Numbers 34:16-29 - Promised Allotted Places

Numbers 34:16-29

The Leaders Appointed to Divide the Land

16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “These are the names of the men who shall divide the land among you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun. 

18 And you shall take one leader of every tribe to divide the land for the inheritance. 19 These are the names of the men: from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 20 from the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud; 21 from the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon; 22 a leader from the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli; 23 from the sons of Joseph: a leader from the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod, 24 and a leader from the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan; 25 a leader from the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach; 26 a leader from the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan; 27 a leader from the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi; 28 and a leader from the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.”

29 These are the ones the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance among the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.

The priest Eleazar and Joshua the successor to Moses were appointed to divide promised land of Canaan deeded to Abraham (Genesis 12:5, 7, 24:7, Exodus 3:8) long before according to the set boundaries of the LORD among the familial tribes of Israel.  They took one leader of each family that were selected by God alongside them to do the assignments of the LORD to the people.  We see that God uses men to enact His plans among His people and chooses the leaders of them by His will, just as elders are appointed and pastors given gifts and callings to lead the chosen people in Christ through His word towards the promised heavenly land (Hebrews 11:16, 12:22, 13:14) which He has assigned to them individually (John 14:2-3) and as a (1 Peter 2:5) whole.  God Himself divided the inheritance of eternal life to us and has appointed shepherds to lead the way home into that promised land without the presence of sin or idolatry as with the original people of Canaan displaced in the original promised land on earth.  True milk and honey will be given by the hand of the Lord in the one to come, one which will never be lost due to idolatry and immorality as with Israel.  This is our promised allotted inheritance in Christ Jesus which we anticipate with eager (Philippians 3:20) desire. 

Numbers 34:1-15 - Appointed Places in the Promised Land

Numbers 34:1-15

The Appointed Boundaries of Canaan

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance—the land of Canaan to its boundaries. 3 Your southern border shall be from the Wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom; then your southern border shall extend eastward to the end of the Salt Sea; 4 your border shall turn from the southern side of the Ascent of Akrabbim, continue to Zin, and be on the south of Kadesh Barnea; then it shall go on to Hazar Addar, and continue to Azmon; 5 the border shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and it shall end at the Sea.

6 ‘As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea for a border; this shall be your western border.

7 ‘And this shall be your northern border: From the Great Sea you shall mark out your border line to Mount Hor; 8 from Mount Hor you shall mark out your border to the entrance of Hamath; then the direction of the border shall be toward Zedad; 9 the border shall proceed to Ziphron, and it shall end at Hazar Enan. This shall be your northern border.

10 ‘You shall mark out your eastern border from Hazar Enan to Shepham; 11 the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain; the border shall go down and reach to the eastern side of the Sea of Chinnereth; 12 the border shall go down along the Jordan, and it shall end at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land with its surrounding boundaries.’”

13 Then Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying: “This is the land which you shall inherit by lot, which the LORD has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe. 14 For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and the half-tribe of Manasseh has received its inheritance. 15 The two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance on this side of the Jordan, across from Jericho eastward, toward the sunrise.”

The boundaries of each inheritance were established within the overall promised land of Canaan by the LORD and communicated through Moses.  It is vital to understand that no man decided this promised land nor the boundaries within it for these people.  It was God alone who gave Israel this kingdom on earth and it cannot be taken away from them with the excuse that they stole it from the inhabitants which God had judged for their idolatry and immorality and then taken it away from them to give to His own.  The modern day argument that the land was not from Israel therefore falls flat before the throne of God in His sovereignty as King of kings who owns the entire world and every nation on it.  The borders were set in the beginning and then within those limits was divided by lots to the tribes of Israel by name as He decided and deeded to them.  In the kingdom of God in Christ to come after the entirety of earth is judged, the people of the Lord will be allotted places (John 14:2-3, Matthew 25:34, 1 Peter 1:4) in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 3:12, 21:2-3) brought down from heaven to earth for our inheritance with Him, and those rejecting the gospel will be like the former inhabitants of Canaan who worshipped false gods and loved their temporal loves and kingdoms more than the eternal.  Thanks be to God for His grace and our inheritance in Christ Jesus, His Son and the one who has granted us a place in His new Kingdom on Earth of the heavenly land promised to us by faith in His work and person who promised these things.  These are our appointed places in the promised heavenly land which we will one day receive as our inheritance in Jesus Christ. 

