Joshua 23:11

Joshua 23:11 says, Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God.  This is still Joshua's command to the Israelites, and it is a good command for the followers of Christ today.  We need to take good heed, or make sure that we are committed to loving Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Though salvation comes once and for all time for those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, it is continual commitment to allow Him to be Lord.  Verse twelve states, Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:  Joshua warned the people of Israel if they did not remain committed to God that they could be drawn back into sinful relationships.  The same is true for Christians today.  We cannot compromise our faith in God in any aspect, no matter how appealing it may be to do so.  Joshua spoke specifically about marrying outside the people of Israel, but there are many other ways to be led astray besides marrying outside the faith of those who are followers of Christ.  Verse thirteen declares, Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.  Joshua told the people that they should know for a certainty that God had already driven the enemies of Israel out and that He wouldn't do it again.  God had given them the victory and He expected them to remain faithful to Him, and as long as they did, there would be no need to drive out any other people.  God gives us victory over sin through our faith in Christ, but He does not remove all temptation from our life.  It is only as we remain faithful to Christ in our everyday life that we are victorious over sin.  Though we are commanded to go into the world, we are also reminded to not allow the things of the world to begin to rule us.  Verse fourteen adds, And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.  Joshua said that he was going to die, but that the people needed to remember that God had not failed them in any way.  God had fulfilled His promise to them in all aspects.  They had not claimed the promised land of their own power, but by the power of God.  God has not and never will fail us in any promise that He has made to us, and this is something that we should remember daily.  Religious leaders may die, but God's word does not die with them.  Verse fifteen continues, Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.  Joshua warned the people of Israel that just as God had brought all good things to them when they were faithful to Him that He could allow all evil things to come upon them if they turned away from Him.  When we falter in our faith in God, we should not be surprised that evil comes into our life.  Verse sixteen concludes, When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.  Joshua said there was a penalty for serving other gods, and that was that God would drive them out of the land that He had given them.  If we have truly accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we will never lose our heavenly home, but we will lose the joy of our salvation.  We cannot afford to allow anything in this world to come between God and us.

Joshua 23:1

Joshua 23:1 says, And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.  Several years after God had given peace to Israel, Joshua was old and age was beginning to catch up with him.  No matter how successful we are in doing God's work, age will eventually slow us down, some more quickly than others.  Verse two states, And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:  Joshua gathered all the other leaders of Israel together and told them that he was old and stricken with years.  He knew that the could not lead them forever, and he was preparing them for that.  Whether we are a leader or a follower in God's kingdom, we must realize that we will not live on this earth forever, and we must be prepared for new leadership to come in to do God's work.  Verse three adds, And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you.  Joshua reminded them of all that they had done through the leadership and power of God.  Joshua did not take the credit, but gave it to the people and more importantly to God Who had impowered them.  We must not attempt to take the credit for what God is doing today, but must give the credit to all Christians who are working under the power and leadership of God.  We like Joshua will not be here forever, so we must be teaching others to take our place under God's leadership and power.  Verse four declares, Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward.  Joshua said that he had divided the land between them by lot, or according to God's will.  Today, if we are followers of Christ, He will gives us different blessings according to His will, but even then they are temporary.  The things God blesses us with here on earth like all things will eventually pass away.  Verse five adds, And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.  Joshua said that God, and not Joshua himself, would drive out all their enemies.  When one earthly Christian leader gets old and can no longer serve today, we need to realize that it is God Who is in charge and brings success and peace and not a particular person.  Verse six warns, Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;  Joshua called on the people of Israel to remain true to the teachings of the laws of God that had been give to them by Moses.  It was not Moses' law, but God's law.  They were  warned to not turn away from God's law in any way.  We are still to follow God's law today, even though we are saved by the grace of God, as they really were in Joshua's day.  Verse seven adds, That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:  Joshua reminded the people of Israel that that they were not to intermingle with the rest of the world and begin to give credit to their gods.  We today, though we are to be in the world physically, must always be separate from the world spiritually.  We cannot allow any other god to come into our lives and still effectively serve and worship God.  Verse eight continues, But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.  Joshua told them to stay close to God as they had one so far.  We too must continue to stay close to God. as we always are when we first accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse nine declares, For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day.  Joshua said that when God was with them that no one had been able to stand before them.  It was not the power of the people, but the power of God that made them successful, just as it is for us today.  Then verse ten adds, One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.  Joshua sad that one man of Israel would chase a thousand under the leadership and power of God.  We need to realize this today.  No matter how powerful the people who oppose God may seem, they cannot stand before the power of God.  If we as his followers truly believe this, then we never have a reason to fear the forces of evil in the world.

