NUMBERS DEUTERONOMY

Oasis in the Sinai desert

The books of Numbers and NUMBERS I Deuteronomy are the fourth and fifth books Numbers opens with the Hebrews still at of the Pentateuch or what calls the . Deuteronomy closes with the or Law. The Hebrew name for the death of on Mount just before is , which means "in the wilderness." The setting for the people cross the River into the most of the book is the wilderness between . Mount Sinai and the Promised Land. Our The Book of Numbers has three main English name comes from the Greek name. parts. From Numbers I: I to Numbers In Greek the book was called Numbers 10: 10, the people are still at Mount Sinai. because of the references to the numbering This Scripture fOims the first main section of the when they were counted in of the book. a census. Chapter 1 of Numbers reports the first In Hebrew, Deuteronomy is called census of the Hebrews. God commands debarim or "Words." The English title Moses and to count the people-that comes from the Greek language in which is, every male from twenty years old and Deuteronomy means "second" or "repeated upward who is able to go to war. According law." to Numbers 1:46, the number of such men

NUMRI<:RS / DEUTERONOMY 21 A­ is 603,550. If one adds the wives, the chil­ NORTH c:: UJ dren, and the persons too old to fight, the UJ ·e ...... WEST EAST~ Q) figure rises to over two million. Many ca n ::::T scholars believe that it would have been ·c Q) (1) Asher Dan Naphtali IIIIIlIl in1possible for so many persons to survive OJ in the desert. Some assume that the number comes from a census taken during the time of David and Solon10n. The writer of Deuteronomy then recorded the san1e nun1­ Merarites ber for the desert period. Or, perhaps the en E tn o c­ writer wanted to emphasize the marvelous ca (1) c:: I­ ::::J 0­ nature of God's works. Only the God of J: ==c:: UJ Q) the Hebrews could lead two million people c- o Tent of 0 ::::T W J: ...... through the desert! tn Meeting :t> I­ Q) (1) IIIIIlIl Cl 0 Numbers 1 tells of the census of all the ::::J able-bodied men in each tribe who were twenty years old and older. These were J: (1) N men capable of going to war. Read tn CD Numbers 1:47-50. Why was the tribe of tn C­ ~ pe~ c:: Levi not included in the census? uaqnat:l ca c:: ~ 3 The Camp ofIsrael NUMBERS 2-14 SO~TH According to Numbers 2 the Hebrews encanlp around the tent of meeting, facing drink. They also vow that they will not cut inward. This arrangen1ent serves to ren1ind their hair or come near a dead body. In the the Hebrews that God is in the midst of midst of these laws, we find that great and them. Each tribe receives its special place familiar of the . and marching position. Read Numbers 6:24-26. Chapters 3 and 4 tell about the Numbers 7 reports the sacrifices the peo­ and , their number and duties. The Levites encamp between the ordinary ple make during the twelve days of dedicat­ Hebrews and the since they are ing the altar. Chapter 8 describes the golden n10re holy than the laity. According to lampstand and the consecration of the Numbers 3:39 the number of Levites is Levites. Numbers 9:6-14 tells about the 22,000. special provisions for persons who are Chapter 5 and 6 contain a collection of absent or unclean when the Hebrews cele­ various laws. Numbers 5:5-10 states that a brate the . These persons hold their person is to repay the money or goods, plus Passover celebration a month later. Imagine twenty percent, to anyone he or she celebrating Christn1as on January 25! The wrongs. Numbers 5: 11-31 outlines the rest of Chapter 9 describes the cloud that ordeal to follow when a man accuses his covers the Tabernacle and appears as fire at wife of adultery, but cannot prove the night. In Numbers 10: 1-10 God tells Moses charge. Chapter 6 contains the laws of the to make two silver trumpets to signal the Nazirites. The Nazirites are persons who people for gathering or marching out. enter a special order, giving themselves to With NUITlbers 10:11 we come to the God. They vow to drink no wine or strong second main section of Numbers. The peo-

