Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / May 12 - Joshua 21

Transcript

May 12 - Joshua 21 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here and it's Tuesday.
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  It's the 12th of May. So good to have your company.
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  I hope you're going well in this part of the world.
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  It is getting chilly. My slippers have been dusted off
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  and are protecting my feet from the bitterness.
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  And that's OK. We have, after years and years
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  and years of our only heating being from a fire, we have
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  installed a magical thing where you press a button, it makes the
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  house warm without having to go out into the bitter cold that
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  chopped by wood. Oh how good is that?
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  So bring on winter, bring on all you've got.
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  We're going to be toasty warm without back breaking labour.
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  Oh anyway, that is my little joy.
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  I hope you're going well, and I hope you have a little joy that
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  is keeping you going through the week as we are settling in and
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  getting into our rhythm. And today the Bible reading is
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  awesome. It is just another example of
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  the thoroughness of God who doesn't overlook small, well,
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  seemingly small needs of a community.
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  So you will remember that the Levites were not given land
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  because God was their possession as the priestly tribe.
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  But of course, priests have got to eat and their sheep have got
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  to eat. And So what do they do?
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  Well, they need some pasture land for their sheep.
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  And this is what this chapter deals with beautifully.
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  So join me friends, as we hear God acting for that small need
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  in a community that will not be overlooked as we read together
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  Joshua chapter 21. Then the leaders of the tribe of
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  Levi came to consult with Eliezer the priest, Joshua son
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  of Nun, and the leaders of the other tribes of Israel.
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  They came to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said the
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  Lord commanded Moses to give us towns to live in and pasture
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  lands for our livestock. So by the command of the Lord,
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  the people of Israel gave the Levites the following towns and
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  pasture lands out of their own grants of land.
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  The descendants of Aaron who were members of the Koathite
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  clan within the tribe of Levi were allotted 13 towns that were
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  originally assigned to the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and
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  Benjamin. The other families of the
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  Koathite clan were allotted 10 towns from the tribes of
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  Ephraim, Dan, and the half tribe of Manasseh.
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  The clan of Gershon was allotted 13 towns from the tribes of
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  Isaaca, Asha, Nahtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh.
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  In Bashan. The clan of Merari was allotted
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  12 towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
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  So the Israelites obeyed the Lord's command to Moses and
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  assigned these towns and pasture lands to the Levites by casting
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  sacred lots. The Israelites gave the
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  following towns from the tribes of Judah and Simeon to the
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  descendants of Aron who were members of the Koathite clan
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  within the tribe of Levi, since the sacred lot fell to them
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  first. Kiriath ABBA, that is, Hebron in
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  the Hill Country of Judah along with its surrounding pasture
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  lands. ABBA was an ancestor of Anak,
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  but the open fields beyond the town and the surrounding
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  villages were given to Caleb, son of Jeffina, as his
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  possession. The following towns with their
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  pasture lands were given to the descendants of Aron the priest.
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  Hebron, a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed
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  someone. Libna, Jatta, Eshtemoa, Hollon,
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  Deba, Ain, Jatta and Bethshemesh, 9 towns from these
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  two tribes. From the tribe of Benjamin, the
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  priests were given the following towns with their pastor lands.
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  Gibeon, Gibba, Anathoth and Amon, 4 towns.
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  So in all 13 towns with their pastor lands were given to the
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  priests, the descendants of Aron.
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  The rest of the Koathite clan from the tribe of Levi was
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  allotted the following towns and pastor lands.
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  From the tribe of Ephraim Shechem in the Hill Country of
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  Ephraim, a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed
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  someone. Giza Kibzheim and Beth Horon, 4
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  towns. The following towns and pastor
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  lands were allotted to the priests from the tribe of Dan
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  Eltake, Gibbethon, Aegelon and Gathrimon, 4 towns.
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  The half tribe of Manasseh allotted the following towns
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  with their pastor lands to the priests.
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  Tarnak and Gathrimon, 2 towns. So in all, 10 towns with their
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  pasture lands were given to the rest of the Koathite clan.
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  The descendants of Gershon, Another clan within the tribe of
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  Levi, received the following towns with their pasture lands
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  from the half tribe of Manasseh. Golan in Bashan, a city of
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  refuge for those who accidentally killed someone, and
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  B Estera 2 towns From the tribe of Ithaca, they received the
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  following towns with their pastor lands.
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  Kishion, Dabarath, Jarmath, and Enganum, 4 towns From the tribe
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  of Asher, they received the following towns with their
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  pastor lands. Mishal, Abdon, Helkath and
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  Rehab, 4 towns From the tribe of Naftali.
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  They received the following towns with their pastor lands.
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  Keddesh in Galilee, a city of refuge for those who
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  accidentally killed someone. Hamoth, Door and Kartan, 3
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  towns. So in all, 13 towns with their
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  pastor lands were allotted to the clan of Gershon.
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  The rest of the Levites, The Murari clan were given the
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  following towns with their pastor lands from the tribe of
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  Zebulun, Jochnium, Karta, Dimna and Dahalal. 4 towns.
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  From the tribe of Reuben, they received the following towns
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  with their pastor lands Bazza, Jahaz, Kedemoth and Mepharth. 4
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  towns. From the tribe of Gad, they
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  received the following towns with their pastor lands.
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  Ramoth and Gilead. A city of refuge for those that
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  accidentally killed someone. Mahanem, Heshbon and Jezza, 4
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  towns. So in all, 12 towns were
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  allotted to the clan of Marari. The total number of towns and
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  pastor lands within Israelite territory given to the Levites
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  came to 48. Every one of those towns had
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  pastor lands surrounding it. So the Lord gave to Israel all
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  the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took
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  possession of it and settled there.
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  And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as He had
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  solemnly promised their ancestors.
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  None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord
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  helped them conquer all their enemies.
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  Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to
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  the family of Israel was left unfulfilled.
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  Everything He had spoken came true.
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  Well, that is comprehensive, Lord.
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  As we read this, we are struck by just how hard the author is
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  working to make sure that everyone of us readers
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  understands that you are good on Your word.
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  When you make a promise, you keep it absolutely.
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  And when you say you'll provide something, you provide it
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  completely. And Lord, this is good news for
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  us because we live lives of utter dependence on Your
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  goodness and grace, because we are flawed, broken and helpless
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  people who can't help ourselves but continue to mess up again
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  and again. But we know that you, Lord, are
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  rich in mercy. You are slow to anger.
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  You are abounding in love. And so we rest in the truth of
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  these beautiful attributes of You and who You are, and we
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  thank you that your love and your forgiveness is for us and
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  that Jesus death is sufficient to bring us perfect before your
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  throne, surrounded by your immeasurable love.
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  Oh, what good news this is for us.
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  We thank you for this, your incredible consistency and the
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  totality of your goodness as seen through this reading.
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  So we just praise you Lord, and pray all of this in the name of
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  Jesus, Amen.