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:
- 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?
- 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?
- 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)?