Book 4 The Book of Numbers
Who wrote the book of Numbers: Moses
When was book of Numbers written: Between 1446 B.C. and 1406 B.C.
Numbers also records the events that took place during the Israelites’ journey from Mt. Sinai through Moab to the border of Canaan (the Promised Land). The incidents recorded in the book of Numbers give undeniable proof of God’s love; care, and forgiveness in times of disobedience.
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Key Events In Numbers:
- Census
- Repetition of the explanation for celebrating the Passover, the dedication of the Tabernacle, and the selection of Aaron’s family for the priesthood
- Sending the twelve spies to Canaan
- God punishes the people for their rebellion by extending their journey.
- The trip to Canaan shouldn’t have taken more than a few months, but instead of their disobedience, it took 40 years.
- God kills Korah, Dathan, and Abiram for disobeying
- Water from a rock
- The Israelites go to war
- Balaam’s donkey talks
- Israel intermingles with Moab; causing God to become angry and punish some with death
- A second census is taken
- A ‘road map’ of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Canaan
- Joshua is chosen to replace Moses as the leader of Israel when they enter Canaan
The accounts found throughout the Book of Numbers are not only geographical in nature. The accounts of Israelite history are also spiritual and physical in nature.
As you look at some of the main events recorded in the Book of Numbers you will not be able to ignore the following:
God is almighty and holy God has a sense of creativity like none another God accepts nothing less than our best God accepts nothing less than faithful obedience and devotion God’s way is always best
Census
The first four chapters are a census of the Israelite people. The people were counted by tribes (sons of Jacob/Israel). But in addition to the actual count, God assigned each tribe certain jobs and responsibilities.
Repetition of the explanation for celebrating the Passover, the dedication of the Tabernacle, and the selection of Aaron’s family for the priesthood
Following the census the book of Numbers we are reminded of the importance of the Passover and the fact that God sets the tribe of Levi apart for the priesthood of Israel. Aaron, who was from the tribe of Levi, was, as we already know, the first high priest, and his sons, were the first priests.
As you also learned in the previous chapter on the book of Leviticus, Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s oldest sons, had to be replaced early on by their younger brothers, Eleazar and Ithamar. The two were replaced after they died as a result of their disrespect for their honorable position and their disobedience toward God in serving their duties.
We are also reminded of and given more details on the subject of dedicating oneself to God by taking a vow of separation. The vow of separation was a time in which the man or woman removed themselves from all work and responsibilities for the purpose of prayer, meditation, worship, and ministering to those in need.
They were dedicating themselves to temporary ministry—much like we do when we go on short-term mission trips.
God gave the name of “Nazirite” to the man or woman who made such a commitment. These people were to never cut their hair, never eat or drink anything made from grapes, and never drink anything fermented.
The Nazirite could not touch anything dead or be around a dead body—even if his or her family members died. The period of separation was usually not more than sixty days long.
But when the period of separation was over, the Nazirites went through a ritual of presentation and sacrifices with the priests to ceremonially and officially end their time of separate or dedicated service.
The exception to the Nazirite vow being for only a few days was Samson, who was to be set apart for life. But just like in so many other instances, God has reasons for choosing the people he chooses to do amazing work for his kingdom here on earth.
Sending The Twelve Spies To Canaan
In the tenth chapter of Numbers, beginning in verse eleven, we learn that the Israelites are finally going to leave Sinai. After spending eleven months and five days there, God led the people by the cloud from Sinai to the Desert of Paran.
Once again we see just how much God cares about even the smallest details of our lives. We see this in the fact that God had a plan for the trip—not only that they were to leave, but how they were to leave. God gave instructions for the order of travel by tribe and the responsibilities of each group during the trip.
One has to wonder how the Israelites felt about leaving. Moses had been promising them for some time that the place they were going was a place with rich, fertile land and abundant resources.
In other words, it was everything Sinai wasn’t. Nevertheless, they had undoubtedly gotten comfortable (as comfortable as possible, that is). They had a routine and they were safe.
