Moses narrates a summary of the Israelites journey up to this point to the Israelites in the desert east of the Jordan . . .
God told the Israelites at Horeb, "You have stayed here long enough. Go and take possession of the land I had promised to your forefathers." [heavily paraphrased]
Moses asked each tribe to appoint a leader to be judge because he could not personally handle and arbitrate each case. They also sent spies to check out the land that they were going to enter.
The spies reported back of a rich and prosperous land that was walled, heavily fortified, and inhabited by giants. The Israelites began to grumble in fear, complaining that God had brought them out of Egypt to destroy them. They refused to go because they did not trust God. God was angry, telling them that none of them would enter (they would instead die wandering in the desert), with the exception of Joshua and Caleb.
Then the Israelites were remorseful, and changed their minds. "We have sinned against the LORD. We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God commanded us."
Bad idea. They thought it would be easy, but God told them NOT to go because he was not with them. They did not listen, and then totally got defeated.
God then guided the Israelites in a long roundabout way to the promised land. This basically killed time until all of that first generation passed. God would give them commands about how to approach each people group. If the Israelites obeyed God, then things would go their way. Here are some examples of those commands.
Moab at Ar: pass through; land is already given to descendants of Lot
Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country: defeat, leave no survivors
Ammonites: do not take their land
Og king of Bashan: defeat, leave no survivors
Dividing Up the Land
At this point they had obtained quite a bit of land. If you remember from the end of Numbers, the Reubenites, Gadites, and Half Tribe of Manasseh wanted this to be their inheritance. Moses gave them the land here and they settled with their women and children. The men would continue to cross the river to get the Promised Land.
Moses pleaded with God to let him see the land, but God was angry and told him he would never enter. Instead, he brought him to the top of a hill and let him see it.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Numbers 34-36
Moses lays out the boundaries of the promised land and then explains that Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun, together with a leader from each tribe, would decide how to divide up the promised land. Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh were not included in this list because they had already received their inheritance.
Giving to the Priests
Moses also made provisions for each tribe to give some of their land for the Levites. Some of these towns would be refuge towns for a person who has killed another to flee. It was to protect him from the avenger before he could receive a fair trial.
Murder
Moses then sets out laws about murder and the refuge cities.
If an accused leaves the refuge city and is killed by an avenger. The avenger will not be guilty of murder. The accused must stay in the refuge city until the high priest dies. Then he can return home.
There are early forms of laws regarding murder and manslaughter. For example, if you accidentally kill someone out of rage, it's not as serious as premeditated murder. The assembly will judge. If a person is found to be a murderer, he will be put to death.
Zelophehad's Daughters
Remember these ladies? The women's rights activists? Well, some other members of the clan got concerned that if they married non-Israelites, then a part of the inheritance would belong to an outsider. Worse yet, during the year of the jubilee, all debts would be forgiven, and those properties would be lost forever.
The Lord agreed, and stated that women who had inheritances had to marry within their clan. Zelophehad's daughters obeyed the Lord and married some cousins on their father's side, thus preserving the inheritance.
And with that, we finish NUMBERS! Only one of book (Deuternomony) and then we will be done with the first five book of the Bible (plus Job!). Deuternomony should be easier since we've been having sermon series on it. It's almost like we've already read it.
Numbers 31-33
Taking Vengeance on the Midianites
God commanded Israel to go to war against to Midianites to take vengeance for God (because of all their sins). They killed everyone and plundered everything (lots of livestock, jewelry, etc) except the women and children. Moses was angry, reminding the Israelites that it was the women that tempted the Israelites away to other gods. Moses told them to kill all the boys and all the women except women who "had never slept with a man."
They divided the plunder between the fighting men (1,000 from each tribe) and the Israelites.
Wanting to Stay - Skipping the Promised Land
The Reubenites and Gadites, who by trade were in the livestock business, saw that the land they had just acquired from the Midianites was great for herding, and they asked Moses if they could just forget the promised land and instead stay in this great land that God had provided for them.
Moses got really angry and reminded them that this is what their forefathers did. The result? Wandering in the desert for 40 years until they had all died.
Finally, the Reubenites and Gadites proposed building cities here now for their wives and children, but sending the men to go fight for Israel to ensure that Israel would obtain its inheritance (the promised land). Once they had the promised land, then they would come back and get their women and children.
Moses agreed, promising to give the Reubenites. Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph this land if they followed through on their promise to go fight for the promised land. Theses three tribes set up pens for their livestock and built cities here for their women and children.
