Bible: Beginning to End - Numbers 27-36: Preparations for the Invasion

Episode Date: January 1, 2022

*For copyright reasons, I had to combine these episodes into one episode. Numbers 27-31 (Read) Numbers 32-36 (Read) Contact Us Visit our Website          On Instagram @biblebeginningtoend   �� On Twitter: @biblebeginning1      Via email: [e-mail] Discuss each episode on Reddit Click Here for our YouTube Channel. Supporting the Show Financial contributions are never required, but if you'd like to support the show, here are a couple of ways: Be a listener and share the show with your friends! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to become a monthly supporter via Spotify.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠* ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to make a one-time contribution via Paypal⁠⁠⁠.* *Note that the Bible Beginning to End podcast is not a registered 501(c)3 or charitable organization. Therefore, any monetary support provided is not tax deductible. 10% of any profits made from this podcast via ad revenues or listener support will be donated to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Asha's Refuge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a Christ-centered nonprofit that "exists to assist the most disadvantaged refugees/asylees in achieving a successful resettlement in the Memphis, TN area.". Episode Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 1 1:27 - Ad Break 1:28 - Numbers 27 6:52 - Numbers 28 13:47 - Numbers 29 21:55 - Numbers 30 26:41 - Numbers 31 35:37 - Outro 1 37:17 - Intro 2 39:09 - Numbers 32 46:56 - Numbers 33 55:15 - Numbers 34 1:00:33 - Numbers 35 1:08:17 - Numbers 36 1:11:02 - Outro 2 Bible Verse Copyright Statement Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. To purchase an NLT, please visit https://amzn.to/3wUpUef

Hello and welcome back to Bible beginning to end, where we are reading through the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. As always, today's episode, I will be reading through a passage, and I'll be asking questions along the way, but the most important thing is to listen to the words and hear what God is telling you through them, without looking at commentary, without looking at what other people say, what is it that you think of the words you're hearing or reading? What is God telling you about them first? Not that commentaries are bad, but it is always good to have an understanding of the Bible on your own before you seek out everyone else's thoughts. So we're plugging

along through numbers. And we finished up numbers 26 last time. And today we are starting with numbers 27. And we're going to be reading numbers 27 through numbers 31. This section from here till the end of numbers is called preparation for the invasion. So let's see what truths we will be uncovering in today's reading. Numbers 27. The Daughters of Zalofahad. One day, a petition was presented by the daughters of Zalofahad, Mala, Noah, Hagla, Milka, and Terza. Their father, Zalofahad, was a descendant of Heifer, son of Gilead, son of Mocker, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph. These women stood,

before Moses, Eliezer, the priest, the tribal leaders, and the entire community at the entrance of the tabernacle. Our father died in the wilderness, they said. He was not among Corus followers who rebelled against the Lord. He died because of his own sin, but he had no sons. Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives. So Moses brought this case before the Lord, and the Lord replied to Moses, the claim of the daughters of the Lofahad is legitimate. You must give them a grant of land along with their father's relatives, assign them the property that would have been given to their father, and give the following instructions to the people of Israel. If a man dies and has no son,

then give his inheritance to his daughters. And if he has no daughter, and if he has no daughter, either transfer his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. But if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan. This is a legal requirement for the people of Israel, just as the Lord commanded Moses. So pause there at the end of that section. What do you think it took for Zolofahad's daughters to come before Moses at the tabernacle. What kind of courage? Think about the time we're in and women's position in society. And then what does God's response tell us about God? When God shows up, we always want to be thinking, what is this telling us about God? What does it tell us about how he listens?

What does it tell us about how important it is to bring our requests to God? The next section is Joshua chosen to lead Israel. One day, the Lord said to Moses, Climb one of the mountains east of the river, and look out over the land I have given the people of Israel. Pause there. What land is he talking about? Verse 13.

After you have seen it, you will die like your brother, Aaron. For you both rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zen. When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters. These are the waters of Mirabah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zen. Then Moses said to the Lord, O Lord, You are the God who gives breath to all creatures. please appoint a new man as leader for the community. Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go

and will lead them into battle. So the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd. So pause there. Why is Moses asking for a new leader for the Israelites right now? Verse 18, the Lord replied, Take Joshua, son of none, who has the spirit in him and lay your hands on him, present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community and publicly commission him to lead the people. Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of

Israel will obey him. When direction from the Lord is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will use the Urum, one of the sacred lots cast before the Lord to decide his will. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do. So Moses did as the Lord commanded. He presented Joshua to Eleazar, the priest, and the whole community. Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people just as the Lord had commanded through Moses. So pause there at the end of chapter 27. Why was it important for Moses to have God appoint a new leader now?

Remember Moses and all the things that we've learned about him as his journey. journey is not over yet, but is coming to an end. Reflect on his ministry, his leadership, his purpose. And think about those things as we go through the rest of this section today. Numbers 28. The daily offerings. The Lord said to Moses, give these instructions to the people of Israel. The offerings you present as special gifts are a pleasing aroma to me. They are my food. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to my instructions. Say to the people, this is the special gift you must present to the Lord as your daily burnt offering.