Numbers 33:50-56 - Final Words for the Promised Land

Numbers 33:50-56

Instructions for the Conquest of Canaan

50 Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places; 53 you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess. 

54 And you shall divide the land by lot as an inheritance among your families; to the larger you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance; there everyone’s inheritance shall be whatever falls to him by lot. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. 

55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. 56 Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.’”

Final words were uttered by the LORD God to tell the people before entering the Promised Land as they stood by the Jordan across from the city of Jericho.  He told them these things after first bringing their long journey of how they arrived there to their remembrance.  He had reminded them of their failures and His grace through every step along the way that they might recall His faithfulness to them and their accountability to act on His words of instruction they were about to receive again.  When they crossed over the river into Canaan promised to them through Abraham, they were to remember to drive out the ungodly idol worshippers who rejected the LORD that the land would be for these who worshipped the living God.  They were to utterly destroy the idols there of stone and molded images of false worship to include their high places which were elevated places such as on hills or mountains used by the Canaanites there for false worship with their sacrifices, incense, and rituals to manmade gods like Baal.  They were to completely dispossess those living there and settle the land given to them by their Creator who granted that land to the people He chose and who were called to follow and worship Him and not false gods of their own passions and imaginations.  They were not called to steal the land nor commit genocide to obtain it, because it belonged to God and given to whom He wished to do so, contrary to human reasoning of the ungodly idol worshippers of then or today.  This inheritance promised to Abraham and his offspring through Jacob called Israel was divided fairly between each familial group of Israel’s sons in a size-proportionate manner.  These parcels of land were devised by lots cast for divine choice that appeared to be by chance as rolling of the dice, but were made by God’s sovereign hand to bring the results according to His plan.  The warning was given to them not to hold back and to completely drive the ungodly out of the land or face the consequences.  Those who they did not drive away would stay to be irritants like thorns to harass and cause grief to them there in that land meant to be solely for them and not the former inhabitants.  They would then suffer repercussions from God for their disobedience in the same manner as was meant for the ungodly there.  We see this is what happened, unfortunately, in the future history of Israel there.  Do we learn from this that we might also drive ungodly idols and associations from our own lives when we come to Christ and His kingdom within us after we are delivered from sin in the grace of His salvation?  Or do we disobey like they did and suffer the consequences of the sinful inhabited of our hearts and minds that we allow to remain?  Or do we instead drive them out to leave room for the sole worship of our Lord who we worship in the temples (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) of these bodies and not allow the high places of the world around us to remain as thorns (Matthew 13:22) to harass us and keep us from obedient worship and service to God alone?  May we instead conquer our hearts by mortifying our sinful desires (Romans 8:13, Colossians 3:5) and thoughts to drive out the former inhabitants of sin from them.  These are our final words of instruction to prepare us before we die and enter the promised land of the heavenly kingdom to come. 

Numbers 33:1-49 - Testimonies: A Record of the Journey

Numbers 33:1-49

Israel’s Journey from Egypt Reviewed

1 These are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. 2 Now Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys at the command of the LORD. And these are their journeys according to their starting points:

3 They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians. 4 For the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had killed among them. Also on their gods the LORD had executed judgments.

5 Then the children of Israel moved from Rameses and camped at Succoth. 6 They departed from Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. 7 They moved from Etham and turned back to Pi Hahiroth, which is east of Baal Zephon; and they camped near Migdol. 8 They departed from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, went three days’ journey in the Wilderness of Etham, and camped at Marah. 9 They moved from Marah and came to Elim. At Elim were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there.

