Immerse: Bible Reading Experience - NLT Daily Bible In A Year

Day 171 - The Allotment of Towns and Rest for Israel

Welcome to Immerse: the daily bible reading experience. In today's reading, we explore Day 100 of the Bible, where the leaders of the tribe of Levi approach Eliezer the priest, Joshua, and other leaders to receive towns and pasture lands as commanded by the Lord through Moses. The text meticulously details the allocation of towns to the descendants of Aaron and various clans within the tribe of Levi. Each town along with its pasture lands was assigned by casting sacred lots, ensuring that the Levites received their rightful inheritance. The summary also covers the rest and possession of the land by the Israelites and the subsequent blessings and instructions given by Joshua to the tribes of Reuben, Gadd, and the half-tribe of Manassa. A notable event occurs when the tribes of Reuben, Gadd, and the half-tribe of Manassa build an imposing altar near the Jordan River, causing concern among the other tribes. This potential conflict is resolved through dialogue, demonstrating the unity and faithfulness of Israel. The reading concludes with the altar being named 'Witness,' symbolizing the shared worship and relationship with the Lord among the tribes.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:04 Allocation of Towns to the Levites
01:19 Specific Towns Allotted to the Levites
05:56 Joshua's Address to the Tribes
07:42 The Altar Controversy
11:50 Resolution and Conclusion
12:48 Closing Remarks

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Ethan: Welcome to Immerse: the
daily bible reading experience.

Day 100 and 71

then the leaders of the tribe of Levi
came to consult with Eliezer, the

priest, Joshua son of none, and the
leaders of the other tribes of Israel.

They came to them at Shiloh in the land
of Canaan and said The Lord commanded

Moses to give us towns to live in
and pasture lands for our livestock.

So by the command of the Lord, the
people of Israel gave the Levites

the following towns and pasture lands
out of their own grants of land.

The descendants of Aaron, who were
members of the Coha clan within the

tribe of Levi were allotted 13 towns
that were originally assigned to the

tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

The other families of the coed Klan were
allotted 10 towns from the tribes of

Efraim, Dan and the half tribe of Manassa.

The Klan of Gershen was allotted 13 towns
from the tribes of Iscar, Asher Naftali,

and the half tribe of Manassa in Basin.

The Klan of Marra was allotted
12 towns from the tribes

of Reen, Gadd, and Zebulon.

So the Israelites obeyed the Lord's
command to Moses and assigned these

towns and pasture lands to the
Levites by casting sacred lots.

The Israelites gave the following towns
from the tribes of Judah and Simeon to

the descendants of Aaron who were members
of the coed clan within the tribe of Levi

since the sacred lot fell to them first.

Kieth Aba.

That is Hebron in the hill
country of Judah, along with

its surrounding pasture lands.

Arba was an ancestor of Anac.

But the open fields beyond the town and
the surrounding villages were given to

Caleb's son of Giana as his possession.

The following towns with their pasture
lands were given to the descendants of

Aaron the priest, Hebron, a city of refuge
for those who accidentally killed someone.

Lib na chatter, esa Hoon, deber.

Jata and Beth Mish.

Nine towns from these two tribes
from the tribe of Benjamin.

The priests were given the following
towns with their pasture lands, Gibbon,

GBA, Aneth, and Alman four towns.

So in all 13 towns with their
pasture lands were given to the

priests, the descendants of Aaron.

The rest of the Koho clan from
the tribe of Levi was allotted.

The following towns and pasture lands
from the tribe of Fram Shechem in the

hill country of Fram, a city of refuge
for those who accidentally killed someone.

Geezer, Kiza and Beth Horan.

Four towns.

The following towns and pasture
lands were allotted to the priests

from the tribe of Dan Tika Gibbon.

Lon and G Riman.

Four towns.

The half tribe of Manassa allotted
the following towns with their

pasture lands to the priests,
teak and gath riman two towns.

So in all 10 towns with their pasture
lands were given to the rest of the

ified clan, the descendants of Gershen.

Another clan within the tribe of Levi.

Received the following towns with their
pasture lands from the half tribe of

Manassa Golan in basin, a city of refuge
for those who accidentally killed someone.

And B.

Ura two towns from the tribe of Iscar.

They received the following
towns with their pasture lands,

Kian, DRAF, Darmouth, and Ganim.

Four towns.

From the tribe of Asher, they received the
following towns with their pasture lands.

Maal, Abdon, hell, calf, and Reha
four towns from the tribe of Naftali.

They received the following
towns with their pasture lands.

Kadesh in Galilee, a city of refuge for
those who accidentally killed someone.

Moff door and Caran three towns.

So in all 13 towns with their pasture
lands were allotted to the clan of Gersen.

The rest of the Levites, the Marra clan,
were given the following towns with

their pasture lands from the tribe of
Zebulon, JOM, Karta, Demna, and Neal.

Four towns from the tribe of
Reuben, they received the following

towns with their pasture lands.

Beezer, JHAs.

Mov and Mefe four towns
from the tribe of Gadd.

They received the following
towns with their pasture lands.

Ray Moth in Gilead, a city of refuge for
those who accidentally killed someone,

Mehm, Heshbon, and Zer four towns.

So in all 12 towns were
allotted to the clan of Marra.

The total number of towns and pasture
lands within Israelite territory

given to the Levites came to 48.

Every one of these towns had
pasture lands surrounding it.

So the Lord gave to Israel all the land
he had sworn to give their ancestors,

and they took possession of it and
settled there, and the Lord gave them

rest on every side, just as he had
solemnly promised their ancestors.

