Numbers 36:1-13 - Inheritance

36:1-4

Earlier we read about Zelophehad’s daughters, and Moses had agreed to give them an inheritance (Num 27:1-11). We now see the promise being fulfilled. We also see the situation being examined further, with the question of what happens if the daughter marries a man from another tribe. There is a great concern to ensure that land stays within the correct tribe. This would happen at the year of the Jubilee.

36:5-9

Moses agrees with the contention of the daughters. Note that Moses takes the questions raised by the daughters seriously. The solution given is to marry within their father’s tribal clan. Now many will baulk at this “solution”, thinking it is patriarchal, or some such slur. We need to appreciate the desire to keep an inheritance within the tribe. It is also worth noting that the basing of inheritance etc on the male side meant that in most circumstances, people could marry between tribes, for the land would remain within the man’s tribe. The problems only arose if the couple only had daughters. Moreover, we tend to view marriage from a largely romantic perspective. There is a much more practical outlook on marriage in the Bible. Moreover, we all know from experience that the practical consequences of marriage are very important.

36:10-13

Zelophehad’s daughters accepted the decision of Moses (given to him by the Lord) and married within their tribe. The five daughters are named, and we see that Noah can be a girl’s name! So their inheritance remained within their father’s tribe.

36:13 marks the end of a section, and indeed the end of the book. So next we move onto Deuteronomy.

Numbers 35:16-34 - Murder

35:16-25

Having regard for the person who accidentally kills someone is sensible and right. However, it must not be taken advantage of and we have clear delineation of cases where the one who killed is guilty of murder. This is followed by cases where the person who killed could flee to a city of refuge.

35:26-34

Once inside a city of refuge, the accused had to stay there if they wanted to benefit from the protection that these places afforded. They could only leave once the high priest had died. This was presumably to allow sufficient time to elapse between the event and their leaving the city.

We also get other stipulations, most importantly that someone could only be found guilty on the testimony of two witnesses, not just one. Nor could one buy one's release. If someone was guilty of murder then they were due the death penalty. The underlying principle behind all this is the sanctity of life, and the seriousness of murder.

Numbers 35:1-15 - Cities for Levites and Cities of Refuge

35:1-5

The Levites did not have a direct inheritance in the land, but each of the tribes was to allocate them towns to live in and pasture land so they could husband their animals. Details on the size of the towns and the pasture land to be given to Levites is given.

35:6-15

We now get details of the cities of refuge. Six of the Levite towns were to be designated as such. These were places to which someone who accidentally killed someone could flee. When such an event happened the families of the victim would naturally feel very much aggrieved and would be out for revenge. They would not be thinking clearly. Today there is often talk of victims having input to criminal proceedings, in terms of setting the sentences. This is a deeply mistaken approach. The problem is that the criminal justice system is often not assigning the correct or severe enough sentences, the solution lies with the criminal justice system itself not properly recognising the seriousness of various crimes.

Numbers 34:1-29 - Borders of the land

34:1-29

Not a lot to say on this!

The chapter starts with the outline of the whole Promised Land. This was the land promised to Abraham in Gen 17:8. In broad terms it consists of the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan river, plus what we now call Lebanon and parts of Syria.

The land was to be divided among the tribes of Israel, and then among the clans within those tribes. We get a list of all the tribal chiefs.

Numbers 33:4-56 - You shall take possession

33:4-49

Then follows a list of all the places they passed through, with the odd comment here and there. These comments usually refer to incidents that are recounted elsewhere in Exodus-Deuteronomy. For example, 33:9 refers to Marah and Elim (Ex 15:22). 3:15 refers to Rephidim (Ex 17:1). Most stages are just mentioned by name, with no further details. Then we get to the death of Aaron (33:39). In 33:40 we are told that the Canaanite king heard that the Israelites were coming.

33:50-56

When they are near the Jordan God tells Moses to prepare the people for crossing into the Promised Land. Moses does this in much more detail in Deuteronomy. The key points given here are that they are to destroy all vestiges of idol worship in the land. All the carved images and high places. And all the inhabitants are to be driven out. The land was to be distributed by lot, with clans getting an allocation in accordance with their size.

