Today's passage: Numbers 35

Helpful thoughts:

• In today's chapter, commands for the cities designated for the Levites and as cities of refuge are given.
  • Of the forty-eight cities which were to be allotted for the Levites, six of them were to be cities of refuge (Verses 6 and 15).  These cities protected those who committed manslaughter from immediate retaliation from the family of the deceased.
  • The “avenger of blood” would have been the closest male relative of the deceased.  Murderers were to be put to death by the avenger of blood.
  • This law of the cities of refuge allowed the one who accidentally killed another to have a trial before sentencing.  If it was determined in trial that the death was a murder, the murderer would then be executed.
  • The manslayer would only remain protected from the avenger of blood if he remained in the city of refuge.  Once the high priest died and was replaced by another, he could leave safely (Or, if the avenger of blood was still angry and killed the manslayer, that avenger of blood would then be guilty of murder himself!).
• No bribes were to be taken to save the life of a murderer.  And, no bribes were to be offered to God in exchange for the execution of a murderer.  Capital punishment was the only option.
• Here is the same map from the previous passage.  The six cities of refuge are specified with a white dot.
  • Notice, there are three cities on either side of the Jordan River.

Questions to consider:

1. What does the fact Israel hadn't even crossed the Jordan yet say about the promise of God when He is already telling them how they will use these cities west of the Jordan?  How could this have bolstered the confidence of the people (Not in themselves, but in the Lord)?
2. Why was it so important for Israel to keep the land undefiled from sinful bloodshed (Verse 34)?  What made the land holy (set apart from every other place on earth)?  Was it the people or was it the Lord?
3. For whom should we seek to conduct ourselves rightly in the church, in our homes, etc.?  Who is it who dwells in us and for whom do we live (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)?

Today's passage: Numbers 34

Helpful thoughts:

• In today's chapter, God defines the boundaries of the nation of Israel and designates the men who would be responsible to gather for parceling out the inheritance of the land to each tribe.
• Here is a map which displays the boundaries as described by the Lord and the land which had already been set apart for the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan.
• The list of the chiefs (or heads) of each tribe are listed according to the regions they would inherit from south to north.

Questions to consider:

1. What differences do you see on this map from what you have seen of Israel's maps before?  Are there any cities that look familiar to you but that you've never heard of being part of Israel?
2. There is only one head of a tribe who we've heard of before, from the tribe of Judah.  What was his story and why is he unique in this list (Numbers 13:30)?  What promise from God was Caleb about to enjoy?

Today's passage: Numbers 33

Helpful thoughts:

• Today we read a location by location recounting of Israel's forty years of journeys between Rameses, Egypt and Jericho.
• The documentation reminded the people of all the Lord had done and all He had brought them through.  If God has brought them this far, He could surely complete the task and give to them the Promised Land.
• The chapter ends with a command and warning.  If Israel allowed those in the land to remain, they would be troubled and, “I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”  As the Lord intended to remove the inhabitants of Canaan from the land, so could He remove Israel from the land.

Questions to consider:

1. What events stuck out to you as you read through the list of places and events in Moses' recounting?  What were the highlights and moments that would have given Israel the most confidence in God?
2. Why do you think Israel “turned back” in verse 7?  Why did God direct them to the place they were (See what happened in verse 8!)?  What was He planning for them to see Him do?
3. Why and how would the remaining Canaanites become a thorn in the flesh for Israel?  In what way must Christians seek to be in the world but not of it?  How can we be careful of influences and seek to be an influence for the benefit of others (including for their conversion)?

Today's passage: Numbers 32

Helpful thoughts:

• With the military victories they'd already had behind them, some in Israel saw the land east of the Jordan River as very good for their livestock and people.  Before the conquest of the Promised Land ever began, these tribes were ready to settle these recently conquered territories.
• Moses' was concerned.  If these tribes refused to go into the Promised Land to participate in the battles, the rest of Israel might fear defeat and give up on what God had commanded them to do.
  • The results of this fear would have the same effect as when the spies brought back their faithless reports.
  • The leaders of the tribes of Reuben and Gad assured Moses, they would not abandon Israel or quit short of the command of God to take the land together.
• Half the tribe of Manasseh joined in the idea of settling east of the Jordan (Often called “Transjordan”).  Further military victories were required and given to fulfill the need for land.
  • With all these victories, Israel would be crossing the Jordan on a winning streak.  The people west of the Jordan would hear and know trouble was coming.

