1 Chronicles 6:51 – 81 “Territories for the Levites (Numbers 35:1–8; Joshua 21:1–45)
Now these were the territories assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for their settlements, because the first lot fell to them: They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands. But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh. So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Hilen, Debir, Ashan, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh, together with their pasturelands.
And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth, together with their pasturelands. So they had thirteen cities in all among their families.
To the rest of the Kohathites, ten cities were allotted from the half-tribe of Manasseh. The Gershomites, according to their clans, were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh in Bashan.
The Merarites, according to their families, were allotted twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
So the Israelites gave to the Levites these cities and their pasturelands. They assigned by lot the cities named above from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
And some of the clans of the Kohathites were given cities from the tribe of Ephraim for their territory: They were given Shechem (a city of refuge) with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, and Gezer, Jokmeam, Beth-horon, Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon, together with their pasturelands. And from the half-tribe of Manasseh the remaining clans of the Kohathites were given Aner and Bileam, together with their pasturelands.
The Gershomites received the following: From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands. From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kedesh, Daberath, Ramoth, and Anem, together with their pasturelands. From the tribe of Asher they were given Mashal, Abdon, Hukok, and Rehob, together with their pasturelands. And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim, together with their pasturelands.
The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following: From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands. From the tribe of Reuben east of the Jordan opposite Jericho they were given Bezer in the wilderness, Jahzah, Kedemoth, and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands. And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer, together with their pasturelands.”
“GIVE UP MY LAND??? SAY WHAT???” At first, the other Israelite tribes might have felt ripped off! The list of these cities includes the pasture lands belonging to the cities – probably the best land around there. But there is no record of any protest from any of the tribes. Perhaps by this point, the other tribes realized how much work the Levites were having to do. Remember that whenever the Israelites moved, the Levites had to take down the tabernacle of meeting, pack it all up, and then carry it! These burdens were in addition to any household goods the Levites owned personally. Once the Israelites reached a new camping location, while everyone else was merely pitching their own tents, the Levites had to set up the tabernacle first before worrying about their households. The Levites had all the responsibilities of the Tabernacle, including maintenance, cleaning out ashes, etc.
God deliberately refused to assign the Levites a single area because He wanted the priests to be spread throughout Israel. Notice that God even assigned land to the priests east of the Jordan to make sure that there would be priests to minister to Reuben, Gad, and the half – tribe of Manasseh. But there was a hitch: the Levites had to depend on the generosity of those other tribes if they were to have any spot in the Promised Land to call their own.
Personally, I have always felt sorry for Caleb. Hebron was originally inhabited by giants and Caleb went in there and defeated the giants. Then, the next thing you know, God is giving the city for which Caleb and his troops have worked so hard to the priests and making it a city of refuge in addition. But somehow, we never find any record of Caleb complaining about such seeming injustice. Why? Caleb was very close to God. Perhaps God advised Caleb that He was giving Caleb the honor of the chance to offer up Hebron as a special offering to God. Give such an opportunity, Caleb would have made such an offering gladly. King David is quoted as saying, “Should I offer to God what costs me nothing?” but Caleb was of a similar spirit. Generations later, David actually ruled in Hebron before he ruled in Jerusalem. Perhaps God gave Caleb a glimpse of David as an encouragement.
APPLICATION: When God gives you something, how tightly do you hold onto it, particularly if it is something you have wanted for years? Are you willing to hold things and people lightly, so that if God asks for them back, you can let them go? Just as Caleb freely gave up the city of Hebron to become a city for the priests and a city of refuge, so we need to be willing to return God’s gifts to Him when he asks.
God’s requests to give things back to Him can come in all sorts of ways.
Parenting: Sending kids off to school: This is the time of year when kids are returning to school and parents are facing long good – byes. Will the child do well? Will he/she find good friends? What will the school environment be like?
Bereavement: the last twelve months, we have buried two beloved brothers. Both were honorable men, loving, kind, caring, and hard – working. In each case, chronic health problems finally became worse, resulting in death. It has been doubly painful because we had spent so much of our time away from family that our time with these two men turned out to be far more limited than we had hoped.
Retirement: Retirement brings new challenges in the art of letting go. If we are wise, we bow out gracefully from one arena but take the opportunity to enter other new ones. Make no mistake! In God’s economy, He will always have new assignments for you if you will only open your eyes.
Jesus’s followers were very worried about this question, and one day they came to Him for information. “Peter began to say to Him, “Look, we have left everything and followed You.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for My sake and for the gospel will fail to receive a hundredfold in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, along with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
Peter was quite correct! Peter and Andrew and James and John had all left thriving fishing businesses to follow Jesus. Undoubtedly, these men were getting pressure from their families, who were demanding to know when this Messiah gig was going to pay off. It’s doubtful that Jesus’s answer satisfied some of those family members; however, Jesus spoke truth. For the rest of those men’s lives, they were welcomed into homes and treated as family by hundreds and thousands of people. Eventually, most of the disciples did die for their faith, but before then, they enjoyed the glorious heritage Jesus described, both on earth and in heaven.
There are no possessions that cannot be taken away from us, no bank accounts that cannot somehow be rifled. Life does not come with guarantees. Far better then, to accept Jesus’s promises and to follow Him, for if we do, we will have heavenly treasure that can never decay or be stolen. As Jim Elliott, a missionary martyr, once said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be willing to exchange our old sinful natures for Your purity, righteousness, and holiness. Save us from ourselves, dear Lord, and clean us up, so that we will be fit to live with You in heaven forever. Amen.
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