Josué 13

Josué 13

McGee - Notice that the tribe of Levi was to have no material inheritance. God was their inheritance. God had promised to give land, a certain amount of acreage, to the other tribes. And when He blessed them, it was temporal blessing. He did not promise that to Levi. This is also the position of the believer today. Like Levi, our inheritance is in God. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. TSK Note - At verse 14, as well as here, notice is taken, that to the tribe of Levi, "Moses gave no inheritance," for so God had appointed. Nu 18:20. If they had been appointed to a lot entire by themselves, Moses would have served them first, not because it was his own tribe, but because it was God's, but they must be provided for in another manner; their habitation must be scattered in all the tribes, and their maintenance brought out of all the tribes, and God himself was the portion both of their inheritance and of their cup. Life Application Study Bible - The tribe of Levi was dedicated to serving God. The Levites needed more time and mobility than a landowner could possibly have. Giving them land would mean saddling them with responsibilities and loyalties that would hinder their service to God. Instead, God arranged for the other tribes to meet the Levites’ needs through donations. (See Numbers 35:2–4 for how the Levites were to receive cities within each tribal territory.) Dale Ralph Davis - In this section the writer points the people of God to their true inheritance. He does this in the two notes about the Levites. They were exceptional in that they did not receive a land allotment like the other tribes. Rather, Levi’s inheritance consisted of the offerings by fire (or ‘food offerings’ or ‘gifts’?) belonging to Yahweh (Joshua 13:14) or, quite plainly, of Yahweh himself (Joshua 13:33). However, any believing Israelite could come to adopt this Levite perspective, realising that, above all else, Yahweh himself was his ‘portion in the land of the living’ (Ps. 142:5), indeed his ‘portion forever’ (Ps. 73:26). This does not mean that a truly spiritual Israelite would regard his land inheritance as so much dirt. No, faith always prizes the land as Yahweh’s gift (Ps. 37:3, 9, 11, 22, 29, 34). But healthy, grateful faith sees beyond the inheritance to the one who granted it and is careful never to prize Yahweh’s gifts more than Yahweh himself. Hence Levi—and Israel—should say, ‘Yahweh is my inheritance, my portion.’ He remains such, even if the land be taken away (Lam. 3:24 in context). (Joshua: No Falling Words) Rod Mattoon has an interesting note - The Levites would later be provided with 48 priestly cities among all the tribes. They would be given pasture lands for flocks and herds (Numbers 35:2). Simeon and Levi were both instruments of cruelty (Genesis 49:5–7). Simeon was absorbed into the tribe of Judah. Levi went on to prosper. Why? Why was Levi chosen as the priestly tribe? The answer is found in Exodus 32:26–28. While Moses was in the mount, Israel erected a golden calf and began to worship it. The Levites made their choice for God in the wilderness, not in the land of blessing. In the wilderness, God’s promises were still obscure and His purposes were still unknown. The future was still dark and the journey was wearisome. Sin and idolatry abounded all around, yet, the Levites turned to the Lord in a crucial moment that demanded great faith. Their choice for God was a choice of conviction, not convenience. (Treasures From Joshua) A Moravian Missionary "But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them."—Josh. 13:33 The Moravian missionary, Zeisberger, who laboured for sixty-three years among the Red Indians, never took a penny from the Church for his support. "I am no hireling," he said quietly; "God set me this work." Zeisberger died in extreme old age in an Indian village. Bishop de Schweinitz, in his history of the Moravian missionary, tells us that, when the hour of his death drew nigh, the passing bell tolled, and his white friends, the Brethren, withdrew and gave way to the Lenape Indians, who gathered around his bed. They sang the hymns in their own tongue, which he had written for them, and on these strains of lofty hope his soul passed. "Then," says the chronicler, "the red men fell upon their knees, and wept aloud, for they knew that their best friend was gone for ever." Related Resource - What is the Moravian Church? | GotQuestions.org H Forbes Witherby - The Most Sacred Inheritance Joshua 13:14, 33 - THE countries which the children of Israel inherited in Canaan were settled by Jehovah by lot, and distributed by the high priest and the leader of Israel, the heads of the