1

1-46: God commanded Moses to take a census of the men in Israel who could fight in war. He divided them by tribe and numbered them. 47-54: Levites weren’t part of the census since they were the priestly tribe whose duty was to care for and protect the temple. The temple was so important because it provided a way for sinful man to commune with God. Wherever Israel set up camp, they were commanded to set up their tents around the temple.

2

1-34: God gave specific instructions for how the camps should be set up. Each tribe had a section to set up tents, and they all surrounded the temple.

3

1-4: Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu were ordained priests. However, ignored God’s rules for sacrifices and burnt offerings and performed them however they saw fit. God rejected their sacrifice and punished them with death. This seems harsh to us, but God was justified in taking their lives. First of all, God is justified in taking our lives for every transgression against him wether we like it or not (Romans 6:23). These men were entrusted with the most important task of mediating between God and mankind, yet they disregarded His instructions. They took a pagan approach to worship when God wanted to separate himself and Israel from false, pagan religions.

5-10: After the death of Nadab and Abihu, the priests from the tribe fo Levi were called to minister to Aaron, who was likely mourning the disobedience and death of his sons. They were also commanded to guard the priesthood from similar distorted practices and pagan priests.

11-13: Not every Levite was a priests; only the firstborn and those who qualified for the role could be priests. When God said the firstborn of the Levites would be His, it meant they would be reserved for priestly duties (Numbers 8:18-20).

14-39: Moses took a census of Levi’s descendants and listed their temple duties.

40-51: God required Israel pay 5 shekels to Aaron and his descendants for each firstborn male in Israel (excluding the tribe of Levi). It was a form of temple tax to fund the workers and keep the temple running. (See notes on Numbers 18:14-17)

4

1-49: God gave specific families within the tribe of Levi the duty of moving pieces of the temple whenever Israel relocated. God gave these men unique permission to cover and carry the Holy things without dying. However, they needed to be careful not to look at them in vain or touch the ark of the covenant in order to avoid death. This seemingly extreme consequence for touching or viewing the holy things was important because it communicated to Israel and the world how holy and separate God is from sinful man. The vivid illustrations were necessary in a time without scripture to guide them. The only way we can access God is on his terms. For them, it meant participating in the sacrificial system as God designed it, and for us it means putting our faith in the ultimate sacrifice: Jesus.

5

1-4:  Leprosy, disease, death, and the act of touching anyone of these made a person ceremonially unclean. These purity laws were a physical object lesson to teach the spiritual reality that God is perfect and man is separated from Him because of sin. For example, leprosy wasn't part of God's perfect creation, but man sinned and brought about disease and death. Although having leprosy obviously wasn't a sin, the leper's presence "defiled" the camp because disease was a result of man's rebellion. There was also the practical aspect of quarantining diseased people so it wouldn't spread. This vivid object lesson might sound extreme, but understanding that sin separates us from God is foundational to having our sins forgiven.

5-10: Sinning against someone is also a sin against God. It requires confession and making it right with the person you’ve sinned against (restitution). In this case, it seems to give an example of theft, and restoring what was stolen. If the person sinned against died and had no family to give the restitution to, it would then fund the priests operating the temple.

11-31: Under God’s theocracy in Israel, the standard punishment for adultery was the death of the man and woman involved (Leviticus 20:10). This seemingly harsh punishment was necessary to make God’s people distinct from the nations. However, it doesn’t apply to us since we aren’t under the old covenant theocracy. God provided this strange, supernatural ritual as a way of resolving situations when a husband suspected that his wife was unfaithful, but there were no witnesses to have a court case. If an innocent woman drank the "water of bitterness", nothing would happen and tension in their marriage could be restored. But if the woman was guilty of adultery, then God would supernaturally cause a curse; a physical ailment that would make it clear she was guilty and they could divorce. It was impossible to wrongly accuse a woman since God, who knows all things, was the judge.

6

1-21: Nazarite means "separated" or "one consecrated". The Nazarite vow was a temporary vow a person could take to separate themselves as a service to God. This involved not cutting their hair and abstaining from alcohol, vinegar, and grapes. They also had to stay ceremonially clean by not going near a dead body. After the period of their vow was over, they had to offer sacrifices, shave their head, and could drink again. Samson and John the Baptist are two people mentioned in the Bible who took the Nazarite vow.

22-27: Aaron and his sons (the priests) were commanded to give this blessing to the people of Israel. It was a prayer for God’s blessing, sustenance, favor, and grace.

7

1-88: When the temple was set up, the chiefs of each tribe in Israel offered sacrifices for the dedication of the altar. For 12 days, a different tribe would offer money, food, and animals to sacrifice in the temple each day. 89: When it was all finished, Moses went into the tent of meeting where he spoke to God, making himself God’s mouthpiece to Israel. He didn’t see God, but heard His voice coming from above the mercy seat.

8

1-4: God commanded Aaron to build the golden lampstand to light the temple.

5-22: God commanded a ceremony to offer the Levitical priests to God as servants in His temple. It required a ritual cleansing in keeping with purity laws, and the sacrifice of a bull in keeping with sacrificial laws. These symbolic acts of sacrifice and cleansing served the purpose of illustrating that sin must be dealt with before entering God’s presence, and that God separated the Levites from among the people in order to serve in this temple.

23-26: A Levitical priest’s service in the temple lasted from age 25-50.

9

1-14: The Passover was an extremely important event in Israel’s history because it displayed God’s justice and mercy. He showed His justice by pouring out plagues on the oppressors who enslaved Israel, but graciously passed over the Israelites who put the blood of a lamb on their doors as the Angel of death slayed the firstborn. It was a picture of when God passed over sinners who deserve judgment, but put their faith in Jesus—the ultimate sacrificial lamb who was slain on our behalf. The Passover feast included unleavened bread, which was a symbolic reminder of their exodus as a result of the plagues on Egypt (Exodus 12:39). Israel was commanded to obey the passover; this included everyone from the unclean person who touched a dead body to gentiles and foreigners in the land.

15-23: God’s presence guided the Israelites in the form of a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night. His presence rested over the ark until it was time to move and set up camp again. The amount of time between moving varied based on God’s will.

10

1-10: God gave Moses a system of guiding the large camp that involved two silver trumpets. These trumpets were used to call meetings, mobilize, celebrate offerings, and go to war. Doing it in this way was intended to be a reminder of the God leading them.

11-36: This passage describes the first time Israel mobilized their camp and gives us a picture of what the process looked like. Specific tribes dealt with specific tasks. In this instance, they were setting out to conquer the land that God promised them. The cloud pillar guided them to a resting place.

11

1-9: God chose Israel as his people (Deuteronomy 14:2), regularly spared them from judgment when they deserved death, freed them from slavery (Deuteronomy 15:15), promised them land (Exodus 6:8), provided them with food (Numbers 11:9), and provided atonement for sin through the temple system. But despite everything God did for them, they rebelled against him over the craving for meat and glorified their memory of being enslaved in Egypt. God knew their evil hearts and judged them with fire. Moses mediated for the remaining people through prayer, and God withheld judgment.

10-15: Moses was overwhelmed by his position of leadership because the people wouldn’t stop complaining until they got what they wanted.

16-31: God graciously relieved Moses of many burdens by allowing him to delegate tasks to 70 trusted leaders. God also met the Israelites’ craving with an abundance of quail. Rather than being grateful, many people obsessed over the quail, storing up absurd amounts of meat. God was angered at those who treated food as an idol and destroyed them with a plague.

12

1-16: Aaron and Miriam didn’t like that Moses married a woman from Cush, so they challenged his authority. They claimed, as prophets, that they had equal authority and access to God. However, God spoke to the three and made it clear that Moses was a superior prophet. Unlike other prophets, God spoke directly to Moses and allowed him to see His form. As judgment for Miriam’s opposition, she was temporarily turned leprous and quarantined from the camp.

13

1-24: God commanded Moses to have spies assess the situation in the promised land before they occupied it. The intent was to give people a clear picture of who they were up against, and give a glimpse of the great land God was about to give them.

25-33: When the spies returned, they confirmed that the land was fruitful and prosperous. However, they feared the people they were commanded to fight. This fear was grounded in their lack of trust in God, even though he promised them a military victory. The spies exaggerated the might of their enemy to strike fear into the other Israelites. Caleb was one of the spies, but he trusted God and wanted to seize the land immediately.

14

1-4: God’s people completely turned against Him and wanted to be enslaved by Egypt again. They didn’t believe that God would give them victory as He promised.

5-10: Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb plead with the congregation to trust God, who would give them victory if they obeyed. Their rebellion reached it’s height when they tried to stone Caleb and Joshua.

11-19: God appeared in the form of His glory (probably the pillar of smoke or thunderous cloud) and spoke to Moses so everyone could hear. God said He would destroy Israel for their disobedience and make a nation from Moses. However, Moses mediated for them again, and begged God not to follow through with the judgment they deserved. Moses’ argument was that it would take away from God’s glory in the eyes of His enemies; it was an appeal to God’s grace. Moses was often a picture of how Christ would eventually mediate for his people and turn away the wrath of the Father.

20-38: God graciously spared Israel from destruction because of Moses’ plea, but promised that all who opposed him would die in the wilderness. God killed the spies who gave a false report, then directed Moses to the wilderness where they would wander rather than enter Canaan, the promised land. 39-45: Israel mourned at the news and took matters into their own hands. They decided to attack the Canaanites, but the Lord wasn’t with them so they were defeated. It was too late. Nothing could stop these Israelites from spending the rest of their lives in the wilderness.

15

1-31: God gave Moses sacrificial laws for Israel to obey when they entered the promised land. Verses 14-16 are significant because they teach that foreigners could become part of Israel, serve God, and have their sins atoned for. This sentiment is repeated through the chapter. One of God’s main reasons for drawing a distinction between Israel and pagan nations was so foreigners would know that Israel served a God that differed from their many pagan deities. Drawing this line was necessary so foreigners could worship the one true God, become part of His people, and have their sins atoned for.

34-36: Breaking the sabbath was a capitol offense under the Old Covenant theocracy in Israel. This sounds harsh to us, but we minimize disobedience to God and what the sabbath was meant to communicate (relying on God for our salvation rather than our own works; resting in the finished work of Christ). God held His covenant people to a high standard because they represented Him to the world; they were His one and only plan of salvation until Christ came.

37-41: After the sabbath incident, God commanded His people to wear tassels on their garments as a constant visual reminder to obey the commandments.

16

1-40: Korah, Dathan and Abirim envied Moses and Aaron’s positions as leaders and priests, so they organized a rebellion against them. Korah and his followers accused Moses of trying to kill the Israelites by leading them out of Egypt, into the wilderness. They rejected the idea that Moses was commissioned by God, and even referred to Egypt as "the land of milk and honey"—a phrase God used to describe the land He promised His people. Moses challenged them to offer incense to prove their priesthood, and if the ground miraculously swallowed them up, all would know they were in the wrong. God destroyed these people and commanded they make a covering on the ark out of the censers. These were both warnings to prevent future generations from sinning against God in this way, and remind that only descendants of Aaron could be priests and offer incense. This passage raises the question of why God would also destroy the families of those who joined Korah’s rebellion. First of all, God is justified in taking any life he chooses since he is the creator of life, and all have sinned against him (Romans 3:23). We only live to breathe another day because of his grace. The women and the older children were likely compliant in the rebellion and were just as guilty a the men. As for the younger children, we know from God’s judgment on Canaan that He took the lives of children because in his foreknowledge He knew they would grow up and lead God’s people into the same evil practices (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). Although it’s probable that the children were guilty and those either too young or innocent didn’t die since they were around for the war census in Numbers 26:9-11.

41-50: The next day, the people rebelled again and accused Moses of killing them, when it was clearly a judgement from God. In a very public display, God judged the people with a fatal plague. Moses and Aaron quickly acted as their priests and mediated for them, relieving God’s wrath and stopping the plague. This made it clear to the surviving Israelites who really had the authority as God’s priests

17

1-13: God used Aaron’s staff and a contest between tribes to confirm that only the tribe of Levi (Aaron’s descendants) were God’s priests in the temple. It also served the purpose of protecting people who were tempted to rebel (grumble) and promote themselves as priests (Numbers 17:10). When Aaron’s staff was the only one that miraculously budded in the temple, it made it clear to the people which tribe God chose as priests. The staff was also placed in the ark of the covenant (Hebrews 9:4).

18

1-5: Aaron and the Levites were to "bear iniquity", meaning they bore the sins of the people through offering blood sacrifices in the temple. Only firstborn sons in the tribe of Levi could be priests, so they’d have fathers and brothers who weren’t qualified to to approach the altar. However, these men could still serve by keeping guard of the temple. The temple system was given to appease God’s wrath and stop him from destroying His people, who deserved judgement.

6-7: God wanted the Levitical priests to view the heavy burden of serving God as a gift. They were doing the most important job on earth; mediating between God and His people, which foreshadowed the ultimate High Priest to come (Jesus).

