Numbers 33-34 The LORD gives his people an inheritance

From Numbers 33-34

Q. What kinds of things would you like to inherit?

Overview

Num 33.1-2 Story; Moses recounting Israel’s journey and the places they have been to

Num 33.3-4 Story; Recounting - Deliverance from Egyptian slavery

Num 33.5-10 Story; Recounting - Rameses to the Red Sea

Num 33.11 Story; Recounting - Red Sea to the Wilderness of Sin

Num 33.12-15 Story; Recounting - Wilderness of Sin to the Wilderness of Sinai

Num 33.16-37 Story; Recounting - Wilderness of Sinai to Mount Hor

Num 33.38-40 Story; Recounting - The Death of Aaron

Num 33.41-49 Story; Recounting - Mount Hor to the Jordan river near Jericho

Num 33.50-56 Story; The LORD gives instructions for Moses concerning taking the promised land

Num 34.1-15 Story; The LORD sets the boundaries for the promised land

Num 34.16-29 Story; The LORD names the leaders of the tribes who will further divide up the inheritance

Passage and Comments

I found a few things of interest. The first I suspect some readers will pass over without really noting.

[3] They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover, the people of Israel went out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians, 4 while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them. On their gods also the LORD executed judgments. (Num 33.3-4)

That last statement about the LORD executing judgements on the foreign gods. As the LORD was sending the plagues we kinda assume the only battle going on was between God-Israel and Pharaoh-Egypt. Well no, behind the scenes, the people of the day also viewed the confrontation between their gods. In delivering Israel from Egypt, the LORD won.

50 And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. (Num 33:50–52)

The existing residents worship foreign gods in the land. So when Israel invades the land and takes it over., they are to eradicate all opportunities for idolatry and apostasy.

53 And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 54 You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. (Num 33:53–54)

Simple enough. They are to divide up the land. But then there is a warning.

55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. 56 And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”  (Num 33:55–56)

Interesting imagery, ‘barbs in your eyes’, ‘thorns in your sides’. A bit like the parable of the sower (Mk 4). Barbs and thorns.

16 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “These are the names of the men who shall divide the land to you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun. 18 You shall take one chief from every tribe to divide the land for inheritance. (Num 34:16–18)

Note how they describe the land, as their ‘inheritance’. The passage looks back to their deliverance from Egypt and forward to their acquiring the promised land.

Story of Jesus

We should to be aware of Old Testament terms such as inheritance as we read the New Testament. Consider Ephesians 1;

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.  (Eph 1:13–14)

Paul is using the same language. So does Peter;

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, (1 Pet 1:3–4)

Both look backward to the story of Jesus and him proclaimed king ushering in his kingdom. And both look forward to the future acquiring of the inheritance. God has been amazingly generous to us through Christ and there is more still to come.

Numbers 31-32 Zealous for purity

From Numbers 31-32

Q. How far would you go to protect your people from defilement and destruction?

Overview

Num 31.1-12 Story; The LORD commands Moses to send Israel’s armed men and destroy the Midianites

Num 31.13-20 Story; The warriors bring back the women and children. Because of Peor, Moses commands they kill all the women and children except the virgin girls. The warriors are to remain outside the camp and purify themselves.

Num 31.21-47 Story; Dividing up the plunder from the battle

Num 31.48-54 Story; None of the warriors were killed in the battle. They all presented contributions to the LORD.

Num 32.1-5 Story; The tribe of Reuben asks that the land before the Jordan be given them as their possession.

Num 32.6-15 Story; Moses recounts what happened when Israel initially refused to enter the promised land

Num 32.16-42 Story; The tribe of Reuben agree they will go into the promised land to fight with the rest of Israel.

Passage and Comments

This is probably one of the more difficult chapters to digest. Numbers 31, the aftermath of the battle with the Midianites.

[31:1] The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [2] “Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.” [3] So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD's vengeance on Midian. (Nu 31:1-3)

So they went to war against the Midianites. They kill all the males including Balaam son of Beor.

9 And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods. 10 All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire, 11 and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. 12 Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 13 Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp. 14 And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15 Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? (Num 31:9–15)

We might be excused to question Moses actions here, but we need to consider the wider context. Numbers 22 describes the elders of Midian approaching Balaam in order to get him to curse Israel. Presumably if he did, they would attack and wipe out Israel. Numbers 25 describes the incident at Peor where a Midianite woman coaxed a Israelite into defiling the sanctuary. The Midianites have had an ongoing agenda to either destroy or defile Israel. Moses recalls this saying;

[16] Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD. (Nu 31:16)

Twenty four thousand people died in the plague the LORD sent as a result of the Peor defilement. Moses is very anxious to avoid this again.

