BIBLE STUDY LESSON 20
CITIES FOR THE LEVITES
THE CITIES OF THE LEVITES
From Joshua 21
One day the Levites sent a delegation of their leaders to Shiloh to talk to Eleazar the priest and Joshua and the leaders of the other tribes of Israel. “The Lord gave a command through Moses that we should receive cities where we might live, along with pasturelands for our cattle.” So the people of Israel obeyed the Lord’s command and gave the following cities, along with pasturelands, to the Levites. The cities were assigned by casting lots, as the other tribes had received their inheritance. These are the people who were Levites and their assignments:
THE PRIESTS; MEMBERS OF THE KOHATH DIVISION, DESCENDANTS OF AARON
From the tribes of Judah and Simeon: Hebron in the Judean hills (a City of Refuge, also called Kiriath-arba after Arba, the father of Anak), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Am, Juttah and Beth-shemesh. Caleb retained the fields of Hebron, as well as its surrounding villages. These cities, along with pasturelands, were given to the Levites. From the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon, Gaba, Anathoth and Almon, along with pasturelands.
THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE KOHATH DIVISION
From the tribe of Ephraim: Shechem (a City of Refuge), Gezer, Kibzaim and Beth-horon.
From the tribe of Dan: Elteke, Gibbethon, Aijalon and Gath-rimmon. From the half-tribe of Manasseh: Taanach and Gath-rimmon. The other members of the Kohath Division received a total of ten cities, along with surrounding pasturelands.
THE DESCENDANTS OF GERSHON
From the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan, in Bashan (a City of Refuge) and Beeshterah. From the tribe of Issachar: Kishion, Daberath, Jarmuth and En-gannim. From the tribe of Asher: Mishal, Abdon, Helkath and Rehob. From the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee (a City of Refuge), Hammoth-dor and Kartan. The descendants of Gershon received a total of thirteen cities, along with surrounding pasturelands.
THE MERARI DIVISION
From the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah and Nahalal. From the tribe of Reuben: Bezer, Jahaz, Kedemoth and Mephaath. From the tribe of Gad: Ramoth (a City of Refuge), Mahanaim, Heshbon and Jazer. There were twelve cities, along with the surrounding pasturelands, given to the Merari Division of the tribe of Levites. The total of all cities, with their pasturelands, given to the Levites was forty-eight. Thus the Lord’s promise to Israel, to give to Israel the land He had promised their ancestors, was fulfilled. Having conquered the land, the people of Israel settled there to live. There was peace, as the Lord had promised, for none of the other people were strong enough to fight the Israelites. The Lord helped the Israelites conquer their enemies and gave them all that He had promised. Not one promise failed; all came true.
COMMENTARY
LEVITICAL CITIES
The final act of dividing the land was to designate cities where the Levites, who served God at the tabernacle, could live. With this done, the people rejoiced. Every promise that God made to them had been kept! The tribe of Levi did not inherit territory. Its members were given forty-eight cities by the other tribes and they lived scattered throughout the land. But the arrangement suited their needs very well. All priests were Levites and it was their duty to teach and enforce religious law. Living this way kept them in close touch with all of the tribes. The cities were required to be at least fifteen hundred feet in diameter. In addition, the Levites received at least fifteen hundred feet of pastureland outside the city walls. Because they had no other property, special laws protected what the Levites owned. If poverty forced an ordinary Israelite to sell his house in a walled city, he could buy it back within a year; in an un-walled town, it could be redeemed in one year or after fifty, during what was called the Jubilee Year. A Levite could always buy his property back. If he did not, then during the Jubilee Year it was returned to the Levite community as a whole. The pasturelands around the Levitical cities could not be sold for any reason whatsoever. Thus, the Levites were set apart as a special tribe among the Israelites.
TEST YOURSELF
1.) Which of these does not represent a promise God fulfilled by the end of Joshua 21?
A.) Giving the Israelites the land He promised their ancestors
B.) Giving them live stock and great wealth
C.) Helping them conquer their enemies
2.) Where did the Levites live?
A.) Territory assigned to them by lot
B.) Scattered in cities given to them by the other tribes
C.) Wherever they chose to settle
3.) If a Levite had sold his land due to poverty, he could buy it back
A.) At any time or they could wait for it to be given back to them in the jubilee year
B.) In the jubilee year just like everyone else
C.) In one year, just like everyone else |
