Joshua 13:14

Joshua 13:14 says, Only 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.  The tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, were given no inheritance of land.  Their inheritance was to come from the sacrifices offered to God.  Since we as followers of Christ today are priests of God, maybe we shouldn't look for material blessings either, but should simply be content with what God provides for us daily.  Verse fifteen states,  And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben inheritance according to their families.  Moses had already given the tribe of Reuben their inheritance.  The next few verses specify the area of land that Reuben received.  Verse sixteen says, And their coast was from Aroer, that is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain by Medeba;  Verse seventeen states, Heshbon, and all her cities that are in the plain; Dibon, and Bamothbaal, and Bethbaalmeon,  Verse eighteen adds, And Jahazah, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,  Verse nineteen continues, And Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and Zarethshahar in the mount of the valley,  Then verse twenty says, And Bethpeor, and Ashdothpisgah, and Bethjeshimoth,  Verse twenty-one states, And all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, which were dukes of Sihon, dwelling in the country.  Verse twenty-two declares, Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.  This speaks not of a city, but of a particular person who was slain by the Israelites.  His name was Balaam, son a Beor, the soothsayer.  The people of Israel were not only defeating cities, but also the ungodly practices of the people of that area, just as we must today.  Verse twenty-three says, And the border of the children of Reuben was Jordan, and the border thereof. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and the villages thereof.  This concluded the specifications of the area of Reuben and his family.  Verse twenty-four declares, And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families.  Now we are told of the area of the tribe of Gad given to them by Moses before he died.  This was still on the other side of the Jordan from the promised land.  Still, it became the promised land to these people.  We are still on the other side of Jordan in this life, but we are still living with the promise of a heavenly home.  All we can do in the mean time is be content with where we are as long as we are following God's will.  Verse twenty-five says, And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah;  Verse twenty-six states, And from Heshbon unto Ramathmizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir;  Verse twenty-seven adds, And in the valley, Betharam, and Bethnimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward. Then verse twenty eight concludes, This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages.  This may or may not have been as large an area as the tribe of Reuben had received, but it was what Moses had promised them under God's guidance.  We today should not be concerned with what other people may or may not have been blessed with by God, but should simply be content with what God blesses us with.  Verse twenty-nine declares, And Moses gave inheritance unto the half tribe of Manasseh: and this was the possession of the half tribe of the children of Manasseh by their families.  Half the tribe of Manasseh were the others promised land on this side of the Jordan by Moses.  Verse thirty says,  And their coast was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore cities:  Verse thirty-one adds, And half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were pertaining unto the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to the one half of the children of Machir by their families.  This was the land given to half the tribe of Manasseh.  Verse thirty-two declares, These are the countries which Moses did distribute for inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the other side Jordan, by Jericho, eastward.  This was the conclusion of the division of the land on this side of the Jordan.  Verse thirty-three states, But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them.  Once again we are told that the tribe of Levi received no land.  Now that the land was actually being distributed, the Levites might have been feeling left out, but Moses reminded them that this was what was promised to them.  We should never feel left out if someone else seemingly receives a greater blessing than we do.