10 They moved from Elim and camped by the Red Sea. 11 They moved from the Red Sea and camped in the Wilderness of Sin. 12 They journeyed from the Wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. 13 They departed from Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14 They moved from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

15 They departed from Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai. 16 They moved from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah. 17 They departed from Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. 18 They departed from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. 19 They departed from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez. 20 They departed from Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah. 21 They moved from Libnah and camped at Rissah. 22 They journeyed from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. 23 They went from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. 24 They moved from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. 25 They moved from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. 26 They moved from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. 27 They departed from Tahath and camped at Terah. 28 They moved from Terah and camped at Mithkah. 29 They went from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. 30 They departed from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. 31 They departed from Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan. 32 They moved from Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Hagidgad. 33 They went from Hor Hagidgad and camped at Jotbathah. 34 They moved from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. 35 They departed from Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber. 36 They moved from Ezion Geber and camped in the Wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh. 37 They moved from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the boundary of the land of Edom.

38 Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the LORD, and died there in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. 39 Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

40 Now the king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.

41 So they departed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42 They departed from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. 43 They departed from Punon and camped at Oboth. 44 They departed from Oboth and camped at Ije Abarim, at the border of Moab. 45 They departed from Ijim and camped at Dibon Gad. 46 They moved from Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim. 47 They moved from Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. 48 They departed from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. 49 They camped by the Jordan, from Beth Jesimoth as far as the Abel Acacia Grove in the plains of Moab.

Here Moses recorded a record of the journey as Israel sojourned out of bondage in Egypt through the desert wilderness of the Sinai peninsula for forty years.  Moses had written down all the starting points of their journeys by God’s command as a reminder of how far they had come as well as providing us a historical record of their lives as they went through many toils and troubles along the way.  This account also records the death of Aaron at the forty year mark as they arrived by the Jordan River near the land promised to Abraham and his descendants who then stood ready to enter and obtain the promises of God.  This is also an example for we who are in Christ to look back and make note of the markers of our own journeys as we follow the Lord who sanctifies us (Philippians 1:6) along the way.  We can look back and record these events and people with our victories and failures alike, providing us a sense of awe in the work and leading of our Lord by His Spirit through growth by His word and the places He put us in for varying amounts of time with special people in those places whom He has used in our growth and our influence on theirs.  These living testimonies of His grace will one day be seen by all as our books are opened (1 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 20:12) for all to hear read on His return for judgment and accountability, lifting our hearts in the recollections of grace and form of our conformity to the Son of God (2 Corinthians 3:18, 1 John 3:2) who leads us all the way home.  It is good therefore to look back at our own journeys as we sojourn from our memories of His calling, and to the moment of our transformative salvation as a new birth, and then through the trials and tribulations of our growth along each place we are led to and from, even putting it all down on paper as a testimony of grace fleshed out in each of us to recall and share His work in those testimonies.  It is wonderful to look back as we look forward in anticipation (Romans 8:25, Philippians 3:20-21, Hebrews 9:27-28) of the promised heavenly land (Hebrews 11:13, 16, 12:22) to come!  Our testimony of God’s grace is the record of our journey to Christ and then in Christ through our sanctification of this new life which we can reflect on and share to encourage one another, and so is worthwhile to write down now to consider all these wonderful things.  This is humbling and inspiring to us and to one another, knowing these testimonies of grace in our wanderings will all be read on that Day in His presence at last among all whom He has called.  Yes, these things were recorded of God’s people led out of bondage by Him as a journey through the wilderness to the promised land, which is to us as a foretaste of glory divine in our own sojourning in Christ.

Numbers 32:1-42 - Fighting for the Inheritance

Numbers 32:1-42

The Tribes Settling East of the Jordan (Deuteronomy 3:12–22)

1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, 2 the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the country which the LORD defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.”

6 And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? 7 Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD has given them? 8 Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which the LORD had given them. 10 So the LORD’s anger was aroused on that day, and He swore an oath, saying, 11 ‘Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, 12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.’ 13 So the LORD’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone. 14 And look! You have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the LORD against Israel. 15 For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.”

16 Then they came near to him and said: “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17 but we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.”

20 Then Moses said to them: “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the LORD for the war, 21 and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the LORD until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, 22 and the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the LORD and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. 23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth.”

25 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead; 27 but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, just as my lord says.”

28 So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel. 29 And Moses said to them: “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession. 30 But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”

31 Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying: “As the LORD has said to your servants, so we will do. 32 We will cross over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, but the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us on this side of the Jordan.”

