This week, we shall finish the study
of the book of Numbers and begin the study of the books of 1 & 2 Kings in
the Old Testament.
Although it is a lengthy chapter, the bulk of it is the itinerary of their 40 years of journey since the Exodus until they reached the border of Canaan. It is worth noting that including the Egyptian Rameses, there are total of 42 sites mentioned.
33:1-2—The Command to Compile the Itinerary
(1) In listing all the sites that the Israelites had stopped at, the Bible calls them “stages”: What might be the implication of the use of such a term?
(2) Why did God specifically ask Moses to record all these stages? What spiritual purpose(s) might be served?
33:3-49—The 42 Sites
(3) In describing the departure from Egypt, how important were the following reminders?
a. They marched boldly in full view of all the Egyptians.
b. The Egyptians were burying all their firstborn.
c. The Lord had brought judgment on their gods.
(4) In
your opinion, what does such a long list of 42 cities convey in terms of the following?
a. The hardship (See Deut. 1:19)
b. The grace of God (Deut. 1:31; 32:10 ff)
c. The punishment (Num. 32:10-13; 33:38)
d. While the list is not meant to be a complete list of all the cities they stopped at, Wenham points out that it could be broken down into six lists of “seven” names pointing to a sense of spiritual “completeness”. What do you think?
33:50-56—Instructions to Drive out and Destroy
(5) Subsequent to the listing of their journey through the wilderness for forty years, what specific instructions did God give the Israelites? Why?
(6) What would be the consequences if they fail to obey?
(7) Why were theses instructions given at this time?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“At the Lord’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey...” (Num. 33:2)
One wonders why God would “command” Moses to record the various stages in their journey through the wilderness, especially at this time when Aaron had just passed away (33:38-39), and they were at the border of Canaan about to enter into the Promised Land.
While God had not explicitly told Moses the purpose of making such a list, He did call them “stages” of their journey, and the list, though not exhaustive, contains some 42 different sites that certainly points to the length and hardship of the Israelites’ journey. And, with the concluding instructions at the end of the itinerary in vv. 50-55, it was certainly more than simply an itinerary of their journey, but it served as a reminder of God’s grace and the lessons that they should have learned from their rebellion throughout the journey. This is very much summed up by these words in the opening chapters of Deuteronomy:
“Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea.” (Deut. 1:19)
The itinerary of the Israelites is very much a picture of the “journey of life” of every Christian. It is a journey of faith that God has commanded us to embark on. It is both a journey of faith and of grace. God has never meant it to be a “vast and dreadful wilderness”; it is our own sin and rebellion that has made it a desert-like experience. Instead of travelling on straight paths, we often choose to take detours and make twisted turns; instead of constant victories, our lack of faith, our complaints of hardship and our willful sins have made us see more losses than victories.
But through it all, God has never left us or forsaken us, as these words in Deuteronomy testify:
“In a desert land He found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; He guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft. The Lord alone led him; …” (Deut. 32:10-12).
Just as it was a journey of grace to the Israelites, ours is also. Therefore, whatever stage we might be at in our life today, however “vast and dreadful” your desert experience is or has been, understand that they are only “stages” in your journey; God will lead you into the Promised Land and you will find rest in Him.
34:1-15—Setting Boundaries for Israel (See Note below)
(1) Although today, we may not be able to pinpoint the exact boundaries that were allotted to the 9 of 12 tribes west of Jordan, what might be the reason(s) for setting these boundaries at this time?
(2) What conditions are attached to the granting of these territories to them? (See Lev. 26:14, 32-35)
(3) At the eventual loss of their land, what reasons were given by the Lord for their destruction? (see Jer. 44:22)
(4) Do you think today’s Israel still has the right to claim these lands as rightfully theirs as a nation? Why or why not?
(5) Ezekiel (after the destruction of both the northern and southern kingdom) reiterated these boundaries again in Ezek. 47:13-20. What might be the reason(s)?
34:16-29—Leaders Names for Land Assignment
(6) Who were the people assigned to do the assignment of land?
(7) What role did Eleazar play?
(8) What role did Joshua play?
(9) Put yourself in the shoes of one of these leaders (apart from Caleb, the rest were basically unknown). How would you feel being appointed to a committee to divide land that was basically composed of “lots on a map” and occupied by native residents who would definitely put up strong resistance to your invasion?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
Note that many of the sites mentioned in this passage remain unknown, especially those on its northern borders. However, we still get a general sense of its boundaries, as the most common designation is from “Dan to Beersheba” (1 Sam. 3:20). Other passages in the Bible that describe its boundaries include Genesis 15:18, Exodus 23:31; Joshua 1:4; Ezekiel 47:13-20 etc. In any case, “this passage presents a fairly accurate picture of the land of Canaan as found in Near Eastern texts from the middle of the 15th cent. B.C. on, and matches particularly well with the territory in the Egyptian district of Canaan in the second half of the 13th cent. B.C. at least according to Y. Aharoni” (NICOT, Numbers, 639).
“This will be your land with its boundaries on every side.” (Num. 34:12)
The boundaries of the Promised Land were first mentioned in Genesis 15 when God made His promise to Abraham:
“On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates — the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites’” (Gen. 15:18-21).
This promise was made in response to the faithful obedience of Abraham in leaving his homeland and in conjunction with the promise of a “seed”. At the time, to Abraham, as a sojourner with a few household servants in a foreign land, this was a most extravagant and incredible promise. The boundaries mentioned were unthinkable.
