9-26-15 (Updated with Roxie's Notes)

THE NEW GENERATION

Chapters 26-36 marks the emergence of a New Generation of Israelites.

In Chapter 26, we see a second census taking place, the primary purpose of which is to determine the size of each tribe to determine how much land each would get in the Promised Land.

52 The Lord said to Moses, 53 “The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names. 54 To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed. 55 Be sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe. 56 Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups.”

Later, we see God's Judgement on the first generation has become complete. Only two people who were counted in the first census appear on the rolls of the second:  Joshua and Caleb

63 These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. 64 Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaronthe priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the wilderness, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

There is a tone of hope, fulfillment, and assurance that they will enter Canaan and take possession of it.

(Note:  In Numbers, it is said that the Isrealites were denied passage by the Edomites, but In Deuteronomy, it is said the Edomites allow passage.  There is no explanation for this conflict.)

In Chapter 27 we see the resolution of an inheritance of property dispute:

Zelophehad’s Daughters27 The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They came forward 2 and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the Lord, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. 4 Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”5 So Moses brought their case before the Lord, 6 and the Lord said to him, 7 “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them.
8 “Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to have the force of law for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.’”

This emphasizes the importance of the ownership of land and that it was essential to a family's economic base.

In 27:18 we see a succession of Leadership:

 18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership,[f] and lay your hand on him. 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission himin their presence. 20 Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. 21 He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”22 Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. 23 Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses.

Chapter 31 recounts a war of Vengeance against the Midianites for deceiving Israel at Peor

Numbers 2514 The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Kozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them. 18 They treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the Peor incident involving their sister Kozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of that incident.”

Israel is victorious in the war, kill all the men and burn all the villages.  But the men intended to keep the women.  Moses became angry:

13 Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.15 “Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. 16 “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people. 17 Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, 18 but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

These were the women who led the men astray in Peor. Unlike the first generation, these in the second did as ordered.

In Chapter 32, Reuben and Gad decide that they like the land where they are (the Trans-Jordan) and do not want to go into the Promised Land. But their numbers are needed if Israel is to take Canaan. In the first generation, this could have led to a major problem, but a compromise is reached whereby these tribes agree to go and fight and the return after Canaan has been secured.

16 Then they came up to him and said, “We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. 17 But we will arm ourselves for battle[a] and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance. 19 We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”
20 Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle 21 and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him— 22 then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the Lord.
23 “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “We your servants will do as our lord commands. 26 Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. 27 But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord, just as our lord says.”

Chapters 34 & 35 define the borders of Canaan and how the land was to be divided.  Provisions are made for Levite cites (as they are prohibited from owning land). Six of these cities are designated as Cities of Refuge where a man who kills someone accidentally is safe from retributions as long as he remains in the city.

Thus the stage is set for Joshua to lead Israel into the Promised Land. Deuteronomy is sort of a pause between Numbers and Joshua.

Here are Roxie's notes:

Week 4

NUMBERS
(continued)

New Generation on edge of the Promised Land

-  Chapters 26-38 mark the emergence of the new generation of Israelites.


Second Census
-  In chapter 26:52-56 we see that the Israelites undergo a new census. The Primary Purpose was to determine the size of the tribes and the amount of land each tribe would be assigned when they enter Canaan. A large tribe would get more land than a small tribe.
- In chapter 26:63-65, God’s judgment on the old generation has become complete. We know this because only Joshua and Caleb are the ones left from the first census. There is a tone of hope and assurance that they will inherit the Promised Land.

- In chapter 27, we see the Resolution of Zelophehad’s Daughters. In verse 7, Zelophehad dies with no sons so his daughters got everything he owned including property from their father’s relatives.


Succession of Leadership: Joshua is the new leader!
- Numbers 27:12-23 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Climb this mountain in the Abarim Mountains, and look at the land I have given to the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you will die and join your ancestors as your brother Aaron did, 14 because you both acted against my command in the Desert of Zin. You did not honor me as holy before the people at the waters of Meribah.” (This was at Meribah in Kadesh in the Desert of Zin.)
15 Moses said to the LORD, 16 “The LORD is the God of the spirits of all people. May he choose a leader for these people, 17 who will go in and out before them. He must lead them out like sheep and bring them in; the LORD’s people must not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18 So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, because my Spirit is in him. Put your hand on him, 19 and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people. Then give him his orders as they watch. 20 Let him share your honor so that all the Israelites will obey him. 21 He must stand before Eleazar the priest, and Eleazar will get advice from the LORD by using the Urim. At his command all the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will all come in.”
22 Moses did what the LORD told him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people, 23 and he put his hands on him and gave him orders, just as the LORD had told him.