The length of time the Israelites spent near Mt. Sinai was the time God intended for solidifying the Israelites into a unified people group—unified with him through the Law.
It was the time in which God established a chain of command and authority, established guidelines and expectations for worship, and it was a time meant to establish a deeply rooted faith in the hearts and minds of the people he cherished and favored above all others.
Sadly, God’s intentions and desires for his chosen people were not embraced by the Israelites. Instead, they continued to whine and complain about their living conditions and their lack of food.
Their penchant for whining and complaining is interesting when you stop and think about it. Here they are, out from under the cruel and relentless tyranny of their Egyptian masters for less than two weeks when they started complaining the first time (at the Red Sea). From there, things only got worse.
You would think the fact that they were free would have been reason enough to be happy, but these people were free AND experiencing the miraculous power of God first-hand time and time again and it still wasn’t enough.
But then again, is it really so interesting or unusual? Aren’t we free to live an abundant life? Aren’t we free AND living with the option of experiencing the gift of salvation and the power of God in our lives? Yet for all of that, we still whine and complain that it isn’t enough.
God’s patience is far greater than ours, but his patience is not without discipline. We see one example of this in Numbers chapter 11. The people’s complaint this time was the lack of variety in their diet.
They were already tired of manna being their primary source of food. They wanted meat. God knew the health hazards associated with having raw meat and animal waste around. But even more than that, God was angry with the Israelites’ lack of gratitude and appreciation for what was being given to them.
The manna was tasty, filling, and lacking in anything from a nutritional standpoint.
Nevertheless, God gave them what they asked for, but not without a dose of discipline to go along with it. God sent so many quail to fall all around the place where they were camped. The Bible tells us they were piled three feet deep!
God knew there was no way they could consume or preserve that much meat. So when the greediest among them kept eating even after the meat had spoiled in the hot sun; they got food poisoning and died. Those that died were buried there and then the Israelites moved on.
God punishes the people for their rebellion by extending their journey. The trip to Canaan shouldn’t have taken more than a few months, but instead of their disobedience, it took 40 years.
When the Israelites arrived at the Desert of Paran they set up their camp as directed by God through Moses. Shortly after their arrival, God instructed Moses to select twelve men (one from every tribe) to sneak into the land of Canaan. Their job was to spend forty days scouting things out. Among the twelve were Joshua and Caleb.
At the end of the forty days, the spies came back to Moses and the other Israelites to report on what they had learned. Ten of the spies reported nothing but bad news: the people were tall and fierce-looking.
They (the Israelites) didn’t stand a chance against them. The crops were good, and it would be a great place to live, but it couldn’t happen, so they shouldn’t waste their time or the lives of innocent people, trying to take it over.
The people listened to the ten naysayers and once again started grumbling and complaining about their circumstances—how they had left Egypt for nothing. Only Joshua and Caleb looked at the land through eyes of faith and hope—the way God wanted them to.
Joshua and Caleb tried to convince the people that God was indeed with them and would not let them down—that the land was theirs for the taking if they would only have faith. They were unable to convince the others. In fact, the people wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb to silence their ‘foolish talk’.
Moses intervened and was able to save their lives, but he also found himself once again in the position of soothing God’s intense anger against the Israelites and intervening on their behalf.
God’s anger was so great that he once more wanted to destroy them all—all except Moses and his family, through which God said he would ‘build’ a new nation. Moses didn’t hesitate to tell God he did not think this was the way to go.
He countered with the ‘argument’ that the Egyptians would say God wasn’t as powerful and mighty as he claimed to be. Otherwise, he would have been able to deliver the Israelites into Canaan like he said he would.
Before we look at God’s response, let’s take a minute to think about Moses and how he handled this situation. God was essentially handing Moses the opportunity of a lifetime—to be the ancestral father of an entire nation.
But Moses didn’t take it. He could have, but he didn’t. Instead, he humbly reminded God of the promise God had already made to Abraham. Moses truly was a humble man.