8-12: God’s perpetual promise to Aaron’s descendants was that they’d receive a portion of Israel’s first fruit offerings. They would get the best of the crops and livestock as payment for their services. God commanded Israel not to burn the first fruit grain offerings so the priests could eat them. 14-17: Before God gave the priesthood to Aaron and his descendants, all firstborn males in Jerusalem were offered to God as priests (Exodus 13:2). But after the switch, all firstborn sons were to be redeemed (bought back/returned to their parents) and freed from serving as priest for 5 pieces of silver. There was no longer a need for firstborn priests since God made a covenant with Aaron and his descendants. However, the firstborn animals were sacrificed.

18-24: The promise that Aaron and his descendants would receive these things is referred to as the covenant of salt. Salt in the offerings symbolized the covenant, while adding flavor to the bread. The salty flavor likely served as a reminder to the priests that God promised to provide them with everything they needed. 2 Chronicles 13:13 reinforced the idea that salt covenants are a promise to preserve or perpetuate.

25-30: The people gave a tithe to the priests for their duty, and the priests gave a tithe out of the tithe given to them.

19

1-10: Many of the Clean and unclean purity laws were an elaborate object lesson to teach the people of Israel that God was holy/separate from sinful man. It kept people from temple worship and could be transmitted to one another the way our sinful actions can. In this case, touching a dead body made someone unclean because death was a result of man’s sin (Romans 5:12) and had to be dealt with before entering God’s perfect presence in the temple (Numbers 18:13). The ritual of burning a red cow for ashes was a practical way to provide purification without having to constantly sacrifice every time someone was unclean. The "water for impurity" could be used to cleanse in place of sacrificing a new animal. Having this efficient provision was important since Israel would have to bury so many dead bodies throughout their wandering in the desert. The individual elements in this ritual were symbolic of cleansing (hyssop, fire) and repentance/reconciliation (ashes, sacrifice). Just as the red heifer was sacrificed outside of the camp, Jesus would be too.

11-22: Further instruction is given on how to use the "water for impurity". Failure to do so resulted in defilement of the temple and being cut off from Israel. This passage illustrates how being unclean could be spread among people and objects. It was a vivid picture of how our sinful actions can spread and corrupt others. The golden calf in Exodus was a good example of how sin can be "transmitted" through an immaterial object. One person sinned in making it, and others sinned through worshipping it instead of God.

20

1: Miriam was the woman who became leprous for criticizing Moses’ credentials as a prophet and choice of a wife.

2-5: The people rebelled against Moses and God again because of their carnal craving for food. Though God graciously spared them from the destruction they deserved, they still rebelled.

6-13: Moses and Aaron interceded for the people. God not only withheld his wrath, but provided them with water. He commanded Moses to perform a miracle by striking the rock so it would produce water. However, Moses’ heart became bitter along with the people, and he didn’t believe God (Psalm 106:32-33, Numbers 20:12). He was supposed to represent God’s love and grace, but angrily struck it twice, communicating a false impression of God as unholy. This resulted in Moses not being able to go into the promised land.

14-21: The Edomites were lifelong enemies of Israel who descend from Esau. The vendetta traced it’s roots all the way back to when Jacob (Israel) deceptively stole Esau’s birthright. The King hated Jacob’s descendants so much that he didn’t let them through.

22-29: It was time for Aaron to die ("be gathered to his people") and pass the priesthood on to his son. The priesthood was symbolically transferred to Eleazar through Moses putting Aaron’s priestly garments on him. It seems unfair that Aaron has to die because of Moses’ actions at Meribah, but his death was only indirectly Moses’ fault. Aaron did some terrible things in his life, such as create a Golden calf and have God’s people worship it. God only spared Aaron because Moses interceded on his behalf after the golden calf incident (Exodus 32:11-13). God simply lifted his grace because Moses failed as an intercessor. Though we all die as a judgment for our own sins, other’s sins can have an effect in ending our lives.

21

1-3: God’s promise to give Israel the land of Canaan also accomplished His purpose of judging the Canaanites through Israel. The Canaanites were a wicked group of people who sacrificed children, committed idolatry, beastiality, and temple prostitution (Deuteronomy 9:5, Jeremiah 19:5, Leviticus 18:3-30, 20-23). When King Arad of the Canaanites captured Israelites and tried to destroy the nation, God gave Israel military victory over them.

4-9: Even after God gave Israel military victory, the repeated the cycle of sin against God and Moses by blaming them for the hardships they brought on themselves (wandering in the wilderness). And as usual, Moses interceded and God provided a miraculous solution to their problems.

10-20: This is a record of Israel’s travels in the wilderness and includes a song they sang about the water in the rock.

21-35: God used Israel as His tool to judge evil nations and kings. God has control over the outcome of all battles and gave Israel victory.