Laws for New Generation’s Life in the Promised Land
- Read Numbers chapters 28-30. They mention Daily Offerings, Sabbath Offerings, Monthly Offerings, The Passover, The Feast of Weeks, The Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Cleansing, The Feast of Shelters, and Rules About Special Promises.

Military Victory w/ warning & encouragement from past generation
- In Numbers chapter 31, Israel seeks revenge and attacks the Midianites for what they did in Peor (see Numbers 25 where the Israelite men sinned sexually with the Midianite women and the women also had them worship their gods).
- Numbers 31:1-8 The LORD spoke to Moses and said, 2 “Pay back the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites; after that you will die.” 3 So Moses said to the people, “Get some men ready for war. The LORD will use them to pay back the Midianites. 4 Send to war a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” 5 So twelve thousand men got ready for war, a thousand men from each tribe. 6 Moses sent those men to war; Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest was with them. He took with him the holy things and the trumpets for giving the alarm. 7 They fought the Midianites as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every Midianite man. 8 Among those they killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, who were the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with a sword. (Remember Balaam from Numbers 22?)
- The Israelites kept all the spoils of war including the Midianite women. Moses says we can’t do this. We must learn from the past because they might temp you to worship false gods again. In verse 17, Moses then tells them to kill all the boys and the Midianite women who aren’t virgins and they do.
Reuben and Gad in Transjordan
- In chapter 32, we see that Reuben and Gad want to stay in the Transjordan, the land East of the Jordan River. They liked the land there because they had large flocks and herds.
- Moses told them we need your tribes to fight along with the rest of the Israelite tribes so that they can enter the Promised Land, the land of Canaan. Once they enter, you all can come back and occupy the land East of the Jordan River.
- Reuben and Gad set up pens for their animals and cities for their children first. Then they prepared themselves for battle.
- In chapter 33, we see Israel’s journey from Egypt.


Reuben and Gad in Transjordan

The Borders of Canaan and Division of the land: The Lord sets the borders of Canaan. He also commanded men to divide the land of Canaan among the Israelites. In verse 14 we see that Reuben and Gad got their land.

Levite Towns: In Numbers 18:23-24, the Levites are not given any land. Now in Numbers 35:3 we see that God is giving them cities and pastureland for their cattle, flocks and other animals.

Cities of Safety: Numbers 35:10-15 Tell the Israelites these things: ‘When you cross the Jordan River and go into Canaan, 11 you must choose cities to be cities of safety, so that a person who accidentally kills someone may run to them for safety. 12 There the person will be safe from the dead person’s relative who has the duty of punishing the killer. He will not die before he receives a fair trial in court. 13 The six cities you give will be cities of safety. 14 Give three cities east of the Jordan River and three cities in Canaan as cities of safety. 15 These six cities will be places of safety for citizens of Israel, as well as for foreigners and other people living with you. Any of these people who accidentally kills someone may run to one of these cities.


*The stage is now set for Joshua to lead Israel into the Promised Land. Deuteronomy is sort of a pause between Numbers and Joshua.

Class Notes for 2-19-15

Roxie's Notes:

Week 3

NUMBERS

The Hebrews refer to Numbers as “In the Wilderness”. (Remember that in the scrolls, it’s just one continuous writing. We are the ones that gave it chapters/book names.)

Within the biblical tradition, the wilderness is never an ideal place for humans to dwell. It is a place of chaos, threats, danger and death and as such, a place to be avoided. But WHEN one is forced to endure a time in the wilderness, as Israel is in the book of Numbers, it may be experienced as a time of learning and maturing or experienced as a time of disintegration and death!!

This sums up the story of Numbers for Israel and is also a profound life application for us.

Death of Old Wilderness Generation

• Obedient Beginnings: Preparation for March in Wilderness (Ch 1-10)

-The first ten chapters of Numbers are positive. Israel is obediently following the instructions from God as they march with Moses from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land.

Census

-In chapter 1, the 12 tribes undergo a census. All males over the age of 21 are organized into a military camp. This is around 604,000 men.

Laws for camp

-In chapter 2, the camp is organized and set up with 3 tribes on each of the 4 sides of the camp.

-In chapter 3, Levites are set aside from God as first born of Israel.

-In chapter 4, there is a further division of labor. Three of the family groups from the tribe of Levi (Gerson, Merari and Kohath) are appointed by God to help Aaron the High Priest and his sons, the priests.

-In chapter 5, Laws and Rules are given to preserve the purity of the camp. Some rules include sexual immorality and adultery.

Nazirite Vows

-In chapter 6, we see the Nazirite vows, which were given by God, set forth for men and women who wanted to set themselves apart to God for a special purpose: don’t drink or eat anything from the grapevine, don’t cut your hair and don’t touch a dead body. These vows are similar to our current day “fasting”. There was no specific length of time, so they could go as long as they chose to.

Consecration of Levites

-In chapter 8, there is a consecration of Levites for the Tent of Meeting where God dwells with them.

Passover

-In chapter 9, there is a second Passover as they are leaving.

Israel on the move

-In chapter 10, Israel is on the move leaving the region of Sinai and heading to Canaan.


• Slide into Rebellion: Death of 1st Wilderness Generation (Ch 11-20)
-Here you see Israel continuing to rebel and complain, God showing compassion and forgiveness, Israel continuing to rebel and complain, etc.
Death of Menu Items
-In chapter 11, Death of Menu Items is what caused the First General Rebellion. They had no meat so they began to complain and remember all the meat and food they used to have in Egypt.
-Moses becomes upset with God for the first time in Numbers 11:10-15
Moses heard every family crying as they stood in the entrances of their tents. Then the LORD became very angry, and Moses got upset. 11 He asked the LORD, “Why have you brought me, your servant, this trouble? What have I done wrong that you made me responsible for all these people? 12 I am not the father of all these people, and I didn’t give birth to them. So why do you make me carry them to the land you promised to our ancestors? Must I carry them in my arms as a nurse carries a baby? 13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep crying to me, ‘We want meat!’ 14 I can’t take care of all these people alone. It is too much for me. 15 If you are going to continue doing this to me, then kill me now. If you care about me, put me to death, and then I won’t have any more troubles.”
Numbers 11:23  But the LORD said to Moses, “Do you think I’m weak? Now you will see if I can do what I say.”
Numbers 11:31-33 The Lord sends quail! The LORD sent a strong wind from the sea, and it blew quail into the area all around the camp. The quail were about three feet deep on the ground, and there were quail a day’s walk in any direction. 32 The people went out and gathered quail all that day, that night, and the next day. Everyone gathered at least sixty bushels, and they spread them around the camp. 33 But the LORD became very angry, and he gave the people a terrible sickness that came while the meat was still in their mouths.
-God wanted them to learn and mature but they didn’t do it.

Sibling Rivalry
-In chapter 12, Miriam and Aaron (Moses’ sister and brother) speak against Moses because they are basically tired of Moses being the boss of them.
Numbers 12:1-9 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife (he had married a Cushite). 2 They said, “Is Moses the only one the LORD speaks through? Doesn’t he also speak through us?” And the LORD heard this. 3 (Now Moses was very humble. He was the least proud person on earth.) 4 So the LORD suddenly spoke to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “All three of you come to the Meeting Tent.” So they went. 5 The LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance to the Tent. He called to Aaron and Miriam, and they both came near. 6 He said, “Listen to my words: When prophets are among you, I, the LORD, will show myself to them in visions; I will speak to them in dreams. 7 But this is not true with my servant Moses. I trust him to lead all my people. 8 I speak face to face with him— clearly, not with hidden meanings. He has even seen the form of the LORD. You should be afraid to speak against my servant Moses.” 9 The LORD was very angry with them, and he left.

Spy “Mission Impossible”
-In chapters 13 and 14, we see that Moses sent 12 spies into Canaan, one from each tribe. He wanted to know what kind of people lived there, what was the land like, what kind of fruit they had, etc. Everyone had a negative report and were scared of the strong, giant people that occupied the land except for Joshua and Caleb.
-The people complain to Moses again but Joshua tells them that with God’s help, they can fight and win.
-God punishes them.
Numbers 14:28-38 So tell them, ‘This is what the LORD says. I heard what you said, and as surely as I live, I will do those very things to you: 29 You will die in this desert. Every one of you who is twenty years old or older and who was counted with the people—all of you who complained against me—will die. 30 Not one of you will enter the land where I promised you would live; only Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun will go in.
31 You said that your children would be taken away, but I will bring them into the land to enjoy what you refused. 32 As for you, you will die in this desert. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years. Because you were not loyal, they will suffer until you lie dead in the desert. 34 For forty years you will suffer for your sins—a year for each of the forty days you explored the land. You will know me as your enemy.’ 35 I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will certainly do these things to all these evil people who have come together against me. So they will all die here in this desert.”
36 The men Moses had sent to explore the land had returned and spread complaints among all the people. They had given a bad report about the land. 37 The men who gave a very bad report died; the LORD killed them with a terrible sickness. 38 Only two of the men who explored the land did not die—Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh.