Okay, now let’s look at God’s handling of the Israelites’ faithless behavior. As a result of their lack of faith, God said that none of the adults who left Egypt would be allowed to enter Canaan—none but Joshua and Caleb (and at that point, Moses and Aaron, too).
All the rest would die before they crossed the Jordan River into the land he had promised Abraham would be theirs forever.
In order to make that promise come to pass, God said he would make them wander the desert for forty years—one year for each day the naysaying spies had spent scouting out the land.
During those forty years the children would grow and mature; providing an army of men who would be willing and able to fight the battles that would need to be fought in order to conquer the land of Canaan for their own.
God Kills Korah, Dathan, And Abiram For Disobeying
As stated at the beginning of this chapter, the book of Numbers is filled with historical accounts of Israel’s rebellion and faithless disobedience.
When we look at it in print it is easy for us to shake our heads and ask why they were so stubborn and prideful. Why didn’t they learn? What would it take for them to realize what they had with God and embrace it with thanksgiving?
This is especially true when we read about the deaths of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. These three men were members of the tribe of Levi—part of the priesthood. But even that was not good enough for them. They wanted more authority and challenged Moses’ authority in their quest to get it.
To show his anger toward the men and to warn everyone else against rising up against Moses, God opened the ground and swallowed the three men, their families, and their tents and belongings. And then the ground closed over them, burying them alive (Numbers 16).
You would think this would be enough to ‘put the fear of God’ into the Israelites. But it wasn’t. Many of them blamed Moses and Aaron for this frightful event; making God so angry that he sent a plague on the people and in just a few hours, we read that 14,700 people died before God relented.
Water From A Rock
God did not allow the people to stay along the borders of Canaan for long because of their disobedience. Their journey through the desert (which was essentially a big circle) wasn’t easy. They often found themselves in need of water. This was the case when they arrived at the Desert of Zin and camped at Kadesh.
Moses and Aaron went to God asking for water for the people. God told Moses to take his staff and together with Aaron, speak to a certain rock in the presence of the Israelites. God told them that when Moses spoke to the rock, water would pour out of it for the people to drink.
Moses and Aaron went to the rock as they were told. When everyone was gathered around them, however, their negativity got the best of Moses. So instead of speaking to the rock, Moses raised his arm reprimanded the people, and struck the rock with his staff twice.
Water poured out just as God promised it would, but what happened next is undoubtedly one of the most difficult parts of scripture to read and understand…
“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.”
Yes, you’ve read correctly—God was not going to allow Aaron and Moses to enter the Promised Land. After seeing and conversing with God face to face, Moses would not be allowed to go in.
After putting up with near-constant whining and complaining (and 3 8 more years of it to go), Moses would not be allowed to enter the land flowing with milk and honey. One mistake. One indiscretion and God took from Moses the reward for his entire mission.
It doesn’t seem fair, does it? At the very least it seems too harsh, doesn’t it? Doesn’t Moses deserve a ‘pass’? No, from a human perspective, it doesn’t seem fair. Yes, from a human perspective, it does seem a bit harsh. But no, Moses doesn’t deserve a ‘pass’. None of us does. None of us deserves anything good from God.
In spite of the fact that no one other than God, Moses, and Aaron knew Moses had disobeyed God, God couldn’t let it go. God had to be able to depend on Moses’ complete obedience.
Moses could not be allowed to see himself as anything other than God’s instrument and beloved child—something Moses momentarily lost sight of when he said, “…must we bring you water out of this rock?”
Thinking about Moses and the price he paid for his act of disobedience, should make us extremely and humbly grateful for the gift of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross for our sins. It was the sacrifice that made restitution for our sins and allowed us to seek forgiveness in repentance and the hope of the eternal promised land of heaven.
After leaving Kadesh the Israelites traveled to Mt. Hor. It was at Mt. Hor that Aaron died and the entire Israelite nation mourned his death for thirty days.
The Israelites Go To War
After Aaron’s death, the Israelites entered into a period of being at war. As they traveled toward their final destination they came into contact with Canaanites, Moabites, and Amorites.
God was with them each and every time —giving Israel victory over their opponents.