You must offer two one-year-old male lambs with no defects, sacrifice one lamb in the morning, and the other in the evening. With each lamb, you must offer a grand. offering of two quarts of choice flour mixed with one quart of pure oil of pressed olives. This is the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Along with it, you must present the proper liquid offering of one quart of alcoholic drink with each lamb poured out in the holy places as an offering to the Lord. offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and liquid offering. It too is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

So pause there and think about these rituals, these offerings that people had to give to the Lord on a daily basis. What do these rituals do for the people of Israel? How does it prepare their heart and their spirit? Why might God be asking for these daily offerings? The next section is the Sabbath offerings. On the Sabbath day, sacrifice two one-year-old male lambs with no defects. They must be accompanied by a grain offering of four quarts of choice flour, moistened with olive oil, and a liquid offering.

This is the burnt offering to be presented each Sabbath's, day in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying liquid offering. So pause there, why is the Sabbath a little different? The monthly offerings. On the first day of each month, present an extra burnt offering to the Lord of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil, six quarts, with each bowl, four quarts with the ram, and two quarts with each lamb. This burnt offering will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. You must present a liquid offering with each sacrifice,

two quarts of wine for each bowl, a third of a gallon for the ram, and one quart for each lamb. present this monthly burnt offering on the first day of each month throughout the year. On the first day of each month, you must also offer one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings and its accompanying liquid offerings. Offerings for the Passover. On the 14th day of the first month, you must celebrate the Lord's Passover. On the following day, the 15th day of the month, a joyous seven-day festival will begin, but no bread made with yeast may be eaten.

The first day of the festival will be an official day for holy assembly, and no ordinary work may be done on that day. As a special gift, you must present a burnt offering to the Lord, two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil, six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram, and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. You must also offer a male goat as a sin offering to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord. Present these offerings in addition to your regular morning, burnt offering.

On each of the seven days of the festival, this is how you must prepare the food offering that is presented as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. These will be offered in addition to the regular burnt offerings and liquid offerings. The seventh day of the festival will be another official day for Holy Assembly and no ordinary work may be done on that day. So pause there. Do we remember what the Passover was? What are they celebrating? And why is it so important?

The next section is offerings for the Festival of Harvest. At the Festival of Harvest, when you present the first of your new grain to the Lord, you must call an official day for Holy Assembly, and you may do no ordinary work on that day. Present a special burnt offering on that day as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs. These will be accompanied by grain offerings. of choice flour moistened with olive oil, six quarts with each bowl, four quarts with the ram

and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. Also, offer one male goat to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord. Prepare these special burnt offerings along with their liquid offerings in addition to the regular burnt offerings and its accompanying grain offering. Be sure that all the animals you sacrifice have no defects. So Paul is there at the end of Numbers 28, and as we continue into Numbers 29, we're still going to be talking about offerings for different festivals. And I want you to be thinking about these festivals and what they represent. Think about why God is asking the Israelites to remember these festivals, and what the importance of taking time to stop and pause and reflect. on your history and on what God has done, what the importance of that is in our daily lives.

So Numbers 29 offerings for the Festival of Trumpets. Celebrate the Festival of Trumpets each year on your first day of the appointed month in early autumn. You must call an official day for Holy Assembly and you may do no ordinary work. On that day, you must present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil, six quarts with the bull, four quarts with the ram, and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. In addition, you must sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord.

These special sacrifices are in addition to your regular monthly and daily burnt offerings, and they must be given with their prescribed grain offerings and liquid offerings. These offerings are given as a special gift to the Lord, a pleasing aroma to him. Offerings for the Day of Atonement Ten days later, on the tenth day of the same month, you must call another holy assembly. On that day, the Day of Atonement, The people must go without food and must do no ordinary work.

You must present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. These offerings must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil, six quarts of choice flour with the bull, four quarts of choice flour with the ram, and two quarts of choice flour with each of the seven lambs. You must also sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. This is an addition to the sin offering of atonement and the regular daily burnt offering

with its grain offering and their accompanying liquid offerings. So pause there at the end of that section and reflect on this question, why are the Israelites called to fast during the day of atonement? What does fasting do? Why is it important? What does it represent? The next section is offerings for the festival of shelters. Five days later, on the 15th day of the same month, You must call another holy assembly of all the people, and you may do no ordinary work on that day. It is the beginning of the festival of shelters, a seven-day festival to the Lord.

On the first day of the festival, you must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of 13 young bulls, two rams, and 14 one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. Each of these offerings must be accompanied by a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil, six quarts for each of the 13 bowls, four quarts for each of the two rams, and two quarts for each of the 14 lambs. You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering. On the second day of the 7th Day Festival, sacrifice 12 young bulls, two rams, and 14 one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering. On the third day of the festival, sacrifice 11 young bulls, two rams, and 14 one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering. So let's pause there just to take a break as we're about halfway through the festival of shelters. As we're reading this, you can be asking yourselves questions like, why is God asking them to do these specific things? Why are these sacrifices necessary?