-In chapter 15, God sets rules about sacrifices. He also tells everyone to make tassels and wear them on their clothes so that they will remember these rules and obey them.



Korah’s Rebellion
-In chapter 16, Korah’s rebellion takes place. Dathan, Abiram and On, all from the tribe of Rueben, were with Korah at the time.
-Korah was from the tribe of Levi.
-They challenged Moses, along with 250 other leaders they had gathered, about the priestly duties of Aaron.
Numbers 16:3 They came as a group to speak to Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far. All the people are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. So why do you put yourselves above all the people of the LORD?”
-God got mad at them and killed them. The Earth swallowed Korah and everything he owned: his family, his land, all his belongings, etc. They were buried alive and then the Earth closed itself back up. God then sends a fire from the sky and strikes the 250 people dead.

-In chapter 17, Aaron’s priesthood is reaffirmed. God tells Moses to get a walking stick from the leaders of each tribe and to write their names on it.
Numbers 17:7-10 Moses put them (the walking sticks) before the LORD in the Tent of the Agreement. 8 The next day, when Moses entered the Tent, he saw that Aaron’s stick (which stood for the family of Levi) had grown leaves. It had even budded, blossomed, and produced almonds. 9 So Moses brought out to the Israelites all the walking sticks from the LORD’s presence. They all looked, and each man took back his stick. 10 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s walking stick back in front of the Ark of the Agreement. It will remind these people who are always turning against me to stop their complaining against me so they won’t die.”

(Aaron’s staff, the two stone tablets of the Decalogue and Manna are all put in the Arc of the Covenant.)



-In chapter 18, the works of the Priests and the Levites are mentioned. God tells Aaron that he and his family are responsible for taking care of the Holy Place.
Numbers 18:5-7 “You must take care of the Holy Place and the altar so that I won’t become angry with the Israelites again. 6 I myself chose your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift given for you to the LORD, to work at the Meeting Tent. 7 But only you and your sons may serve as priests. Only you may serve at the altar or go behind the curtain. I am giving you this gift of serving as a priest, and anyone else who comes near the Holy Place will be put to death.”

-Chapter 19 mentions the Offerings for Cleansing.

Kadesh Barnea
-In chapter 20, Miriam, Moses’ sister, dies and is buried there in Kadesh.
-There is no water in the desert and the people start complaining to Moses and Aaron.  Moses disobeys God by striking the rock two times instead of speaking to it! This is the reason why Moses is disqualified and not allowed to enter the Promised Land.
Numbers 20:6-12 So Moses and Aaron left the people and went to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. There they bowed facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 The LORD said to Moses, 8 “Take your walking stick, and you and your brother Aaron should gather the people. Speak to that rock in front of them so that its water will flow from it. When you bring the water out from that rock, give it to the people and their animals.”
9 So Moses took the stick from in front of the LORD, as he had said. 10 Moses and Aaron gathered the people in front of the rock, and Moses said, “Now listen to me, you who turn against God! Do you want us to bring water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and hit the rock twice with his stick. Water began pouring out, and the people and their animals drank it.
12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe me, and because you did not honor me as holy before the people, you will not lead them into the land I will give them.”


-Aaron dies and is buried on Mount Hor:
Numbers 20:22-29 All the Israelites moved from Kadesh to Mount Hor, 23 near the border of Edom. There the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 24 “Aaron will die. He will not enter the land that I’m giving to the Israelites, because you both acted against my command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and his son Eleazar up on Mount Hor, 26 and take off Aaron’s special clothes and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will die there; he will join his ancestors.”
27 Moses obeyed the LORD’s command. They climbed up Mount Hor, and all the people saw them go. 28 Moses took off Aaron’s clothes and put them on Aaron’s son Eleazar. Then Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Moses and Eleazar came back down the mountain, 29 and when all the people learned that Aaron was dead, everyone in Israel cried for him for thirty days.

