Josue 20 - "Revenge Is Mine"

The brief 20th chapter of Josue begins the establishment of the Levitical sanctuaries, which were to be places scattered throughout the Promised Land to provide refuge for the afflicted.  It is yet another sign of God's mercy that such a law was even considered and implemented.  In the midst of the Old Testament, to which many assign labels of oppression, anger, and apocalyptic justice, is a moment of sympathy.  Josue 20 is a statement against revenge.  The Old Law may have indeed been harsher than what we today are accustomed to, but it never gave free license for a man to take justice into his own hands.  It is a human weakness to crave revenge.  Evening the score is even seen as honorable and good in many cultures (even ours today).  And the ancient Israelites were particularly prone to falling into sins of revenge.  But this was never condoned, and it is just one more example of a people ignoring their own laws to follow their own fallen hearts.  (The account of Dina in Genesis 34 provides a good example of what God really thinks of those who act on anger in seeking revenge).  In Josue 20 it is stated that a man who is guilty of manslaughter may present himself at the gate of a sanctuary city.  There he will be safe from the wrathful vengeance of those seeking to get back at the man.  An organized trial will follow, as is fair, but in the mean time God has made it clear we are to not act out of spontaneous anger.  Sanctuary cities allow all parties to cool off and a trial to commence, where a more reasonable outcome can come about.  The wandering Israelites, now firmly established in the Promised Land, are planting the seeds of a civilized society.  Laws of mercy and justice, God's Laws, are taking shape.  The kingdom begins. 

Josue 14-19: Cities!

"Carmel by the sea" (Josue 19:26), "Cariath Arbe, the father of Enac, which is Hebron" (Josue 15:13), "the strong city of Tyre" (Josue 19:29), "Sela, Eleph, and Jebus, which is Jerusalem" (Josue 18:28).

This is the dividing of the land among the tribes of Israel.  Chapters 14 through 19 of Josue are more catalogical than anything.  An almost innumerable amount of cities are mentioned by name, all of which now belong to the Israelites (though it's well documented in this book that many Canaanites remained in small pockets here and there).  Each tribe's borders are described in detail, with mention of not only cities but geographical details such as rivers and mountains and anything else that could demarcate a border.  In Chapter 19, Joshua himself is finally given his own plot of land, "Thamnath Saraa in Mount Ephraim" (Josue 19:50), which, according to some, was a barren land, thus demonstrating Joshua's humility and self-sacrifice, attributes of Our Lord Jesus Christ whom Joshua pre-figures.  Josue 14-19 is light on narrative, but historically it's quite fascinating.  Of the multitude of cities listed now occupied by the Israelites, I recognized only a handful (not being an expert in Levantine geography).  But those I did recognize all have storied histories.  Jerusalem, of course, being the supreme example.  Mention of Jerusalem goes all the way back to Abraham and the Book of Genesis, but here in Josue it is interestingly referred to once as "Jebus."  It is stated that it was inhabited by the Jebusites (hence the name) and that they remained in the city even after Joshua's conquest, until David ran them out.  And there is Hebron, the also famous city of the Holy Land, given over to Caleb for his faithfulness.  And Carmel and Tyre.  Carmel first came to my attention because of the Carmelites, the religious order famous for giving the world the brown scapular, by way of St. Simon Stock.  And Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who my own mother is named after.  And another "Carmel-by-the-Sea," a coastal town in my home state of California.  But of course these are all things that came much later.  To see the name Carmel in a list of ancient Canaanite cities, written in the ancient Book of Josue, struck me as profound.  It speaks to the depth of history and its continuity and connection to us today.  Likewise, seeing the name Tyre in the same chapter, I was instantly met with visions of the Crusades, of medieval soldiers entering the Mediterranean seaport, of Jesus Christ walking about the town and curing the "woman of Chanaan" (Matthew 15:22).  These cities are known so well in modern times and in recent history, but they are so much older than that, almost as old as the hills.  The Israelites are, in the Book of Josue, establishing themselves in their Promised Land, but they are moving into cities that are already at that time quite old.  And many of these towns will make a big historical impact in the years to come.  In the time of Christ.  And beyond.