Autor: eabrazil

Here the question of Zelophehad’s daughters comes up again, further to chapter 27. The question raised now was that if they married outside their tribe then eventually Zelophehad’s name and inheritance would be lost. God agreed with this and said that the solution would be for the daughters only to marry within their tribe, so the women married their cousins and the problem was solved. It was from this decreed as a general law that no inheritance must pass from tribe to tribe.

The Levites didn’t inherit any land, as they were exclusively dedicated to God, so the question was where would they live upon entry into the Land of Canaan? This was solved by each tribe giving a total of 48 towns to the Levites, with surrounding pasture land for their animals, and 6 of these towns were towns of refuge. The land around each Levite town measured about 900 metres on each side.

The towns of refuge were places that killers could go to before standing trial. If there were multiple witnesses they would receive capital punishment as murderers. If the killing was judged to be accidental then the killer would be safe in the town of refuge from any would be avenger, and the killer would have to stay there until the death of the high priest.

At the end of the chapter the concept that shedding blood pollutes the land is found. Some theologians link such a concept to the flood being a purification for such defilement of the land.

This chapter defines the boundaries of Canaan as to be taken over by the Israelites by God’s decree. The southern border was the Desert of Zin. The eastern border was the Dead Sea, The Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan. The northern border was from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, then on to Zedad, Ziphron as far as Hazar Enan. The west border was the Mediterranean Sea. It was stated that the land between these borders was to be distributed by lots between the tribes of Israel minus the 2 and a half tribes that had opted for land on the other side of the Jordan.

Joshua and Eleazar were chosen by God to conduct the distribution of the last with the help of a leader from each of the 9 and a half tribes to occupy Canaan. A list of these leaders is given.

This chapter contains a long detailed list of locations through which the Israelites passed on the 40 year journey between Egypt and Canaan. The text says that the recorded stages on the journey were kept by Moses at God’s request. The long trip started on the 15th day of the first month, the day after the Passover.

Then God gave instructions concerning the invasion of Canaan when they made the imminent crossing of the River Jordan. The Israelites were told to drive out all the Canaanites, destroy their images and idols, and demolish their open-air shrines on high points. Then they should distribute the land by lots to all the Israelites.

The Reubenites and the Gadites had big quantities of livestock and took a liking to the pasture available east of the Jordan in Gilead and Jazer. So they went to Moses proposing that they receive this land as opposed to the promised land in Canaan on the other side of the River Jordan. Initially Moses was against the idea because he felt that it could be a repetition of the negative spies in Canaan with fear of conquering Canaan. However the Reubenites and Gadites assured Moses that if he agreed with their plan then they would fight with the invasion force to take Canaan even if Gilead became their home and land. So Moses agreed as long as they did not deplete the Israelite army. This agreed Moses gave Gilead and neighbouring area to the Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh charging Joshua and Eleazar to make sure that they kept their word. These tribes therefore invaded the desired land, conquered it and settled in it with their families, flocks and herds.

This chapter is one of those chapters in the Old Testament which is challenging to say the least. The ruthless gruesome annihilation of human life, including that of civilian prisoners of war, reflects a very primitive culture.

God told Moses to take vengeance on the Midianites for having led Israel into idolatry in Numbers 25. (however remember that Moses was married to a Midianite) The Israelites organized an army with 12,000 men, with 1,000 from each tribe, and Phinehas the priest was the “battle priest.” The Israelites routed the Midianites and killed all their men, whilst suffering no losses, and they returned from battle bringing the Midianite women, children, herds, flocks and goods as plunder. They also killed Balaam.

Moses was angry because they brought back the women alive as they had been the cause of the trouble in Numbers 25. So the order was given to kill all the women and boys and just spare the virgin girls. The Israelite soldiers then had to go through a 7-day cleansing process for having been in contact with dead bodies, and the spoils of battle had to be purified too.

