The Bible by David Alley

by David Alley

Season 1

Joshua 21 - Cities of the Levites | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Joshua 21 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Joshua 21 Even though the Levites didn’t get an inheritance, they were assigned cities to dwell in, which is covered here. There are various types of Levites, and those who were the sons of Aaron, ministering priests, were assigned cities within the inheritance of Judah, Benjamin and Simeon. This was the future area where the temple would later be located. This confirms that the Lord determines the lot. All of those who were to minister as priests had land assigned in the area of the temple, four hundred years before the temple appeared. The Lord saw what was to happen. Even so before that time, the tabernacle at Shiloh was not far from them - just 1-2 days walk to the north. They were all rostered on to take turns. In total there were 48 cities assigned to the Levites. It makes the tribe of Levi seem humongous, but a few things are worthy of note. First, the Levites shared the cities with other tribes where the cities were located. And second, some of the cities were small, not at all like modern day Metropolises that we imagine such as New York. Some were more like towns of a few thousand people. As an example, Hebron was one of thirteen cities assigned to the priests on duty. This city was previously assigned to Caleb for an inheritance, and while this sounds like a mistake to now assign it to the Levites, both were true. The city wasn’t entirely lived in by just one man Caleb, nor was it entirely owned by Levites, but both shared this inheritance. Such was the nature of cities. This last verse is very cool…. Nothing failed of anything God did for Israel.

S1 · E208

Sep 28, 2022

13:44

Joshua 20 - Laws Concerning Murder | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Joshua 20 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Joshua 20 the cities of refuge are assigned. These cities were mentioned in Numbers 35 and in Deuteronomy 4 and 19. Now they are assigned. The six cities are: Kedesh - which means holy - devoted to God’s work Shechem - the shoulder - the government shall be on his shoulders (Isaiah 9:6) Hebron - Fellowship - also the highest elevated place in Palestine. When we in Christ come into fellowship with one another, we are all elevated. Bezer - Fortress - the Lord is our Strength. Ramoth Gilead - Height - the Lord is lifted up. Golan - To remove - the Lord has removed our transgressions from us. Each of the cities is a picture of Christ because we run to Christ for our refuge. Here each of the cities highlight a quality of Christ.

S1 · E207

Sep 27, 2022

7:14

Joshua 19 - Cities of Refuge | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Joshua 19 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Joshua 19 the remaining six tribes are allotted. God gives an inheritance to all of his people. The first of these was for Simeon. This assignment was the mercy of God because Simeon was the smallest and weakest of the tribes after the second census. They rebelled at Baal Peor and twenty-two thousand of them were put to death, greatly reducing their size. Consequently they received a small inheritance. But the Lord mercifully assigned them a place with Judah, which strangely enough meant that part of this tribe was preserved inside the future nation of Judah even though ten tribes split away. This also was a mercy. The Lord is so thoughtful!! Beersheba was a city allocated to Simeon. Beersheba is the place Jacob had just left when he had his dream of the stairway going up to Heaven, and the Lord spoke to him in Genesis 28. It is also the place where the Australian Light Horse soldiers broke through the Turkish lines in the Great War putting the territory of Palestine under British control for the first time. The Modern nation of Israel might not have existed without that moment at Beer-Sheba. The tribal boundaries hold little significance to most of us today. Interestingly Jesus grew up in Nazareth most likely in the tribal boundary of Zebulun. Jesus ministered much in Capernaum in the tribal region of Naphtali. Finally Joshua is given a special inheritance. God also gives people an individual inheritance. When someone serves the Lord, he does not forget. Note also that Joshua is a type of Christ here, and there is an inheritance that is Christ’s. Psalm 2:8 says “Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” People are God’s inheritance - his redeeming love has worked to take us for himself. Yet there are also parts of God’s inheritance that remain unclaimed, and we are to work with Christ to claim them for his own.

S1 · E206

Sep 26, 2022

17:22

Joshua 18 - Tabernacle at Shiloh | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Joshua 18 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Joshua 18 the tabernacle is set up in Shiloh. This was the home of the tabernacle for about 400 years now until David took the ark to Jerusalem, and then shortly afterwards Solomon built the temple. Biblical Shiloh is called Khirbet Seilun about 42 kilometres north of Jerusalem. It was in the inheritance of Ephraim. The associates for Biblical Research have a dig at Shiloh which has been going now for many years. They have concluded that there were three sites that the tabernacle was setup on and they moved between them, possibly to adjust for the season and prevailing wind etc. At this point 5 tribes have already received an inheritance. The tribes of Reuben (the oldest), Joseph being two, who was Jacob’s chosen firstborn, and Judah who seems to have been the Lord’s chosen firstborn and Gad have all received inheritance, leaving 7 tribes plus the Levites. The land was now surveyed, and then divided by lot. The first lot was for Benjamin who bordered Judah, which meant that ultimately the city of Jerusalem was inside of Benjamin and this kept both it and Judah together after the nation divided after Solomon’s death. It is the Lord who determines the lot. In Psalm 15:5-6 it says “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” Spiritually we make our plans, but the Lord determines the outcome and our trust is placed in Him as in this Psalm. Benjamin’s lot fell in such a place as to ensure its future connection with the Lord’s temple.

S1 · E205

Sep 25, 2022

13:38

Joshua 17 - Allotment for the Remaining Tribes | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Joshua 17 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Joshua 17 the portion of land which is the inheritance of the second half of the tribe of Manassah is given out. This includes the land given to the daughters of Zelophedad mentioned twice previously in Numbers 26 and Numbers 36. Then the tribe of Joseph, being both Ephraim and Manasseh request even more land. Joshua gives them options which required work. They had to either clear vacant land, or drive our other inhabitants who had chariots of iron. Both required hard work of differing types. In the one instance it required pressing regular work, laboring to clear forests. THe other was quicker, but required bravery, except that in this case it meant removing from the land something which was a source of temptation. Maybe they didn’t want to remove that temptation because they enjoyed it. That is an all too common problem many Christians face in their spiritual lives. They are too lazy to take ground, and they simultaneously resist the quicker victory over temptation because its enticing.