What is God showing the Israelites through these rituals and celebrations? And it's okay to ask these questions and not know the answer. We can take the time to sit with them and work through them. Okay, verse 23. On the fourth day of the festival, sacrifice 10 young bulls, two rams, and 14 one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular, burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

On the fifth day of the festival, sacrifice nine young bulls, two rams, and 14-1-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering. On the sixth day of the festival sacrifice eight young bulls, two rams, and 14-1-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied

by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering, and liquid offering. On the seventh day of the festival, sacrifice seven young bulls, two rams, and 14, one-year-old male lambs. All with no defects. Each of these offerings of bulls, rams,

and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering. On the eighth day of the festival, proclaim another holy day. You must do no ordinary work on that day. You must present a burnt offering. It's a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. Each of these offerings must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. You must also sacrifice one male goat, as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering

and liquid offering. You must present these offerings to the Lord at your annual festivals. These are in addition to the sacrifices and offerings you present in connection with vows or as voluntary offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, liquid offerings, or peace offerings. So Moses gave all these instructions to the people of Israel as the Lord had commanded him. Okay, so now we're transitioning into a section called laws concerning vows. This is chapter 30. So as we go into this section, what does the word vow mean to you? What kind of vows do we take now?

Are vows important? Are they not important? Are we supposed to take them seriously? or are they just the same as any promise that we make? And as we go into this, remember who? Think about who Moses is talking to and how this applies to that audience and also in a modern sense.

How can we apply it to where we are now? Numbers 30. Then Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them this is what the Lord has commanded. A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do. If a young woman makes a vow to the Lord or a pledge under oath while she is still living at her father's home, then her father hears of the vow or pledge and does not object to it,

then all her vows and pledges will stand. but if her father refuses to let her fulfill the vow or pledge on the day he hears of it, then all her vows and pledges will become invalid. The Lord will forgive her because her father would not let her fulfill them. So pause there. That's an interesting little section so far. The first commandment is that if a man makes a vow to the Lord, he must not break it. What do we make of that one? And then you have one where if a woman who still lives with her father makes a vow, it has to be approved by her father. Why do you think that is? What do we make of that law? And this next one is going to be a little similar, so we can think along the same lines. Verse six. Now suppose a young woman makes a vow or binds herself with an impulsive pledge and later marries. If her husband learns of her vow or pledge,

and does not object on the day he hears it, her vows and pledges will stand. But if her husband refuses to accept her vow or impulsive pledge on the day he hears of it, he nullifies her commitment, and the Lord will forgive her. If however a woman is a widow or is divorced, she must fulfill all her vows and pledges. But suppose a woman is married and living in her husband's home when she makes a vow or bind herself with a pledge. If her husband hears of it and does not object to it, her vow or pledge will stand. But if her husband refuses to accept it on the day he hears of it, her vow or pledge will be nullified and the Lord will forgive her. So her husband may either confirm or nullify

any vows or pledges she makes to deny herself. But if he does not object on the day he hears of it, then he is agreeing to all her vows and pledges. If he waits more than a day and then tries to nullify a vow or pledge, he will be punished for her guilt. These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife and between a father and a young daughter who still lives at home. So pause there at the end of Numbers 30.

We learned some more information about vows, and what kind of information did you learn? Has that informed your view of the importance of vows? And then we learned some of the differences between men and women making vows. Why do you think God had it set up this way? This might be a question that's a little more difficult to answer and it's okay. You can take time with it and take time with it and sit in that uncertainty but also take time to think on it,

and then at some point you can reference commentary and read up on these questions. But I think it's really important to take some time and think on it yourself first. Okay, so our final chapter for today is Numbers 31 Conquest of the Midianites. Then the Lord said to Moses, on behalf of the people of Israel take revenge on the Midianites for leading them into idolatry.

After that, you will die and join your ancestors. Okay, so pause there. Why does God want the Israelites to take revenge on the Midianites? And how is this form of revenge different than if you decided yourself to take revenge on someone? And then what do you think about the fact that God say? after that, you will die and join your ancestors. Verse 3. So Moses said to the people, choose some men and arm them to fight the Lord's war of revenge against Midian.

From each tribe of Israel send 1,000 men into battle. So they chose 1,000 men from each tribe of Israel, a total of 12,000 men armed for battle. Then Moses sent them out, 1,000 men from each tribe, and Phineas, son of Eliezer, the priest, led them into battle. They carried along the holy objects of the sanctuary and the trumpets for sounding the charge. They attacked Midian as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men. All five of the Midianite kings, Evai, Reckham, Zer, and Reba died in the battle.

They also killed Balam, son of Bayor, with the sword. Then the Israelite army captured the Midianite women and children and seized their cattle and flocks and all their wealth as plunder. They burned all the towns and villages where the Midianites had lived. After they had gathered the plunder and captives, both people and animals, they brought them all to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the whole community of Israel, which was camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. Moses, Eliezer, the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside

the camp. But Moses was furious with all the generals and captains who had returned from the battle. Why have you let all the women live, he demanded. These are the very ones who followed Bollum's advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against the Lord at Mount Payor. They are the ones who cause the plague to strike the Lord's people, so kill all the boys and all the women who have had intercourse with a man. Only the young girls who are virgins may live. You may keep them for yourselves, and all of you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days. Purify all your clothing, too, and every day. And every day, and every day. You must purify all your

clothing too and everything made of leather, goat, hair, or wood. So pause there. We should be familiar with these rituals of purification. We talked about those in previous books. But what might be difficult right here is the violence we're reading about. That might be something that you ask yourself, why is this here? Why is this the way God had to handle this situation? Sit with that and think about it. Ask yourself that question. Why was Moses furious when they brought the women back? And what was the sin the Midianites caused the Israelites to fall into? And how serious is sin in the eyes of God, especially sin, where you're led to worship another God? It's okay to sit with this question of trying to reconcile why God would approve of this form of violence.

