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Joshua 21

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1 Leeviläisten perhekunta-päämiehet astuivat pappi Eleasarin ja Joosuan, Nuunin pojan, eteen ja israelilaisten sukukuntien perhekunta-päämiesten eteen

2 ja puhuivat heille Siilossa Kanaanin maassa, sanoen: "Herra käski Mooseksen kautta antaa meille kaupunkeja asuaksemme ja niiden laidunmaat karjaamme varten".

3 Niin israelilaiset antoivat leeviläisille perintöosastaan Herran käskyn mukaan nämä kaupungit laidunmaineen:

4 Arpa tuli kehatilaisten suvuille niin, että leeviläisistä pappi Aaronin jälkeläiset saivat arvalla Juudan sukukunnalta, Simeonin sukukunnalta ja Benjaminin sukukunnalta kolmetoista kaupunkia.

5 Mutta muut kehatilaiset saivat arvalla Efraimin sukukunnan suvuilta, Daanin sukukunnalta ja toiselta puolelta Manassen sukukuntaa kymmenen kaupunkia.

6 Geersonilaiset saivat arvalla Isaskarin sukukunnan suvuilta, Asserin sukukunnalta ja Naftalin sukukunnalta, sekä toiselta puolelta Manassen sukukuntaa Baasanista, kolmetoista kaupunkia.

7 Merarilaiset, heidän sukunsa, saivat Ruubenin sukukunnalta, Gaadin sukukunnalta ja Sebulonin sukukunnalta kaksitoista kaupunkia.

8 Israelilaiset antoivat arvalla leeviläisille nämä kaupungit laidunmaineen, niinkuin Herra oli Mooseksen kautta käskenyt.

9 Juudan jälkeläisten sukukunnasta ja simeonilaisten sukukunnasta annettiin nämä nimeltä mainitut kaupungit:

10 Leevin jälkeläisiin, kehatilaisten sukuihin, kuuluville Aaronin jälkeläisille, sillä heille tuli arpa ensin,

11 annettiin Kirjat-Arba, anakilaisten kantaisän Arban kaupunki, se on Hebron, Juudan vuoristosta, ympärillä olevine laidunmaineen.

12 Mutta kaupungin peltomaat kylineen annettiin Kaalebille, Jefunnen pojalle, perintömaaksi.

13 Pappi Aaronin jälkeläisille annettiin tappajan turvakaupunki Hebron laidunmaineen, Libna laidunmaineen,

14 Jattir laidunmaineen, Estemoa laidunmaineen,

15 Hoolon laidunmaineen, Debir laidunmaineen,

16 Ain laidunmaineen, Jutta laidunmaineen ja Beet-Semes laidunmaineen-yhdeksän kaupunkia näistä kahdesta sukukunnasta;

17 ja Benjaminin sukukunnasta Gibeon laidunmaineen, Geba laidunmaineen,

18 Anatot laidunmaineen ja Almon laidunmaineen-neljä kaupunkia.

19 Aaronin jälkeläisten, pappien, kaupunkeja oli kaikkiaan kolmetoista kaupunkia laidunmaineen.

20 Muut leeviläisiin kuuluvat kehatilaisten suvut, muut kehatilaiset, saivat arvalla Efraimin sukukunnalta seuraavat kaupungit:

21 heille annettiin tappajan turvakaupunki Sikem laidunmaineen Efraimin vuoristosta, Geser laidunmaineen,

22 Kibsaim laidunmaineen, Beet-Hooron laidunmaineen-neljä kaupunkia;

23 ja Daanin sukukunnasta Elteke laidunmaineen, Gibbeton laidunmaineen,

24 Aijalon laidunmaineen ja Gat-Rimmon laidunmaineen-neljä kaupunkia,

25 ja toisesta puolesta Manassen sukukuntaa Taanak laidunmaineen ja Gat-Rimmon laidunmaineen-kaksi kaupunkia.

26 Näiden muiden kehatilaisten sukujen kaupunkeja laidunmaineen oli kaikkiaan kymmenen.

27 Leeviläisten sukuihin kuuluvat geersonilaiset saivat toiselta puolelta Manassen sukukuntaa tappajan turvakaupungin Goolanin laidunmaineen Baasanista ja Beesteran laidunmaineen-kaksi kaupunkia;

28 ja Isaskarin sukukunnalta Kisjonin laidunmaineen, Daberatin laidunmaineen,

29 Jarmutin laidunmaineen ja Een-Gannimin laidunmaineen-neljä kaupunkia;

30 ja Asserin sukukunnalta Misalin laidunmaineen, Abdonin laidunmaineen,

31 Helkatin laidunmaineen ja Rehobin laidunmaineen-neljä kaupunkia;

32 ja Naftalin sukukunnalta tappajan turvakaupungin Kedeksen laidunmaineen Galileasta, Hammot-Doorin laidunmaineen ja Kartanin laidunmaineen-kolme kaupunkia.

33 Geersonilaisten, heidän sukujensa, kaupunkeja oli kaikkiaan kolmetoista kaupunkia laidunmaineen.

34 Muut leeviläisiin kuuluvat merarilaisten suvut saivat Sebulonin sukukunnalta Jokneamin laidunmaineen, Kartan laidunmaineen,

35 Dimnan laidunmaineen, Nahalalin laidunmaineen-neljä kaupunkia;

36 ja Ruubenin sukukunnalta Beserin laidunmaineen, Jahaan laidunmaineen,

37 Kedemotin laidunmaineen ja Meefaatin laidunmaineen-neljä kaupunkia;

38 ja Gaadin sukukunnalta tappajan turvakaupungin Raamotin laidunmaineen Gileadista ja Mahanaimin laidunmaineen,

39 Hesbonin laidunmaineen ja Jaeserin laidunmaineen-yhteensä neljä kaupunkia.

40 Niitä kaupunkeja, jotka nämä muut leeviläisten sukuihin kuuluvat merarilaiset, heidän sukunsa, saivat arvalla, oli kaikkiaan kaksitoista kaupunkia.

