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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Joshua, Chapter XXI].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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<h3><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank">Back to Biblesnet.com Home Page</a>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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<TD ALIGN="RIGHT" VALIGN="TOP">
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1708)
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</TD></TR></TABLE>
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<HR>
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>J O S H U A</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XXI.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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It had been often said that the tribe of Levi should have "no
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inheritance with their brethren," no particular part of the country
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assigned them, as the other tribes had, no, not the country about
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Shiloh, which one might have expected to be appropriated to them as the
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lands of the church; but, though they were not thus cast into a country
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by themselves, it appears, by the provision made for them in this
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chapter, that they were no losers, but the rest of the tribes were very
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much gainers, by their being dispersed. We have here,
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I. The motion they made to have their cities assigned them, according
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to God's appointment,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:1,2">ver. 1, 2</A>.
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II. The nomination of the cities accordingly out of the several tribes,
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and the distribution of them to the respective families of this tribe,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:3-8">ver. 3-8</A>.
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III. A catalogue of the cities, forty-eight in all,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:9-42">ver. 9-42</A>.
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IV. A receipt entered in full of all that God had promised to his
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people Israel,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:43-45">ver. 43-45</A>.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Jos21_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Cities of the Levites.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1444.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto
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Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the
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heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel;
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2 And they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan,
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saying, The L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities
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to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our cattle.
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3 And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their
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inheritance, at the commandment of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, these cities and
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their suburbs.
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4 And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and
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the children of Aaron the priest, <I>which were</I> of the Levites,
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had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of
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Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
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5 And the rest of the children of Kohath <I>had</I> by lot out of
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the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of
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Dan, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities.
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6 And the children of Gershon <I>had</I> by lot out of the families
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of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out
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of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh
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in Bashan, thirteen cities.
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7 The children of Merari by their families <I>had</I> out of the
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tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the
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tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
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8 And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these
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cities with their suburbs, as the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> commanded by the hand of
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Moses.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here is,
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I. The Levites' petition presented to this general convention of the
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states, now sitting at Shiloh,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:1,2"><I>v.</I> 1, 2</A>.
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Observe,
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1. They had not their lot assigned them till they made their claim.
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There is an inheritance provided for all the saints, that royal
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priesthood, but then they must petition for it. <I>Ask, and it shall be
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given you.</I> Joshua had quickened the rest of the tribes who were
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slack to put in their claims, but the Levites, it may be supposed, knew
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their duty and interest better than the rest, and were therefore
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forward in this matter, when it came to their turn, without being
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called upon. They build their claim upon a very good foundation, not
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their own merits nor services, but the divine precept: "<I>The Lord
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commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities,</I> commanded you to
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grant them, which implied a command to us to ask them." Note, The
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maintenance of ministers is not an arbitrary thing, left purely to the
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good-will of the people, who may let them starve if they please; no, as
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the God of Israel commanded that the Levites should be well provided
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for, so has the Lord Jesus, the King of the Christian church, ordained,
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and a perpetual ordinance it is that <I>those who preach the gospel
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should live of the gospel</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Co+9:14">1 Cor. ix. 14</A>),
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and should live comfortably.
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2. They did not make their claim till all the rest of the tribes were
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provided for, and then they did it immediately. There was some reason
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for it; every tribe must first know their own, else they would not know
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what they gave the Levites, and so it could not be such a reasonable
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service as it ought to be. But it is also an instance of their
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humility, modesty, and patience (and Levites should be examples of
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these and other virtues), that they were willing to be served last, and
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they fared never the worse for it. Let not God's ministers complain if
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at any time they find themselves postponed in men's thoughts and cares,
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but let them make sure of the favour of God and the honour that comes
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from him, and then they may well enough afford to bear the slights and
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neglects of men.</P>
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<P>
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II. The Levites' petition granted immediately, without any dispute, the
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princes of Israel being perhaps ashamed that they needed to be called
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upon in this matter, and that the motion had not been made among
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themselves for the settling of the Levites.
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1. The children of Israel are said to give the cities for the Levites.
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God had appointed how many they should be in all, forty-eight. It is
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probable that Joshua and the princes, upon consideration of the extent
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and value of the lot of each tribe as it was laid before them, had
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appointed how many cities should be taken out of each; and then the
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fathers of the several tribes themselves agreed which they should be,
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and therefore are said to give them, as an offering, to the Lord; so
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God had appointed.
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Nu+35:8">Num. xxxv. 8</A>,
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<I>Every one shall give of his cities to the Levites.</I> Here God
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tried their generosity, and it was found to praise and honour, for it
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appears by the following catalogue that the cities they gave to the
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Levites were generally some of the best and most considerable in each
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tribe. And it is probable that they had an eye to the situation of
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them, taking care they should be so dispersed as that no part of the
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country should be too far distant from a Levites' city.
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2. They gave them <I>at the commandment of the Lord,</I> that is, with
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an eye to the command and in obedience to it, which was it that
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sanctified the grant. They gave the number that God commanded, and it
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was well this matter was settled that the Levites might not ask more
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nor the Israelites offer less. They gave them also with their suburbs,
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or glebe-lands, belonging to them, so many cubits by measure from the
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walls of the city, as God had commanded
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Nu+35:4,5">Num. xxxv. 4, 5</A>),
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and did not go about to cut them short.
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3. When the forty-eight cities were pitched upon, they were divided
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into four lots, as they lay next together, and then by lot were
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determined to the four several families of the tribe of Levi. When the
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Israelites had surrendered the cities into the hand of God, he would
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himself have the distributing of them among his servants.
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(1.) The family of Aaron, who were the only priests, had for their
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share the thirteen cities that were given by the tribes of Judah,
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Simeon, and Benjamin,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
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God in wisdom ordered it thus, that though Jerusalem itself was not one
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of their cities, it being as yet in the possession of the Jebusites
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(and those generous tribes would not mock the Levites, who had another
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warfare to mind, with a city that must be recovered by the sword before
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it could be enjoyed), yet the cities that fell to their lot were those
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which lay next to Jerusalem, because that was to be, in process of
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time, the holy city, where their business would chiefly lie.
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(2.) The Kohathite-Levites (among whom were the posterity of Moses,
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though never distinguished from them) had the cities that lay in the
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lot of Dan, which lay next to Judah, and in that of Ephraim, and the
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half-tribe of Manasseh, which lay next to Benjamin. So those who
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descended from Aaron's father joined nearest to Aaron's sons.
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(3.) Gershon was the eldest son of Levi, and therefore, though the
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younger house of the Kohathites was preferred before his, yet his
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children had the precedency of the other family of Merari,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.
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(4.) The Merarites, the youngest house, had their lot last, and it lay
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furthest off,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.
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The rest of the sons of Jacob had a lot for every tribe only, but Levi,
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God's tribe, had a lot for each of its families; for there is a
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particular providence directing and attending the removals and
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settlements of ministers, and appointing where those shall fix who are
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to be the lights of the world.</P>
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<A NAME="Jos21_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_18"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_19"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_20"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_21"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_22"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_23"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_24"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_25"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_26"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_27"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_28"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_29"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_30"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_31"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_32"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_33"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_34"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_35"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_36"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_37"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_38"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_39"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_40"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_41"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jos21_42"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>9 And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and
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out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which
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are <I>here</I> mentioned by name,
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10 Which the children of Aaron, <I>being</I> of the families of the
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Kohathites, <I>who were</I> of the children of Levi, had: for theirs
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was the first lot.
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11 And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak,
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which <I>city is</I> Hebron, in the hill <I>country</I> of Judah, with the
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suburbs thereof round about it.
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12 But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave
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they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.
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13 Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron
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with her suburbs, <I>to be</I> a city of refuge for the slayer; and
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Libnah with her suburbs,
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14 And Jattir with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa with her suburbs,
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15 And Holon with her suburbs, and Debir with her suburbs,
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16 And Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with her suburbs, <I>and</I>
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Beth-shemesh with her suburbs; nine cities out of those two
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tribes.
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17 And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs,
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Geba with her suburbs,
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18 Anathoth with her suburbs, and Almon with her suburbs; four
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cities.
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19 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, <I>were</I>
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thirteen cities with their suburbs.
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20 And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites
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which remained of the children of Kohath, even they had the
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cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.
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21 For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount
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Ephraim, <I>to be</I> a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer with
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her suburbs,
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22 And Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Beth-horon with her
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suburbs; four cities.
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23 And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs,
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Gibbethon with her suburbs,
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24 Aijalon with her suburbs, Gath-rimmon with her suburbs; four
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cities.
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25 And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her
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suburbs, and Gath-rimmon with her suburbs; two cities.
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26 All the cities <I>were</I> ten with their suburbs for the
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families of the children of Kohath that remained.
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27 And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the
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Levites, out of the <I>other</I> half tribe of Manasseh <I>they gave</I>
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Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, <I>to be</I> a city of refuge for
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the slayer; and Beesh-terah with her suburbs; two cities.
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28 And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs,
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Dabareh with her suburbs,
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29 Jarmuth with her suburbs, En-gannim with her suburbs; four
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cities.
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30 And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs,
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Abdon with her suburbs,
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31 Helkath with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs; four
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cities.
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32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her
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suburbs, <I>to be</I> a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammoth-dor
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with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three cities.
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33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their
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families <I>were</I> thirteen cities with their suburbs.
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34 And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of
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the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her
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suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs,
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35 Dimnah with her suburbs, Nahalal with her suburbs; four
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cities.
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36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and
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Jahazah with her suburbs,
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37 Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs;
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four cities.
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38 And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her
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suburbs, <I>to be</I> a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim
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with her suburbs,
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39 Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with her suburbs; four
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cities in all.
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40 So all the cities for the children of Merari by their
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families, which were remaining of the families of the Levites,
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were <I>by</I> their lot twelve cities.
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41 All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the
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children of Israel <I>were</I> forty and eight cities with their
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suburbs.
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42 These cities were every one with their suburbs round about
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them: thus <I>were</I> all these cities.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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We have here a particular account of the cities which were given to the
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children of Levi out of the several tribes, not only to be occupied and
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inhabited by them, as tenants to the several tribes in which they
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lay--no, their interest in them was not dependent and precarious, but to
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be owned and possessed by them as lords and proprietors, and as having
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the same title to them that the rest of the tribes had to their cities
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or lands, as appears by the law which preserved the house in the
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Levites' cities from being alienated any longer than till the year of
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jubilee,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Le+25:32,33">Lev. xxv. 32, 33</A>.
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Yet it is probable that the Levites having only the cities and suburbs,
|
|
while the land about pertained to the tribes in which they lay, those
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of that tribe, for the convenience of occupying that land, might
|
|
commonly rent houses of the Levites, as they could spare them in their
|
|
cities, and so live among them as their tenants. Several things may be
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|
observed in this account, besides what was observed in the law
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concerning it,
|
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Nu+35:1-34">Num. xxxv</A>.</P>
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<P>
|
|
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|
I. That the Levites were dispersed into all the tribes, and not
|
|
suffered to live all together in any one part of the country. This
|
|
would find them all with work, and employ them all for the good of
|
|
others; for ministers, of all people, must neither be idle nor live to
|
|
themselves or to one another only. Christ left his twelve disciples
|
|
together in a body, but left orders that they should in due time
|
|
disperse themselves, that they might <I>preach the gospel to every
|
|
creature.</I> The mixing of the Levites thus with the other tribes
|
|
would be an obligation upon them to walk circumspectly, and as became
|
|
their sacred function, and to avoid every thing that might disgrace it.