33 So Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country. 34 And the children of Gad built Dibon and Ataroth and Aroer, 35 Atroth and Shophan and Jazer and Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 37 And the children of Reuben built Heshbon and Elealeh and Kirjathaim, 38 Nebo and Baal Meon (their names being changed) and Shibmah; and they gave other names to the cities which they built.

39 And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt in it. 41 Also Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its small towns, and called them Havoth Jair. 42 Then Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.

The children of Gad and the children of Reuben wanted their inheritance where they were, a perfect grazing land for their livestock, not wanting to go on to cross the Jordan with the rest of Israel to claim their inheritance in the promised land.  They promised to fight for the inheritance of all the people who did cross over and then return back across the Jordan to their land if granted by the LORD through Moses.  At first Moses thought that would discourage and even destroy the rest of the people as in the wild when they stayed back from entering the promised land, but the children of Gad and the children of Reuben assured him that they had every intention of fighting alongside the rest to encourage them all to press forward into battle to gain their inheritance as well.  The condition was given that if these did not cross over to assist in winning the land, theirs would be forfeit and they would then also have to cross over and live in Canaan across the river with the rest of their brothers.  They agreed and promised that they would indeed go into the land armed to win the land for their brethren and then keep their inheritance on the east side of the river where the grazing was best for their livelihood, though still east of this new Eden (Genesis 4:16), a land flowing with (Exodus 3:8) milk and honey, a respite after toiling in the dust of Egypt and the bleak wilderness.  Do we then use this example to labor with those going across the waters of the oceans to fight the good fight of the gospel, such as the foreign missionaries, by assisting them in body or in prayer and provisions, even if we return and they labor on without our presence?  May we also wage this spiritual warfare that others may cross over with us and enter into the promised heavenly land of eternal abundance set before us (Hebrews 12:1-2) in Christ as we fight for the inheritance given by grace, knowing the battle belongs to the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:15, Proverbs 21:31, Isaiah 41:10, 1 Corinthians 15:57-58) and not in our own efforts apart from His work in and through each of us, whether in the fray or behind the lines.  These things show how Israel’s Fighting for the Inheritance of the promised land and our involvement in fighting the good fight of the gospel have much in common.

Numbers 31:25-54 - Dividing up the Spoils of War

Numbers 31:25-54

Division of the Plunder

25 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 26 “Count up the plunder that was taken—of man and beast—you and Eleazar the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation; 27 and divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. 28 And levy a tribute for the LORD on the men of war who went out to battle: one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep; 29 take it from their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest as a heave offering to the LORD. 30 And from the children of Israel’s half you shall take one of every fifty, drawn from the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep, from all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.” 31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

32 The booty remaining from the plunder, which the men of war had taken, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep, 33 seventy-two thousand cattle, 34 sixty-one thousand donkeys, 35 and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of women who had not known a man intimately. 36 And the half, the portion for those who had gone out to war, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep; 37 and the LORD’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five. 38 The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was seventy-two. 39 The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the LORD’s tribute was sixty-one. 40 The persons were sixteen thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was thirty-two persons. 41 So Moses gave the tribute which was the LORD’s heave offering to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.

42 And from the children of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from the men who fought— 43 now the half belonging to the congregation was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, 44 thirty-six thousand cattle, 45 thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, 46 and sixteen thousand persons— 47 and from the children of Israel’s half Moses took one of every fifty, drawn from man and beast, and gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

48 Then the officers who were over thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, came near to Moses; 49 and they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a count of the men of war who are under our command, and not a man of us is missing. 50 Therefore we have brought an offering for the LORD, what every man found of ornaments of gold: armlets and bracelets and signet rings and earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.” 51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from them, all the fashioned ornaments. 52 And all the gold of the offering that they offered to the LORD, from the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. 53 (The men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.) 54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of meeting as a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD.