Failure to fully drive out the inhabitants and to destroy all the high places would lead to them being a thorn in the side of Israel. We know that in 2 Cor 12:7 Paul speaks of a thorn in his flesh. I wonder if there is an allusion to 33:55? Most seriously, Israel would become subject to the same judgement as the inhabitants of the land. As we know, Israel failed to rid the land of its high places, there is constant reference to this in the rest of the Old Testament. And we see here that there is no favouritism with God (Rom 2:11).

Numbers 33:1-3 - These are the stages

33:1,2

We now come to the record that Moses kept of their long journey through and around the wilderness. Moses kept this record at the Lord’s command. This does tell us something important about Numbers and the journey. First, it tells us that Moses played a significant part in composing the book of Numbers. Secondly, it tells us that the journey through the desert was real. The places in Numbers and elsewhere where we get accounts of various incidents are bunched towards the beginning and end of the journey, with little if anything about the inbetween part.

33:3

The account starts from the departure from Egypt, and says they marched out “defiantly” (NIV) or “triumphantly” (ESV), and that God had brought judgement upon the gods of Egypt, and this led to judgement upon the people of Egypt. This is very relevant when we come to the end of this chapter.

Numbers 32:20-42 - Arm yourselves before the Lord for battle

32:20-32

Moses agrees to their offer, but is absolutely insistent that they must fight with their brothers until the enemies are driven out of the land. Then they would be free to do what they had suggested. The Reubenites and Gadites agree to this compromise, reaffirming their willingness to fight alongside the rest of the Israelites.

32:33-42

Having had their request granted, the Reubenites and Gadites set to clearing out any last vestiges of enemies from their new land, and building up the fortified towns. The half tribe of Manasseh also joins them.

Numbers 32:1-19 - Your servants have livestock

32:1-13

The Reubenites and Gadites saw that the land where they were looked very good, so they asked Moses to allow them to stay in the area, and receive that land as their inheritance. Moses knew that the tribes which did cross the Jordan would have battles to fight, so it was not fair that the Reubenites and Gadites might not fight in those battles. If their request was granted it would also serve as a disincentive for the other tribes. This also reminded Moses of what had happened with the spies discouraging the people from entering the land. That aroused the Lord’s anger and led to them wandering in the desert for many years.

32:14-19

Moses tells the Reubenites and Gadites that they are a brood of sinners, and their actions could lead to another generation being destroyed in the wilderness. The Reubenites and Gadites respond by saying that their men will go up and fight with their fellow Israelites, but the women and children would stay behind. They would build fortified towns for the women and children.

Numbers 31:19-54 - Divide the spoils equally

31:19-24

In the midst of the slaughter there is the fastidiousness of the way people who had touched a dead body, or had killed someone, had to behave, staying outside the camp for several days. The plunder also had to be purified. 1 Cor 3:13 perhaps alludes to Num 31:32? After the cleansing process, the soldiers were allowed back into the camp.

31:25-54

We now get details on the dividing of the spoils of war. Soldiers and the community were to get equal shares. One five hundredth of the soldiers share was to be given to the Lord, and one fiftieth of the community’s share. It is not clear where these “rules” came from. We are then given the numbers of the plunder, and it seems that an awful lot was captured.

Numbers 31:7-18 - Moses was angry with the officers

31:7-12

So they attacked Midian and there was much killing. Five kings of Midian were killed. Balaam was also killed. He was the seer who Balak had sought to employ to curse Israel, but ended up blessing them instead, much to Balak’s annoyance. As noted there, Balaam is a puzzling figure, but the Bible takes a very dim view of him. It seems that the women and children were spared, and were taken as captives. There was much killing and plundering.

31:13-18

Moses was very angry with the army for sparing the women and children. So Moses ordered them to kill all the boys, and all the women who were not virgins. Only the virgins were to be spared. This seems incredibly harsh, indeed wanton violence. We are not told that the Lord approved or disapproved of this. Moreover, Moses’s word that they could keep the virgins doesn’t exactly seem to be an act of moral rectitude! 

We do learn why Balaam is regarded the way he is in the Bible, for it was he who told the Midianites how to defeat the Israelites. Namely, by using the women to entice the Israelite men.