Questions to consider:

1. At this stage of Moses' life and just before Israel was to cross into the Promised Land, why would Moses be so distraught about the suggestion of these tribes who wanted to settle east of the Jordan?  What had he seen repeatedly for the last 40 plus years?  How could the events at Kadesh-Barnea have correlated with what they were asking for at that point?
2. What is the meaning of Moses' statement at the end of verse 23?  How does remembering Moses' death was drawing near help us to understand why he might have said that?  Ultimately, who should the men have feared/revered in such a way to encourage their obedience?
3. Why would the potential consequence of verse 30 have been such a concern?  If the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh were all able to fit into the inheritances in Canaan, what would have happened to the size of their tribes?  What does it also guarantee for the rest of Israel if these tribes had gone against their promise and not helped?  What would God accomplish with out without their participation?  Is anything too hard for the Lord?

Today's passage: Numbers 31

Helpful thoughts:

• The Midianite people were nomadic and lived in different areas surrounding Canaan.  The Midianite people Israel would war with in this passage were those associate with the region of Moab.
  • The people who the Lord and Israel would have vengeance against in this war were those involved in the narratives of Numbers 22-25.
• Balaam the prophet-for-hire was not able to curse Israel through God's sovereign intervention.  However, he had learned how to bring cursing on Israel in another way, to drive a wedge in their relationship with their God.  It was his idea to send the Midianite women into the camp and to encourage worship of Baal (Verse 16)!
• Persuading Israel to commit idolatry was a capital offense (Deuteronomy 13).  The Midianites had been guilty of this sin and crime against the Lord.
  • The virgin women among the people would not have been involved in the effort to lure the Israelites away through fornication.  God made it clear they were not to be put to death.
  • Remember, part of the reason why God gave the command in different cities to put all the people to death was because of His divine judgment against the sin of the people (Genesis 15:13-16).  The people of Israel did not have the right to put any people group to death they pleased.  This was not an establishment of proper warfare practices for all people in all times.  These were specific commands given by the revelation of God for specific people at specific times.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the command given to Christians concerning vengeance?  What does Romans 12:19-21 reveal to us?  How might this present instruction and mindset make it hard for us to understand (or even stomach) what Israel was told to do in these battles?
2. How can Balaam's and the Midianites' attempt to hurt Israel through temptation and idolatry be a warning and help to us today?  What are the things that can get in between us and the Lord?  What idolatries would we be prone to struggle with?
3. If God warned Israel concerning the persuasion of the world concerning sin and idolatry, what must be the goal of the church?  What and Whom should we encourage one another to pursue?  How can you lovingly point a brother or sister in Christ to Him today?

Today's passage: Numbers 30

Helpful thoughts:

• Today's chapter speaks about vows that the people of Israel might make (“If God does ____, then I will _____”).
• If a man made a vow, it was automatically sure and would be required of him.
• If a woman who was still in her father's household or who had a husband made a vow, that male who was the leader in the home would be a protection for her.
  • There is a way in which the culture may look at this chapter and think that the women were disadvantaged in this law.  However, what the women had was a layer of protection.
  • If the men made a foolish vow (or a “thoughtless utterance”), which men are certainly capable of doing, they had to live with it.  If a woman did the same, her father or husband could release her from a vow she couldn't hope to keep.  This could have been a huge blessing.

Questions to consider:

1. What would have been the purpose of a vow under the Old Covenant?  What are some ways people still make vows today?  Do people usually take them as seriously now as God does in this and other Old Testament passages?
2. What are the benefits of having a loving father or loving husband give leadership to the household?  Why (Or in what ways) is it a blessing for a daughter or wife to live in biblical submission?
3. What must be true of the men and their walk with the Lord to equip them to lovingly lead their wives/families in a way that accumulates trust and rest in their leadership?

Today's passage: Numbers 29

Helpful thoughts:

• God tells Israel through Moses what to offer in their sacrifices in the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Booths (Or Tabernacles).
  • The Feast of Trumpets was in the seventh month of the year (A month set apart as holy)
    • The Day of Atonement and the time in between from the first to the tenth day were for solemn confession.
    • The trumpets symbolized the people of Israel calling out to the Lord and His hearing their pleas.
  • The Feast of Booths reminded Israel of their time dwelling in booths/tents in the wilderness.
    • It was celebrated at the end of the harvest and served as a time of thanksgiving for what was received and as a time of prayer for the rains and agriculture in the next year.