What is God telling you about this passage? And then think of it in light of Jesus' sacrifice later and how we experience sin and confronting sin versus some of the ways it might have been handled in the Old Testament. Verse 21. Then Eliezer, the priest, said to the men who were in battle. The Lord has given Moses this legal requirement. Anything made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead, that is all metals that do not burn,

must be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure. These metal objects must then be further purified with the water of purification, but everything that burns must be purified by the water alone. On the seventh day, you must wash your clothes, and be purified. Then you may return to the camp. The last section is

Division of the plunder. And the Lord said to Moses, you and Eliezer the priest and the family leaders of each tribe are to make a list of all the plunder taken in the battle, including the people and animals. Then divide the plunder into two parts

and give half to the men who fought in the battle and half to the rest of the people. From the army's portion, first give the Lord his shes, of the plunder, one of every 500 of the prisoners and of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. Give this share of the army's half to Eleazar, the priest, as an offering to the Lord. From the half that belongs to the people of Israel, take one of every 50 of the prisoners and of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and other animals. Give this share to the Levites, who are in

charge of maintaining the Lord's tabernacle. So Moses and Eleazar, the priest, did as the the Lord commanded Moses. The plunder remaining from everything the fighting men had taken totaled 675,000 sheeps and goats, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 virgin girls. Half of the plunder was given to the fighting men. It totaled 337,500 sheep and goats. It totaled 337,500 sheep and goats, totaled 337,500 sheep and goats, of which 675 were the Lord's share, 36,000 cattle, of which 72 were the Lord's share, 30,500 donkeys, of which 61 were the Lord's share, and 16,000 virgin girls, of whom 32 were the Lord's share. Moses gave all the Lord's share to Eleazar, the priest, just as the Lord had directed him. Half of the plunder belonged to the people

of Israel and Moses separated it from the half belonging to the fighting men. It totaled 337,500 sheep and goats, 36,000 cattle, and 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 virgin girls. From the half share given to the people, Moses took one of every 50 prisoners and animals and gave them to the Levites who maintained the Lord's tabernacle. All this was done as the Lord had commanded Moses. Then all the general generals and captains came to Moses and said, we your servants have accounted for all the men who went out to battle under our command. Not one of us is missing. So we are presenting the items of gold we captured as an offering to the Lord

from our share of the plunder, armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This will purify our lives before the Lord and make us right with him. So Moses and Eleazar, the priest, received the gold from all the military commanders, all kinds of jewelry and crafted objects. So Moses and Eleazar, the priest, received the gold from all the military commanders, all kinds of jewelry and crafted objects. In all, the gold that the generals and captains presented as a gift to the Lord weighed about 420 pounds. All the fighting men had taken some of the plunder for themselves. So Moses and Eliezer the priest accepted the gifts from the generals and captains and brought the gold to the tabernacle as a reminder to the Lord that the people of Israel belong to him.

So we can pause there at the end of chapter 31 where we're stopping for this time and reflect on all that's happened. Think about where they're still going. Remember what their journey is for. They're entering the promised land. And remember that this first generation of Israelites, they won't see the promised land, but they are still working and fighting and journeying toward that promise. Why? And remember that Moses, who's leading all of this, has already been told by God that he will not enter the promised land.

and yet he still pushes forward leading the Israelites for this cause. What does that tell us about his faith? And what does that tell us about who God is? Okay, so think on these things, these chapters, these words that we've read, pray, and ask God to give you insight. And I hope that he speaks to you through his word. Well, I know that he does. He always does. So thank you for listening.

I'm slowly but surely getting through these as best I can. Feel free to reach out like you have all been doing. I love hearing from you. We're going to finish up numbers next time. And then we get to start a whole new book, which continues this story. So thanks for listening, and I will talk to you in the next one. Hello, and welcome back to Bible beginning to end. I'm so glad you're going to you.

are here today for another episode where we will be reading through the scriptures together. Thank you all for your patience as I'm working through these chapters as quickly as is possible. I do work a full-time job, so sometimes it's a little difficult for me to find time to record, but every chance I get, I'm doing a little bit at a time, and we'll get there one day. So thank you for your patience. So today we will be completing the book of numbers. We will be reading from chapter 32 all the way to the end of the book. So let's remind ourselves where we were last time.

We read through some more laws and rituals and rules that God has given to Moses. And then in chapter 31, we saw God command Israel to go to war. against the Midianites for corrupting Israel back in Numbers 25. And we saw them successful in that war and how they divided up all of the plunders of those battles. So as we start today, let's just remember how we go about reading through the scriptures here on this podcast. I'm going to read through and pause to ask questions along the way.

