Numbers 34-36:
God assigned the tribes their inheritance and set their boundaries, but He used human leaders to do it.
Numbers 32-33: Life on the Border
Some people choose to live on the border of God’s blessing. They make their decisions on the basis of material gain and not spiritual blessing. The two and a half tribes did not claim their inheritance in Canaan, though they were very close to it.
They assured Moses that they would help conquer the land, but the tribes still brought division to Israel. In fact, when the land was fully conquered, the two and a half tribes had to put up an altar to let people know, “We belong to Israel!” (See Joshua 22) Had they gone over the Jordan and claimed their inheritance, everybody would have known their citizenship.
“Bring us not over the Jordan!” (Numbers 32:5) is as much an expression of failure as “Take us back to the land of Egypt!” or “Let us die in the wilderness!” When material gain, not the glory of God, governs our decisions, we will make the wrong decisions. (See Psalm 47:4)
Chapter 33 reviews the past and anticipates the future. It is good to review the past and discern the hand of the Lord at work. God delivered them from Egypt and brought them to Sinai, where they entered into a covenant with Him (Numbers 33:1–15). Then He brought them to the border of the Promised Land, where they refused to go in (Numbers 33:16–36). They wandered for forty years and then ended up on the plains of Moab (Numbers 33:37–49). Unbelief means wasted time, wasted lives, and wasted opportunities, but God is gracious and long-suffering with His people.
Anticipating the future (Numbers 33:50–56). “When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan” was a word of promise and assurance that would encourage the nation in their new venture of faith. What a privilege to claim their God-given inheritance! But God also gave some responsibilities: drive out the enemy, destroy their idols, dispossess the people, and then divide the land. First you conquer, then you claim. First the obedience, then the blessing.
Numbers 3-4: No Trivial Work in God’s Service
The priests were also a part of the battle, for without the blessing of the Lord, there could be no victory. Some of God’s people are in the front lines of the battle, while others are behind the lines, interceding to the Lord.
It was important that the tabernacle of the Lord go with the people, so God instructed the priests and Levites exactly how to dismantle it and carry it. Each detail about the Lord’s work is significant and must not be left to mere human wisdom.
And each person is vital to the work of the Lord, no matter what task God assigns. No task is trivial, not even taking care of the pegs (Numbers 3:37). Some Levites had heavier burdens than others, but God had given them the assignments and He would enable them.
The putting up and taking down of the tabernacle were tasks as essential as the offering of the sacrifices or the burning of the incense. Spiritual ministry is no place for idle spectators or careless workers, for it is a matter of life and death (Numbers 4:17–20).
Numbers 1-2: Organizing an Army
Numbers gets its name from the numberings of Israel’s men of war. The old generation was numbered at Mount Sinai (chaps. 1–4) and the new in the plains of Moab (chaps. 26–27). This is a book of transition. God set aside the old generation because of their unbelief (chaps. 1–20) and then prepared a new generation to inherit the promised land (chaps. 21–36).
It is a book of wanderings, for God made His people wander in the wilderness for forty years until the old generation, twenty years and older, died off. They did not believe God, and their unbelief cost them the inheritance. The New Testament commentary on this event is the book of Hebrews. Unless by faith you enter into your spiritual inheritance in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), you will “wander” in unbelief and rob yourself of the blessings God has planned for you (Ephesians 2:10).
Bible geography is instructive. Israel in Egypt pictures our lost condition of bondage to the world. Israel in Canaan illustrates our claiming our inheritance by faith and enjoying the fullness of God’s provision. Israel in the wilderness pictures carnal Christians whose unbelief and disobedience prevent them from entering into all that God has for them.
Genesis pictures God’s people as pilgrims and strangers, looking for their inheritance. Exodus and Leviticus depict Israel as a holy nation of priests, worshiping the Lord. The book of Numbers emphasizes God’s people as warriors, overcoming the enemy and claiming the promised inheritance.
They counted the men, twenty years and older, who were able to go to war. They did not ask for volunteers. When you enter the family of God by faith in Jesus Christ, you automatically become one of His soldiers (2 Timothy 2:3–4). Every believer is a soldier, either a good one or a bad one.
The army was organized, each tribe with its leaders and its standard. There was unity in diversity. Perhaps the camp of Israel pictures the church. There are different “tribes” and standards, with their different leaders, but it is one army, following one Commander and fighting one enemy: “And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4).
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Stuff I Like is Jack Lamb's personal blog to post about stuff he likes. Not everything he likes is here, but you will find a variety of posts about Scripture, ministry, technology, and whatever else he likes.
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