Chapter 21

Names of the 48 cities, with their pasturelands, given to the Levites.

Kiriath-arba, a city of refuge, was given to the Levites.  Again, there is a whole list of cities given to the Levites that can be used as I continue to read, that might add context to things that are still to come.  It would be nice to know that someone arrived in a certain city, and then to know that it was a Levite City of Refuge within the territory of Manasseh, east of the Jordan.  This would flesh out many of the events recounted as I continue to read.  I hope I will take the time to look these up...and that I will remember that when I search for a city, it is the references to it in the book of Joshua that will add this context.

Oh my...vs 17 says that Gibeon, in Benjamin, was given to the Levites.  Gibeah/Gibeon turns out to be a pretty bad place at the end of Judges.

It also seems that many Cities of Refuge were given to the Levites.  I specifically noted that five of the six went to the Levites.  Bet that other one is in there too, I just missed it. 

43 Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. [Jos 21:43 ESV]

I have heard many times that Israel never possessed all the land promised them.  That they were always in a smaller portion.  This verse disagrees with that.  This is the second such verse, saying they received all that was promised.

I am wondering if there is a difference in what was promised to the descendants of Abraham and what was promised to the nation of Israel.  And I am wondering if it will only be during the millennial that the descendants of Abraham - in flesh and in spirit - will hold that land.  Only way to find out if Abraham's promise was different is to look up each promise individually. 

That little booklet from Charlie is a good place to start.

2024 - It may all come back to the land that God showed Moses...though he did show Moses Gilead, which is east of the Jordan, and Israel has no land there at this time.  God says, in vs 45, that "not one word" was left unfulfilled at the end of Josh 21.  But Israel's Eastern border was nowhere near "the river" at that time.  So there is a difference in the promises to Israel and the promises to Abraham.  I wonder if it is all that stuff about Israel being promised the land of those other tribes, as here:

11 "Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. [Exo 34:11 ESV].  I'm not sure ANY of this is east of the Jordan.

This next list is expanded a little, but there are just so many verses about these nations that Israel was to conquer.  All are between the Jordan and the sea:

1 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, [Deu 7:1 ESV]

17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded, [Deu 20:17 ESV]

10 And Joshua said, "Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. [Jos 3:10 ESV]

7 But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?" [Jos 9:7 ESV]

19 There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. [Jos 11:19 ESV]

5 So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. [Jdg 3:5 ESV]

The chapter ends with this verse:

45 Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. [Jos 21:45 ESV]

I see no way for anyone to claim at all, ever, that Israel never had all the land it was promised.  It most certainly did.