|
|
Had they lived all together, they would have been tempted to wink at
|
|
one another's faults, and to excuse one another when they did amiss;
|
|
but by this means they were made to see the eyes of all Israel upon
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|
them, and therefore saw it their concern to walk so as that their
|
|
ministry might in nothing be blamed nor their high character suffer by
|
|
their ill carriage.</P>
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|
|
|
<P>
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|
|
|
II. That every tribe of Israel was adorned and enriched with its share
|
|
of Levites' cities in proportion to its compass, even those that lay
|
|
most remote. They were all God's people, and therefore they all had
|
|
Levites among them.
|
|
|
|
1. To show kindness to, as God appointed them,
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|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+12:19,14:29">Deut. xii. 19; xiv. 29</A>.
|
|
|
|
They were God's receivers, to whom the people might give their grateful
|
|
acknowledgments of God's goodness, as the occasion and disposition
|
|
were.
|
|
|
|
2. To receive advice and instruction from; when they could not go up to
|
|
the tabernacle, to consult those who attended there, they might go to a
|
|
Levites' city, and be taught the good knowledge of the Lord. Thus God
|
|
set up a candle in every room of his house, to give light to all his
|
|
family; as those that attended the altar <I>kept the charge of the
|
|
Lord,</I> to see that no divine appointment was neglected there, so
|
|
those that were scattered in the country had their charge too, which
|
|
was to see that no idolatrous superstitious usages were introduced at a
|
|
distance and to watch for the souls of God's Israel. Thus did God
|
|
graciously provide for the keeping up of religion among them, and that
|
|
they might have the word nigh them; yet, blessed be God, we, under the
|
|
gospel, have it yet nigher, not only Levites in every county, but
|
|
Levites in every parish, whose office it is still to teach the people
|
|
knowledge, and to go before them in the things of God.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. That there were thirteen cities, and those some of the best,
|
|
appointed for the priests, the sons of Aaron,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:19"><I>v.</I> 19</A>.
|
|
|
|
Aaron left but two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, yet his family was now so
|
|
much increased, and it was foreseen that it would in process of time
|
|
grow so numerous, as to replenish all these cities, though a
|
|
considerable number must of necessity be resident wherever the ark and
|
|
the altar were. We read in both Testaments of such numbers of priests
|
|
that we may suppose none of all the families of Israel that came out of
|
|
Egypt increased afterwards so much as that of Aaron did; and the
|
|
promise afterwards to the house of Aaron is, <I>God shall increase you
|
|
more and more, you and your children,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+115:12,14">Ps. cxv. 12, 14</A>.
|
|
|
|
He will raise up a <I>seed to serve him.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
IV. That some of the Levites' cities were afterwards famous upon other
|
|
accounts. Hebron was the city in which David began his reign, and in
|
|
Manhanaim, another Levites' city
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:38"><I>v.</I> 38</A>),
|
|
|
|
he lay, and had his headquarters when he fled from Absalom. The first
|
|
Israelite that ever wore the title of king (namely, Abimelech, the son
|
|
of Gideon) reigned in Shechem, another Levites' city,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
V. That the number of them in all was more than of most of the tribes,
|
|
except Judah, though the tribe of Levi was one of the least of the
|
|
tribes, to show how liberal God is, and his people should be, to his
|
|
ministers; yet the disproportion will not appear so great as at first
|
|
it seems, if we consider that the Levites had cities only with their
|
|
suburbs to dwell in, but the rest of the tribes, besides their cities
|
|
(and those perhaps were many more than are named in the account of
|
|
their lot), had many unwalled towns and villages which they inhabited,
|
|
besides country houses.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Upon the whole, it appears that effectual care was taken that the
|
|
Levites should live both comfortably and usefully: and those, whether
|
|
ministers or others, for whom Providence has done well, must look upon
|
|
themselves as obliged thereby to do good, and, according as their
|
|
capacity and opportunity are, to serve their generation.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Jos21_43"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jos21_44"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jos21_45"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>43 And the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to
|
|
give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt
|
|
therein.
|
|
44 And the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> gave them rest round about, according to all
|
|
that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of
|
|
all their enemies before them; the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> delivered all their
|
|
enemies into their hand.
|
|
45 There failed not ought of any good thing which the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> had
|
|
spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
We have here the conclusion of this whole matter, the foregoing history
|
|
summed up, and, to make it appear the more bright, compared with the
|
|
promise of which it was the full accomplishment. God's word and his
|
|
works mutually illustrate each other. The performance makes the promise
|
|
appear very true and the promise makes the performance appear very
|
|
kind.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. God had promised to give the seed of Abraham the land of Canaan for
|
|
a possession, and now at last he performed this promise
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:43"><I>v.</I> 43</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>They possessed it, and dwelt therein.</I> Though they had often
|
|
forfeited the benefit of that promise, and God had long delayed the
|
|
performance of it, yet at last all difficulties were conquered, and
|
|
Canaan was their own. And the promise of the heavenly Canaan is as sure
|
|
to all God's spiritual Israel, for it is the promise of him that cannot
|
|
lie.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. God had promised to give them rest in that land, and now they had
|
|
rest round about, rest from the fatigues of their travel through the
|
|
wilderness (which tedious march, perhaps, was long in their bones),
|
|
rest from their wars in Canaan, and the insults which their enemies
|
|
there had at first offered them. They now dwelt, not only in
|
|
habitations of their own, but those quiet and peaceable ones; though
|
|
there were Canaanites that remained, yet none that had either strength
|
|
or spirit to attack them, nor so much as give them an alarm. This rest
|
|
continued till they by their own sin and folly put thorns into their
|
|
own beds and their own eyes.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. God had promised to give them victory and success in their wars,
|
|
and this promise likewise was fulfilled: <I>There stood not a man
|
|
before them,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:44"><I>v.</I> 44</A>.
|
|
|
|
They had the better in every battle, and which way soever they turned
|
|
their forces they prospered. It is true there were Canaanites now
|
|
remaining in many parts of the land, and such as afterwards made head
|
|
against them, and became very formidable. But,
|
|
|
|
1. As to the present remains of the Canaanites, they were no
|
|
contradiction to the promise, for God had said he would not drive them
|
|
out all at once, but by <I>little and little,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+23:30">Exod. xxiii. 30</A>.
|
|
|
|
They had now as much in their full possession as they had occasion for
|
|
and as they had hands to manage, so that the Canaanites only kept
|
|
possession of some of the less cultivated parts of the country against
|
|
the beasts of the field, till Israel, in process of time, should become
|
|
numerous enough to replenish them.
|
|
|
|
2. As to the after prevalency of the Canaanites, that was purely the
|
|
effect of Israel's cowardice and slothfulness, and the punishment of
|
|
their sinful inclination to the idolatries and other abominations of
|
|
the heathen, whom the Lord would have cast out before them but that
|
|
they harboured and indulged them. So that the foundation of God stands
|
|
sure. Israel's experience of God's fidelity is here upon record, and
|
|
is an acquittance under their hands to the honour of God, the
|
|
vindication of his promise which had been so often distrusted, and the
|
|
encouragement of all believers to the end of the world: <I>There failed
|
|
not any good thing,</I> no, nor <I>aught</I> of any good thing (so full
|
|
is it expressed), <I>which the Lord had spoken unto the house of
|
|
Israel,</I> but in due time <I>all came to pass,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+21:45"><I>v.</I> 45</A>.
|
|
|
|
Such an acknowledgment as this, here subscribed by Joshua in the name
|
|
of all Israel, we afterwards find made by Solomon, and all Israel did
|
|
in effect say <I>Amen</I> to it,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+8:56">1 Kings viii. 56</A>.
|
|
|
|
The inviolable truth of God's promise, and the performance of it to the
|
|
utmost, are what all the saints have been ready to bear their testimony
|
|
to; and, if in any thing the performance has seemed to come short, they
|
|
have been as ready to own that they themselves must bear all the
|
|
blame.</P>
|
|
|
|
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