Bible History
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20-33. Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing--with sincerity
and zeal.
go before the Lord to war--The phrase was used in allusion to the
order of march in which the tribes of Reuben and Gad immediately
preceded the ark (see on
Nu 2:10-31),
or to the passage over the Jordan, in which the ark stood in
mid-channel, while all the tribes marched by in succession
(Jos 3:4),
of course including those of Reuben and Gad, so that, literally, they
passed over before the Lord and before the rest of Israel
(Jos 4:13).
Perhaps, however, the phrase is used merely in a general sense to
denote their marching on an expedition, the purpose of which was
blessed with the presence, and destined to promote the glory, of God.
The displeasure which Moses had felt on the first mention of their
proposal had disappeared on the strength of their solemn assurances.
But a lurking suspicion of their motives seems still to have been
lingering in his mind--he continued to speak to them in an admonitory
strain; and he concluded by warning them that in case of their failing
to redeem their pledge, the judgments of an offended God would
assuredly fall upon them. This emphatic caution against such an
eventuality throws a strong doubt on the honesty of their first
intentions; and yet, whether through the opposing attitude or the
strong invectives of Moses they had been brought to a better state of
mind, their final reply showed that now all was right.
JFB.
The Book of Numbers
Numbers 14:14 - And they will tell [it] to the inhabitants of this land: [for] they have heard that thou LORD [art] among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and [that] thy cloud standeth over them, and [that] thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
The Old Testament - A Brief Overview
Bible Survery - Numbers
Hebrew Name - Bemidhbar "in the wilderness"
Greek Name - Numbers "numberings"
Author - Moses
Date - From 1490-1451 BC Approximately
Theme - The Journey to the Promised Land
Types and Shadows - In Numbers Jesus is the Pillar of Cloud by
Day and the Pillar of Fire by Night
Photo of the Sinai Wilderness
The book of Numbers takes its name from the account of the census that happened two times among the congregation of Israel in Numbers 1-4 and Numbers 26. The Greek title was used even though there is really no connection with the "numberings." The original Hebrew title which means "in the wilderness," is much more accurate, because the book of Numbers is it's really an accurate history of the events that happened during the period of wandering in the wilderness and not necessarily a book about statistics. The book of Numbers seems to follow naturally after the book of Leviticus in the order of the books of Moses in the Old Testament. After the children of Israel received the laws at Mount Sinai, they began the journey as described in the book of Exodus, and they were ready to march directly into the land of Canaan. The book of Numbers reveals how the children of Israel became prepared, and went to various trials, and how they were sinful in not trusting the Lord. Their sinful ways resulted in 37 years of wandering through the harsh wilderness. The book of Numbers concludes with the children of Israel once again at the edge of the land of Canaan, where they received instructions for the conquest of Canaan and the division of the land.
Quick Reference Map
Map of the Possible Route of the
Exodus (Click to Enlarge)
The principle divisions of the book are as follows:
Outline of the Book of Numbers
1) The preparation for the departure from Sinai (1:1-10:10). The events described here took place in nineteen days. In this time a census was taken of all men who were over twenty and who could serve in military efforts (1-4). The total obtained was 603,550 (1:46). This would indicate that the total population of the group was probably near three million. The census was followed by the cleansing and blessing of the congregation (5-6), the offering of gifts from the various tribes (7), the consecration of the Levites (8) and the observance of the Passover at Sinai (9:1-14).
2 ) The journey from Sinai to Kadesh-barnea (10:11-14:45). This section includes the account of the coming of the quail (11), the rebellion against Moses by Miriam and Aaron (12), and the fateful mission of the spies (13, 14).
3) The wanderings of the desert wilderness (15-19). As noted above, this covered a period of thirty-seven years, from the end of the second to the beginning of the fortieth year in the wilderness. Ch. 15 includes various laws and a record of capital punishment for Sabbath breaking. The rebellion of Korah (ch. 16) and the budding of Aaron's rod (ch. 17) are also mentioned here.
4 ) The history of the last year, from the second arrival of the Israelites at Kadesh till they reach "the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho" (20-36: 13). Notable sections of this are the story of Balaam (22:2-24:25), the zeal of Phinehas (ch. 25), the second census (26:1-51) , instructions for dividing the land (26:52-27: 11), the appointment of Joshua as Moses' successor (27: 12-23), various laws concerning offerings and vows ( 28-30 ), the war with Midian (ch. 31), the settlement of the tribes east of the Jordan (ch. 32), a review of the locations at which Israel had camped during their wanderings (33: 1-49), more instructions concerning the conquest and division of Canaan (33:50-34:29 ), the appointment of the cities of refuge (ch. 35) and instructions concerning the marriage of land-owning Israelite women (ch. 36).
ARCHAEOLOGYAncient Bronze Snake
Bronze Snake from Lachish, Late Bronze Age
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