BOOKS OF THE 22 pIe break camp and leave Mount Sinai. 2. Read Numbers 14:1-10. and Through Numbers 21:9 we read about the brought back the minority report. events that take place in the desert. Why did they encourage the people to go According to Numbers 32: 13 the Hebrews up to take the land? wander in the desert for forty years. In Chapter 11 the people again bemoan their lack of meat. This chapter parallels NUMBERS 15-24 several accounts already reported in Exodus Chapter 15 contains various laws. We 16 and 18. The parallels include God's pick up the story line again in Chapter 16. sending of quail and the selection of seven­ This chapter relates the challenge of ty elders. In NUITtbers 12 Moses' brother and his followers to the authority of Aaron and sister-Aaron and ----question and the other priests. God vindicates Aaron his authority, and Moses punishes them. in Chapter 17 by causing Aaron's rod to Chapters 13 and 14 tell how Moses sends blossom and bear almonds. men to spy out the land of . The Chapter 18 introduces laws about the nlen survey the land and its people as far as and support of the priesthood. Laws Hebron. on the purification of uncleanness follow. The spies return with stories of the land's Chapter 19 reports the ritual for removing richness and with a grape cluster so large impurity through the use of the sacrificial that two men carry it on a pole between ashes of a . them. The spies report that the people of the Chapter 20 and Chapter 21 :1-9 tell four land are strong and their cities are well for­ main episodes. First, when the people have tified. The Hebrews are like grasshoppers no water, Moses strikes a rock to produce against them. The people lose in ever water, although God commands hinl only to taking the land. They try to replace Moses speak to the rock. Second, Moses tries to as leader and return to Egypt. Because they get permission from the king of to despise God, God condemns them to wan­ pass through his territory and thus enter der until the unfaithful generation dies. Canaan fronl the east, but the king refuses. Among the spies, only Caleb and Joshua Third, Aaron dies on . Fourth, will enter the land. because of the people's complaining, God God expected the Israelites to trust God sends snakes that bite them and cause to enable them to possess the land. When death. Healing comes only by looking at a they refused to trust God, they were des­ bronze that Moses makes. tined to wander in the wilderness for forty The third section begins with Numbers years. When Joshua was commissioned as 21: 10. Here the Hebrews come into the ter­ the successor of Moses (Deuteronomy ritory east of the Jordan after circling 31 :23), he was told to be strong and of good around Edom. They defeat , king of courage, for the Lord would be with him. the Amorites, and , king of Bashan. God required the people to have faith in Numbers 22 to 24 contains the story of order to be conquerors and to possess the and his talking donkey. Balaam is a gift of the land. diviner whom hires to curse the Hebrews. However, try as he might, 1. The camp of Israel moved northward Balaam cannot curse the Hebrews and ends toward Canaan. Moses sent out the twelve up blessing them. spies who returned with two reports. Read Numbers 13:31-32. Why did these spies The story of Balaam's donkey is recorded return with an evil (bad) report? in Numbers 22:21-35, but this is only a part of the story of Balaam. Discover other details by reading the following passages; then answer the questions.

NUMBERS/DEUTERONOMY 23 Moses, from a wall painting in Dura-Europos synagogue, Syria a. Where were the people of Israel 26, God commands Moses and to encamped when this story took place? take a new census after the plague. (Numbers 22: I) In Numbers 27:1-11 Moses judges a case that involves the inheritance right of daughters. According to the Lord's com­ b. Who was Salak the son of Zippor? mand, Moses rules that Zelophehad's (Numbers 22:4) daughters can inherit the property of their father if the father has no sons. The nan'a­ tive of Moses' commissioning Joshua as c. What did Salak want Salaam to do? his successor follows this inheritance story. (Numbers 22:6) Numbers 28 and 29 contain laws on sab­ bath observance and festivals. These chap­ ters repeat much of Exodus and Leviticus, d. What was Salaam's occupation? while Chapter 30 contains regulations (Numbers 22:7) about vows. We pick up the story again in Chapter 31, which reports Israel's defeat of the e. Why did Salak become angry with Midianites. The land east of the Jordan is Salaam? (Numbers 24: 10) now under Hebrew control, and in Chapter 32 the tribes of Reuben and Gad take pos­ session of this land. They promise the aid f. Why was Salaam unable to curse the of their tribes in the conquest of Canaan. Hebrews? (N umbers 24: 13) Chapter 33 records all the stages and stopping places of the Hebrews in their movement from Egypt to the camp east of Jordan. In Chapter 34 God reveals to Moses the boundaries of the Promised NUMBERS 25-36 Land. In Chapter 35 God states that the According to Numbers 25 the Hebrews Hebrews are to set cities aside for the begin to worship the gods of the land. So Levites, as well as for the God subjects them to a plague. In Chapter guilty, once the land is taken.

BOOKS OF THE BIBLE 24 Interestingly, the daughters of b. What were the Israelites to do with the Zelophehad reappear in the final chapter of words that Moses commanded them? Numbers. Moses rules that the daughters can inherit, but they must nlarry within the tribe of their father. This way, the property never transfers to another tribe. With the close of the Book of Numbers, 2. Read Matthew 22:34-40 in the New the Hebrews finish their long march from Testament. What commandment did Jesus Egypt and begin their conquest of the add to the great commandment? Promised Land.