Joshua 22:30

Joshua 22:30 says, And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them.  Phinehas and a few of the heads of the tribes had come ready to pronounce the doom of these two and a  half tribes because they thought that they were being disobedient to God.  When they herd the explanation of the tribe of  Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, they were pleased.  We as followers of Christ cannot simply go ready to condemn others, especially fellow believers, because of what we think they are doing, but we must instead go under the guidance of God and get the facts about what they are doing.  Verse thirty-one declares, And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.  Phinehas, again identified as the son of Eleazar the priest, was the spokesman.  He said that the rest of the nation now perceived that the LORD had not left them because of the actions of these two and a half tribes.  We should never assume that God is going to leave us because of the worship practices of others, but I do believe that we should always question practices that may seem to be inconsistent with God's word, not to condemn others but to at least attempt to make them aware of what we believe to be contrary to God's word.  Some people who profess to follow and worship God and pronounce themselves to be a part of His people include beliefs and practices in their worship service and even daily life that are not in accordance with the Bible.  Some even attempt to rewrite the Bible, and we cannot accept this.  Verse thirty-two adds, And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.  Phinehas and the others went back home.  When we are certain that other believers are living in accordance to the word of God and under His leadership, we need to simply leave them to their worship and know that they are a part of God's people.  Verse thirty-three continues, And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.  The rest of the people of Israel were pleased with the report and decided that they did not have to go to war with the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh.  It is never a good thing for those who call themselves Christians to go to war with each other.  Of course, I do believe that we have a responsibility to make sure that what we are doing in the name of God is in accordance with the Bible, and we should question any practice that does not seem to be.  This should all be done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse thirty-four concludes, And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.  The people of Reuben and Gad proclaimed the altar to be a witness between the LORD and them.  Whatever we do in worship of God today as Christians should be done as a witness between God and us.  We may not all worship the same way, but we all worship the same God, the only true and living God, if we are followers of Christ.

Joshua 22:21

Joshua 22:21 says, Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,  Then verse twenty-two adds, The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)  The people of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh who were there answered the charges against them.  We should always be ready to answer anyone who accuses us of being unfaithful to God, if we are followers of Christ and are truly faithful to Him.  They first called on the LORD to be their witness, and only He can be the ultimate witness to our faithfulness or lack there of.  They said if they were guilty of rebellion then they should not be saved that day.  We need that same kind of faith.  Verse twenty-three declares, That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require it;  They had called on God as their witness that they had not built the altar for any purpose but to worship Him, but they were still willing to allow Him, and those accusing them, to be the judge.  Their faith was in God and their relationship to Him.  As long as we know that what we are doing is in accordance with God's will and we put our faith in Him, we do not have to worry about what others may do to or say about us.  We have the ultimate victory through our faith in Christ.  Verse twenty-four states, And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?  They then said that they had built the altar to honor and worship God, and so that their children would know of God.  Our worship today should honor God, but it should also lead our children to know about Him.  We really cannot get our children to know God, because that is a personal decision, but we can lead them to know about Him.  Verse twenty-five proclaims, For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD.  They then said that God had put the border of the Jordan between them and the rest of the people of Israel.  They were not there simply because they chose to be, but were there by the leadership of God.  Verse twenty-six adds, Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice to a false god.  They then stated the purpose for the altar.  They were not building it for burnt offerings or sacrifices to a false God.  Verse twenty-seven continues, But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.  They said that they were building the altar for a witness between themselves and the rest of the nation on the other side of the Jordan, so that they might do service to the LORD to identify with the rest of the nation.  The altar would also be a witness to their children.  We do not all worship at the same place as Christians, but we must be certain that all we do when we worship brings honor and glory to God and is a witness to the world, and especially to our children, that we are being faithful to Him.  Verse twenty-eight continues, Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you.  Again, they stated that the purpose of the altar was as a witness to God between themselves and the rest of the nation.  When we gather together today as followers of Christ, it should be to honor and worship God and to identify ourselves as a part of the family of God.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.  They said they were not attempting to turn away from following God, but were simply building an altar to identify with His people.  When we worship today, we must do so to bring honor and glory to God, wherever we worship Him.