22

1-6: Balak was intimidated by Israel’s military victories and thought his nation would be attacked next. He hired an opportunistic pagan prophet named Balaam, who was happy to pronounce curses on nations for a price. Though not truly a prophet, God used Balaam to make it clear to Balak that Israel would be blessed and no enemy could stop it. He also communicated that Moab would be destroyed.

7-14: Balaam was probably used to either making up prophecies and telling leaders what they wanted hear, or speaking with demonic powers that acted as deities. Balaam must’ve known something was different this time because he didn’t lie to Balak.

16-22: It seems like Balaam was just following orders, but God knew his heart and was angered. Balaam’s "way was perverse" because loved financial gain from wrongdoing/prophesying against Israel (2 Peter 2:15). God also knew that Balaam would later tell Balak the secret to defeating Israel: Entice them to worship Baal through intermarrying Moabite women (Numbers 31:16, Revelation 2:14). This would cause God to destroy Israel and the Moabites wouldn’t have to.

23-35: God used two miracles to reveal Balaam’s error. He sent an angel with a drawn sword and gave voice to a donkey. God opposed Balaam because "his way was perverse’. He was planning to tell Balak how to defeat Israel. God warned Balaam to only speak the words given to him.

36-41: Balak continued to try and bribe Balaam, but externally Balaam was remaining obedient to God.

23

1-30: Balaam pronounced blessings on Israel and curses on Moab in both oracles because God forced him to do so.

24

1-25: Balaam’s final oracle continued the blessings and curses, angering Balak. He also prophesied how Israel would defeat Moab in the future. It seems like Balaam was cooperating with God, but he was judged for the evil intentions in his heart. We know from Numbers 31:16 and Revelation 2:14 that Balaam told Balak how to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, "so they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality". Appealing to their carnal desires and rebellious spirit was the way to get God to judge his people, and Balaam knew it.

25

1-5: After Balaam told Balak to infiltrate Israel with Moabite women and paganism, Moab sent women to seduce men on Israel. This caused them to adopt the faith of their wives and commit evil practices such as child sacrifice and temple prostitution. Both were capitol offenses and God commanded the judges to kill everyone who was guilty.

6-18: Phineas was praised for following God’s orders by executing a guilty couple who defiled the tent of meeting. God had to take extreme measures to keep His people holy, since they were the world’s only hope for salvation. If the Moabites had completely succeeded in converting Israel to a brutal, pagan system of Baal worship that encouraged child sacrifice, millions would have been spiritually lost and judged throughout history. God no longer allows violence of this kind in the new covenant because we aren’t under a theocratic rule the way Israel was. Back then it was necessary to keep his people separate from the nations, but today Jew and Gentile are one in Christ (Galatians 3:28). We’re still commanded to not yoke ourselves with false gods and murderers, but we’re under a new covenant and cannot judge others through theocratic civil law or direct commands from God.

26

1-65: God had Moses take a census of all the young men who could fight in battle. God give them victory in many more battles as they seized the promised land. The list mentions some of Korah’s sons who survived because they didn’t partake in the rebellion.

27

1-11: Israel was a patriarchal society, where property was passed down through male heirs. This is different from the modern adaptation of the word which means male oppression over women. If there were no male heirs, daughters would receive the inheritance when their parents died. 12-14: Because Moses misrepresented God at the waters of Meribah, he wouldn’t get to enter the promised land. However, God allowed him to see it from the top of a mountain before he died.

15-17: Moses prayed for a brave successor who would lead in battle and be the last to return; not a ruler who fought along side his people. He was worried about Israel being sheep without a shepherd; he knew from experience how much they needed guidance.

18-23: Moses commissioned Joshua to lead the people in a public display of laying his hands on him in front of the high priest and entire congregation.

28

1-8: These are the instructions for food offerings as God intended them. There were separate instructions for the Sabbath, Passover, monthly offerings, and the Feast of weeks. They’re described as a "pleasing aroma" to God because of what they represent—God’s people honoring him with a sacrificial love. It also provided the Levitical priests with food for their service in the temple.

29

1-40: God gave extremely specific instructions for offerings to celebrate the feast of trumpets, day of atonement, and feast of booths. The instructions for the feast of booths was broken down by day and it required refraining from work.

30

1-2: God’s people were to be known as people who follow through with what they promise to do. The spirit of this command is reiterated in James 5:12.

3-5: As her spiritual leader, a girl’s father had the authority to override a pledge that she bound herself to. She may not have had the maturity or insight to know how to make a responsible vow. God would honor His decision.