Questions to consider:

1. Why do you think God gave these specific commands for each sacrifice for each occasion?  Why would it make sense for these sacrifices to be given in addition to the regular sacrifices and not in the place of them?
2. What does the specificity of the commands allow for the people to do?  How does it allow them to exercise devotion and to pursue excellence in their service to the Lord?  In what ways would it have been a joy to participate in for those under the Old Covenant?
3. How did the law also point the people to the fact they hadn't perfectly keep every command?  (Galatians 3:24-27)  What (Or Who) is the answer to our problem of falling short of God's perfect standard?

Today's passage: Numbers 28

Helpful thoughts:

• Moses' job of communicating the Law of God to the nation was not quite over yet.  The need for daily, Sabbath and other special sacrifices for the nation needed to be taught to the next generation.
• The proclamation of these commands gave assurances to the people.  They would enter the land.  They would be prosperous and have what they needed to worship the Lord.  God would provide!
• According to the ESV Study Bible, all of the sacrifices discussed in this chapter would amount to “113 bulls, 1,086 lambs, over a ton of flour, and 1,000 bottles of oil and wine!”

Questions to consider:

1. Why do you think the specifics of these sacrifices and these special dates were worth repeating?  What do the specifications communicate about the Lord?  What does His willingness to repeat them communicate to the people?
2. What does worship include in the heart and mind of the follower of God?  Did worship only start when the sacrifices were burning?  What would the contrite heart have been doing when these specifications were being communicated?  How does a heart inclined to obedience listen to God's commands differently than the person who is flippant and/or self-focused?
3. Why were the lambs always to be without blemish?  (1 Peter 1:19)

Today's passage: Numbers 27

Helpful thoughts:

• The daughters of Zelophehad were mentioned specifically in the last chapter (In the census) without specific reasoning given.  Chapter 27 tells us why.  There was no one in their family left to inherit their portion of the Promised Land, so they made an appeal.
  • God used their appeal to reveal to the people His plan for distributing and maintaining the inheritance of the land throughout their generations.
• The time had come for Moses to physically die.  He would not lead Israel into the Promised Land.
  • When Moses struck the rock twice (When God had commanded him to only speak – 20:10-13) he failed to uphold God as holy before the people.
• Joshua would succeed Moses as leader.  But the Lord would not speak to Joshua as he had with Moses.

Questions to consider:

1. How was the faith of the daughters of Zelophehad displayed?  Had Israel conquered the land as of yet?  Did they take matters into their own hands or did they make proper appeal?
2. What can we learn about leadership from Moses' request to God for a new leader for Israel?  What was Moses' concern for the people?  Is leadership about power or being “top dog” or…something else?
3. What does the death of Moses and the his inability to go into the Promised Land remind us of concerning him?  Was he a perfect man?  Did Israel make it through the wilderness because Moses was their hero?  Whose faithfulness brought about Israel's victory and inheritance?  How does this relate to the gospel and our salvation?

Today's passage: Numbers 26

Helpful thoughts:

• After the loss of 24,000 people, near the end of Israel's wandering in the wilderness, and prior to entering the Promised Land, God commands another census to be taken.
  • For comparison, the population of Mt. Pleasant is about 21,000.
• This census establishes and recounts a few important facts:
  • The territories in Israel (In the settled Promised Land) were to be distributed based on the numbers in this census.  The larger tribes receiving larger lands.
  • The generation who had received the promise of perishing in the wilderness had perished.  The number of this census is almost identical to the census taken at Sanai forty years prior (603,550 to 601,730 – Numbers 1:46).
    • Keep in mind, these numbers only cover the men who are fighting age.  The true total of people in the camp of Israel would likely have been around 2 million.

Questions to consider:

1. Which details (Commentaries) in each of these census results stuck out to you?  Why would God have included background information on the sons of Korah, the lineage of Judah through Perez, the daughters of Zelophehad, etc.?
2. Who appears to be ready to lead the next generation into the next chapter of the history of Israel?  Who is the priest?  Who will be leaders?  (Verses 63-65)
3. In what way was the omniscience and sovereignty of God on display in this chapter?  To whom did He make the promises at Sanai?  Who was left of all those people who would inherit the promises?  Through all the battles, plagues, traveling, etc. who was God bringing into the Promised Land?