Joshua 18-20 -- Accepting Our Inheritance And Enjoying God's Gift

While the temporary seat of government was at Gilgal, five tribes had received their land.  Then Joshua moved it to Shiloh, which was more convenient and more centrally located.  "Seven tribes still had to have their inheritance marked out for them, and apparently they were slow to respond to the challenge," my commentary said.  "These tribes didn't have faith and spiritual zeal ... they hesitated to claim their inheritance and enjoy the land God had given them."

Joshua and the leaders inaugurated a new system for allocating the land.  Twenty-one men from the remaining seven tribes thoroughly cataloged the land and returned, giving Joshua the information, which he would use to assign the remaining land to tribes by lot in the presence of the Lord.

God had also told Moses years before to assign cities of refuge conveniently located throughout the land.  There were three on each side of the Jordan River.  My commentary said the land was about the size of Maryland, so six cities were sufficient for the purpose.  These weren't sanctuary cities like U.S. cities making the news today.  Our cities are offering sanctuary to those who intentionally violated immigration laws.  Those cities in the book of Joshua were sanctuaries because there were no police forces or FBI to investigate crimes.  A person was either an intentional killer or an accidental killer, and the leaders of those six cities were tasked with determining which they were.  If intentional, they were put to death.  If accidental, they in effect traded their freedom for their lives until the high priest died.  Then they could go home without worrying about revenge.

My commentary noted that some believe this to be "a picture of our salvation in Jesus Christ, to whom we have fled for refuge.  The lost sinner is in danger of judgment because the wages of sin is death... God's appointed Savior is Jesus Christ, but the sinner must come to Him by faith in order to be saved."

"Beyond that, the picture is one of contrast.  When we come to Christ for salvation, there's no need for an investigation or trial, because we know we're guilty and we admit it.  The only people Jesus can save are those who confess their guilt and throw themselves on His mercy.  If the fugitive prematurely left the city of refuge, he could be killed, but our salvation in Christ is not conditional.  Our High Priest will never die, and we are forever secure."

Lesson #7 in short is "unless you have fled by faith to Jesus Christ, you aren't saved," my commentary said.

Father, thank You for this new way of seeing the cities of refuge, and linking them to the refuge I've found in Your Son.  I can have no better Savior!

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford