The Book of Numbers - In the Wilderness

Introduction to Numbers

The fourth book of the Hebrew Torah (The Law) called the "Pentateuch" in Greek, is the Book we know as "Numbers". In the Hebrew Bible it is called "be-midbar" meaning "in the wilderness." In the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible (LXX) it is called "Numbers," and this name is now the usual title of the book. It is so called because it contains a record of the numbering of the people in the wilderness of Sinai (Chs. 1–4), and of their numbering afterwards on the plain of Moab (Ch. 26). The Book takes up where Exodus left off in the saga of Israel in the wilderness.

The Hebrew name for the Book "in the wilderness" is a better title for the Book. Although the book is noted for its two censuses, important events took place in the wilderness which relate to the present time. We will go through the book with the historical developments discussed first. The priestly elements and the censuses will be discussed at the later portion of the study.

The Book explains why Israel had to stay in the wilderness for forty years. It was an 11 Day journey from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan. But spies sent in to access the land brought back a bad report and God in His anger punished all of Israel.

The whole of Israel's stay in the wilderness generally portrays an unhappy people blaming Moses for their unhappiness. Time and time again Moses had to defend himself against unwarranted accusations. Ultimately it was God who had to stand up for him calling him "the humblest man to ever walk the earth". Time and time again God purposed to destroy the people for their grumbling and accusations. Each time Moses had to implore the Lord not to do that. Nevertheless God would send judgments among them in the form of plagues, fiery serpents and other expressions of His wrath. Thousands were killed. Moses had to stave off the extent of the destruction by bargaining with God not to completely destroy the people. This clearly shows that, even in this day, we should not grumble against God as He deals with our hearts. His chastenings are just. They are designed to get us into our Promised Land the Kingdom of God.

We should follow New Testament quotations that relate to difficulties in our walks with God. For instance, as James said of the Christians of his day, which should have applied to Israel in the wilderness: "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance [steadfastness]. And let endurance [steadfastness] have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4).

And Peter said: "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;" (1 Peter 1:6-7). And it was said of Christ Himself: "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). The people of Israel had such great promises from the Lord but they, like us, sometimes could not endure with joy the hardship that is the Lord testing our faith.

The complaining began in Exodus. They complained that the Egyptians came after them. They complained until Moses parted the Red (Reed) Sea. They complained on the other side because they had no water or food. In short their faith in God was at "zero" despite what God had done in delivering them from slavery and protecting them from the Plagues he brought against Egypt. Nevertheless the next generation made it to the banks of the Jordon River poised, after forty years, to possess the Land.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS
The Book of Numbers
I. Preparations for the journey to Canaan (1:1-9:23)
A. Israelites numbered (1:1-4:49)
1. Census of the Israelites (1:1-54)
2. The arrangement of the wilderness camp (2:1-34)
3. The census of the Levites (3:1-4:49)
B. Final preparations (5:1-9:23)
1. Various laws and offerings (5:1-7:89)
2. Dedication of the Levites (8:1-26)
3. Passover and the fire cloud (9:1-23)
II. The wilderness journey (10:1-21:20)
A. Departure (10:1-14:45)
1. Marching orders (10:1-35)
2. Complaints in the desert (11:1-12:16)
3. Spies sent to Canaan (13:1-33)
4. The people rebel and must wander an additional forty years (14:1-45)
B. Events in the desert (15:1-21:20)
1. Laws for the Promised Land (15:1-41)
2. Rebellion in the desert (16:1-16)
3. Miracle in the desert (17:1-12)
4. More laws for the Promised Land (18:1-19:23)
5. More miracles in the desert (20:1-13)
6. Setbacks in the desert (20:14-21:20)
a. Edom refuses passage (20:14-21)
b. Rebellion and attack by serpents (21:1-20)
III. Conquests and preparations (21:21-36:13)
A. Conquests (21:31-31:53)
1. Sihon and Og defeated (21:21-35)
2. Balaam's prophecies and Balak's defeat (22:1-24:25)
3. False worship and punishment (25:1-18)
4. A second numbering (26:1-65)
5. Daughters of Zelophehad (27:1-11)
6. Joshua chosen as Moses'successor (27:12-23)
7. Festivals, offerings, and laws (28:1-30:16)
8. War against Midian (31:1-54)
B. Preparations for life in the Promised Land (32:1-36:13)
1. Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh allowed to settle in Transjordan (32:1-42)
2. Summary of travels (33:1-49)
3. Boundaries of Israel's land (33:50-34:29)
4. Levitical cities and cities of refuge (35:1-34)
5. Marriage of Zelophehad's daughters (36:1-13)

Israel Sets Out

At length, on the twentieth day of the second month, the signal for departure from Sinai was given. The cloud which had rested upon the Tabernacle moved; the silver trumpets of the priests summoned "the camps" of Israel to their march, and as the Ark itself set forward. Moses, in joyous confidence of faith, spoke those words of mingled prayer and praise which, as they marked the progress of Israel towards the Land of Promise, have ever been the signal in every forward movement of the Church. The general destination of Israel was, in the first place, "the wilderness of Paran," a name known long before. This tract may be described as occupying the whole northern part of the Sinaitic peninsula, between the so-called Arabah on the east, and the wilderness of Shur in the west, which separates Philistia from Egypt. Here Israel was, so to speak, hedged in by the descendants of Esau—on the one side by the Edomites, whose country lay east of the Arabah, and on the other by the Amalekites, while right before them were the Amorites.

Such then was the goal and such the line of march before Israel, when, on that day in early summer, the Ark and the host of the Lord moved forward from the foot of Sinai. At the reiterated request of Moses, Hobab, the brother-in-law of Moses, had consented to accompany Israel, and to act as their guide in the wilderness, in the faith of afterwards sharing "what goodness God" would do to His people. Although the pillar of cloud was the real guide of Israel in all their journeying, yet the local knowledge of Hobab would manifestly prove of the greatest use in indicating springs and places of pasturage. And so it always is. The moving of the cloud or its resting must be our sole guide; but under its direction the best means which human skill or knowledge can suggest should be earnestly sought and thankfully used (Nu 10:11-35).

Spies

The Lord spoke to Moses to select men to spy out the Promised Land, now populated by Canaanites (Nu. 13:4-16). They were to determine about the land "whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many. "How is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live, are they like open camps or with fortifications? "How is the land, is it fat or lean? Are there trees in it or not? Make an effort then to get some of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes" (Nu. 13:18-20).

17–20. The instructions of Moses to the twelve spies were thus comprehensive; a thorough report of the land—its produce, the peoples, and their towns—was required in the reconnaissance mission. The plan of approach was practical, and it shows that Moses had some sense of the lay of the land of Canaan. From their location in the northernmost boundary of the Desert of Paran, the spies were to move into the Negev, the southernmost part of the land of Canaan. Then they were to ascend the hill country and to journey as far as they could through the land. The journey upward was not only geographical; there is a sense in which we may see this upward journey as a symbol of assault, conquest, and victory.

The scouts were to give special attention to the people and the produce of the land, to the cities and towns, to the soil and the presence or absence of forests. Since the journey was at the time of the harvest of grapes, there is a personal note that they should bring back some of the fruit they might discover in the land. They were to show themselves courageous in taking some of the fruit words that would later come to haunt the nation. But the quest for a sampling of fruit is a nice touch; it had been a long time since grapes were seen in the desert community. The principal harvesting of grapes in Palestine comes after the long, hot summer, in September and October. But the first, early grapes, may be harvested by mid-or late July. So the journey of the spies would have come in the summer months.

The specification of the type of men that were to be selected reminds us that while God is not a respecter of persons with regard to his mercy (see Deut 10:17), he does use select persons for his leadership tasks. Yet ten of the twelve men in this listing turn out to be dismal failures. That they were each leaders of their tribes did not guarantee that they were adequate for the leadership role God desired they would have.

4–15. The names of the leaders of Israel and their meanings are as follows:

1. Shammua (šammûaʿ, related to the verb šāmaʿ, "to hear"; perhaps meaning "report [of God]") of Reuben

2. Shaphat (šāp̱āṭ from the verb šāp̱aṭ, "to judge"; perhaps meaning "he has judged") of Simeon

3. Caleb (kālēḇ related to keleḇ, "dog") of Judah

4. Igal (yig̱ʾāl from the verb gāʾal, "to redeem"; perhaps meaning "he redeems") of Issachar

5. Hoshea (later Joshua) (hôšeaʿ, from the verb yāšaʿ, "to save"; perhaps meaning "salvation") of Ephraim

6. Palti (palṭî perhaps related to the verb pālaṭ, "to escape"; perhaps meaning "my escape [is God]") of Benjamin

7. Gaddiel (gaddîʾēl, perhaps related to the noun gāḏ, "fortune"; perhaps meaning "my fortune is God") of Zebulun

8. Gaddi (gaddî, a name with the same meaning as the man of Zebulun, "my fortune [is in God]") of Manasseh

9. Ammiel (ʿammîʾēl, a name combining the words "my people" and "God"; perhaps meaning "God is my kinsman") of Dan

10. Sethur (seṯûr a name perhaps related to the verb sāṯar, "to hide"; perhaps meaning "sheltered [by God]") of Asher

11. Nahbi (nahbî, a name perhaps related to the verb hāḇāh, "to withdraw," "to hide"; perhaps meaning "my hiding [is God]") of Naphtali

12. Geuel (geʾûʾēl, a name perhaps relating the verbal root gāʾāh, "to rise up [in majesty]" with the word "God"; perhaps meaning "majesty of God") of Gad.

Detailed and accurate directions having been given them, the spies left the camp of Israel "at the time of the first-ripe grapes," that is, about the end of July. Thus far they were successful. Eluding the Canaanites, they entered Palestine, and searched the land to its northernmost boundary, "unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath," that is, as far as the plain of Coele-Syria. On their way back, coming from the north, they would of course not be suspected. Accordingly they now descended by Hebron, and explored the route which led into the Negeb by the western edge of the mountains. "In one of these extensive valleys—perhaps in Wády Hanein, where miles of grape-mounds even now meet the eye—they cut the gigantic cluster of grapes, and gathered the pomegranates and figs, to show how goodly was the land which the Lord had promised for their inheritance." After forty days' absence the spies returned to camp. The report and the evidence of the fruitfulness of the land which they brought fully confirmed the original promise of God to Israel (Nu 13:1-23).

However: "When they returned 10 of the 12 spies gave a negative report of the land. They said: "We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. "Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. "Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan..."There also we saw the NEPHILIM (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight" (Nu. 13:27-20, 33).

So the spies saw the good and wonderful land just as the Lord had promised. However they saw the Nephilim in the land, in the sons of Anak, and were completely intimidated. The Anakim (Heb. 'anāqîm), descendants of an eponymous ancestor Anak, were among the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Palestine. The name Anak occurs without the article only in Nu. 13:33 and Dt. 9:2, but elsewhere it appears in the form 'the Anak' (hā'anāq), where it is presumably to be taken as the collective, equivalent to Anakim. The phrase 'the city of Arba (qiryaṯ 'arba', KIRIATH-ARBA), father of Anak' in Joshua 15:13 apparently indicates that an individual named Arba was the ultimate ancestor of the Anakim, unless the noun 'father' is taken to qualify the city, in which case this city, later known as HEBRON, was considered the ancestral home of the Anakim. It was even stated that they were descended from the Nephilim, who were also claimed as sons of Anak, and the spies said that they felt like grasshoppers beside them (Nu. 13:33).

They were settled in the hill-country, particularly at Hebron (Nu. 13:22), where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, 'descendants of Anak', were found. Joshua cut off the Anakim from the hill country (from Hebron, Debir and Anab), but some were left in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod (Jos. 11:21) and it fell to Caleb finally to drive them out from Hebron, which had been allotted to him. Nothing is known of these people outside the Bible, unless they are, as some scholars hold, among the peoples mentioned in the Egyptian 18th century Execration Texts, or they represent an early 'Philistinian-type' title.

The Nephilim (nefʹi-leem) were people of the pre-Flood generation, the offspring of daughters of men and divine beings (Gen. 6:1-4). Their generation and their conduct seem to have provoked the Flood as punishment (Gen. 6:5-8:22). In Num. 13:33 the Israelite spies describe the inhabitants of Hebron as Nephilim, so large and powerful that 'we seemed like grasshoppers.' The name could mean 'fallen ones' and allude to stories in related cultures of rebellious giants defeated by the gods in olden times (cf. Isa. 14:12). Those satanic forces are nephilim spirits, such as we read about in the Scriptures, who are standing in the way and preventing the sons of God from possessing their inheritance. God is very unhappy with such channels. According to Genesis 6, the nephilim were people who were created with a satanic nature. Whether or not they yielded to it is not the issue. Some people claim that the nephilim were spirits that found their way in from a world which existed before creation. Some claim that they were demons. Ancient mythology is based on the fact that there were demon spirits. These spirits so infected the human race and made the people so wicked that God had to destroy them (Genesis 6:5–7). It was not a matter of merely bringing corrective judgments; the whole system had to be destroyed.

Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, "Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! "And why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" So they said to one another, "Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt."

Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, "The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. "If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. "Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they shall be our prey. Their PROTECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THEM, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them." But the entire congregation sought to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the LORD appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.

And the LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? "I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they." But Moses said to the LORD in defense of the lord's position: "If you do what You desire Then the Egyptians will hear of it, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You O LORD, art in the midst of this people, Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Thy fame will say, 'Because the LORD could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, therefore He slaughtered them in the wilderness.' "Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as Thou also hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now."

So the LORD said, "I have pardoned them according to your word; but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD "Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs, which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it except for My servants Caleb and Joshua because they had had a different spirit and have followed Me fully. Them I will bring into the land and they shall take possession of it" (Nu 14:1–26).

The Israelites, hearing this, decided to go up into the land and attack the Canaanites. "But they went up heedlessly to the ridge of the hill country; neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses left the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, and struck them and beat them down as far as Hormah" (Nu. 14:44-45). Israel had presumed to go up into this mountain-top without the presence of God, without the Ark of the Covenant, and without Moses. Yesterday they had been taught the lesson that their seeming weakness would be real strength, if God were among them. To-day they had in bitter experience to find out this other and equally painful truth—that their seeming strength was real weakness. They were smitten and discomfited by their enemies. There is always a danger in "doing your own thing" in a walk with God.