King James Daily Bible Study: United, But Separated
Date: Monday February 28, 2011
Chapters: Numbers 34-36
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-february-28
Details of Today's Reading: The boundaries of the promised land, Eleazar and Joshua appointed to divide the land between the tribes, cities given to the Levites from each tribe, the cities of refuge, laws about murder, the inheritance of the daughters of Zelophehad, and all the daughters encouraged to marry within their own tribe to keep their inheritance.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
The word nation is defined as a country with its own government, a body of people, civilization, or a society. The second you call on Jesus Christ as your Savior you become part of a nation, a body of people united by one person, Jesus Christ, in other words you are a part of a Christian Nation. “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” - Romans 12:4,5.

Now, within the nation there are tribes, a group of Christians with common interests. The word tribe is defined as an ethnic group, a family, a group with a common interests. While, we are all Christians by our faith in Jesus Christ, it is important that we remain within our own tribe, in other words, our own religion. Why? The Bible says, “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:..And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” - Ephesians 5:5-8,11. While we all may be united with Christ, we must separate ourselves from those who might not be following the correct doctrine that God has given us.

The Israelites were getting ready to cross over the Jordan into the promised land God sent the boarders of the land and appointed Eleazar the priest and Joshua to be the ones who would divide Canaan up for the tribes, each tribe was given a certain amount of cities according to the number or people in the tribe.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.” - Numbers 34:1,2,16-18.

All Christians will receive a part of the inheritance of the Kingdom of God, how much of it we get depends upon how much we do for God after we get saved. “If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come...Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. ” - I Timothy 4:6-8,16.

After God gave the instructions on where they would dwell He gave them instructions on where the Levites were to dwell, since they were ministers of the service of God they did not receive their own inheritance, but were appointed cities to dwell in within each tribe. They were to be given forty-eight cities, six of those were known as cities of refuge.

“And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities. So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs. And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.” - Numbers 35:1-3,6-8.

The Levites were given cities among all the tribes so they could minister to people without them having to go to the tabernacle every time. The cities of refuge were given as a safe place for an offender to dwell until either he was acquitted or had someone after him and needed a safe place to hide. Today, our refuge is through Jesus Christ, literally He gives us a safe place to hide from the devil as well as kept us from death and being cast into the lake of fire. “In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” - Proverbs 14:26,27.

Now the fathers of the tribe of Manasseh were questioning the rights that a woman would have to their inheritance should she marry into another tribe. Their thought was that if she marry into a different tribe then they would loose their inheritance. However, God made it clear that no tribe will lose any part of their inheritance.

“This is the thing which the LORD doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry. So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.” - Numbers 36:6-9.

Again, once you are saved, you will receive a part of the inheritance of the Kingdom of God, no one can take that away from you. It is yours forever and ever. While it is important that we remain within our own tribe, God assures us that we are still His people and nothing we do can make us lose the rights to what He has given us simply for believing in His Son, Jesus Christ. Think of it this way, you have a child, that child is yours forever, no matter what he or she does, they are still yours forever. Once you accept Christ as your Savior you are one of God's children, no matter what you do you are still His for ever and ever. “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” - I John 5:11-13. Praise God!

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through cities of refuge. “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:..Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” - Hebrews 6:18,20.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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