“And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses. And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are here mentioned by name, which the children of Aaron, being of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi, had: for theirs was the first lot. And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it. But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession” (
Joshua 21:8-128And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses. 9And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are here mentioned by name, 10Which the children of Aaron, being of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi, had: for theirs was the first lot. 11And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it. 12But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession. (Joshua 21:8‑12)).
In the previous chapter we learn that Hebron, which was the inheritance of Caleb, became one of the “cities of refuge” (Joshua 20:22Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: (Joshua 20:2)). Now in this chapter it is further set aside as part of the portion for the Levites. But as this happens Caleb retains two things, “the fields ... and the villages.”
We have already taken up the significance of a field in Scripture: personal communion and meditation. If then the fields speak of personal fellowship, the villages would signify fellowship with one another. If people have common interests, want company, or to dwell in close proximity to their fellow-man, they build and form communities: that is, cities, towns, villages, communes, etc.
Not only have we been brought into a place of fellowship with God the Father and with the Lord Jesus Christ, but as a result, with one another as well. “If [since] we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)). As we have said several times throughout these pages, Caleb valued Hebron as the place of communion, and in the end was able to secure as his own, “the fields of the city, and the villages thereof.”
Notice the order: It is not the villages and fields, but the fields first, and then the villages. As to practical fellowship this order is important. True fellowship with fellow-believers is our enjoyment of the person and work of Christ together. This enjoyment can only be in the measure in which we enjoy Christ in our own souls. I cannot share Christ with others, if I have not enjoyed Christ myself.
We have a similar thought with the bride in Song of {s 22221}Solomon 7:1111Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. (Song of Solomon 7:11). There she has been awakened in her affections and restored to her bridegroom, and now she says to Him, “Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.” Notice the order is the same, because we cannot “lodge in the villages,” if we have not gone “forth into the field.”
Why is it that so often we get together with other believers, we come away feeling that there wasn’t much true fellowship, or enjoyment of Christ with one another? There may have been some nice activities, of which there is certainly nothing wrong. In fact it is good to be together with other Christians for activity and recreation. But the reason we often do not experience real fellowship is because we have not first had the personal communion that is necessary for ourselves. Remember, “fields” come before “villages.” Personal communion precedes collective communion.
There is nothing so vital as personal, intimate communion with the Father and the Son. Satan is busy working to introduce every kind of thought and activity to keep us from enjoying personal communion, knowing that the result will be that we cannot encourage one another by sharing the precious things of Christ with our brothers and sisters. Not only do we lose the benefits of such experience, but our fellow-believers lose out as well since we have nothing of Christ to offer.
Life is full of trade-offs, but never exchange fellowship with God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ for anything. It is always a poor trade-off!