I'm not going to offer answers to these questions, but this is just a time for you to reflect on scripture and see what God might be telling you. So let's take a deep breath and dive right in to finishing up the book of numbers. And let's start with Numbers 32, the tribes east of the Jordan. The tribes of Rubin and Gad owned vast numbers of livestock. So when they saw that the lands of Jazar and Gilead were ideally suited for their flocks and herds, they came to Moses, Eliezer the priest, and the other leaders of the community. They said, notice the towns of Adiroth, Dibbon, Jaser, Nimra, Heshpen, Alila, Eliala, Sima, Nebo, and Bein. The Lord has conquered this whole area for the community of Israel, and it is ideally suited for all livestock.

If we have found favor with you, please let us have this land as our property instead of giving us land across the Jordan River. Do you intend to stay here while your brothers go across and do all the fighting? Moses asked the men of Gad and Rubin. Why do you want to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the land, the Lord? Lord has given them. Your ancestors did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. After they went up to the valley of Eschal and explored the land, they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the Lord was giving them. Then the Lord was very angry with them, and he vowed, of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is 20 years old or older will ever

see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly. The only exceptions are Caleb, son of Jeffina, the Kenezite, and Joshua, son of none, for they have wholeheartedly followed the Lord. The Lord was angry with Israel, and made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until the entire generation that sinned in the Lord's sight had died. but here you are a brood of sinners doing exactly the same thing you are making the lord even angrier with Israel if you turn away from him like this and he abandons them again in the wilderness you will be responsible for destroying this entire nation okay so pause there why is moses so angry and who is he angry act. What is he referencing

that happened in the past? Do you remember the story he's talking about? And what do you think their response is going to be? Let's find out in verse 16. But they approached Moses and said, we simply want to build pens for our livestock and fortified towns for our wives and children.

Then we will arm ourselves and lead our fellow Israelites into battle until we have brought them safely to their land. Meanwhile, our families will stay in the fortified towns we build here, so they will be safe from any attacks by the local people. We will not return to our homes until all the people of Israel have received their portions of land. But we do not claim any of the land on the other side of the Jordan. We would rather live here, on the east side, and accept this as our grant of land.

So pause there. What is their response? What are they saying to Moses? Verse 20. Then Moses said, If you keep your word and arm yourselves for the Lord's battle, and if your troops cross the Jordan and keep fighting until the Lord has driven out his enemies, then you may return when the Lord has conquered the land.

You will have fulfilled your duty to the Lord and to the rest of the people of Israel, and the land on the east side of the Jordan will be your property from the land. the Lord. But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. Go ahead and build towns for your families and pins for your flocks. Do everything you have promised. So pause there. Why has Moses sort of changed his tone? He listened to what they said and what was the agreement that they came to. And one more important thing I want to point out is in verse 22. Moses says you may return when who has conquered the land. Who is Moses attributing these victories to? And why is that important? Verse 25. Then the men of

Gad and Rubin replied, we your servants will follow your instructions exactly. Our children, wives, flocks and cattle will stay here in the towns of Gilead, but all who are able to bear arms will cross over to fight for the Lord just as you have said. So Moses gave orders to Eleazar the priest, Joshua, son of none, and the leaders of the clans of Israel. He said, the men of Gad and Rubin, who are armed for battle, must cross the Jordan with you to fight for the Lord. if they do give them the land of Gilead as their property when the land is conquered but if they refuse to arm themselves and cross over with you then they must accept the land with the rest of you in the land of Canaan. The tribes of Gad and Rubin said again we are your servants and we will do as the Lord

has commanded we will cross the Jordan into Canaan fully armed to fight for the Lord but our property will be here on this side of the Jordan. So Moses assigned land to the tribes of Gad, Rubin, and half the tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph. He gave them the territory of King Cyan, of the Amorites, and the land of King Ag of Boshan, the whole land with its cities and surrounding lands. The descendants of Gad built the towns of Dibbon, Adiroth, Arorah,

Atroth Schaffin, Jazzer, Jogbeha, Beth Nimra, and Beth Haran. These were all fortified towns with pins for their flocks. The descendants of Rubin built the towns of Hespin, Alila, Kiriotham, Nibo, Beal, Mayan, and Sima. They changed the names of some of the towns they conquered and rebuilt. They changed the names of some of the towns they conquered and rebuilt. Then the descendants of Makar of the tribe of Manassah went to Gilead and conquered it, and they drove out the Amarites living there. So Moses gave Gilead to the Macerites descendants of Manassah, and they settled there.