tribes conveying the Lord’s directions to the people. Levi’s peculiar portion is first to be considered: “Unto the tribe of Levi He gave none inheritance; the sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as He said unto them” (13:14). The Lord God of Israel was their inheritance (13:33). Levi was “scattered in Israel,” according to the prophecy of Jacob; but Levi’s portion was the most sacred and the most precious of all. Wherever the other tribes dwelt, there was Levi; wherever the devout spirits in Israel worshipped the Lord, there Levi had his inheritance. The Lord—not a position—was Levi’s lot: “The Lord God of Israel is their inheritance.” And so it is that the happiest and wealthiest Christians are they who find in the Lord Himself their portion. Whether dwelling among the two and a half tribes on the other side Jordan, or among the nine and a half in Canaan, not the special position of the land where their cities were, but Jehovah Himself, and the sacrifices made by fire to him, were Levi’s inheritance. “The breadth, and length, and depth, and height” (Eph. 3:18) are most truly comprehended by those Christians who have most of Christ dwelling in their hearts by faith; by those who, like Levi, have the Lord Himself and the sacrifices as their conscious portion. It is well to fight the giants and to overcome cities; but it is better to sacrifice burnt offerings and to partake of peace offerings, to worship God and to hold communion with Him concerning the Lord Jesus. Levi’s portion, in one sense, could never be assailed either by the dweller in the land or by the foreign foe; for even in the darkest day of Israel’s departure, when the people of God had betaken themselves to caves and holes in the earth for fear of the enemy, Levi could look up to the unclouded heavens, and exclaim to Jehovah, “Thou art my portion and the lot of my inheritance.” Yet in another sense, Levi would be the first to suffer in the day of Israel’s adversity, for the sacrifices of Israel were Levi’s portion, and these would fail when the foe held Israel captive. And so it is, those nearest to Christ, while they rejoice in a portion that can never be removed, and which never can vary, are the first to feel, in all its acuteness, the spiritual poverty of saints or their affliction by the enemy. Israel, responsible to maintain their possession in Canaan, might and did utterly fail; the heathen and the idols might and did obtain the mastery over them; but the unchangeable God was Levi’s inheritance, and wherever the spirit of worship to Him arose in any of Israel, and sacrifices by fire were offered to Him, there Levi had his inheritance. With the material blessings of Israel before our eye—their land flowing with milk and honey, and fed with depths springing out of valleys and hills—it is not difficult to discern the peculiar position occupied by Levi. And, spiritually understood, in the Levites’ inheritance is seen the believer’s most perfect portion; for, while we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ, while we have in Him pleasures bestowed upon us for evermore, we have, beyond all blessings which are conferred upon us through or in Christ, the Lord Himself. Indeed, believers are brought into the blessings of Christianity that they may delight in Christ. God has saved and brought His people to Himself, for no less an end than that of their being like the Lord and knowing Him as they are known. (1 Cor. 13:12.) God’s grace towards us reaches beyond deliverance from wrath and entrance into life. Therefore, while we contemplate His mercy—the forgiveness of sins, redemption of Christ, death and resurrection with Christ—it is for us to reach forth, in order that we may realize and abide in our nearest and highest portion. “That I may know Him” (Phil. 3:10), is the high aim of the energy of the new life. When the Lord is seen, by faith, in his excellence, the glory of his light dims everything else. Saul of Tarsus saw His face brighter than the noonday sun, and thenceforth Saul was for heaven. The Lord in the heavens instructed him not only concerning the glory, but opened to him the wonder of His own heart there. It is well to consider our unchangeable God and our unvarying portion in Him before we dwell on the failure of God’s people in general, either to lay firm hold of the conquered portions of the land, or to advance and conquer the portions still unpossessed. Let the Lord Himself fill the heart, and the possessions will be obtained, but where possessions are the object and not the Lord, the soul is dry and unprofitable, and the hard and unprofitable soul soon loses conscious grip of its possessions. (The Book of