DEUTERONOMY

The bulk of the DEUTERONOMY 5-34 consists of speeches or sermons by Moses. The book contains his farewell and final Two themes appear in Deuteronomy 5 instructions to the Hebrews before his through 11. The first focuses on God's death and their movement across the choosing of Israel. We see this theme in Jordan. We can imagine Moses as an elder­ Deuterononly 7. Read Deuteronomy 7:7-8. ly father who assembled his children The second theme is Israel's responsibil­ around him to offer instructions and ity to God, which we see in Deuteronomy encouragement before his death. 10: 12-13. Read this passage. The first part of Moses' speech is Chapters 12 through 26, the third part of Deuteronomy 1: 1-4:40. Here Moses Moses' speech, spell out the laws that the reviews the people's history in the wilder­ Israelites are to obey. Through their obedi­ ness and pleads with the people to give ence the Israelites show their love of God. heed to the Law and obey the statutes and These laws emphasize that Israel is to wor­ ordinances. He also warns the people that ship one God, to worship in one holy place, if they are unfaithful, God will punish to obey one set of laws (those in them, removing them from the land and Deuterononly), and to preserve their purity scattering them among the nations. as a people. Deuteronomy 4:25-26 contains a good In Chapters 27 and 28 Moses explains summary of such warnings. Read how the people are to act once they reach Deuteronomy 4:25-26. the Promised Land. They are to publicly The second part of Moses' speech is exhibit the Law and participate in the cere­ Deuteronomy 5 through 11. This speech is a mony of and curses. passionate appeal for Israel to hear the conl­ In Chapters 29 and 30 the people and mandments of God and to be obedient after Moses reaffirm the while still in they possess the land. It stresses the , southeast of the Jordan. The covenant made between God and Israel; and covenant-making cerenl0ny closes as it repeats, although with some variation, the Moses proclaims the blessings that will Ten Commandnlents found in Exodus 20. come if the people are obedient and the curses that will befall them if they are 1. Read Deuteronomy 6:4-7; then answer unfaithful. the following questions. In Chapter 31 Moses takes leave of his people, reminding them of his age. The a. How should Israel love the Lord God? Lord will not allow him to cross the Jordan with them. Moses commands that the Law be read at a set time every seven years. Joshua serves as his successor.

NLTMBERS/DEUTERONOMY 25 Chapters 32 and 33 are the so-called qUESTIONS FOR and his blessing upon the DISCUSSION twelve tribes. Chapter 34, the final chapter 1. At the close of Deuterononly the of the book, reports Moses' death. Moses Israelites were encamped in the plains of dies at the age of 120. His eye is not dim, Moab opposite . They were ready to nor his natural force abated. God buries cross the Jordan and to go in and possess him in an unmarked place. In praise of this the land of Canaan. God had promised to great man, the writer notes that "never since give that land to the descendants of has there arisen a in Israel like , , and (Deuteronomy Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face." 34:4). But they had to conquer the land. What does this need to conquer the land Read Deuteronomy 34:5-12, and answer ilnply about God's promise to Abraham? the following questions. What does this biblical example teach us about the gift of salvation in Christ for each of us? What does it teach us about over­ a. Where did Moses die? coming ourselves? about overcoming the world?

2. We have finished our survey of the first b. How old was Moses when he died? part of the Bible, the Pentateuch. How use­ ful are the Old Testament Scriptures to Christians? Consider the example of Jesus in Luke 4:1-13. c. What did Moses do to designate Joshua as his successor? 3. On pages 23 and 24 we paid particular attention to the story of Balaam. A surpris­ ing part of the story is that the source of Balaam's knowledge was the God of Israel (Numbers 24:13). How does this story SUMMARY enhance God's protective oversight of the Five major events in the history of Israel chosen people? What applications do these are portrayed in Numbers and Deuteronomy. ideas have to us as Christians?

(1) Moses and Aaron's numbering the peo­ 4. At the close of the Book of Deuteronomy we are told that Moses does not cross over ple (Numbers 1) into the Promised Land. Why does God not (2) Moses sending spies to gather infonna­ allow Moses to cross over the Jordan? tion about the land of Canaan Despite the fact that Moses dies in Moab, (Numbers 13-14) does the story have a positive ending? Why (3) Balaam's blessing the Hebrews or why not? (Numbers 22-24) (4) Moses' commandment to love the Lord DAILY READINGS FOR with heart and soul (Deuterononly 6 .JOSHUA~ .JUDGES~ and 10) AND RUTH (5) Moses' farewell speech to the people (Deuteronomy 1-26) Day 1: Joshua 1: 1-11 Day 2: Joshua 6:8-21 Day 3: Joshua 23:1-13 God's commissioning of Joshua as the Day 4: Joshua 24:14-31 new leader over the people prepares the Day 5: Judges 2:6-23 way for the . We will con­ Day 6: Judges 16: 18-31 tinue this story in the next lesson. Day 7: Ruth 1: 1-18

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