OT Study: Numbers Pt. 4

II. Second Generation ()

Main Point

The main point of this section is to show how God raises up a holy generation to accomplish His holy purpose. This can be seen in the following structure: 

Structure 

Raising Up a New Generation ()Raising Up Those Concerned About Obtaining the Land ()Raising Up New Leadership ()Raising Up a Worshipful Community ()Raising Up a Pure Community ()Raising Up a Settled Community ()Review of the Wanderings ()Raising Up a Nation of Conquerors ()Raising Up a Physically Organized Nation ()Raising UP a Spiritually and Judicially Organized Nation ()Raising Up Those Concerned About Maintaining the Land (

Exposition

1. Raising Up a New Generation ()

1 After the plague, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest, 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.” 9 The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord 10 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and they became a warning. 11 But the sons of Korah did not die. 14 These are the clans of the Simeonites, 22,200. 22 These are the clans of Judah as they were listed, 76,500. .33 Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters. And the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.34 These are the clans of Manasseh, and those listed were 52,700. 63 These were those listed by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who listed the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 64 But among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.This second section in the book of numbers begins as the first section did, with a census. God, because of His great mercy, love and faithfulness, did not utterly annihilate Israel. They deserved such a punishment. But instead God refined His people by raising up a zealous and holy generation. This can be seen when we compare the two censuses. The total population in the first census was 603,550. In , the total population was 601,730. This small difference of less than 2,000 men shows how God had faithfully brought the little children of the unfaithful first generation to the edge of the promised land. Three other distinctions can be observed when we compare the two censuses. First, Judah continues to be the most populated tribe. Remember that they are the royal tribe as we saw in Balaam’s oracles. Second, the population of the Simeonites diminished by about 27,000 men. Simeon was one of the most indulgent tribes in the idolatry and fornication at Baal Peor and for this they are severely punished. Lastly, the population of the tribe of Manasseh increases by just over 20,000 men. The reason for this increase will be made clear as we move through this section, but it is important to keep this rise in mind. The last thing of note in this census is the mention of Korah’s sons. Remember that Korah was the Levite who led a rebellion against Aaran and Moses where he claimed that he and his clan should be included in the priesthood. God promptly ended that rebellion by opening the ground to swallow the rebel leaders and then kill the rebels that followed him by burning them with fire from heaven. Here we see that Korah’s sons did not stand with their rebellious father but instead submitted to YHWH’s choice of Aaron and his two sons as the only priests of Israel. These men are famous for writing songs that focus on trusting and relying upon YHWH (; ). The census concludes with a reiteration that none of those who were numbered in the first census were included in this census for none of this generation were left except, Joshua, Caleb and Moses. What God decreed in came to pass here in . He is faithful both to bless and to judge. 

2. Raising Up Those Concerned About Obtaining the Land ()

1 Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father's brothers.” 5 Moses brought their case before the Lord. 6 And the Lord said to Moses, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father's brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them. 8 And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.The narrative here shifts focus to a family from the tribe of Manassah. Five daughters of Zelophehad, the descendent of Joseph, approach Moses and request that they would be inheritors of the Promised Land. Their father had died along with the rest of the 1st generation and they had no brother to carry on the name of their father. They were worried that this would have disqualified them from inheriting the Land for it was unheard of that a woman would be a landowner in that time period. Moses took their case before God and God favored them and their zeal for the Promised Land by decreeing that women can become inheritors of their father’s land. 

3. Raising Up New Leadership ()

“12 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. 13 When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, 14 because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) 15 Moses spoke to the Lord, saying,16 “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation 17 who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” 18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19 Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. 20 You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. 21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” The placing of Moses’ succession plan closely behind the request of Zelophehad's daughters demonstrates how God provided Israel with a plan for leadership when the time came for them to enter the land. Moses must die before entering the land because of his sin at Meribah ().  However here God promises him that he will be able to see the Promised Land from afar. God instructs Moses to take his longtime assistant and faithful spy, Joshua to inherit the responsibility of leading Israel into the Promised Land. In vs 17, Moses calls the leader of Israel a shepherd over the people who are called sheep. This theme will be taken up by David, who is raised as a shepherd and then in 2 Samuel, called the Shepherd of Israel. In what is perhaps David’s most famous song, , David recognizes that the Lord is his Shepherd. Ultimately we see the conclusion in this theme in Christ who is both the Lord, the descendent of David, and the New Moses. He is the Good Shepherd and King over all of God’s sheep.  