This division of the spoils followed the war against the Midianites after the children of Israel had unlawfully taken the men and women whom they had been ordered to annihilate to stop the immorality and idolatry by taking the women to themselves and not just the female children who were still innocent of these divine crimes.  Now that they set this straight with God as communicated through Moses, they were free to divide the spoils among the tribes of those who went into the fray and among those who had to stay behind.  The Levites also received a tithe of the whole as well.  Amazingly enough, not one of Israel’s army had perished.  The officers in charge of the armies reported this and brought the spoils of jewelry as atonement for their sins, presumably either for taking spoils of gold for them or for having to,shed so much blood in case they did so with impure motives or selfish aims.  The offerings of the officers were mad into articles for the temple, dedicated to the LORD God.  As we fight the good fight (1 Timothy 1:18) of the gospel of Jesus Christ, do we offer back our gain into the lives of those we minister to, or do we need to confess selfishness in keeping the fruits to ourselves instead of investing (2 Timothy 2:2) in others?  The battle belongs to the Lord (1 Samuel 17:47, 2 Chronicles 20:15) and all we have is His which we offer back as the spoils of this cosmic war for the souls of men and women who all need to be set free from idolatry and immorality to enter the promise heavenly land after the final judgment on sin reigning now on this earth.  The spoils of the divine battles then are the souls of men and women offered up to the Lord by His atonement for each one on the cross.  May we share equally in these! 

Numbers 31:1-24 - Holy Vengeance and Purification

Numbers 31:1-24

Vengeance on the Midianites

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”

3 So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the LORD on Midian. 4 A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.”

5 So there were recruited from the divisions of Israel one thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 Then Moses sent them to the war, one thousand from each tribe; he sent them to the war with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the holy articles and the signal trumpets in his hand. 7 And they warred against the Midianites, just as the LORD commanded Moses, and they killed all the males. 8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of those who were killed—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. Balaam the son of Beor they also killed with the sword.

9 And the children of Israel took the women of Midian captive, with their little ones, and took as spoil all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods. 10 They also burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their forts. 11 And they took all the spoil and all the booty—of man and beast.

Return from the War

12 Then they brought the captives, the booty, and the spoil to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. 13 And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp. 14 But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, with the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who had come from the battle.

15 And Moses said to them: “Have you kept all the women alive? 16 Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD. 17 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately. 18 But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately. 19 And as for you, remain outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. 20 Purify every garment, everything made of leather, everything woven of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.”

21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses: 22 Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water. 24 And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp.”

The LORD called for a holy vengeance of retribution against the ungodly who had intentionally and cunningly led Israel astray before.  This included killing Balaam who caused them to sin (Revelation 2:14) as being instrumental in Balak’s attacks through evil counsel and which sins of idolatry through immorality were committed with (Numbers 25:1-3) the faithless idolaters of that land.  God did not demand genocide nor ethnic cleansing, but spiritual cleansing from these who were opposed to His morality and worship.  This is also the reason behind the killing of the occupiers of the promised land of Canaan so the chosen people of the LORD could inhabit the country promised to Abraham for all His people as those idolaters who were opposed to Him were commanded to be driven out (Numbers 33:52, 53-54) and destroyed.  This was also to be the last battle for Moses before he was gathered to his people beyond the grave.  However, the army did not understand or obey the command to kill all but the children in their campaign; they brought back the grown women for themselves, the same women who previously led the people into worship of their dead gods of stone and wood from earthly origins carved by godless men.  They then killed them all but the young virgin girls to be raised in a godly culture, who had not been led into idolatry and immorality yet.  If the people of God wanted wives from these people, it would have to be ones brought up in the admonition of the LORD and not in pagan practices.  The army then had to stand outside the camp for purification from all the bloodshed for a week before entering in again after washing their stained clothing before coming back.  The precept was also introduced that only metals which could be purified through fire could be kept as spoils of war.  Only purified and righteous gain was permitted so that the corrupting influence of the ungodly would not taint the people called to be holy (Leviticus 19:1-2, 20:7-8, 1 Peter 1:15-16) as and because He is holy.  They were to keep His statutes, not worship statues or have intimate relationships with those not intimate with their LORD God, just as we are called to live in holiness (Romans 6:12-13, 1 Corinthians 6:15, 16-17, 19-20) of body and soul.  In the final judgment there will be holy vengeance on those opposing the gospel and accountability for those living for sinful gain in the passing pleasures of sin when we should instead be pursuing holy purification from within and without to honor Him.  May we then fight the good fight according to His word and not the culture around us as we prepare for the heavenly promised land in all holiness of our conformity to Christ in our sanctification. 