Numbers 31:1-6 - Take vengeance on the Midianites

31:1,2

The Midianites had been involved in the Israelites committing adultery and idolatry (Num 25), and Moses had been told to treat them as enemies and kill them (Num 25:17). They had also sold Joseph to Potiphar as a slave (Gen 37:36). Moses is to lead the Israelites to take vengeance on them. After that Moses would die. It should be noted that Israel was taking vengeance on God’s behalf. Now with this it is essential that they only do this at the command of the Lord, not at their own behest.

31:3-6

It stresses that the men were carrying out “the Lord’s vengeance”. If we take things into our own hands then that leads to all sorts of evil. Moses was to choose one thousand men from each tribe, so the whole nation was involved in the act. Phinehas was to be involved as a sort of chaplain. His father was a priest, and he could not be involved because he would inevitably be in contact with death, and so would be unclean. Phinehas was the one whose actions stopped the plague on Israel then they committed adultery and idolatry (Num 25:7).

Numbers 30:6-16 - When a woman makes a vow

30:6-8

A similar situation applies to a married woman. So if the husband is aware of the vow and says nothing, the woman is bound by the vow. He could also nullify a vow she made before she got married. It is interesting that it refers to her making a “rash promise”.

30:9-16

A widow or divorced woman was assumed to be responsible for herself, so any vow she made she was expected to keep.

We then come to wives again. The previous section seems to refer mostly to a bride bringing “vows” with her. Here we have a more settled situation. The situation is similar to a woman living with her father. The default position is that the vow stands, i.e. the husband has to forbid the vow. He must also do this quickly. If he decides at a later date to forbid the vow, then he is guilty of breaking the vow.

The final verse says: “These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and his young daughter still living at home.” It is perhaps noteworthy that there is no mention of “vow” in this verse. Truthfulness and reliability of our word is to be a fundamental part of our relationships.

Numbers 30:1-5 - When a man makes a vow

30:1,2

We now get laws on vows. A great difference between the Lord and the devil is truth and lies. The word of the Lord is completely reliable, it is the most solid foundation that one can build upon. Conversely, the devil has been a liar from the very beginning (Jn 8:44). We were chosen to be holy as the Lord is holy (Lev 11:44; 1 Pet 1:16). We are meant to be people of our word, i.e. people whose word can be trusted. Hence the importance of keeping vows.

30:3-5

However, the matter of vows is not quite so simple as everyone must keep their vows, for our vows may affect other people, and we may not have the authority to make the vow, or someone may have authority over us. Now a young woman living at home was still under her father’s authority. If she made a vow and the father becomes aware of it, but says nothing, then she is bound by the vow and should keep it. However, if the father forbids the vow she is released from it.

Numbers 29:1-40 - Festival time

29:1-6

And now we come to the Festival of Trumpets. This involved the usual selection of sacrifices. The unique element in the Festival was the sounding of the trumpets. The trumpet was the ram’s horn, or shophar. The festival came to celebrate the New Year, Rosh Hashanah.

29:7-11.

Now we have the day of atonement. This came right after the Festival of Trumpets in the seventh month. Much more detail can be found in Lev 16:1-34.

29:12-40

The Feast Of Tabernacles took place on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. So the seventh month was a very busy time! This feast lasted seven days, with particular sacrifices for each day of the feast.

On the eighth day, after all these festivals, a special assembly was to be held. This, of course, included more sacrifices.

Moses gave all these commandments to the people.

Numbers 28:16-31 - The Lord's Passover is to be held

28:16-25

We then get the Passover, which in some ways was the most important of the festivals and offerings, though all of them were essential. The most important fact is that the sacrifices were to make atonement for the sins of the people, then there are all the detailed instructions. There are two essential facts that we can learn from this. The first is that our sin needs atoning for. We come to God dependent upon His mercy, and needing His mercy. No atonement, no life. The second is that it is God who decides how the atonement is made. We are not free to decide how God should accept us! Yet this is what so many seem to seek to do. We seek to tell God how He should do things!

28:26-31

The Festival of Weeks took place seven weeks after the Passover, it was also associated with the first fruits. It celebrated the grain harvest. It took place fifty days after Passover, and this is where the name Pentecost came from. The requirements are a little different than the description in Leviticus, requiring one more bull, but one less ram.

