Week 10 - Numbers 16-33
Numbers 16-18
Korah incites a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, followed by Dathan and
Abiram, and many others. See 2 Timothy 3:1-9, Jude 1:10-11, and other
passages regarding those who seek to elevate themselves against God’s Will.
God judges all who rebelled, including some 14,000+ of the people who also
complained against Moses and God, but Moses and Aaron intercede on behalf of
the people, and God relents.
The Lord makes it clear that Aaron is His choice as High Priest, and calls out
the blessings that will be upon the priestly classes for their service to God.
Numbers 19-21
Chapter 19 details the role of the red heifer, and its ashes that are to be used
in all rites of purification.
In Chapter 20 we have the unfortunate incident where Moses disobeys God,
and misrepresents Him before the people by striking the Rock. We know from 1
Corinthians 10 that the Rock was Jesus, and as a Type He would only need to
be struck once, and then only spoken to after being struck (for all sin). But
Moses broke the type, misrepresented God before the people (Who was not
angry), and was punished by being prohibited from entering the promised land.
Aaron also dies, and his son Eleazar becomes High Priest.
In Chapter 21 the people again complained against the Lord, and He sent
poisonous snakes among them, and many died, and many others suffered. God
commanded Moses to cast a bronze serpent, and raise it up for the people to
look at and be healed. As Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, He would be raised
up so that all who look upon Him might be likewise healed. As Paul said in 2
Corinthians 5:21 that Jesus became sin for our righteousness, and that
corresponds with Him being raised up in the form of the serpent.
Then, during various wanderings in the wilderness God gives them victory
over multiple kings and nations to the east of the Jordan.
Numbers 22-24
Balaam was a gentile prophet of Jahweh, and the king of Moab sought to
bribe him to curse the countless multitude of Israel in the desert east of the
Jordan river, and opposite Jericho. Balaam had a divided heart, where he
wanted to serve God, but he wanted riches even more, and looked for every
opportunity to stay within God’s command, but to also please Balak. In Numbers
31 Balaam will be killed when Israel defeats the Midianites, and he becomes a
model of compromise for us to avoid (2 Peter 2:15). He never cursed Israel, but
he advised Balak to have the daughters of Moab intermarry with the Israelites, so
as to perpetuate idolatry in Israel.
Numbers 25-26
Many sons of Israel play the harlot with the daughters of Moab and Midian,
and even then they started bowing down to worship Baal, and some 24,000 died
from God’s judgement. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, pleases God by acting
to kill a leader in the tribe of Simeon, who was flaunting his illicit relationship with
the daughter of a Midianite king.
In Numbers 26 we see the second census of Israel, which is happening at the
end of their 40 years of wandering, and in preparation for the people to go into
the land of promise. The census of fighting age men was virtually the same as it
had been 40 years earlier, with 601k men. With this census, God provides
instruction on how the land of Canaan will be divided between the tribes.
Numbers 27-29
Near the end of the wilderness wanderings, God provides clarification on the
inheritance rules. God instructs Moses to choose Joshua as his successor, who
is anointed by the High Priest, Eleazar (Aaron’s son). God gives instruction
regarding the sacrifices to be brought before Him during the Spring and Fall
feasts.
Numbers 30-31
God provides direction on vows made before Him. Israel goes to war against
Midian, and utterly wipes them out (and Balaam dies in the battle).
Numbers 32-33
The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manassah are allotted land as their
inheritance on the east side of the Jordan, in the land of Gilead and the territories
taken from the kings of Moab and Midian.
Moses recounts all the places that the Lord led Israel from the day they left
Egypt until they arrived at Mt Nebo to the east of the Jordan, opposite Jericho