Joshua, shadowing forth the Fulness of Blessings in Christ) John Butler - Sermon Starters Volume 6 DOES IT PAY TO SERVE THE LORD? Joshua 13:33 “Unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance; the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them.” (Joshua 13:33). The question many ask is, Does it pay to serve God? Peter asked the question to Christ about remuneration for faithfully following Him (Matthew 19:27). The question is not an evil question, for we should ask every solicitor what the remuneration is. Sin tries to tell us that it will bring great remuneration when it actually brings great retribution. So ask the question. No one pays as well as God. Our text is an illustration of God taking care of those who serve him. FIRST—THE CLAN “The tribe of Levi.” This tribe was a special tribe in Israel. From this tribe came the priests and all the helpers in the Tabernacle and the Temple. This tribe would replace the firstborn of all the Israelites (Numbers 3:12) as well as take care of the services of the Tabernacle and the Temple. They had great spiritual privilege in their position. But it required a life time of dedication. The Levites could never be anything but God’s servants. SECOND—THE COMPENSATION “Moses gave not any inheritance; the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance” The compensation was twofold. • The restrictive part of the compensation. “Not any inheritance.” While they had great spiritual privileges, their compensation was restricted. They would receive no inheritance in the land of Canaan. You do not read of any tribal allotment being given them as was given to the other tribes. This part is the hard part for those serving the Lord. If you are called to serve Him, their are privileges, but their are also the restrictions. Ministers and missionaries will not be millionaires in this life. Devoting your life to service for Him may leave you without much material possessions that others have. Spiritual privilege is nice to have, but it comes at a high price. • The rewarding part of the compensation. “The LORD God of Israel was their inheritance.” To the truly dedicated, this is a great blessing; but to the carnal it is a disappointing compensation. If you would serve the Lord, you must by faith let Him take care of your remuneration. You do not bargain with Him about your pay. You should be primarily interested in your duties. Trust Him. He will reward you with sufficient blessings which will last eternally. THIRD—THE CONFIRMATION “As he said unto them.” The Word of God confirms the compensation in this call to service. Those called to serve have many promises in the Scriptures about God taking care of them. However, if the material compensations (“inheritance”) is lacking, some feel God has forsaken them. But His Word says otherwise (1 Corinthians 15:58; Matthew 19:28, 29). The Levites never went begging. QUESTION - How was God Himself the inheritance of the Levites? ANSWER - Deuteronomy 18:1–2 says that the Levites had a very special inheritance from God: “The Levitical priests—indeed, the whole tribe of Levi—are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offerings presented to the Lord, for that is their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them.” The other tribes of Israel received a land inheritance in Canaan, but the Levites received no land. Instead, the Levites were given certain cities within the other tribes’ territories. The Levites’ inheritance was God Himself in the sense that they were the ones chosen to oversee the worship of the entire nation of Israel. The Levites were responsible for the tabernacle and its implements as well as overseeing the sacrifices and offerings of the people. The priests were provided for through their service. Deuteronomy 18:3–4 offers a summary of the Law’s provisions: “This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the internal organs and the meat from the head. You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep.” The fuller explanation of this teaching is found in Numbers 18. “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting. . . . They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites’” (Nu 18:21, 23–24). God was the unique inheritance to the Levites. He was the focus of their service, the source of their sustenance, and the significance of their calling. Their inheritance included cities, daily food, and a constant vocation, but it did not include the same type of land inheritance given to the other tribes of Israel.GotQuestions.org Related Resources: What was the Levitical priesthood? | GotQuestions.org What is the difference between priests and Levites? | GotQuestions.org