Set Apart the Cities of Refugee (Joshua20)

The Lord also spoke to Joshua, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,  (Joshua 20:1-2) 

    For the establishment of the city of refuge, please refer to Numbers 35:9-28 and Deuteronomy 19:1- 13. 

    Joshua led a new generation of Israelites into the promised land. God told Joshua to follow "what Moses told you". This is the inheritance and succession of faith. 

    He wants to live in that city and stand in front of the congregation to hear the judgment. When the high priest is dead, the murderer can return to his home in the city, which is the city from which he escaped. (Joshua 20:6) 

    The city of refuge is a sanctuary, a place that can be accepted, in the arms of Jesus, and the true church of Jesus. If you have the opportunity to enter the city of refuge, you must leave the city and live a new life. For those who want to enter the city of refuge (church, fellowship), we should accept them, just like the Lord Jesus accepts us. 

    The murderer will flee to one of these cities, stand at the gate, and tell his story to the elders in the city. They took him into the city and gave him a place to live among them. (Joshua 20:4) The description of the city of refuge is different from those recorded in the Book of Numbers and Deuteronomy. It records what "the murderer" has to do-"Tell his affairs to the elders in the city "Listen" and telling our mistakes of "unintentionally killing people" is like kneeling before the mercy seat and acknowledging our weakness. Weakness can also be said to be a turning point in grace and the key to obtaining blessings. When we are weak when we can be strong（2 Corinthians12：10）.  Accept the weakness in life and let God’s grace appear perfect in our weakness（2 Corinthians12：9）. 

    We who have entered the city of refuge may also have a fellowship that makes us feel safe. In such a refuge, have we "told our weakness to the elders in the city" and properly exposed and shared our weaknesses, Let the members of the fellowship "receive us into the city", accept us as members of each other, and face the weakness and inherit the grace of life together. 

    I have heard of brothers and sisters who don’t often participate in fellowship meetings. They flashed after the meeting, and occasionally they had the opportunity to care for a few words at the door of the church, and in private, I heard them say that "the church has no love". Participation and a little more interaction allow us to walk into each other’s lives. Apart from gathering and listening to the sermons, we can have more sharing and reflection. To grow up, learn together the lessons of "being accompanied by faith", "accepting each other", and "life affects life". What a wonderful, joyous and satisfying church life like this! 

    (Philippians 2:5) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 
    (Philippians 2:1-2) 1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Translated by Nicole

(Joshua19)

When they had made an end of dividing the land as an inheritance according to their borders, the children of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. According to the word of the Lord they gave him the city which he asked for, Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim; and he built the city and dwelt in it.(Joshua 19:49-50)

    In the final division of the west of the Jordan river, Joshua sent people to conduct field surveys and draw maps, so that the remaining seven tribes were able to divide all the land by casting lots at the gate of the tent of meeting in Shiloh before the Lord. What is worth pondering is that Caleb and Joshua were the only two good spies who spied on Canaan, stood alone, and reported the good news. What place did they choose? From the record of Joshua chapters 14 and 19: Caleb was the first choice among the subdivisions to the west of the Jordan; he did not choose an easy-to-capture or superior location, but a dangerous place—the greatest figure of the Anakis. The place where Ba is located-Gilead Abba, is the famous Hebron of later generations (Joshua 14). Joshua was the last chosen in the west of the Jordan River. He chose a city in the Ephraim Mountains called Timnasila. The name of the city was "The Remaining Part". There are strong enemies (Joshua 17: 14-18).

    Caleb, who picked the land first, and Joshua, who chose the land last, chose to attack the place where the most dangerous and terrifying Anakis (giants) were. They were not selfish, pick what others have left, and reclaim the worst areas. From the choices of these two people, we can see that they are really not easy. No wonder it is the only leader among all Israelis who have walked through the Red Sea, spied on Canaan, and stepped into Canaan with faith.

    This is why they have been able to stand unshakably before God and the people for more than four decades. By carefully observing what they have said, the way they have traveled, and the place they have chosen, we can reflect on what kind of leaders in the church today need to have. Traits? What can we learn and imitate from them? Whether it is a person who took care of a class or the head of the Taiwan General Conference, can we be as humble, confident, loyal to God, not greedy, and not selfish like the two of them? Become a good leader and fulfill the duty of feeding and shepherding among the flock, just as Elder Peter said: I, as an elder, a testimony of Christ’s suffering, and sharing the glory that will be revealed later, urge you to be with me. A fellow elder. Shepherd the flock of God among you and take care of them according to God's will; not out of reluctance, but out of willingness; not out of greed, but out of willingness. Nor is it entrusted to you by the rule, but to be an example to the flock. (1 Peter 5:1-3) I hope that we can all learn from Caleb's faith in following Jehovah's perilous faith and Joshua's example of setting a good example, and look after each other in the sheepfold of the church, inspire love, and encourage good deeds! (Hebrews 10:24)

    Follow the example of the "Shepherd" Lord Christ, focus on him, and work hard to run the path of eternal life in the kingdom of heaven!

Translated by Nicole

The Remaining Seven Tribes Allot Their Inheritance(Joshua18)

Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: "How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?(Joshua 18:3) 

This chapter and the next chapter are the processes of the second division of land. Over time, relying on the power of God, the three tribes of Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh among the twelve tribes of Israel have all allocated their land east of the river.  The other two and a half tribes who live on the west side of the river are about to return to their land. The tribe of Levi did not divide the land and the remaining seven tribes were slow to move, indifferent to the land they deserved.

Joshua inherited Moses' desire to serve God exclusively-to move the Tabernacle from Gilgal to Shiloh (in the territory of Ephraim), the center of Canaan. Because God's tabernacle is among the elect, the elect can be blessed by it.

While the entire congregation was gathered in Shiloh, he rebuked the seven tribes and ordered them to quickly form a "21-person task force." This team must travel all over those places without fear of difficulty; The distribution and other information are drawn into a map. Divide the land into seven so that Joshua can draw lots for them before God.

The idleness and inaction of these seven tribes are like when we lose our watchful heart after receiving the truth and think that we are still spiritually rich, but in fact, we no longer follow the Lord exclusively and humbly. On the surface, I believe in the Lord. But I still love the world in my heart. I have the mark of the Holy Spirit on my body, but I don’t want to make progress. If you still harden your heart and insist on going your way, the Holy Spirit will treat us as lukewarm water and will eventually spit out by the Lord Jesus.

(Romans 12：11-12)

11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

There is a sister who lives overseas. After believing in the Lord, she did not read the Bible and pray for a while as she need to study, work, and take care of her family. She even joked to God: "Lord Jesus! You know I haven’t read the Bible for a long time?”. Until one day she had a dream in which she was one of five foolish virgins. Knowing in her heart that the lamp in her hand is out of oil, she still waits for the Lord Jesus with everyone. Suddenly someone knocked on the door and shouted: "The Lord Jesus is coming soon!" At this time, she noticed her lamp. Not only was there no oil in it, but there was also a thick layer of ash. After waking up, she was ashamed and kept asking God for forgiveness. If it were not for the mercy of the Lord Jesus, she might have already been punished for offending God. This was the Lord Jesus’ warning to her and also reminded us that the Lord’s Day is at the door. His delay is still waiting for us who are lost, hurry us back to the right path.

(Matthew 25:13) Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Translated by Niclole