Signs of Hope in midst of death (ch 21-25)
• Military Victories
-In chapter 21, the Israelites concurred the king of Arad and the Canaanites.
-The Israelites begin to complain about the desert, the food and the lack of water. God sent poisonous snakes, because they were rebelling, to bite the people and some of them died. God tells Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. If anyone who is bit sees it, then they will live.

• Cannot be cursed
-Balak is afraid of the Israelites because he saw what they did to the Amorites.
-He seeks help from Balaam. He knows that Balaam can curse someone or bless someone so he wants Balaam to curse the Israelites.
-God appears to Balaam in a dream and tells him not to curse them since God himself has blessed them.
- Balaam tells Balak that these people are blessed. Later on we see that Balaam disobeys God and gets on his donkey to go with Balak. God intervenes and speaks through his donkey.
• Always a woman to blame
Numbers 25:1-9 While the people of Israel were still camped at Acacia, the men began sinning sexually with Moabite women. 2 The women invited them to their sacrifices to their gods, and the Israelites ate food there and worshiped these gods. 3 So the Israelites began to worship Baal of Peor, and the LORD was very angry with them.
4 The LORD said to Moses, “Get all the leaders of the people and kill them in open daylight in the presence of the LORD. Then the LORD will not be angry with the people of Israel.” 5 So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death your people who have become worshipers of Baal of Peor.”
6 Moses and the Israelites were gathered at the entrance to the Meeting Tent, crying there. Then an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman to his brothers in plain sight of Moses and all the people. 7 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, so he left the meeting and got his spear. 8 He followed the Israelite into his tent and drove his spear through both the Israelite man and the Midianite woman. Then the terrible sickness among the Israelites stopped. 9 This sickness had killed twenty-four thousand people.

Kent's notes:

Within the biblical tradition, the wilderness is never an ideal place for humans to dwell. It is a place of chaos, threats, danger and death and as such, a place to be avoided. But WHEN one is forced to endure a time in the wilderness, as Israel is in the book of Numbers, it may be experienced as a time of learning and maturing or experienced as a time of disintegration and death!!

This sums up the story of Numbers for Israel and is also a profound life application for us. 

From a theological perspective, this sums up the experience of Israel in Numbers & it has profund implications on us.

Each of us is going to spend some time in some kind of "wilderness" experience.

Its is ironic because, for Israel, God was with them all the time.  For us, when we find ourselves in a "wilderness" experience it can feel as if God is not with us.

But try to think of someone who has gone through a "wilderness" experience and did not come out on the other side of it.

----DEATH OF THE WILDERNESS GENERATION

In the Hebrew Tradition, the Book of Numbers is called "In The Wilderness".

The first half of Numbers (Chapters 1-10) recounts the fate of the generation that came out of Egypt and witness the Covenant with God . Israel is obedient to God.

In Chaper 1, we see the 12 tribes undergo a census and are organized into military camps.  They number about 604,000.

Chapter 2 outlines how the encampments are to be set up, three on each of the four sides of the camp.

In Chapter 3, the Levites are set aside by God as his "First born."

In Chapter 4, we see a further division of labor as regards the Tabernacle and Tent of Meeting. The Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites are given duties to help Aaron and his sons.,

Chapter 5 has laws & Rules instituted to preserve the purity of the camp, specifically for adultery and sexual immorality.

Chapter 6 sets forth the Nazarite vow which applies to both men and women who wish to set themselves apart for God to use for a specific purpose.  There was no set time period for this service.  It is akin to our practice of fasting.

Chapter 7 brings us rules for offerings and Dedication of the Tabernacle

In Chapter 8 we see further consecration of the Levites.

Chapter 9 describes the commemoration of Israel's second Passover and it is deemd an appropriate marker for Israel as People of God.

In Chapter 10, Israel is once again (and finally) on the move, leaving Sinai heading to Canaan.


From these obedient beginnings, we have a slide into rebellion. In Chapters 11-20 we see the cycle of Israel continually rebelling and complaining, God forgiving and providing.

In Chapter 11, we see Israel rebelling and complaining in a manner similar to that they displayed in Genesis.

     ~ The complain about the "dearth of menu items", specifically no meat, and they reminisce about all the meat they had in Egypt, and give Moses a hard time about it.

And, for the first time, Moses becomes upset with God.

Numbers 11
10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. 11 He asked theLord, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors? 13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”

God answers in 16-17, and in 18 we see that He provides enough meat for Israel to come to hate it

16 The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.
18 “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

Moses doubts that such a quantity of meat can be produced.  God replies:

23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”

And the Lord produces:

 31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits[b] deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. 32 All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers.[c] Then they spread them out all around the camp. 