Numbers 30:1-16 - Keep Your Word!

Numbers 30:1-16 

The Law Concerning Vows

1 Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: 2 If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

3 “Or if a woman makes a vow to the LORD, and binds herself by some agreement while in her father’s house in her youth, 4 and her father hears her vow and the agreement by which she has bound herself, and her father holds his peace, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement with which she has bound herself shall stand. 5 But if her father overrules her on the day that he hears, then none of her vows nor her agreements by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the LORD will release her, because her father overruled her.

6 “If indeed she takes a husband, while bound by her vows or by a rash utterance from her lips by which she bound herself, 7 and her husband hears it, and makes no response to her on the day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her agreements by which she bound herself shall stand. 8 But if her husband overrules her on the day that he hears it, he shall make void her vow which she took and what she uttered with her lips, by which she bound herself, and the LORD will release her.

9 “Also any vow of a widow or a divorced woman, by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her.

10 “If she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound herself by an agreement with an oath, 11 and her husband heard it, and made no response to her and did not overrule her, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement by which she bound herself shall stand. 12 But if her husband truly made them void on the day he heard them, then whatever proceeded from her lips concerning her vows or concerning the agreement binding her, it shall not stand; her husband has made them void, and the LORD will release her. 13 Every vow and every binding oath to afflict her soul, her husband may confirm it, or her husband may make it void. 14 Now if her husband makes no response whatever to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all the agreements that bind her; he confirms them, because he made no response to her on the day that he heard them. 15 But if he does make them void after he has heard them, then he shall bear her guilt.”

16 These are the statutes which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter in her youth in her father’s house.

These laws on vows to the LORD or in a family really had the meaning of keeping your word as it was given by a promise to fulfill what you said.  Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 makes it clear that it is better not to promise any if you know that you are not intending to keep it at all costs.  We are to be trustworthy people of God as the children of Israel were called to be before us, men and women of our word just as God is of His unbreakable covenant promises to us all in Christ that guarantee He will keep us to the end (Ephesians 1:13-14, Titus 1:1-2, John 10:28-29) in an unbroken hope of eternal life in the salvation by which we stand in grace on His promises.  This was applied to family members as well for keeping their word, children in the household and in marriage as well.  Do we keep our words of promise we vow to keep?  We honor both God and man as we do so, so may we not take keeping our word lightly. 

Numbers 29:12-40 - Offerings at Appointed Times

Numbers 29:12-40

Offerings at the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33–44)

12 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work, and you shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days. 13 You shall present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the LORD: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year. They shall be without blemish. 14 Their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each of the two rams, 15 and one-tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; 16 also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

17 ‘On the second day present twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 18 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 19 also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

20 ‘On the third day present eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 21 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 22 also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

23 ‘On the fourth day present ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year, without blemish, 24 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 25 also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

26 ‘On the fifth day present nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 27 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 28 also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

29 ‘On the sixth day present eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 30 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 31 also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

32 ‘On the seventh day present seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year without blemish, 33 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 34 also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

35 ‘On the eighth day you shall have a sacred assembly. You shall do no customary work. 36 You shall present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven lambs in their first year without blemish, 37 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the ordinance; 38 also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

39 ‘These you shall present to the LORD at your appointed feasts (besides your vowed offerings and your freewill offerings) as your burnt offerings and your grain offerings, as your drink offerings and your peace offerings.’”