However, as unthinkable as it was, the promiser was none other than the Almighty God, so, after some 700 years, the descendants of Abraham, as led by Moses, were on the verge of entering this Promised Land.
The setting of these boundaries stands as a witness to the faithfulness and the greatness of the Lord. The unthinkable would become a reality. On the other hand, in Israel's subsequent history, I believe it also served to set a limit to the ambitious aggression of the rulers and kings of Israel. They should learn to be content with what God had given them, as David expressed this sentiment in Psalm 16:
“Lord you have assigned my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (Ps. 16:5-6)
35:1-8—Towns and Pastures for the Levites
(1) As much as the Levites would not receive any land as their inheritance, they would be provided with towns to live in and pastures for their cattle and flock. In this sense, the Levites would not “own” any land, but they are really not any different from the rest of the people. Do you think so? Why or why not?
(2) What is the actual size of the pastures that the Levites would receive in each of the cities given (likely not exclusively)?
(3) Since an acre = 43,560 square feet, how many acres would each of the pastures be?
(4) Why would the six cities of refuge be located among the 48 towns inhabited by the Levites?
35:9-34—Six Cities of Refuge
(5) Where would the six cities of refuge be located? (v. 14)
(6) Treatment of accidental killing:
a. Even though the killing might be accidental, would the killer need to stand trial? How? (vv. 12, 24)
b. What would the city of refuge serve as before the trial? (v. 12)
c. What constitutes unintentional killing? (vv. 22-23)
d. What will happen to the unintentional killer? Why? (vv. 25, 28)
e. What if the killer leaves the city of refuge prematurely? (v. 27)
(7) Treatment of murderers
a. Apart from the mentioning of the objects used in a murder, what ultimately constitutes a murder? (vv. 20-21)
b. What is the punishment? (vv. 19, 21)
c. How should the charge of murder be established? Why? (vv. 30, 32)
d. Why is no ransom to be accepted for the life of a murderer? (vv. 31, 33-34)
e. Do you think this principle should apply today as well? Why or why not?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“The accused must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.” (Num. 35:25b)
The legal requirements set for how to deal with unintentional killing and murder are indeed very fair and sound. The provision of the cities of refuge for both the protection of the accused (so that a proper trial could be held to determine if it is intentional killing or murder) and in the case of proven unintentional killing, the continuous protection for the person for the rest of his life is certainly fair and humane as well.
However, one might wonder why the unintentional killer had to stay as long as the high priest of his time was still alive and would be free to go once the high priest died. In other words, should the high priest live for a long, long time, the person guilty of unintentional killing would be serving like a life-imprisonment. On the other hand, hypothetically speaking, should the high priest die within a week of his verdict, he would be free almost at once.
Gregory the Great (ca. 540-600+) has this insight into the matter (as cited by his secretary, Paterius): “What does it mean that a homicide returns for absolution after the death of the high priest, except that the human race, which brought death upon itself by sinning, receives absolution for its guilt after the death of the true priest, namely our Redeemer” (ACC S, III, 273).
This powerfully foreshadows the absolution of our sins through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ in that even the thief on the cross next to Him could receive complete and instant forgiveness upon his repentance, and the Lord says, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:43).
(1) Why should the family heads of the clan of Gilead be so mindful if the land of their brother Zoleophehad be lost to another tribe?
(2) Shouldn’t we say, “It is only land and, it is not going to foreigners but will remain within Israel?”
(3) According to their opinion, will the legislation of Jubilee which deals with purchased land and not inherited land (in Leviticus 25:13ff) solve this problem? (36:4)
(4) Why then did the Lord (through Moses) say they were right? (36:5)
(5) Why shouldn’t land be passed from “tribe to tribe”?(36:9)
(6) What did the daughters of Zelophehad do? Why?
(7) How does this anecdote speak of the God of Israel?
(8) As we come to the close of this book, I would suggest that you scan through the notes you have taken in the last 7-8 weeks or flip through the pages of Numbers, reflect on the major events of these 40 years of Israel’s history and see what might the important messages be to you and how you may apply them to your life.
“No inheritance may pass from tribe to tribe, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits.” (Num. 36:9)
At a first glance, we might be disturbed by the family heads of the clan of Gilead who tried to fight over the future inheritance that would be allotted to the daughters of Zelophehad. For one, we are not talking about a lot of land, only those that would go to one family — the family of Zelophehad. Further, we tend to think that it is only land that we are talking about: As long as these women marry Israelites of other tribes, the land would stay within Israel. Why be so territorial-minded!
As it turned out, even the Lord agreed with them and said they were right, and added legislations to ensure that “No inheritance may pass from tribe to tribe” (36:9).
I think, apart from fairness, it really reflects God’s desire to deter covetedness in terms of undue accumulation of land, and to enforce the intent of the laws of Jubilee both to prevent abject, perpetual poverty and to ensure that all properties sold or mortgaged would return to their original owners, hence, the original tribes (see Lev. 25:13-55).
Without this added legislation in chapter 36, the Year of Jubilee which deals only with purchased properties, would only ensure perpetual loss of the land of the Manasseh tribe, should the daughters of Zelophehad marry men of other tribes.
No wonder the Lord agreed with the family heads of the clan of Gilead, because they were not really fighting for themselves — they would be long gone by the Year of Jubilee in the Promised Land; they were concerned with both the fairness and long-term stability of the community of Israel.