The Journey that Israel Took
This next section outlines step by step the route that Israel took (starting from when they left Egypt after all those plagues) all the way to Canaan (the promised land).
God commanded Israel to go to war against to Midianites to take vengeance for God (because of all their sins). They killed everyone and plundered everything (lots of livestock, jewelry, etc) except the women and children. Moses was angry, reminding the Israelites that it was the women that tempted the Israelites away to other gods. Moses told them to kill all the boys and all the women except women who "had never slept with a man."
They divided the plunder between the fighting men (1,000 from each tribe) and the Israelites.
The Reubenites and Gadites, who by trade were in the livestock business, saw that the land they had just acquired from the Midianites was great for herding, and they asked Moses if they could just forget the promised land and instead stay in this great land that God had provided for them.
Moses got really angry and reminded them that this is what their forefathers did. The result? Wandering in the desert for 40 years until they had all died.
Finally, the Reubenites and Gadites proposed building cities here now for their wives and children, but sending the men to go fight for Israel to ensure that Israel would obtain its inheritance (the promised land). Once they had the promised land, then they would come back and get their women and children.
Moses agreed, promising to give the Reubenites. Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph this land if they followed through on their promise to go fight for the promised land. Theses three tribes set up pens for their livestock and built cities here for their women and children.
The Journey that Israel Took
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Number 27-30
Women's Rights - Israel's first proponents . . .
I never knew this story was in the Bible, but it's interesting.
Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.
These were the daughters of Zelophehad. After Zelophehad had died (from his own sins, not because he was one of Korah's followers who were destroyed when they banded against the Lord), his name was removed from the clan. The daughters (who had no brothers) were upset.
They approached Moses.
"Why should our father's name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father's relatives."
Moses consulted God, who agreed with the women. He commanded Moses to instruct the Israelites of a new law, which basically gave property to the daughters if there were no son.
Joshua Appointed
God brought Moses up to the mountain to show him the promised land. Of course, neither Moses nor Aaron could not have this land because of their unwillingness to obey God by honoring Him as holy before the Israelites (at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin).
Moses asked God to provide Israel with a leader, and God provided Joshua, son of Nun.
Offerings and Feasts
God then gave Moses instructions on what kinds of offerings the Israelite should bring, at what time, and also what kinds of feasts to celebrate (and why).
Most of the ones below are accompanied by grain offerings and drink offerings as well
Daily Offering = 2 lambs without defect
Sabbath Offering = 2 lambs without defect
Monthly Offering = 2 young bulls, 1 ram, 7 young lambs
Passover = eat unleavened bread and do no work on the first day; 2 young bulls, 1 ram, 7 young lambs
Feast of Week = 2 young bulls, 1 ram, 7 young lambs (hold regular assembly and do no work)
Feast of Trumpets = one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect
Day of Atonement = deny yourself and do no work; one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect;
Feast of the Tabernacles = A fifteen day feast where each day they make an offering. As the days progress, the number of bulls reduces by one, although the number of rams and lambs remains constant; thirteen young bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect.
Vow
God then gave instructions regarding vows. Essentially, if a woman makes a vow but either her father (if she is living at home) or her husband (if she is married), disagrees with the vow and speaks up, she is not bound by it. If they are silent, then she is bound by the vow. Widows and divorced women are bound by their vows.
I never knew this story was in the Bible, but it's interesting.
Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.
These were the daughters of Zelophehad. After Zelophehad had died (from his own sins, not because he was one of Korah's followers who were destroyed when they banded against the Lord), his name was removed from the clan. The daughters (who had no brothers) were upset.
They approached Moses.
"Why should our father's name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father's relatives."
Moses consulted God, who agreed with the women. He commanded Moses to instruct the Israelites of a new law, which basically gave property to the daughters if there were no son.
Joshua Appointed
God brought Moses up to the mountain to show him the promised land. Of course, neither Moses nor Aaron could not have this land because of their unwillingness to obey God by honoring Him as holy before the Israelites (at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin).
Moses asked God to provide Israel with a leader, and God provided Joshua, son of Nun.
Offerings and Feasts
God then gave Moses instructions on what kinds of offerings the Israelite should bring, at what time, and also what kinds of feasts to celebrate (and why).