The people of Jair, another clan of the tribe of Manassah captured many of the towns in Gilead and changed the name of that region to the towns of Jair. Meanwhile, a man named Noba captured the city. the town of Kenneth and its surrounding villages, and he renamed that area Nobah after himself. Okay, so let's pause there so I can give just a little introduction into chapter 33, which is remembering Israel's journey. This chapter is going to be a long list, but in a twist, it's not a long list of people and their descendants. It's actually a long list of of all the places Israel went and the journey they've been walking all this way. So this might be

one of those chapters where you're like, oh my goodness, why do I have to read all this? Why is this here? Well, as I'm reading it, what I want you to think about is your own journey. I want you to think about where you've been and the places God has brought you from. Maybe they're physical places like Israel from Egypt to here to here to hear to hear to the promised land maybe it's a spiritual place God brought you from a place of being a slave to sin to being saved to being free from sin maybe he's brought you from a mental place of anxiety and depression and grief to a stronger mental place. Whatever that may be for you, whatever God is bringing to your heart right now as we're reading

through Israel's journey, I want you to think on that. I want you to pray on that. And I want you to thank God for the places he's already taken you and thank God for the places he's going to take you. And also reflect on Israel's story and how far they've come. Okay, numbers 33. remembering Israel's journey. This is the route the Israelites followed

as they marched out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. At the Lord's direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress. These are the stages of their march identified by the different places where they stopped along the way. They set out from the city of Ramses

in early spring on the 15th day of the first month, on the morning after the first Passover celebration. The people of Israel left defiantly in full view of all the Egyptians. Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn sons whom the Lord had killed the night before. The Lord had defeated the gods of Egypt that night with great acts of judgment. So pause there. What is that referring to?

What is that little section referring to? Do remember that story in Exodus? Verse 5. after leaving Ramsey's the Israelites set up camp at Sakath. Then they left Sakath and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. Then they left Etham and turned back toward Pai-Hahirath opposite Bayal-Zephen and camped near Migdal. They left Pai-Hirith and crossed the Red Sea into the wilderness beyond. Then they traveled for three days into the Etham wilderness and camped at Mara.

They left Amara and camped at Mara. at Elam, where there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees. They left Elam and camped beside the Red Sea. They left the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of sin. They left the wilderness of sin and camped at Daphka. They left Daphka and camped at Alish. They left Alish and camped at Raphidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. They left Rafitham and camped in the wilderness of Sinai.

They left the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-Hattava. They left Kibrof Hatov and camped at Hazaroth. They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithma. They left Rhythma and camped at Riven-Perez. They left Riemann-Perez and camped at Libna. They left Libna and camped at Rissa. They left Risa and camped at Kahlitha. They left Cahalitha and camped at Mount Sheffer.

They left Mount Sheffer and camped at Harada. They left Harada and camped at Makeleth. They left Makeleth and camped at Tahoth. They left Tehoth and camped at Tara. They left Therah and camped at Mithka. They left Mithka and camped at Hashmanah. They left Hashmanah and camped at Mazuroth. They left Mazuroth and camped at Benny Jocken.

They left Benny Jocken and camped at Hoaggoggedgad. They left Hoar Hagidgad and camped at Jotpatha. They left Jopitha and camped at Abraana. They left Abrana and camped at Ezyangber. They left Ezeengeber and camped at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zen. They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hore at the border of Edom. While they were at the foot of Mount Hore, Hor, Aaron the priest was directed by the Lord to go up the mountain, and there he died.

This happened in midsummer on the first day of the fifth month of the 40th year after Israel's departure from Egypt. Aaron was 123 years old when he died there on Mount Hor. At that time, the Canaanite king of Arid, who lived in Negev in the land of Canaan, heard the people of Israel were approaching his land. Meanwhile, the Israelites left Mount Hore and camped at Zalmanah. Then they left Zalmanah and camped at Pune. They left Pune in camped at Abbot. They left Abbot and camped at Lai Abrah on the border of Moab. They left Lai Abarum and camped at Dibingad. They left Dibbon Gad and camped at Alman Diblethyam. They left Alman Diblethyam and camped in the mountains east of the river near Mount Nebo. They left the mountains east of the river and camped on the

plains of Moab beside the Jordan River across from Jericho. Along the Jordan River, they camped from Beth, Jeshamath, as far as the meadows of Acacia on the plains of Moab. While they were camped near the Jordan River on the plains of Moab opposite Jericho, the Lord said to Moses, give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you cross the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, you must drive out all the people living there. You must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines. Take possession of the land and settle in it because I have given it to you to occupy. You must distribute the land among the clans by sacred lot and in proportion to their size. A larger portion of land will be allotted to each of the larger clans and a smaller portion

will be allotted to each of the smaller clans. The decision of the sacred lot is final. In this way, the portions of land will be divided among your ancestral tribes. But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eye and thorns in your side. They will harass you in the land where you live, and I will do to you what I had planned to do to them. Okay, so take a breath.

lot to take in. Those were a lot of places. Forgive my pronunciation because they named their lands very differently than we do now. But take a breath because we got through that and reflect what was God telling you about your own journey? What was he reminding you? What did he bring up? And also, what did you learn about the Israelites? Did it bring to mind and put into clear focus how long and arduous their journey was. And then this last section about land and driving all the people out, how serious is God about what he's telling the Israelites?