6-16: When a woman is married, the responsibility of spiritual leader falls on the husband. This is also true today. This responsibility could have consequences if he made the wrong call (Numbers 30:15). Widows and divorced women were responsible for themselves.

31

1-17: God used the nation of Israel to judge Midian and Balaam for their evil deeds. They worship Baal, a god who required child sacrifice, temple prostitution, and encouraged beastiality. According to God and his perfect standard, these people deserved to be judged by Him, even if we disagree (Leviticus 20:1). That said, this was a special case under the old covenant theocracy, given to this specific people (Numbers 36:13). It would be sin for us to mimic what they did since it’s not a command from God for us to do so. Moses reprimanded them for sparing the women, who also participated in idolatry, the killing of children, and trying to entice Israel into doing the same. They were allowed to spare the women and girls who were still virgins; the reason being that they weren’t guilty of participating in ritual sex to a false god. The boys weren’t spared, likely because they would try to avenge the death of their parents or corrupt Israel. In either case, God knew the future and dealt with them justly.

18: The girls that were spared were prisoners of war. "Sparing them for yourselves" simply meant they had the option to marry the women who repented of their idolatry, converted to Judaism, and became part of Israel. It obviously didn’t mean they were sex slaves since sexual immorality and fornication were forbidden. It gave the Midianite women a way out of their false religion and prisoner of war status.

19-24: The warriors and their plunder had to go through ritual purification because they touched dead bodies and their possessions came from a corrupt, idolatrous people.

25-54: This is an account of how the plunder was divided among the men who went to war. They also gave a portion as an offering.

32

1-42: The livestock rich tribes of Gad and Reuben wanted to avoid the conquest in Canaan and stay in the lands outside. It was safe for their families in the fortified cities they already conquered, and there was plenty of land for their livestock. However, Moses reminded them that God wanted to use Israel to judge Canaan and inhabit the promised land. He warned that they were making the same mistake as their ancestors by giving up right outside of Canaan. He also pointed out that this new generation of Israelites were just as corrupt as the old, and God would punish them just the same if they disobeyed. Moses said Gad and Ruben had to help their brothers fight and conquer the land, but were allowed to to keep their families in the cities temporarily. They also had the option to live in these cities after God’s work in Canaan was finished. The men were obedient and agreed to follow through with God’s plan.

33

1-49: Moses kept a record of their wandering through the wilderness.

50-54: After wondering for some time, God began Israel’s military campaign to judge the nations whose "iniquity was complete" (Genesis 15:16). Their iniquity was primarily idolatry, child sacrifice, and sexual sin. Israel was to "drive the people out". However, those who refused to leave were hostile and Israel was commanded to execute them regardless of age or gender. This was a specific judgment from God against those people at that time, never to be repeated.

55-56: Some prominent atheists have accused God’s command as being tribalistic or xenophobic. However, these verses make it clear that God’s issue with the other nations had nothing to do with their ethnicity, but was judgment for their sins. God would do the same thing thing to Israel. The commands to destroy all inhabitants was for the purpose mentioned in verse 55. In God’s foresight, he knew the pagans who remained sought to lead Israel into abominable practices such as idolatry and child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 20:16-18).

34

1-15: God defined the Borders of Canaan, the promised Land He was about to give to the tribes of Israel.

16-29: Chiefs from each tribe were chosen to divide the land.

35

1-8: The tribes of Israel had to provide Levitical priests with cities and pasturelands. These cities would also be used as cities of refuge. The contributions of land would be in proportion to the size of the tribes.

9-15: These six cities of refuge were for people who accidentally killed someone. It was a way to prevent people from avenging the death of the person accidentally killed. The person who committed involuntary manslaughter would go through a just trial, then were sentenced to stay in a city of refuge until the death of the high priest.

16-32: This section gives us examples of murder and involuntary manslaughter, along with their penalties. The penalty for murder was always death, and for manslaughter it \was being sentenced to a city of refuge. In neither case could the guilty person pay a ransom to avoid judgment.

33-34: Killing others "polluted the land". They were supposed to represent their God and separate themselves from sin and the shedding of innocent blood.

36

1-12: Since the inheritance of land could be passed on to daughters, it raised the question of how to stop inherited land from leaving a tribe. If she married someone from another tribe, then the land would leave their father’s tribe. To avoid this, women in this situation were supposed to marry within their tribe.

13: The commandments and rules in Numbers were intended to govern these specific Israelites during their specific time in history. The laws written here were never intended for modern Christians and Jews.