Then the spoils were divided with half going to the warriors and half going to the Israelites in general. Part of these spoils went to the High Priest Eleazar (675 sheep, 72 cattle, 61 donkeys, 32 women) and part went to the Levites (2% of the animals and persons given to the Israelites in general). The total plunder was 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, 320,000 virgin women. 190 kilos of gold was also placed in the Tabernacle as a donation to God from the plunder of the warriors.

This chapter emphasizes that vows were made to be kept. However there are certain exceptions, which reflect a patriarchal society. In the case of a young woman living in her father’s house the father could overrule her vow if he thought fit. In the case of a married woman her husband could also overrule if he wanted to. However in both cases of the father and the husband they would have to nullify the vow without delay or else it would stand. In the case of vows made by widows or divorcees there were no loopholes and their vows would have to be fulfilled come what may.

This chapter starts with the Feast of Trumpets involving the sacrifice of 1 bull, 1 ram, 7 lambs and 1 goat together with fine flour and olive oil. These offerings are in addition to the monthly and daily offerings.

Next comes the Day of Atonement which is a day of fasting without work. On this day the offering is the same as that of the Feast of Trumpets.

Finally in this chapter comes the 7-day Feast of Tabernacles at which each day were sacrificed bulls, rams, lambs, goats, grain offering and drink offering varying in quantities of animals from day to day. When the feast ended the priest yet offered further sacrifices on the 8th day.

Now comes a reminder about daily offerings as prescribed 40 years earlier in the book of Exodus, as perhaps they needed a reminder? The Israelites were to sacrifice a year old lamb every morning and another every evening, together with 2 litres of fine flour, mixed with a litre of olive oil accompanied by 4.5 litres of wine. Such offerings showed the people’s love and respect for God and atoned for their sins. However on the sabbath the offerings were apparently to be doubled.

Next came the monthly offerings on the 1st day of every month. Being monthly these offerings were much larger than the daily ones with 2 young bulls, 1 ram, 7 male lambs and 1 goat plus fine flour, olive oil and wine.

Next came the Passover which started on the 14th day of the first month and lasted with the Feast of Unleavened Bread for 7 days. This involved the same offering as the monthly offering which was offered on top of the daily offering.

Finally in this chapter came the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) which again involved the same offering as the monthly offering.

Zelophehad died leaving 5 daughters but no sons, so the daughters went to Moses to request their land rights as their father had not been involved with rebellions or things like that. God granted the request and laid this down as law from then on, but if a man had no children at all his inheritance would go to a brother. In the lack of a brother it would go to the next of kin. (It is interesting to observe initial women’s rights emerging here in a patriarchal society)

The death of Moses was approaching so God appointed Joshua as his eventual successor, as Joshua had long been his assistant. Moses took Joshua before Eleazar the High Priest and before all the people and formally commissioned him legitimizing the imminent transference of power.

In this chapter, on the plains of Moab by the River Jordan, God told Moses and the priest Eleazar to take the second census of men 20 years old and over who were fit to fight in the army. This census was taken about 40 years after the first one and revealed changes in size in the tribes of Judah, Manasseh and Ephraim, and that the tribe of Simeon had decreased in size considerably. God had raised up a new generation of Israelites to enter the promised land replacing those who died in the wilderness.

This census showed the following tribal strengths: Reuben (43,730), Simeon (22,200), Gad (40,500), Judah (76,500), Issachar (64,300), Zebulun (60,500), Manasseh (52,700), Ephraim (32,500), Benjamin (45,600), Dan (64,400), Asher (53,400) and Naphtali (45,400). This made a total of 601,730 fighting men (down from 603,550 in the first census). All those counted in the first census had died except Caleb and Joshua.

God said that upon entering Canaan the land was to be divided up between everyone by casting lots. The 23,000 Levites (males 1 month old upwards) would not receive land as they were set aside in the service of God.

When Israel was at a place called Shittim the men engaged in sexual immorality with Moabite women coupled with spiritual immorality worshipping their god Baal of Peor. God was horrified with this and told Moses to kill the leaders involved with this and make a public spectacle of their executions.