Okay, so let's go into Numbers 34, Boundaries of the Land. And what land are we talking about? This is Canaan. This is the land that God promised the Israelites generations ago, starting with Abraham. This is the promised land. So just take a minute to reflect on the journey we've been through to get here. The people who have died because an entire generation of Israelites has died

and not been able to enter the promised land, but God's promise remains true. He is giving them this land, even if it's to the ancestors of the world, ones who were saved from Egypt to the ancestors of Abraham. He is giving the land that is promised. So let's read chapter 34, boundaries of the land. Then the Lord said to Moses, give these instructions to the Israelites. When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your special possession, these will be the boundaries. The southern portion of your country will extend from the

wilderness of Zen along the edge of Edom. The southern boundary will begin on the east at the Dead Sea. It will then run south past Scorpion Pass in the direction of Zen. Its southernmost point will be Kadesh Barnea, from which it will go to Hazar Otter and on to Osman. From Osman, the boundary will turn toward the brook of Egypt and the end of the Mediterranean Sea. Your western boundary will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. Your northern boundary will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and run east to Mount Hore. Then to Libo Hamath and on through Zadad and Ziphran to Hazar-Ean. This will be your northern boundary.

The eastern boundary will start at Hazar-Ean and run, south to Shefham, then down to Ribla, on the east side of Ayan. From there, the boundary will run down along the eastern edge of the Sea of Galilee, and then along the Jordan River to the Dead Sea. These are the boundaries of your land. Then Moses told the Israelites, this territory is the homeland you are to divide among yourselves by sacred lot. The Lord has commanded that the land be divided among the nine and a half remaining tribes. The families of the tribes of Rubin, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received their grants of land on the east side of the Jordan River across, from Jericho toward the sunrise.

The next section is leaders to divide the land. And the Lord said to Moses, Eliezer the priest and Joshua, son of none, are the men designated to divide the grants of land among the people. enlist one leader from each tribe to help them with the task. These are the tribes and the names of the leaders. Tribe of Judah, the leader Caleb, son of Jafuna. Tribe of Simeon, the leader, Shemuel, son of Amahood. Tribe of Benjamin, leader, Eladad, son of Kislan.

Tribe of Dan, leader, Buki, son of Jogli. Tribe of Manasa, son of Joseph, leader, Hanyel, son of Ephid. Tribe of Ephraim, son of Joseph, leader, Kemuel, son of Shifton. Tribe of Zebulin, leader, Elazophon, son of Parnac.

Tribe of Isakar, leader, Paltiel, son of Azzan. Tribe of Asher, leader, Aahood, son of Shalomi, tribe of Naftali, leader, Padaahel, son of Amahood. These are the men the Lord has a pointed to divide the grants of land and Canaan among the Israelites.

So pause there at the end of chapter 34. Why do you think God gives these specific instructions for dividing the land? Why doesn't he just say, this portion of the land goes to Judah, this portion of the land goes to the tribe of Simeon, this portion of the land goes to the tribe of Benjamin, and so on? Why does he use this model where he has leaders from each tribe? Divide the land by casting lots. And if you don't know what I mean by casting lots, you know, I'm not one to just give you answers here.

So do a little research. Let me encourage you. When you come across something like that that you may not know that maybe I didn't ask a question about or you're still curious about, do some research on it. Find a study Bible, look into, you know, solid resources regarding scripture? Find out what that means casting lots. But what does it tell us about how God uses people? Why does he choose to use people to fulfill his plan rather than just

doing everything himself? Okay, numbers 35, towns for the Levites. Now remember, who were the Levites? Iran's clan, they were the priests of the Israelites. And did you notice that they weren't mentioned in the previous chapter where we were talking about the division of land? So why do you think that was? Okay. Chapter 35, verse 1. Towns for the Levites. While Israel was camped beside the Jordan, on the plains of Moab across from Jericho, the Lord said to Moses, command the people of Israel to give to the Levites from their property certain towns to live in along the surrounding pasture lands. These towns will be for the Levites to live in, and the surrounding lands will provide pasture for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock.

The pasture land assigned to the Levites around these towns will extend 1,500 feet from the town walls in every direction. measure off 3,000 feet outside the town walls in every direction east, south, west, north, with the town at the center. This area will serve as the larger pasture land for the towns. Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can flee for safety. In addition, give them 42 other towns, in all four. 48 towns with the surrounding pasture land will be given to the Levites.

These towns will come from the property of the people of Israel. The larger tribes will give more towns to the Levites, while the smaller tribes will give fewer. Each tribe will give property in proportion to the size of its land. So pause there. Why do you think God has it set up this way, where instead of the Levites being given a portion of the land by casting lots like the other tribes were. Why are the tribes giving a portion of

their land to the Levites? What might this teach us about the church as a whole and how we support each other in the church? And then there are these towns of refuge. Why do you think God put the towns of refuge under the Levites supervision. Okay, the next section is cities of refuge. So it's going to be all about those cities of refuge we just talked about that were given as a portion of the Levites towns. Verse 9. The Lord said to Moses, give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, designate cities of refuge to which people can flee if they have killed someone accidentally. These cities will be places of protection

from a dead person's relatives who want to avenge the death. The slayer must not be put to death before being tried by the community. Designate six cities of refuge for yourselves. Three on the east side of the Jordan River and three on the west in the land of Canaan. These cities are for the protection of Israelites,

foreigners living among you and traveling merchants. Anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee there for safety. But if someone strikes and kills another person with a piece of iron, it is murder, and the murderer must be executed. Or if someone with a stone in his hand strikes and kills another person, it is murder and the murderer must be put to death. Or if someone strikes and kills another person with a wooden object, it is murder and the murderer must be put to death. The victim's nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the Avenger must put the murderer to death. So if someone hates another person and waits an ambush, then pushes him or throws something at him and he dies, it is murder. Or if someone hates another

