Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

A Gracious and Covenant-Keeping God

Bryan Schneider · July 9, 2022

Joshua 21

sharonrpc.org/sermons/a-gracious-and

Summary

The Levites wait until the other tribes receive their inheritances, then ask in faith for the cities God had commanded Israel to provide.
God assigns the cities by lot among the Aaronic priests and the Kohathite, Gershonite, and Merarite families, displaying his ordered care for worship and ministry.
All Israel participates by giving cities and common lands from tribal inheritances, and Caleb's gift of Hebron illustrates obedient generosity.
The forty-eight Levitical cities provide homes and support without turning the Levites into a territorially independent tribe.
Scattered among Israel, the Levites live as covenant reminders and teachers while the surrounding tribes also see and support their service.
Joshua 21 closes the distribution of the land by repeating that the Lord gave Israel land, rest, victory, and every good thing he had sworn.
God's timing can appear slow to short-sighted people, but his promises never fail and every purpose reaches completion.
The land and its rest point beyond Joshua to Jesus Christ, the true Joshua who secures an eternal inheritance and rest for his people.

What does the Levites' patient request reveal about faith and humility?
How does the distribution by lot display both order and divine providence?
Why does each tribe have a responsibility to support the Levites' service?
What does Caleb's gift of Hebron demonstrate about obedient generosity?
Why are the Levites scattered throughout Israel rather than given one independent territory?
How might the Levites and the surrounding tribes provide mutual accountability?
Why does the list of cities matter to the long-term covenant life of Israel?
What four gifts of God are emphasized in Joshua 21:43-45?
How should believers respond when God's promise appears slow from a human perspective?
How does Jesus provide a greater rest and inheritance than the land under Joshua?

Levites: Members of Levi's tribe set apart for tabernacle service, instruction, and other covenant duties among Israel.
Aaronic priests: The descendants of Aaron within the Kohathite family who were appointed to perform Israel's priestly sacrifices and sanctuary service.
Levitical cities: Forty-eight cities with surrounding pasturelands provided to the Levites from the other tribes' inheritances.
Cities of refuge: Designated cities that provided lawful protection and due process for a person who killed without premeditation.
Allotment by lot: The covenant procedure by which the cities were distributed under God's providential direction.
Covenant faithfulness: God's unfailing performance of everything he has sworn to give and accomplish for his people.
Rest: The security God gave Israel in the land, which anticipates the fuller salvation and eternal inheritance found in Christ.
True Joshua: Jesus Christ, who completes the saving victory and gives the lasting rest that Joshua's conquest foreshadowed.