Then an Israelite man named Zimri openly brought into the Israelite camp a Midianite woman called Cozbi and took her to his tent to have sex with her. Upon seeing this disrespect for God and his people the grandson of Aaron, Phineas, took a spear and drove it through both of them, and this halted a plague of God’s anger which killed 24,000 people!

So God told Moses that from then onwards they should treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them. Quite how this worked out for Moses I don’t know as he was married to a Midianite.

This chapter starts with Balaam’s third oracle which, so different from what Balak wanted, was gushingly positive about Israel which was “as strong as a wild ox” and “like a lioness”. Israel for the third time was blessed by Balaam and certainly not cursed, which left Balak furiously giving up on his attempts at cursing Israel.

Before parting ways Balaam yet prophesied that Israel would crush Moab, and conquer Edom, Sheth, Seir, Amalek and the Kenites. It was a message completely the opposite to what Balak had wanted.

The strange story of Balaam continues. Balaam was a practitioner of divination (Joshua 13:22) and set up, with King Balak, 7 altars with 7 bulls and 7 rams for sacrifices as was the traditional method of oriental diviners. Then, having sacrificed a bull and a ram with Balak, Balaam went alone to consult God which led to his first oracle (a message in poetic form) concerning Balak’s request to curse Israel. God however led Balaam to bless Israel, rather than curse it, which Balak didn’t like, but Balaam told him that he could not go beyond the words God puts into his mouth. (The sovereignty of God was clear here even above an oriental diviner)

So Balak insisted with Balaam on the curse and took him to another place where they set up the same diviners’ method of 7 altars, bulls and rams. So Balaam again consulted God who confirmed, in his poetic second oracle, his anti curse stance as he was not someone to change his mind, insisting on blessing “lioness” Israel much to Balak’s displeasure.

Therefore Balak took Balaam to a third site to try and get him to curse Israel, and they again set up the 7 altars, bulls and rams ritual as was the diviners’ practice.

Balak, King of Moab, was terrified of Israel in the light of their recent victories in battle, so he asked Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites so that he could defeat them and drive them out of the area. Balaam consulted God on the matter, and he spoke against him doing the curse or even going to speak with King Balak. Balak therefore sent further envoys to ask Balaam to invoke the curse, increasing the financial reward for it. God agreed this time that Balaam could go to Balak as long as his words were guided by God.

The following morning Balaam went on his donkey with the princes of Moab, but the angel of the Lord stood in their way. Apparently the donkey saw the angel but not Balaam. 3 times the angel of the Lord, drawn sword in hand, caused the donkey to rear off course, so Balaam beat the donkey each time. Then the donkey spoke to Balaam! He asked Balaam why he was beating him as he was his well relied upon donkey. Only then did Balaam perceive the presence of the angel who asked Balaam why he was beating his donkey because the animal was in fact saving him.

Balaam confessed he had sinned, after which he went on to meet King Balak who proceeded to sacrifice cattle and sheep, giving some to Balaam and to the princes. They went together to Bamoth Baal.

(Balaam is an enigmatic figure. He seems to be the sort of believer with one foot in the world and the other in the church!)

The Canaanite king of Arad attacked the Israelites and captured some of them, but Israel vowed to God that if he gave them the victory they would destroy their cities. This is what happened so Israel destroyed the people and their cities.

The Israelites travelled on avoiding Edom and were soon complaining again about the miserable food! So God sent venomous snakes amongst them and many people died. The people recognized their error and asked that the snakes be taken away, so God told Moses to put a bronze snake up on to a pole and then anyone looking to the snake would be healed. This story is probably the best known text of the book of Numbers owing to Jesus’ use of it to point to his crucifixion in John 3:14.

The text then relates the journey of the Israelites through many places such as Oboth, the Zered Valley, Beer, and the Valley of Moab. Then Israel asked for the right of passage from the Amorites, it was refused, and the Amorite army attacked them. However Israel overcame them and captured and occupied all their cities and settled in the land of the Amorites.

Then they went on towards Bashan and the King of Bashan sent out his entire army against Israel. Israel annihilated them completely and took over their land too.