S1 · E204

Sep 24, 2022

12:10

Joshua 16 - Allotment for Ephraim and Manasseh | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Joshua 16 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Joshua 16 the tribes of Joseph receive their inheritance. Of course Manasseh already received land east of the Jordan. Once again, they received their inheritance, but didn’t drive out the inhabitants. This becomes a repetitive idea as it seems all of God’s people fail to do this properly. What parts of the devil’s resistance in your own life are you failing to drive out? The previous entire chapter was given to outlining the inheritance (63 verses) of Judah, but this chapter is so short and not anywhere as detailed. Of all the tribes, why was such attention given to Juda and not to the rest? Is it because God knew in advance that Judah represented the inheritance of Christ? Also in this chapter Joseph is one of the twelve sons, but represents a double portion. Joseph was given two tribes in his place, and Levi was removed from inheritance. Here we see ourselves in both. Joseph is the effective firstborn who takes the place of Levi. He receives a double share. And Joseph represents Chjrist, who is first born and takes our palace and in him we have a double share. Also as Levites/priests Christ is our portion but now we see it is a double portion.

S1 · E203

Sep 23, 2022

9:14

Joshua 15 - Allotment for Judah | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Joshua 15 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Joshua 15 is longest chapter in the book of Joshua - 63 verses. The borders of the tribes are now being described. Without a good knowledge of the geography of Canaan, this won’t mean much to readers. I encourage you to download a map of the division of the land which will give a sense of it. The portion for JUdah was the largest of all the tribes, and actually encompassed Simeon’s portion. Simeon was given the smallest portion, and here we see a grace being illustrated that the weakest is placed with the strongest. This is the Lord’s manner. Caleb also promises his daughter as a wife to the man who conquers Kiriath Sepher with its giants. His nephew Othniel does so. We see that it was a close relative who took up the challenge. Often good thinking resides in family, or at least it resides in the company one keeps. Bad thinking does the same. Then he says to his daughter “what do you want, and she wants springs as well as arid land. So should our attitude be toward the Lord, who figuratively says here “what do you want?” This is alway the Lord’s question even though he knows all things. We see it in his healing ministry where he asks the blind man in Mark 10:15. He requires the blind man to say that he wants to see. So we are required to ask the Lord for what we want… and we want springs of living water. Finally it mentions that Jebus “to this day” wasn’t yet conquered. To this day is of course in the time of Joshua. Later David conquers Jerusalem and makes it his capital.

S1 · E202

Sep 22, 2022

16:20

Joshua 14 - Division of the Land | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Joshua 14 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Joshua 14 we now start covering the division of the land to the tribes west of the Jordan. In verse 10 we find out some facts about Caleb, that he was 40 when he spied out the land and is 85 now. Many marvel at the age of Caleb who is 85 here and strong as ever, yet here is the key to the length of the campaign. Because he spied out the land at the age of 40, which was in the second year after leaving Egypt, when he was presumably 38. So it has been 7 years since the campaign began, making it a 7 years campaign. Now, Caleb requests Kiriath Arba in the hill country to be his inheritance. This is the home of giants. Caleb was one of the twelve spies who wasn’t bothered by the giants, and now 45 years later he is still not impressed by them. His trust is in the Lord. What do we learn from that? Our eyes should be on the Lord, as we work for our inheritance in the land he has given us.

S1 · E201

Sep 21, 2022

10:54

Joshua 13 - Land Still to be Taken | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Joshua 13 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Joshua 13 the land began to be divided, despite the fact that it was not totally conquered. This is also the Lord’s method for us. He doesn’t just give us what we want without having to work for it, but rather we inherit through working and serving. Just as some famous billionaires do not hand their children wealth on a platter, but make them work to learn its value, so God does the same with our inheritance. So we are given work to do in God’s kingdom and as we pray and serve, we come into our inheritance. Joshua set them up, but it was to be a generational thing that others carried on. But sadly the next generation did not take up where the initial generation stopped. As a footnote, we learn the fate of Balaam in verse 22. Previously when they attacked Sihon king of the Amorites East of the Jordan, Balaam was there and killed as recorded here. This was how they knew the inside story of what happened, as recorded back in Numbers. Moses was a part of the defeat of the two eastern Kings, and this was recorded by Moses. Three of the tribes inheritance is described, and then finally the Levites are said to not be given any because the Lord is there inheritance. While this sounds disappointing, this is the most exciting of all. THat God is their inheritance is what should motivate us too. Earlier in Genesis, the Lord spoke to Abraham saying “I am your shield and your very great reward.” More than money, wealth, legacy or anything, God is the prize above all others. Nothing else can satisfy.

S1 · E200

Sep 20, 2022

14:27

Joshua 12 - Conquest of the North | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Joshua 12 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Joshua 12 it lists all the defeated king. It lists 31 kings west of the Jordan, but there were the two (Sihon and Og) east of the Jordan too making it 33 in total. This list is a tally of the victories of Joshua which took at least about 7 years to complete, based on an understanding of Joshua 14:10. There are a number of atonement models for Jesus death at Calvary. One of them, the Christus Victor model focuses on Christ’s defeat of Satan and his obtaining ofo good things for us. Here we see the demonstration of Joshua as the Christus Victor, the one who overcome evil and opened up the good things for God’s people. Scripture tells us in Colossians 2:15 that “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Christ is our Joshua having conquered all the kings that fought against us.

S1 · E199

Sep 19, 2022

12:47

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