Joshua 21:45

43-45 God promised to give to the seed of Abraham the land of Canaan for a possession, and now they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the promise of the heavenly Canaan is as sure to all God's spiritual Israel; for it is the promise of Him that cannot lie. There stood not a man before them. The after-prevalence of the Canaanites was the effect of Israel's slothfulness, and the punishment of their sinful inclination to the idolatries and abominations of the heathen whom they harboured and indulged. There failed not aught of any good thing, which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. In due season all his promises will be accomplished; then will his people acknowledge that the Lord has exceeded their largest expectations, and made them more than conquerors, and brought them to their desired rest....

There is no real inconsistency between the declarations of these verses and the fact that the Israelites had not as yet possessed themselves of all the cities allotted to the various tribes Judges 1:21 - nor did at any time, subdue the whole extent of country promised to them Numbers 34:1. God had fulfilled all His part of the covenant. It was no part of His purpose that the native population should be annihilated suddenly Deuteronomy 7:22; but they were delivered into the hand of Israel, and their complete dispossession could have been effected at any time by that divine aid which was never wanting when sought. At the time referred to in the text, the Canaanites were discouraged, broken in str

EXPOSITION THE INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES. JOSHUA 21:1 THEN CAME NEAR THE HEADS OF THE FATHERS OF THE LEVITES. We are not to suppose, with Calvin, that the Levites had been overlooked. Such a supposition is little in keeping with the devout spirit of him who now directed the affairs of the Israelites, who had been minister to Moses the Levite, and had but lately been concerned with Eleazar, the high priest, in making a public recognition of that God to whose service the Levites had been specially set apart. The delay in appointing to the Levites their cities arose from the nature of the arrangement which had to be made for the Levitical cities. The prophecy which threatened ...

THERE FAILED NOT OUGHT OF ANY GOOD THING,.... Not only every good thing in general, but every part and particular of that good thing; that, with all that was included in it, or were appendages to it, or circumstances of it: WHICH THE LORD HAD SPOKEN TO THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL; as of their deliverance out of Egypt, and passage through the Red sea and wilderness, with all conveniences for them therein; so of their passage through Jordan, success of their arms, the conquest of their enemies, possession of their land, a land flowing with milk and honey: ALL CAME TO PASS; exactly, precisely, and punctually, even everything relative to their temporal and spiritual good: so all that God promises to his spiritual Israel, with respect to their present comfort or everlasting happiness, all is exactly fulfilled, all his promises in Christ are yea and amen....

8. THE PORTION OF THE LEVITES CHAPTER 21 _ 1. The Levites, the children of Aaron, and their portions (Joshua 21:1)_ 2. Kohath (Joshua 21:9) 3. Gershon (Joshua 21:27) 4. Merari (Joshua 21:34) 5. The Lord's faithfulness (Joshua 21:41) In Chapter s 13:14, 33 and 14:3, 4 the statement is made that Moses gave no inheritance to the Levites. The Lord was their inheritance. After the tribes had received their allotments the heads of the fathers of the Levites came to Joshua and Eleazar with a petition. They b

JOSHUA 21:43 TO JOSHUA 22:8. YAHWEH'S PROMISE OF CONQUEST COMPLETELY FULFILLED, SO THAT THE E. JORDAN TRIBES ARE SET FREE TO RETURN HOME. We have here the introduction to the last section of our book. The land has now, according to the Deuteronomist, been conquered and divided amongst the 9½ tribes; consequently the 2½ tribes, having fulfilled their duty, are dismissed with thanks to their own possessions on the other side of the Jordan....

Conclusion 43. _And_ These verses conclude the history of the division of the land, and connect the two halves of the Book (_a_) chapter 1 12; (_b_) chapter 13 21. _the Lord gave unto Israel_ By the distribution of the land amongst the tribes, the promise which Joshua had received after the death of Moses (Joshua 1:2) had been fulfilled, as also that which centuries before he had made to Abraham the ancestor of the Elect Nation (see Genesis 12:7; Genesis 15:18). _and they possessed it, and dwelt therein_ Compare the same expression in ch. Joshua 19:47....

_VER._ 45. _THERE FAILED NOT OUGHT OF ANY GOOD THING,_ &C.— Whatever God had promised them was effected in proportion to the efforts they had made on their part, under sanction of the right which God had given them, and in order to the drawing down upon them his blessing by their obedience to his laws. On this obedience depended the final accomplishment of the divine promises in future times, according as their necessities required, and, to use Pelican's words, "all this process, in a very evident manner, shows the faithfulness of God, the confidence which his children should place in his promises, and the reliance they ought to have thereon even when he seems slow in the performance of them." REFLECTIONS.—The experience of God's Israel will ever confirm the faithfulness of his promises. The land which had been so long expected is now possessed; their enemies are subdued, their habitatio...

_Summary of the Assignment of the Land Joshua 21:41-45_ 41 All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs. 42 These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus were all these cities. 43 And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. 44 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. 45 There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. _12._ What was the total number of cities? Josh

21:45 things (a-8) Or 'all the good works.'...