After the defeat of King Og in Bashan, the Israelites took possession of the land and settled there for a while. When they left Bashan the Israelites camped in the plains of Moab along the Jordan River across from Jericho— near the place they would later camp while preparing to take the city of Jericho.
It was during this time that one of the most amazing (and fun) accounts in history….
Balaam’s Donkey Talks
Balak, who was the king of Moab at the time, was aware of the success the Israelites had wherever they went. He was terrified of what they would do when they reached his territory. In an attempt to stop the Israelites, Balak sent for a man named Balaam, who was obviously a soothsayer or mystic.
They sent for him in hopes of getting him to put a curse on the Israelites.
The Account Of Balaam Is Recorded In Numbers 22 And In A Nutshell, Is This:
Balaam refused to go with Balak’s men unless God wanted him to go. God told Balaam to go, but he was not to do or say anything God didn’t instruct him to do or say. Balaam’s heart wasn’t in the right place, though.
As he set off to meet with Balak, God knew Balaam’s thoughts were not what they should be, so God sent an angel to block the path so Balaam’s donkey could not pass. Balaam gets the donkey to go around the angel, only to have his way blocked again.
When the donkey crushes Balaam’s foot against a stone wall of a vineyard along the side of the road while trying to get around the angel (which Balaam couldn’t see), Balaam gets angry and begins to beat the donkey.
Now we get to the amazing part of this event—God allows the donkey to speak. Audible words just like you and me. The donkey reminds Balaam that he has been a faithful donkey and that his actions could not be helped because there was an angel blocking his way. God then ‘opens’ Balaam’s eyes; allowing him to see the angel, too.
We have no reason to believe Balaam was a follower of God, but in this instance, he listened and obeyed. He did not curse the Israelites and moved forward into Moab.
Israel Intermingles With Moab; Causing God To Become Angry And Punish Some By Death
Moving deeper into Moab was the beginning of the end for the Israelites. It was an end that wouldn’t come for 528 and 664 years (the number of years from the exodus from Egypt and the fall of Israel to the Assyrians and the fall of Judah to the Babylonians).
But it was, nonetheless, the beginning of the end because it was during this time that the Israelites rejected God as the one true God.
The Israelites rejected God’s command to stay away from the Moabites. Instead, the men indulged in sexually immoral acts with the Moabite women and the women of Israel with the men of Moab. These relationships led to idol worship with the Moabites.
In the twenty-fifth chapter of Numbers, we read once again that God took severe measures against Israel to punish them for their disobedience and rejection of his being. Once again we see the Israelites falling to the sins of arrogant pride and a severe lack of faith.
More Details Of Battles And A ‘Road Map’ Of The Israelites’ Journey From Egypt To Canaan
Following the telling of God’s anger with Israel because of their idol worship, we are given a road map of sorts outlining the forty-year journey of the Israelites that would finally take them to the entrance into the Promised Land.
We are also given the details of additional battles fought and won by the Israelites along the way and reminders to the people of the feasts and holidays God had put into place when he originally gave Moses the Law to give to the people.
Another census is also taken of the people.
Joshua Is Chosen To Replace Moses As The Leader Of Israel When They Enter Canaan
As the book of Numbers comes to an end we learn that God has chosen Joshua to succeed Moses as the leader of Israel. Joshua will be the one to lead Israel across the Jordan and into the Promised Land of Canaan.
In addition to appointing Joshua as Moses’ successor, God also instructs Moses on how to divide the spoils of war among the twelve tribes, lays out the boundaries of Canaan, designates towns that will belong to the Levites for carrying out their priestly duties, and establishes cities of refuge for the Israelites.
The cities of refuge (six in all) were strategically placed throughout Canaan and were cities in which anyone who committed a crime could go and live safely until he could stand trial for his crime.
The journey was almost over.
Key Verses In Numbers:
Every book of the Bible provides us with words of wisdom, instruction, comfort, encouragement, admonishment, warning, promise, and hope. Let’s look at some of what the Book of Numbers has to offer.