[17] Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. [18] But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves. [19] Encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. (Nu 31:17-19)

Moses is very protective over Israel and zealous for the holiness of the camp. He doesn’t want anymore to die as a result of the defilement foreigners can bring. To help understand Moses’ actions we need to consider the attempt of Midian to wipe out Israel, their defilement and the terrible consequences at Peor.

Story of Israel

Unfortunately there are not many in Israel's history who are as zealous to keep Israel undefiled.

Story of Jesus

This kind of zeal is perhaps still evident in the New Testament times. There were some in Israel who fought against the foreign powers who ruled them. Others were fiercely committed to the purity of Judaism. Jesus exhibits a kind of zeal as well, but his had a different twist, he said;

[43] And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. [45] And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. [47] And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, [48] ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ [49] For everyone will be salted with fire. (Mk 9:43-49)

Jesus is likewise very serious about sin and so should we be. Do what you can to cut it out of your life.

Numbers 28-30 Vows and Women

From Numbers 28-30

Take a glance at the differing roles of men and women in Israel’s society.

Overview

Num 28.1-8 Law; Worship and sacrifice; Daily food (burnt) and drink offerings

Num 28.9-10 Law; Worship and sacrifice; Sabbath offerings

Num 28.11-15 Law; Worship and sacrifice; Monthly offerings

Num 28.16-25 Law; Worship and sacrifice; Passover (feast of unleavened bread) offerings

Num 28.26-31 Law; Worship and sacrifice; Feast of weeks offerings

Num 29.1-6 Law; Worship and sacrifice; Feast of trumpets offerings

Num 29.7-11 Law; Worship and sacrifice; Day of Atonement offerings

Num 29.12-38 Law; Worship and sacrifice; Feast of booths offerings

Num 29.39-40 Law; Worship and sacrifice; Summary statement, Moses exhorts

Num 30.1-16 Law; Vows,

Men (30.1-2),

Women under fathers care (30.3-5),

Women under husbands care (30.6-15),

Summary statement (30.16)

Passage and Comments

The chapter on vows I found interesting. I assume a vow is a spoken commitment to perform or abstain from some sort of action. It was probably taken in the tabernacle and made before the priesthood. Men are expected to uphold their vows, always.

In the historical context of these commands there was huge social pressure for women to bear male heirs to continue the family line. It was not uncommon for women to promise the LORD some sort of service in return for offspring. Sometimes they could make unwise vows before the LORD. Keeping this and male headship of the family in mind women could have their vows overruled by the head of their family.

[3] “If a woman vows a vow to the LORD and binds herself by a pledge, while within her father's house in her youth, [4] and her father hears of her vow and of her pledge by which she has bound herself and says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. [5] But if her father opposes her on the day that he hears of it, no vow of hers, no pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. And the LORD will forgive her, because her father opposed her. (Num 30:3-5)

and

[6] “If she marries a husband, while under her vows or any thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself, [7] and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand. [8] But if, on the day that her husband comes to hear of it, he opposes her, then he makes void her vow that was on her, and the thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she bound herself. And the LORD will forgive her. (Num 30:6-8)

There is a different stance with widows and the divorced;

[9] (But any vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, anything by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her.) (Num 30:9)

Note the various situations it depicts women in;

1) Under the care of the fathers,

2) Under the care of their husbands,

3) Widowed after their husband died,

4) Divorced from their husband.

Possibly the women who were widowed or divorced returned to the care of their fathers, if he was still alive. There doesn’t seem to be much room to consider the place of independent and single women in this society. Obviously this has changed now.

As a general rule, the men take the responsibility for the vows of women in their household. They have the authority to make the vow null and void;

[15] But if he makes them null and void after he has heard of them, then he shall bear her iniquity.” (Num 30:15)

Vows were serious business. They believed the LORD’s wrath would come upon them f they did not fulfill their promises.

Story of Israel

In 1 Samuel Hannah is a good example (1 Sam 1.1-28). If the LORD gave her a child, she promised to put him into  service in the priesthood. These laws above protected families from women who made vows in desperation. Having children was serious business and people occasionally make silly decisions.

Story of Jesus

Vows don't make a big appearance in the gospel. The passage however highlights the standing of men and women in Jewish culture. In Christ we all have the same standing. Male and female.

[25] But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, [26] for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. [27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:25-28)

I would take a complimentary stance on this passage. I expect we have differing roles in communities, churches and families. The New Testament still holds men responsible to take leadership in their communities, churches and families. In this way women can still be looked after by men, which seems to be one of the underlying premises of Numbers 30.

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