greatest service anyone ever performed for the church,’ We only meet Andrew three times in this gospel, but on each occasion he is pointing someone to Jesus. That is, in my view, an enviable track record.

PRAYER: Lord, please give to me Andrew’s desire and ability to share Jesus

You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the tribes of Joseph in their territory on the north. ⁶ After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord our God. (NIV)

”It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.” (Rom.15:20)

I am taken by this idea of ”territory”.

‘There’s a work for Jesus none but you can do.’

There is a sense, I believe, in which each follower of Christ is allotted ‘land’. What I mean by this is that we are divinely granted certain spheres, roles, locations, areas of ministry, in keeping with our calling and gifting. If I can put it like this, ‘Peter’ is not to imagine that he is going to walk the same path as ‘John’ (John 21:20-22). But in God’s purpose, our various contributions are melded together into a glorious whole. It’s like when the diverse instruments in an orchestra, playing their individual parts, produce a harmonious symphony under the direction of a skilled conductor. It is not in the ‘territory’ of the piccolo, for example, to play the music allocated to the first violins. The Timpanist is to remain in his/her own territory, as is the clarinettist. But with their eyes upon the conductor, they must listen to one another, be aware of the other, and make glorious music.

”What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour. ⁹ For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)

I can only speak personally here, but I’m grateful that in my years in church ministry, I have always had a sense that God put me in the town, city, village where I served; that it wasn’t merely a human appointment. I could have been elsewhere, but He put me here. Even now, in ‘retirement’, I don’t believe my wife and I can just arbitrarily choose where we would like to live. Jesus is now our ‘Shrine’ in these New Covenant days. He is our meeting place with God, and in Him we would ever want to say, ‘Your will be done.’

‘There’s a work for Jesus, ready at your hand,
’Tis a task the Master just for you has planned.
Haste to do His bidding, yield Him service true;
There’s a work for Jesus none but you can do.

Refrain:
Work for Jesus, day by day,
Serve Him ever, falter never; Christ obey.
Yield Him service loyal, true,
There’s a work for Jesus none but you can do.’ (From a hymn by Elsie Duncan Yale)