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.
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