Most of the ones below are accompanied by grain offerings and drink offerings as well
Daily Offering = 2 lambs without defect
Sabbath Offering = 2 lambs without defect
Monthly Offering = 2 young bulls, 1 ram, 7 young lambs
Passover = eat unleavened bread and do no work on the first day; 2 young bulls, 1 ram, 7 young lambs
Feast of Week = 2 young bulls, 1 ram, 7 young lambs (hold regular assembly and do no work)
Feast of Trumpets = one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect
Day of Atonement = deny yourself and do no work; one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect;
Feast of the Tabernacles = A fifteen day feast where each day they make an offering. As the days progress, the number of bulls reduces by one, although the number of rams and lambs remains constant; thirteen young bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect.
Vow
God then gave instructions regarding vows. Essentially, if a woman makes a vow but either her father (if she is living at home) or her husband (if she is married), disagrees with the vow and speaks up, she is not bound by it. If they are silent, then she is bound by the vow. Widows and divorced women are bound by their vows.
Numbers 25-26
Seduced By the Moabites
Some of the Israelites were tempted by Moabite women and would go and worship their gods with them. This made God very angry. He told Moses to take the leaders of these people (the ones who were cheating) and "kill them in broad daylight." (!!!)
At that moment an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman to his family. Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, followed them into the tent and drove a spear through BOTH of them, killing them. This stopped the plague, although 24,000 people had already died.
God told the Israelites to treat the Midianites as enemies and to "kill them."
Later on, Moses took a second census.
Overall, there were 601,730 men. (wow) The most important fact is that NONE of these men (except for Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun) were of the first group that was counted at Sinai. As the Lord had promised, the Israelites would wander in the desert until each one of them had died. This was the next generation (and lots of them . . man, imagine if you added the women and children you have A MILLION people wandering around in the dessert. That MUST have been a sight to see).
Some of the Israelites were tempted by Moabite women and would go and worship their gods with them. This made God very angry. He told Moses to take the leaders of these people (the ones who were cheating) and "kill them in broad daylight." (!!!)
At that moment an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman to his family. Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, followed them into the tent and drove a spear through BOTH of them, killing them. This stopped the plague, although 24,000 people had already died.
God told the Israelites to treat the Midianites as enemies and to "kill them."
Later on, Moses took a second census.
Overall, there were 601,730 men. (wow) The most important fact is that NONE of these men (except for Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun) were of the first group that was counted at Sinai. As the Lord had promised, the Israelites would wander in the desert until each one of them had died. This was the next generation (and lots of them . . man, imagine if you added the women and children you have A MILLION people wandering around in the dessert. That MUST have been a sight to see).
Monday, June 14, 2010
Number 23-24
This continues the story of Balaam and Balak from Number 22
Balak continued to try three times to get Balaam to curse Israel. Each time, he tried to take Balak to a different location. He would set up the seven alters with all the proper offerings and then ask Balaam to curse Israel.
However, each time God would put words into Balaam's mouth and Balaam would not be able to help it but give blessings upon blessings about Israel. Each time, Balak just got angrier and angrier. After the third time, Balak gave us, telling Balaam he would not receive any of the gifts Balak had originally promised to him.
Balaam was like, what can I do? These are the words that the Lord has put in my mouth. How can I go beyond the command of the Lord?
He continued with his prophesy, warning Balak what God would to do various groups of people, including Balak's own people, the Moabites.
He predicted that the Israelites would conquer and destroy Moab, Edom, and Amalek. The Kenite;s dwelling place would be secure, but they would eventually be destroyed by Ashur. Then ships from Kittim would destroy Asshur and Eber.
Balak continued to try three times to get Balaam to curse Israel. Each time, he tried to take Balak to a different location. He would set up the seven alters with all the proper offerings and then ask Balaam to curse Israel.
However, each time God would put words into Balaam's mouth and Balaam would not be able to help it but give blessings upon blessings about Israel. Each time, Balak just got angrier and angrier. After the third time, Balak gave us, telling Balaam he would not receive any of the gifts Balak had originally promised to him.
Balaam was like, what can I do? These are the words that the Lord has put in my mouth. How can I go beyond the command of the Lord?
He continued with his prophesy, warning Balak what God would to do various groups of people, including Balak's own people, the Moabites.
He predicted that the Israelites would conquer and destroy Moab, Edom, and Amalek. The Kenite;s dwelling place would be secure, but they would eventually be destroyed by Ashur. Then ships from Kittim would destroy Asshur and Eber.
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