4. Raising Up a Worshipful Community ()

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’ 3 And you shall say to them, This is the food offering that you shall offer to the Lord: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a regular offering. 4 The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; 8 The other lamb you shall offer at twilight. Like the grain offering of the morning, and like its drink offering, you shall offer it as a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 9 “On the Sabbath day, two male lambs a year old without blemish, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, and its drink offering:10 this is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. 39 “These you shall offer to the Lord at your appointed feasts, in addition to your vow offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your grain offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.” 40  So Moses told the people of Israel everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30:1 Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, saying, “This is what the Lord has commanded. 2 If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. The book of Numbers began with instructions for an orderly arrangement for how Israel camped and moved upon leaving from Sinai. These instructions demonstrated that God, who was placed at the center of the camp, was central to the nation of Israel. He was their king and all revolved around Him. Here, after the second census is performed we see instructions for orderly and holy conduct. However these are not instructions about how to set up camp. These instructions are for orderly worship for when they enter the land. God’s centrality was to be a constant focus for the people who entered into the land. They were to sacrifice to Him daily, on the Sabbath and uphold His yearly feasts. The schedule of each day, each month and each year was to revolve around worshipping God. These instructions would have also provided hope and strengthened the faith of the second generation. The amount of grain and livestock required for these regular sacrifices would only be a possibility if Israel lived in an agriculturally rich land such as Canaan. Chapter 30 deals with vows made to God by men and women of Israel. These vows were often accompanied with giving free-will offerings which expressed thanksgiving, devotion or petition to God. In these vows the Israelites would promise to abstain from activities () or dedicate some of their possessions as an offering to God. These vows were often linked with requests and petitions made to God. It is imperative that the vows made to God be fulfilled. A breaking of a vow would threaten the holiness of the nation. If God was faithful to answer a request than the vows made by that person had to be upheld and that person was to be held accountable by the entire congregation. 

5. Raising Up a Pure Community ()

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.” 3 So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord's vengeance on Midian. 4 You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.” 5 So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. 7 They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every male. 8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9 And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods. 13 Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp. 14 And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15 Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? 16 Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord. 17 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. 25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation, 27 and divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation. 48 Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses 49 and said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us. Remember that the Midianites joined with Balak, the king of Moab, in sending their women into the camp of the Israelites to seduce them into adultery and idolatry at Baal Peor. Here we see God exercise judgement against the Midianites for those who cursed His people shall be cursed. God commanded Moses to send 12,000 soldiers to kill the armies of 5 Midianite kings. The Israelites kill every Midianite male, each of the 5 kings, and Balaam the seer. Remember that Balaam advised Balak to seduce the Israelites with women after God had prevented Balaam from cursing Israel on the mountain in . Note, however, that the Israelites spared the actual culperates of Baal Peor, the midianite women, and brought them back to the camp. This was an obvious mistake. Upon returning Moses ran out to the Israelite army and was filled with anger at the fact that the soldiers had brought the very women who had caused the sin of Baal Peor into the Israelite camp. Moses demanded that they repent of their folly and kill all the grown women in order to prevent a second Baal Peor and the soldiers respond in obedience. Previously, such a request would have been met with grumbling, complaining and disobedience. However,  there is not one mention of resistance to the command of Moses made in these verses. After the battle Moses requested an accounting of the spoils of war as well as the casualties that the Israelite army sustained. Out of 12,000 people, who went up against the combined armies of 5 kings, not one Israelite died. What was clear to the Israelite army that day is that they fight with the mighty hand of God strengthening and protecting them. 

6. Raising Up a Settled Community ()

1 Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. 2 So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the land that the Lord struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.” 6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? 7 Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the Lord has given them?8 Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 16 Then they came near to him and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17 but we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 20 So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the Lord for the war, 21 and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until he has driven out his enemies from before him 22 and the land is subdued before the Lord; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the Lord and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. 23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out. 33 And Moses gave to them, to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land and its cities with their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country. As Israel approached the Jordan river that divides the wilderness from the land of Canaan, the tribes of Reuben and Gad see the lush grasslands on the east bank of the Jordan and express a desire to settle there. Their desire to not have to cross the river causes Moses to remember the fear of the 10 spies who convinced the people that it was a death sentence to enter the Promised Land. Rather than rebel against Moses, the leaders of Reuben and Gad respond by pledging that after settling their children and wives in the land east of the Jordan, they will join the other tribes in conquering the Promised Land and will not return to their families until the conquest is complete. Moses accepts their vows but warns them that if they fail to uphold their promise, their sin would find them out. Half of the tribe of Manassah joined in settling on the east of the Jordan as well. 

7. Review of the Wanderings ()

1 These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2 Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the Lord, and these are their stages according to their starting places. 48 And they set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho; 49 they camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.As Israel was about to enter the Promised Land, Moses took the  time to look back at the journey of the Israelites from Egypt. This account outlines the date and the location of where Israel camped and wandered in the wilderness. This account demonstrates God’s faithfulness and love for His people. God had sanctified and preserved a new generation of His people and they were now at the very edge of their Exodus

8. Raising Up a Nation of Conquerors ()

50 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. 53 And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 54 You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. 55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. 56 And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”God had promised to give the land of Canaan to the children of Abraham. God had also declared that He would eventually judge the sin and corruption of the Canaanites. In these instructions we see that God desires that His people destroy all the stones, images, shrines, and altars in the high places at Canaan. In verses 55-56 we see that if Israel fails to follow God’s command God will cause the Canaanites who remain in the land to be a constant trouble to Israel and will prevent the people from having any real and lasting peace in the Promised Land. 

