Transcript
A (0:00)
Foreign. Hey, this is a year in the Bible with daily grace. This is Shelby and Scott, and today we're going to Talk through numbers 31 through 33. Scott, you kind of set the stage last week and said, like, the whole rest of the book is like setting the stage going into the promised land. So what's happening in these specific chapters?
B (0:27)
Sure. So the first chapter actually goes Back to numbers 25, back when the Moabite women had seduced the Israelite men to worship their gods, commit sexual immorality. And at the very end of that chapter, God had told Moses to take vengeance on the Midianites for this. And that's carried out here in chapter 31. So this was punishment for what they had done to Israel. And I mentioned this a couple days ago, but in numbers 31, we learned that it was Balaam's idea, that pagan prophet, to lead the Israelites astray in chapter 25. And so he's actually killed in this chapter. He's mentioned again, he is killed in this chapter along with many Midianites. And then starting in 32, it's really all about the promised Land from here on out. So remember, they have not entered it yet, but in numbers 32, some of the tribes really like the land east of the Jordan river. And they're basically saying, hey, we're calling this land. And Moses doesn't seem happy initially about this. He assumes they're trying to get out of going to battle. And he repeats the sins of the spies from a generation earlier. But they assure him they're committed, helping the other tribes take possession of Canaan and even volunteer to go ahead of the other tribes in battle. So they're like, no, no, we're in. We're going to help you guys. We just want this land.
A (1:40)
And so then we get to a lot of places in names of places in numbers 30 through 33. I want to do a quick shout out for an incredible resource we have at the Daily Grace Company called the Bible Maps Handbook. We spent a ton of time specifically in Numbers and even in numbers 32 and 33, like, really trying to make that. We hope you see that these are actual places. These were actual places and are actual places that you can see on a map and being able to trace with your finger the journey of the Israelites is a really cool thing. So if you're reading through here, you're having a hard time conceptualizing. And I will just say the Bible Maps Handbook would be helpful for reading the whole rest of the Bible just to get an Idea of location. So quick shout out to that, but why are we seeing this list of places, Scott?
B (2:30)
So you've got this real quick recap of everything they've been through over the past 40 years. You know, I love the mention of the Israelites, how they defiantly left Egypt and God bringing judgment on Egypt's gods. Aaron's death at the start of the 40th year is mentioned here as well. The chapter really just records mainly those various stopping points you mentioned throughout the 40 years they've spent in the wilderness. And, you know, we're not probably going to find this chapter super interesting. And even if we don't know for certain where some of these places are, I did have this thought, like, for some of the audience reading this, each of these place names probably evoked certain emotions for them, certain memories, maybe some good memories, maybe some not so good memories. But just the accumulative effect of reading about all these stops likely served to remind them of God's faithfulness over these past 40 years. And I was thinking about this, like, I think a fun challenge for myself is, hey, what are the places that God has brought me through to this point in my life or the seasons even? And like, what memories and emotions do I associate with those various places and seasons? How do those various stages of my life speak to God's persistent presence and faithfulness to me in my own life? And so, last thing I'll mention too, about these chapters, there's a call at the very end of chapter 33 to drive out the Canaanites, remove all the remnants of their gods and their corrupt worship practices. Practices. These are a wicked and very corrupt people. And the Israelites have shown themselves to be susceptible to that kind of influence, the temptation to worship the gods of these people. And so they need to be careful. And for us today, I think there's a reminder that what we love and value should ultimately be formed by the truths of God's words. And that we too are susceptible to outside influence. And so we too should be on guard against being overly formed by the values of the world around us that does not acknowledge God.