Numbers 28:1-15 - Present to me at the appointed time

28:1

We now get more instruction on offerings. Now let me be honest, I don’t find these passages very exciting! I am looking forward to getting into Deuteronomy. Let me be clear that that is my problem, not God’s! However, there is value in these passages. They don’t leap out at me in the same way that other passages do, but the more we study them, the greater appreciation we have of parts of the New Testament. It gives us a better understanding of the significance of the New Testament, and to appreciate some of the allusions. This is especially true of Hebrews, but is not limited to that book.

28:2-8

It has been many years since the original commands on offerings were given, this is partly a reminder that the offerings were still required. Israel’s sin needed to be atoned for. It is also a reminder for the new generation. Indeed almost all the old generation would have died out. The sacrifices needed to be made on a regular basis. Now Christ is our once for all sacrifice, but we need to remember daily that we are utterly dependent upon that sacrifice.

28:9-15

Twice as many offerings were made on the Sabbath. The offerings mentioned here were in addition to the daily offerings. A whole bunch of offerings were to be made at the beginning of each month. The Hebrew calendar was based on lunar months.

Numbers 27:18-23 - He laid his hands on him

27:18-20

In the immediate context, the man is Joshua, and God says that the Spirit is in him. Joshua is to stand before the priest. While the Spirit is in him, he is not qualified to lead without sanctification. He would also stand before the whole congregation, and Moses would commission him. He would be invested with some of Moses’ authority. It is interesting that it says “some”, and not “all”. Joshua did faithfully lead the people, but unlike Moses he did not give out laws. It is perhaps worth reading Zech 3, where a different Joshua stands before the Lord.

27:21-23

Joshua would require the assistance of Eleazar. Eleazar would inquire of the Lord using the Urim and Thummim. Joshua would lead the whole nation, and the nation would follow him. So Moses did as the Lord commanded him, making Joshua stand before the people and the priest, Eleazar. Moses laid hands on Joshua and commissioned him.

Numbers 27:15-17 - Appoint a man

27:15

Moses’ response is noteworthy. One might have expected there to be an element of bitterness or resentment. He had faithfully led the people through the wilderness, interceding on their behalf on several occasions. Even after they refused to enter the Promised Land, Moses had continued to lead them through the wilderness. Yet we see no evidence of resentment. Many of us should learn a lesson from this. We may think we have many excuses for our disobedience, yet the most important thing is to take responsibility for our own sin, and to continue to faithfully serve the Lord. This is what Moses did. We should also note that Moses was actually rewarded. He appeared with Elijah alongside Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration. And he has entered a far greater Promised Land.

27:16,17

Far from being bitter, Moses asked the Lord to appoint a man to lead Israel who would be faithful to the Lord. Moses describes the Lord as “the God of the spirits of all flesh”. Moses believed that God could produce a man of the required calibre. This man would be a shepherd to the flock. Moses is ultimately looking forward to Jesus, as we shall see in Deut 18:15. There are frequent references to sheep and shepherds in the Bible, it is an oft used analogy.

Numbers 27:5-14 - The daughters of Zelophehad are right

27:5-11

Rather than just rejecting the request outright, Moses went to the Lord. God tells him that the daughters were right in their request. He then tells Moses to make this a general principle. So that if any man died without sons, the inheritance was to go to his daughters. If he has no children at all, then inheritance was to go to his brothers. Failing that to his father’s brothers. And failing that, then it was to go to his nearest relative. So “case law” has been used to help define the law.

27:12-14

God then speaks to Moses, telling to go up to mount Abarim. There he would see the Promised Land, but after that he would die (“be gathered up to your people”). He is also reminded of why he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land, because of his failure to acknowledge the Lord as holy before the people (Num 20:12).

Numbers 27:1-4 - The daughters of Zelophehad

27:1-4

As well as formal laws we also find various incidents demonstrating how laws were to be applied. This included not being overly legalistic. This approach was consistent with the approach that Jesus adopted while here on earth. Of course, the excessively legalistic approach was exactly what most of the Pharisees did adopt. The five daughters of Zelophehad approached Moses. The five daughters are named, and apparently Noah can be a girl’s name. Their father had not been among those who joined in the rebellion of Korah. However, he had no sons, and under the traditional rules it was only the sons who gained an inheritance. So the daughters request that they be allowed to have the portion of the land that would otherwise have gone to their father and any sons that he might have had. They make this claim on the grounds of wishing to maintain their father’s name.