The Children of Gershon - Joshua 21:27

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “All the cities were ten with their suburbs for the families of the children of Kohath that remained”, and in chapter twenty-one and verse twenty-seven of Joshua we learn about, “the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites” where we read, 

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.

The verse reads, “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, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and unto the children of Gershon” which means “and to the offspring and progeny belonging to Gershon or Gershom whose name means ‘exile’ and was the firstborn son of Levi born before Jacob's family went to Egypt”, “of the families” or “pertaining to the kinsmen, kindred and relatives” “of the Levites” which means “belonging to the descendants of Levi whose name means ‘joined to’ and were specially set aside by God for His service”, “out of the other half tribe of Manasseh” or “from the other one-half clan or people group belonging to Manasseh whose name means ‘causing to forget’ and was the eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh”, “they gave Golan” which means “they, the other one-half tribe of Manasseh granted, bestowed and assigned Golan whose name means ‘there captivity or their rejoicing’ and was a town of Manasseh in the heights of Bashan east of the Jordan; a city of refuge” “in Bashan” whose name means ‘fruitful’” and was “a district east of the Jordan known for its fertility which was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh” “with her suburbs” or “alongside and accompanied by her, Bashan’s, open and common land”. Joshua or the writer shared how the offspring belonging to the “Levitical relatives belonging to Gershon” were provided by the “one-half of the tribe of Manasseh” “Golan in Bashan” along with it’s common land. 

The verse continues, “… to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Beeshterah with her suburbs; two cities.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “to be a city of refuge” which means “to exist as a dwelling place or place of wakening pertaining to asylum” “for the slayer” or “on behalf of the person who accidentally kills or slays another person”; “and Beeshterah” whose name means “with increase” and was “a Levitical city in Manasseh, east of the Jordan; probably identical with 'Ashtaroth'” “with her suburbs” or “alongside and accompanied by her, Beeshterah’s, open and common land”. Joshua or the writer said “Golan in Bashan and Beeshterah” were among two dwelling places which were to be dwelling places of asylum for the people of Israel. 

When we think through the words in this verse, we discover how “Golan in Bashan and Beeshterah” along with their common lands were two dwelling places provided to the Levitical people of “Gershon” to be used as “cities of refuge” on behalf of the people of Israel. God was providing for His people, and because He knew in advance these “cities of asylum” would be necessary, He gave them to the “Levites” who would live in them. God has also prepared for our need to be forgiven of our sins and granted everlasting life with Him through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of the world and was resurrected from the grave three days later. When we yield to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and empower us to live according to that truth so we dwell in His presence and are pleasing in His eyes. (See John 3:16:16:13; Acts 1:8; Revelation 4:11)

Next time we learn about land given, “out of the tribe of Issachar”, 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".