41 Kaikkiaan oli leeviläisten kaupunkeja israelilaisten perintömaassa neljäkymmentä kahdeksan kaupunkia laidunmaineen.

42 Näihin kaupunkeihin kuului kuhunkin itse kaupunki ja sen ympärillä olevat laidunmaat; sellaisia olivat kaikki nämä kaupungit.

43 Niin Herra antoi Israelille koko sen maan, jonka hän oli vannonut antavansa heidän isilleen; ja he ottivat sen omaksensa ja asettuivat siihen.

44 Ja Herra soi heidän päästä rauhaan kaikkialla, aivan niinkuin hän valalla vannoen oli luvannut heidän isillensä; eikä yksikään heidän vihollisistaan kestänyt heidän edessään, vaan kaikki heidän vihollisensa Herra antoi heidän käsiinsä.

45 Ei jäänyt täyttämättä ainoakaan kaikista niistä lupauksista, jotka Herra oli antanut Israelin heimolle, vaan kaikki toteutui.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 21

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Joshua 21: The cities of the Levite priests and the end of the settlement.

In this chapter, the last remaining part of the settlement was completed: the provision for the Levites, the priests of Israel. This tribe had been appointed priests because only they had answered the call, “Who is on the side of the Lord?” when the Israelites had been worshipping the golden calf in the wilderness (see Exodus 32:26).

Much of the chapter is spent listing the cities given to the three sons of Aaron, who was appointed high priest. Each extended family of Aaron’s sons was given about sixteen cities. It seems very significant that a lot of these cities were the same ones given to the other tribes, and were also the cities of refuge.

Levi’s name means ‘joined’, which is very suitable for the Levite priests, who received cities in every tribal territory. This meant that the presence of priests was everywhere (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 342).

Spiritually speaking, this distribution is a wonderful illustration that our spirit lives throughout our whole body. Every part of us is alive! Every single thing in our body, from one blood cell to our heart and lungs, is maintained by our spirit, which itself is maintained by the influx of the Lord’s life. The function of everything in our body is in a perfect correspondence with the kingdom of heaven.

So, spiritually, the Levites stand for the presence of the Lord everywhere, in everything. This underlines the point that everything in the natural world - even the cities and territories described in this chapter of Joshua - reflect something about God and heaven (see Swedenborg’s Apocalypse Revealed 194). But there is another important meaning for the distribution of the priestly Levites in cities all through the tribal territories: we must keep on acknowledging that everything is a blessing from the Lord, that everything we do is for God, and that the Lord alone does what is truly good (see Swedenborg’s work, Divine Providence 91).

After the distribution of cities to the Levites, Israel was fully established in the land of Canaan. The rest of this chapter is a consolidating statement which is worth including in full:

v43. “So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.

v44. The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that he had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.

v45. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”

These are words of fulfillment, culmination, assurance and blessing. Everything here traces back to the Lord. The Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, granted them victory over their enemies, and gave them the Land of Canaan; the Lord had spoken in complete truth. “All came to pass.”

This final statement is a promise of our own capacity for regeneration and spiritual progress. We are able to overcome our natural desires and selfish states; we have been established in our life with the ability to understand and do what is good. In devoting ourselves to the Lord, we find strength to see that He will never fail us, and will change us for the better. ‘All came to pass’ is our affirmation that our life is always under God’s care and providence (Arcana Caelestia 977).

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Divine Providence # 91

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91. The fact is that recognition of the Lord and recognition that everything good and true comes from him are what make our reformation and regeneration possible; but not many people can see this intelligently. That is, people can wonder, "What is the use of this recognition, when the Lord is omnipotent and wants to save everyone? Surely, then, he can and he wants to, provided only that he is moved to pity."

This kind of thinking does not come from the Lord, though, so it is not based on any deeper intellectual sight, that is, on any enlightenment. I need therefore to say briefly what that acknowledgment accomplishes.

[2] In the spiritual world, where space is only apparent, wisdom causes presence and love causes union, and the reverse. There is an acknowledgment of the Lord from wisdom and there is an acknowledgment of the Lord from love. Acknowledgment of the Lord from wisdom, which in its own right is only a kind of knowing, comes from a belief system. Acknowledgment of the Lord from love comes from living by what that belief system teaches. This latter brings about union, the other brings about presence. This is why people who reject beliefs about the Lord move away from him; and if they also reject the life, they cut themselves off from him. If they reject only the life but not the beliefs, they are present but still cut off. They are like acquaintances who talk with each other but have no love for each other, or like two people when one talks cordially with the other but is still an enemy, full of hatred.

[3] The truth of this is recognized in the widely accepted notion that people who teach the truth and live well are saved but not people who teach the truth and live evil lives, as well as in the notion that people who do not acknowledge God cannot be saved. We can see from this what kind of religion is involved in thinking about God from what we call faith but not doing anything out of caring. This is why the Lord said,

Why do you call me "Lord, Lord," and do not do what I say? Whoever comes to me and hears my words and does them I will compare to someone who built a house and laid its foundation on a rock; but whoever hears my words and does not do them is like someone who builds a house on the ground without any foundation. (Luke 6:46-49)

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.