In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, and they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are here mentioned by name. Which the children of Aaron, being of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi, had: for theirs was the first lot”, and in chapter twenty-one and verse eleven of Joshua we learn how, “they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak” where we read,
And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron,
in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it.
The verse reads, “And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and they gave them” which means “and they, the people of Israel, granted, bestowed and assigned to them, the children of Aaron which were the Kohathites and the offspring of Levi” “the city of Arba” or “the dwelling place belonging to Arba or Kirjath-Arba whose name means ‘fourth’ and was early name of the city which after the conquest was called 'Hebron'” “the father of Anak” which means “the immediate male progenitor and ancestor of Anak whose name means ‘neck’ and was the progenitor of a family or tribe of the giant people in Canaan”, “which city is Hebron” or “that dwelling place or place of wakening existed as Hebron whose name means ‘association’ and was a city in south Judah approximately twenty miles south of Jerusalem and approximately twenty miles (30 km) north of Beersheba and near where Abraham built an altar”. Joshua or the writer shared how the people of “Israel” granted to the “Levites” the dwelling place of “Kirjath-Arba” which was known as “Hebron” and previously occupied by “Anak” who was the progenitor of the giants.
The verse continues, “… in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “in the hill country of Judah” which means “belonging to the mountainous range of hills belonging to Judah whose name means ‘praised’ and was the son of Jacob by Leah and the tribe which descended from him”, “with the suburbs thereof” or “alongside and accompanied by the common and open pasture land within the hill country of Judah” “round about it” which means “encircling and surrounding it, Kirjath-Arba”. Joshua or the writer said “Arba” was located within the mountainous region belonging to “Judah” and was accompanied and surrounded by open pasture land.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn about the first of the dwelling places that were provided to the “Levites” who were the descendants of “Aaron” and “Kohath”. They were given the region known as “Arba” which was “Hebron” and previously possessed by giants who descended from “Anak”. Giants were no problem for Jehovah God, and when He decided where His spiritual leaders should live, He chose their land. God loves the people of Israel, and He loves us. We had the “giant” of sin in our lives which was defeated when God’s Son Jesus came into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. He raised Him from the dead after three days, and when we put our faith and trust in Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and to help us conquer every foe that rises up against Him. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Romans 8:37)
Next time we learn how, “the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment