Joshua 13

ScriptureJoshua 13:14,33¹⁴ But to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance, since the food offerings presented to the Lord, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, as he promised them…³³ But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them.Observation - What does it say?I imagine all the tribes of Israel are thrilled and filled with excitement. The battle is over for the time being and each tribe is about to find out which portion of this beautiful land they will own and get to call home. As the people of Israel gathered around to hear which portion of the promised land God had allotted for them to inherit, I imagine the excitement on the faces of the Levites. But rather than describing the borders of the Levite territory and the land they would possess, they hear that they were given no inheritance! It sounds like a total rip off at first! That is, until they hear that instead of land they are being given the Lord himself as their inheritance, along with all the food offerings presented to God.Understanding - What does it mean?The Levites were set apart as the priests, those who would serve God in the temple and be the mediators between God and the people of Israel. Rather than cultivating the land like their Israelite brothers, they would spend their days ministering to God on behalf of Israel and then ministering to Israel on behalf of God. That was the role of a priest under the old covenant. Here’s the twist: Under the new covenant (established through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus) every single believer is declared a priest.1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.Speaking to all believers, Peter calls us a royal priesthood and God’s special possession. We are all the 'new Levites' if you will. We are God’s special possession and he is ours. All believers are called to be priests, who don’t covet a worldly inheritance like the rest of the world but who pursue God as their inheritance.Life ApplicationTake my eyes off of the material things and celebrate that God is my inheritance!

God, how amazing is this truth! Thank you so much for giving us yourself as our inheritance. May we live to minister to you, to seek you on behalf of others and to be your voice to them. Keep us from getting pulled into the pursuit off the things of this world. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

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- Levi Thompson