Joshua 22:11

Joshua 22:11 says,  And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.  The rest of the people of Israel noticed that the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh had built an altar on the other side of the Jordan.  When we do something to worship God, other people should notice, especially other Christians.  Verse twelve states, And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them.  The rest of the nation of Israel were ready to go to war against these two and a half tribes.  It might have been that they felt that God could only be worshipped and sacrificed to on their side of the Jordan and at a particular place.   We can never feel that the worship of God is limited physically to a particular group of people and a particular place.  Of course, in order to worship God, we must accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, but when we do, we are simply a part of the family of God throughout the world and are no better or worse than any believer anywhere else.  Verse thirteen says, And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,  At least they sent someone, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, to get the facts about what was going on.  Before we go to war with other Christians about worship practices, we need to first seek God's guidance and then go to those that we may think there is a problem with and discuss it with them under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  I don't believe that we should ever just condemn their worship practices simply because they don't agree with ours.  Verse fourteen adds, And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.  Phinehas took with him the heads of the nine and a half tribes of Israel.  This represented everyone on this side of the Jordan.  They were united in their stand against the other two and a half tribes.  Verse fifteen says, And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,   Then verse sixteen adds, Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the LORD?  Phinehas and those with him represented themselves as the spokesmen for the LORD and asked why the people of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh had turned away from following the LORD and built their own altar.  We cannot assume that we are the only ones who are worshipping God in the right place or in the right way.  There might be a need to question others if they are doing things in the name of worshipping God that are contrary to the word of God, but that was not the case at this time.  They had simply built an altar at which they were worshipping God.  Verse seventeen continues, Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,  Phinehas and his group referred to a past sin of one of the people of God that they still had not been cleansed from.  We cannot allow what someone else did in the past to influence how we view those worshipping God today, but we should be certain that we nor they are allowing things to go on in the name of worshipping God that are not in agreement with God's word.  Verse eighteen declares, But that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.  Phinehas and those with him were worried that God would punish them because of this altar built on the other side of the Jordan.  We are not told that they consulted God about their actions, but they seem to have simply acted because of what they feared that He would do.  If we have doubts about the worship practices of others, we should first pray about it and ask God what we should do.  Gathering facts and making accusations is never enough without seeking God's guidance first.  Verse nineteen says, Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over onto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD'S tabernacle leith, and take possession among us, but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God.  Phinehas and those with him told the two and a half tribes that if the land they had claimed was unclean, then come back over the Jordan with them to where the tabernacle was.  We need to remember that this land was given to them by Moses under the leadership of God, so it could not be unclean land anymore than the land on the other side if the Jordan was.  Phinehas was attempting to limit the worship of God to a particular place, and we can never afford to do that.  Verse twenty concludes, Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.  They were still basing their concerns not on what was happening now, but on what had happened in the past.  We cannot afford to judge people today based on what someone else did in the past, but must judge the acts of others based on God's word.  Even then, if we are to judge at all, it must be because what is being done brings dishonor to God and not simply because it does not agree with how we worship God.

Joshua 22:1

Joshua 22:1 says. Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, Then verse two adds, And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:  Joshua called together the tribe of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh and told them they had fulfilled the commandment of Moses to them and had also done all that Joshua had commanded them.  We need to be just as faithful in our commitment to God, even when it is made to other people under the guidance of God.  Verse three states, Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.  These two and a half tribes had stood with the rest of the people of Israel in their fight to possess the land, even though their inheritance was already secure on the other side of the Jordan.  We cannot just rest secure in our own possessions when there are other people struggling  in their life, especially our fellow Christians, no matter where they may be.  Verse four declares, And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of Jordan.  Joshua gave God the credit for the victory and he acknowledged that God was their God as well.  God had given rest to all of them, and now it was time for these two and a half tribes to return to their land beyond the Jordan.  Until He returns, Christ will not give us the total victory over sin and death, but He will give us peace.  We will be scattered throughout the world until then, but as long as we are following God's guidance, then we will be where we should be.  Verse five adds, But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.  Joshua reminded them that even though they were to be physically separated that they were to still obey God's law.  So must we today, no mattwr where we are in the world.  Verse six says, So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.  Joshua actually pronounced the blessing of God on them I believe.  I don't believe that we can really bless people, but we can ask for God's blessing on them.  Verse seven states, Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them,  At the same time, Joshua sent the half of the tribe of Manasseh on this side of the Jordan to possess their land with God's blessing on them.  Verse eight adds, And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.  They were to go and return with a lot of the spoils that they had gained and divide them with the other half of the tribe.  I don't believe that God expects us to hoard our possessions that He blesses us with, but that He expects us to share them with our fellow believers when they have need.  Verse nine continues, And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.  The two and a half tribes went on their way.  We may gather together at times today as followers of Christ, but eventually we go our own way physically, but we are still a part of God's people spiritually.  Verse ten concludes, And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.  When they got across the Jordan, they built an altar to God, for all to see.  We need to let people see today that we are worshiping God in all that we do.

Joshua 21:13

Joshua 21:13 says, Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Libnah with her suburbs,  The next several verses simply name the cities given to the priests, stating with the descendants of Aaron.  Verse fourteen states, And Jattir with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa with her suburbs,  Verse fifteen, And Holon with her suburbs, and Debir with her suburbs,  Verse sixteen, And Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with her suburbs, and Bethshemesh with her suburbs; nine cities out of those two tribes.  Verse seventeen, And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs,  Verse eighteen, Anathoth with her suburbs, and Almon with her suburbs; four cities. Then verse nineteen concludes, All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.   Aarons descendants received a total of thirteen cities.  Verse twenty states,  And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites which remained of the children of Kohath, even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.  Now, we have a list of the cities given to the descendants of Kohath, a Levite.  Verse twenty-one says, For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer with her suburbs, Verse twenty-two, And Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Bethhoron with her suburbs; four cities.  Verse twenty-three, And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs,  Verse twenty-four, Aijalon with her suburbs, Gathrimmon with her suburbs; four cities.  Verse twenty-five, And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbs, and Gathrimmon with her suburbs; two cities.  Then verse twenty-six concludes, All the cities were ten with their suburbs for the families of the children of Kohath that remained.  Kohath and his descendants received ten cities.  Verse twenty-seven says,  And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Beeshterah with her suburbs; two cities.  We now have a list of the cities given to the descendants of Gershon, another Levite.  Verse twenty-eight, And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs, Dabareh with her suburbs,  Verse twenty-nine, Jarmuth with her suburbs, Engannim with her suburbs; four cities.  Verse thirty, And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs,  Verse thirty-one, Helkath with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs; four cities.  Verse thirty-two, And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammothdor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three cities.  Verse thirty-three, All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburb.  Gershon and his descendants received thirteen cities.  Verse thirty-four states, And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs,  Now we have a list of the cities given to Merari and the rest of the Levites.  Verse thirty-five, Dimnah with her suburbs, Nahalal with her suburbs; four cities.  Verse thirty-six, And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahazah with her suburbs,  Verse thirty -seven. Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs; four cities.  Verse thirty-eight, And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim with her suburbs,  Verse thirty-nine, Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with her suburbs; four cities in all.  Then verse forty concludes, So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families, which were remaining of the families of the Levites, were by their lot twelve cities.  Merari and the rest of the Levites received a total of twelve cities.  These cities of the Levites were spread throughout the land of Israel, and each group included a city of refuge.  We today as Christians are spread throughout the world, and wherever we are should be a place of refuge from the sins of the world.  Verse forty-one says, All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs.  Verse forty-two adds, These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus were all these cities.  The priests had a total of forty-eight cities and their suburbs.  Verse forty-three declares, And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.   God fulfilled His promise to the people of Israel, just as He always has and always will fulfill His promises.  Verse forty-four adds, And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.  God had defeated all their enemies when they were obedient to Him, and He will defeat all our enemies if we are obedient to Him today.  Verse forty-five concludes, There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.  Nothing good that God had promised to the people of Israel failed to be fulfilled, nor will what God promises us today.