9. Raising Up a Physically Organized Nation ()

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel, and say to them, When you enter the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan as defined by its borders), 13 Moses commanded the people of Israel, saying, “This is the land that you shall inherit by lot, which the Lord has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe. 14 For the tribe of the people of Reuben by fathers' houses and the tribe of the people of Gad by their fathers' houses have received their inheritance, and also the half-tribe of Manasseh. 15 The two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, toward the sunrise.” In this section we see the borders of the Promised Land established and presented as an inheritance to the 9 and a half tribes who desired to settle in the Promised Land. The boundary of Canaan begins in the south at the southern tip of the Dead Sea, curves south and west to Kadesh-barnea and the Wilderness of Zin, and then west to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean Sea forms the western border of the promised land. The northern boundary extends from the Mediterranean Sea out past Lebo-hamath into territory that includes parts of present-day Syria and Lebanon. The eastern boundary of the promised land extends from the northern border down past the eastern slope of the Sea of Galilee and then follows along the Jordan River down to the Dead Sea. However, as we will see in the conquest of the book of Joshua, Israel fails to conquer the entire land and drive out the inhabitants of the land. Even at Israel largest size, during the reign of Solomon and of David, the Promised Land is never fully settled. To this day, Israel has not finished the conquest and inherited all that God had promised to Abraham. 

10. Raising Up a Spiritually and Judicially Organized Nation ()

1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites some of the inheritance of their possession as cities for them to dwell in. And you shall give to the Levites pasturelands around the cities. 3 The cities shall be theirs to dwell in, and their pasturelands shall be for their cattle and for their livestock and for all their beasts. 6 “The cities that you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee, and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. 7 All the cities that you give to the Levites shall be forty-eight, with their pasturelands. 8 And as for the cities that you shall give from the possession of the people of Israel, from the larger tribes you shall take many, and from the smaller tribes you shall take few; each, in proportion to the inheritance that it inherits, shall give of its cities to the Levites.” 9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. 12 The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. 13 And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge.14 You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there. Here we see that not only was the Promised Land be organized based on the size of each tribe but that it was to be organized for the purpose of preserving the spiritual health and the justice of the people. Each tribe was to provide cities for the Levites to settle. The presence of the Levites throughout each tribe indicates that the presence and holiness of God was to be  distributed throughout each tribe as well. There will eventually be a special intensity of God’s presence in the Temple in Jerusalem but God’s presence and holiness is greater than any one house in which He chooses to dwell. 6 of these Levitical cities were to be established as cities of refuge. These were to be cities where one who unintentionally killed his neighbor could flee to and be protected from the close relative of the one killed who had the obligation to avenge their relative. 

11. Raising Up Those Concerned About Maintaining the Land ()

1 The heads of the fathers' houses of the clan of the people of Gilead the son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of the people of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the chiefs, the heads of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel. 2 They said, “The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the people of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 3 But if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the people of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. So it will be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. 4 And when the jubilee of the people of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.” 5 And Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, “The tribe of the people of Joseph is right. 6 This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whom they think best, only they shall marry within the clan of the tribe of their father. 7 The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. The second section of Numbers ends as it began, with a display of the tribe of Manasseh’s zeal to inherit the Promised Land. Men from the tribe came before Moses with a concern that if the daughters of Zelophehad married men from other tribes, their inheritance would be transferred to the families of those other tribes, thus shrinking the land of the tribe of Manassah. So Moses instituted a statute to preserve the tribes inheritance by commanding that marriages must occur between those within each tribe. This section began with the second generation’s care and zeal for the land and it ends with this same zeal and care on display. The message of this is that God’s people are finally prepared and filled with a great desire to enter in to the Promised Land. Questions for ApplicationWhat aspects about God’s nature and character are on display in this section of Numbers? How does the zeal of the second generation for the Promised Land relate to Christ’s commands for us New Covenant saints to seek first His Kingdom? In Paul writes in reference to the history of the people of Israel in the wilderness, “these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” What is one lesson that you learned in the book of Numbers that has helped you in your Christian walk? 

Questions for Application

.How does the zeal of the second generation for the Promised Land relate to Christ’s commands for us New Covenant saints to seek first His Kingdom? In Paul writes in reference to the history of the people of Israel in the wilderness, “these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” What is one lesson that you learned in the book of Numbers that has helped you in your Christian walk?