person and hits him with a fist and he dies, it is murder. Or if someone hates another person and hits him with a fist and he dies, it is murder. In such cases, the Avenger must put the murderer to death when they meet. But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throw something that unintentionally hits another person, or accidentally drops a huge stone on someone, though they were not enemies, and the person dies. If this should happen, the community must follow these regulations in making a judgment between the Slayer and the Avenger, the victims nearest relative. The community must protect the slayer from the Avenger and must escort the slayer back to live in the city of refuge to which he fled. There he must remain until the death of the

high priest who was anointed with sacred oil. But if the slayer ever leaves the limits of the city of refuge and the Avenger finds him outside the city and kills him, it will not be considered murder. The slayer should have stayed inside the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to his own property. These are legal requirements for you to observe from generation to generation wherever you may live. All murderers must be put to death, but only if evidence is presented by more than one witness. No one may be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. Also, you You must never accept a ransom payment for the life of someone judged guilty of murder and subject to execution.

Murderers must always be put to death and never accept a ransom payment for someone who has fled to a city of refuge, allowing a slayer to return to his property before the death of the high priest. This will ensure that the land where you live will not be polluted. For murder, pollutes the land and no sacrifice except the execution of the murderer can purify the land. for murder. You must not defile the land where you live for I live there myself. I am the Lord who lives among the people of Israel. So pause there at the end of chapter 35. Why does God take the act of murder so seriously? What is this section telling us about justice? And then what is that last verse telling us about God, where he's saying, you must not defile the land where you live because I live

there too. And then in light of the New Testament, because remember, this is before Jesus, before Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of our sins. So how does Jesus's sacrifice change the way we react to crime and to injustice, such as the ones discussed in this section. And knowing that if we have decided to believe and follow God, where does God live now? And how have we become that holy temple, that holy land? All right, you guys, we're about to start our final chapter in number. So this last chapter is about women who inherit property. So let's read chapter 36.

Then the heads of the clans of Gilead, descendants of Mocker, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph, came to Moses and the family leaders of Israel with a petition. They said, sir, the Lord instructed you to divide the land by sacred lot among the people of Israel. You were told by the Lord to give the grant of land owned by our brother Zalafahad, to his daughters. But if they marry men from another tribe, their grants of land will go with them to the tribe in which they marry. In this way, the total area of our tribal land will be reduced. Then, when the year of Jubilee comes, their portion of land will be added to that of the new tribe, causing it to be lost forever to our ancestral tribe. So Moses gave the Israelites this command from the

Lord. The claim of the men of the tribe of Joseph is legitimate. This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zalafahad. Let them marry anyone they like, as long as it is within their own ancestral tribe. None of the territorial land may pass from tribe to tribe, for all the land given to each tribe must remain within the tribe to which it was first allotted. The daughters throughout the tribes of Israel who are in line to inherit property must marry within their tribe so that all the Israelites will keep their ancestral property. No grant of land may pass from one tribe to another. Each tribe of Israel must keep its allotted portion of land. The daughters of Zalafah did as the Lord commanded Moses. Mala, Terza, Hagla, Milka, and Noah all married cousins on their father's side.

They married into the clans of Manasseh, son of Joseph. Thus, their inheritance of land remained within their ancestral tribe. These are the commands and regulations that the Lord gave to the people of Israel through Moses while they were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River across from Jericho. Okay, so pause there. That was the last chapter of numbers, and we can reflect on that final story and ask ourselves, you know, how involved is God in the daily lives of the Israelites? why do you think he came to this conclusion, this solution to the questions they were asking about land ownership? Why was it important that those specific lands stayed within those tribes? Okay, I'm so glad that you were with me through numbers and soon we will be starting Deuteronomy.

Here with numbers we end in the 39th year of wandering. We are with the Israelites at the bank of the Jordan River and the promised land is right there. They're not there yet. The original Exodus generation is not going to go into the promised land. We know that from what we've read previously. Moses is not going to go into the promised land. We know that from his punishment earlier on. So we still haven't made it yet.

the book of Deuteronomy, which we're going to start next time, is going to take us through Moses talking to this new generation of Israelites and reminding them of the covenant and how important it is to keep these laws and this covenant with God. So join me next time as we dive into Deuteronomy and go through this final section before the Promised Land. Sorry for the delays. I know I say that almost every time, but this past time, my first time, my microphone broke and I had to send it off to get a replacement or repair and they just sent me the new one back so that I could start recording again. And I say again like continue emailing. I love getting your emails. I love hearing from people who are listening. Bible beginning to end

at gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, all of those places. And I'm trying my best. I'm slow but surely getting through these. I just like I've, I've talked with some of you guys, and you guys have been very gracious in my delays in recording. But yeah, I work a full-time job, and sometimes it's really difficult to find time to record after work and all those things. So, but anyways, thank you guys for listening. We will be starting Deuteronomy soon and cannot wait. I'm so glad that we've made it to this milestone through numbers. And Deuteronomy will be another milestone because it's that first section of the Bible.

So keep listening, hang in there with me, and I'll talk to you in the next one.