In Chapter 12 , we see some "sibling rivalry".  Aaron and Miriam oppose Moses.  They were upset with him and effectively saying "You're not the Boss of us!, We're equals!".

But God heard them and reaffirmed that Moses was, indeed, the boss of them.

4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:“When there is a prophet among you,    I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions,
    I speak to them in dreams.7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;    he is faithful in all my house.8 With him I speak face to face,    clearly and not in riddles;
    he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid    to speak against my servant Moses?”

Miriam was struck with a skin disease.  Moses prays for her to be cured, God does, but only after a punishment has been assessed:

13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!”14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

The greatest rebellion occurs in Chapter 13 & 14 , the instigation being the spies sent into Canaan and the reports they bring back. This is described in verses 13:26 ~ 14:9

Starting with 14:10 we see God's anger and Moses entreaty with Him not to destroy the Israelites for their rebellious nature.  He agrees, but exacts a penalty:

10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of theLord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”
13 Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. 14 And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, Lord, are with these people and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 15 If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 16 ‘The Lordwas not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’
17 “Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared:18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. 25 Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.[g]” 

 26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.”

36 So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it—37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.

The first generation did not learn and mature in the Wilderness, so God sentenced them to remain in the desert for 40 years until that generation had died out and their children would enter the Promised Land. Even Caleb and Joshua, who were alone among that generation who would go into the Promised Land had to wander, even though they had been obedient.

We find ourselves in a similar condition.

Luke 17:20-21New International Version (NIV)The Coming of the Kingdom of God20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”[a]

As we grow spiritually, and have a more spiritually pure conscious, the closer we get to the Kingdom of God. It is incumbent on us to learn and mature in this Wilderness we find ourselves in.

In Chapter 15, we see god enacting rules that ensure the coming generation will enter Canaan.

But in 16, we see Korah's Rebellion. Dathan, Abiram, Korah, and 250 Leaders (of this group only Korah is a Levite) challenge Moses regarding the priestly duties of Aaron, and again they see God's anger.

28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29 If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if theLord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated theLord with contempt.”31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

In Chapter 17, we see the Priesthood of
Aaron reaffirmed.  There was a showdown similar to that between Elijah and the Prophets of Baal.

17 [r]The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffsfrom them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. 3 On the staff of Levi write Aaron’s name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. 4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law, where I meet with you.5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.”6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them. 7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law.
8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.

At God's direction, Aaron's staff was placed in the Ark of The Covenant along with some manna and the tablets with the Commandments on them to remind the Israelites of these times.

In chapter 20, we find most of the first Generation are gone.  At Kadesh, Israel complains about not having any water.  God commands Moses and Aaron to speak to a rock to produce water, but Moses is angry and strikes the rock, and then strikes it again and it produces water. God is angryh at Moses for disobeying His instruction and says that now, even Moses will not go into the Promised Land.

12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

Aaron died and was buried on Mount Hor.

In chapters 21-25, we see signs of Hope in the midst of Death.

In Chapte 21, God brings them a military victory, then blesses them again with two more.

In chapter 22, their enemies become alarmed at their strength and entreat Balaam, a great magician and prophet to curse the Israelites. They try three times, but each time Ballam hears from God and refuses to curse them, in the end blessing Israel instead:

24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness. 2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him 3 and he spoke his message:“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,    the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,    who sees a vision from the Almighty,[j]    who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:5 “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,    your dwelling places, Israel!6 “Like valleys they spread out,    like gardens beside a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,    like cedars beside the waters.7 Water will flow from their buckets;    their seed will have abundant water.“Their king will be greater than Agag;    their kingdom will be exalted.8 “God brought them out of Egypt;    they have the strength of a wild ox.They devour hostile nations    and break their bones in pieces;
    with their arrows they pierce them.9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down,    like a lioness—who dares to rouse them?“May those who bless you be blessed    and those who curse you be cursed!”

Balaam cannot curse what God has Blessed.

In Chapter 25, the men of Israel sin sexually with Moabite women.  worse still, the women influence them to worship their pagan god Baal. There is a plague until Phinehas takes action:

6 Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehasson of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand 8 and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; 9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.
10 The Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. 12 Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. 13 He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”
14 The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Kozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them. 18 They treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the Peor incident involving their sister Kozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of that incident.”