40 So Moses told the children of Israel everything, just as the LORD commanded Moses.

This seventh and last appointed time for offerings, the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), shared much the same as the others previously mentioned.  There was the ceasing of work and an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the LORD.  Here there were separate offerings on successive days for seven days with sin offerings, the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering, then on the eighth day would be a sacred assembly.  We see that the offering made by fire as a sweet aroma was only mentioned on the first and last days, supposedly to emphasize prayerful thanksgiving to the LORD to begin and end the festival of the tabernacles which was when the Jewish people gathered in Jerusalem to remember God's provision in the Wilderness wandering after their deliverance from Egyptian bondage and also a time to look ahead to the promised Messianic age when all nations will flow to Jerusalem to worship the Lord with them.  Surely this would have been a time of great joy in reflecting on their four hundred years of suffering and their deliverance through the baptism of the Red Sea (1 Corinthians 10:1-2, Romans 6:3) as His chosen people about to inherit the promise of a kingdom of their own country at last as deeded to Abraham long before and anticipated before them then.  They were glad to sacrifice all they had in thankfulness and worship in remembrance of their past journey and their promised deliverance veiled (Genesis 3:15, Galatians 4:4, Ephesians 3:5, 9, Colossians 1:26-27, 2 Timothy 1:9-10) in the promised Messiah to lead them home to the heavenly country (Hebrews 11:13, 16) of promise which they could not fully grasp yet until Christ came to earth to walk among them as Immanuel to fulfill the promise and guarantee the hope through the gospel.  May we now then offer the sacrifices of praise to our God for our deliverance from the bondage and penalty of sin and the certain hope (Colossians 1:5, 27, Titus 1:2, 1 Peter 1:3) of the promise of the kingdom of God which we now are citizens of and that will continue through death to inhabit forever (Psalm 145:13, 2 Peter 1:11) in His presence with continued and continuous (Hebrews 13:15, 1 Peter 2:9-10, Revelation 19:5) praise.  We also then offer praise at all appointed times, now and in eternity, as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1, 1 Peter 2:5) for His eternal sacrifice (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 7:27, 10:10) for all who are in Christ as His chosen people by the faith of Abraham through repentance to receive the long-awaited Messiah, the Christ who is Jesus. 

Numbers 29:1-11 - Heralding the Day of Atonement

Numbers 29:1-11

Offerings at the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23–25)

1 ‘And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets. 2 You shall offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the LORD: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish. 3 Their grain offering shall be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4 and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; 5 also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, to make atonement for you; 6 besides the burnt offering with its grain offering for the New Moon, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, as a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.

Offerings on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26–32)

7 On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall afflict your souls; you shall not do any work. 8 You shall present a burnt offering to the LORD as a sweet aroma: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year. Be sure they are without blemish. 9 Their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 10 and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; 11 also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, besides the sin offering for atonement, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

The feast of trumpets led to the heralding of the feast of the day of atonement just over three months later.  When the trumpets were blown work was stopped and offerings of sweet aromas were lifted up to the LORD, reminiscent of our prayers lifted as offerings from ourselves as living sacrifices as we rest in the work of Christ and cease laboring (Romans 10:3-4, Hebrews 4:10) on our own, as if we could ever make sufficient atonement for our deliverance from sin’s just penalty!  Then on the Day of Atonement, a holy sacred assembly would be held, again trusting God’s work and not our own as all efforts were stopped and worship through sacrifice again ensued.  This sacrifice had to be spotless in perfection.  We realize, however, that no animal offered to God is ever completely perfect for the outward appearance down to  the smallest cell, and so no animal sacrifice has ever fully atoned for sin.  This yearly sacrifice that was ordained for Israel therefore was a portent (Hebrews 8:5, 6) of what was to come (Galatians 3:23-24, Colossians 2:16-17) in the Son of God (Hebrews 10:4, 10) who is the perfect and completely holy Lamb of God Himself.  The (2 Corinthians 6:2) day of atonement, of our salvation, has arrived at last through the perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, Lord of lords and Sovereign of all kings, our deliverance is now!  Blow the trumpet of the gospel message and hear it in response to cease from your works in futile efforts to earn Heaven and trust His atoning work of sacrifice as our Great High Priest who alone ministers peace with God (Romans 5:1) through the shedding of His lifeblood (Romans 3:25, 5:9, Colossians 1:14, 20, Hebrews 9:22, 10:10) for all who come by faith through repentance (Mark 1:14-15, Acts 20:21, Hebrews 6:1, Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-9) to Him.  Herald day of eternal Atonement of the gospel!