None of their enemies could stand against
them for the Lord, help them conquer

all their enemies, not a single one.

Of all the good promises the
Lord had given to the family

of Israel was left unfulfilled.

Everything he had spoken came true.

Then Joshua called together the tribes of
Reuben Gadd and the Half Tribe of Manassa.

He told them.

You have done as Moses, the servant
of the Lord commanded you, and

you have obeyed every order I have
given you during all this time.

You have not deserted the other tribes.

You have been careful to obey the
commands of the Lord your God, right

up to the present day, and now the
Lord your God has given the other

tribes rest as he promised them.

So go back home to the land that
Moses, the servant of the Lord,

gave you as your possession on
the east side of the Jordan River.

But be very careful to obey all
the commands and the instructions

that Moses gave to you.

Love the Lord your God.

Walk in all his ways, obey his commands.

Hold firmly to him and serve him with
all your heart and all your soul.

So Joshua blessed them and sent
them away and they went home.

Moses had given the land of
Basin east of the Jordan River

to the half tribe of Manassa.

The other half of the tribe was
given land west of the Jordan.

As Joshua sent them away and blessed
them, he said to them, go back to your

homes with the great wealth you have
taken from your enemies, the vast herds of

livestock, the silver, gold, bronze, and
iron, and the large supply of clothing.

Share the plunder with your relatives.

So the men of Reuben Gadd and the
half tribe of Manassa left the rest of

Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

They started the journey back
to their own land of Gilead.

The territory that belonged
to them, according to the

Lord's command through Moses.

But while they were still in Canaan, and
when they came to a place called Glo near

the Jordan River, the men of Reuben Gadd
and the half tribe of Manassa stopped

to build a large and imposing altar.

The rest of Israel heard that the people
of Reuben Gadd and the half tribe of

Manassa had built an altar at Galof
at the edge of the land of Canaan on

the west side of the Jordan River.

So the whole community of Israel gathered
at Shiloh and prepared to go to war

against them First, however, they sent
a delegation led by Phineas, son of

Eliezer, the priest to talk with the
tribes of Reuben Gadd and the half tribe

of Manasses in this delegation were
10 leaders of Israel, one from each of

the 10 tribes and each the head of his
family within the clans of Israel when

they arrived in the land of Gilead.

They said to the tribes of Reuben Gadd
and the Half Tribe of Manasseh, the whole

community of the Lord demands to know
why you are betraying the God of Israel.

How could you turn away from
the Lord and build an altar for

yourselves in rebellion against him?

Was our sin at pr not enough?

To this day, we are not fully cleansed
of it, even after the plague that

struck the entire community of the Lord.

And yet today you are turning
away from following the Lord.

If you rebel against the Lord today, he
will be angry with all of us tomorrow.

If you need the altar because the land you
possess is defiled, then join us in the

Lord's land where the tabernacle of the
Lord is situated and share our land with

us, but do not rebel against the Lord or
against us by building an altar other than

the one true altar of the Lord our God.

Didn't divine anger fall on
the entire community of Israel?

When Aiken, a member of the Clan of
Zero sinned by stealing the things

set apart for the Lord, he was not the
only one who died because of his sin.

Then the people of Reuben Gadd and
the half tribe of Manassa answered the

heads of the clans of Israel, the Lord.

The mighty one is God.

The Lord the mighty one is God.

He knows the truth and
may Israel know it too.

We have not built the altar in
treacherous rebellion against the Lord.

If we have done so, do not
spare our lives this day.

If we have built an altar for ourselves to
turn away from the Lord or to offer burnt

offerings or grain offerings or peace
offerings, may the Lord himself punish us.

The truth is we have built this altar
because we fear that in the future,

your descendants will say to ours, what
right do you have to worship the Lord?

The God of Israel?

The Lord has placed the Jordan River
as a barrier between our people

and you people of Reuben and Gadd.

You have no claim to the Lord, so
your descendants may prevent our

descendants from worshiping the Lord.

So we decided to build the altar.

Not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,
but as a memorial, it will remind our

descendants and your descendants that we
too have the right to worship the Lord at

his sanctuary With our burnt offerings,
sacrifices, and peace offerings, then

your descendants will not be able to say
to ours, you have no claim to the Lord.

If they say this, our
descendants can reply.

Look at this copy of the Lord's
altar that our ancestors made.

It is not for burnt
offerings or sacrifices.

It is a reminder of the relationship
both of us have with the Lord far, be

it from us to rebel against the Lord
or turn away from him by building

our own altar for burnt offerings,
grain offerings, or sacrifices.

Only the altar of the Lord, our God that
stands in front of the tabernacle, may be

used for that purpose when Phineas, the
priest and the leaders of the community.

The heads of the clans of Israel
heard this from the tribes of Reuben

Gadd and the half tribe of Manassa.

They were satisfied.

Phineas, son of Eliezer, the priest
replied to them Today, we know

the Lord is among us because you
have not committed this treachery

against the Lord as we thought.

Instead, you have rescued Israel from
being destroyed by the hand of the Lord.

Then Phineas, son of Eliezer, the
priest and the other leaders, left

the tribes of Reen and Gadd in Gilead
and returned to the land of Canaan to

tell the Israelites what had happened.

And all the Israelites were
satisfied and praised God and

spoke no more of war against Reen.

And Gadd.

The people of Reuben and Gadd named
the altar Witness for, they said it

is a witness between us and them.

The Lord is our God too.

This concludes today's
immerse reading experience.

Thank you for joining us.