Bible Reading Plan

Author: Jon Green

  • Rest Day + Family Guide (Numbers 34-Deuteronomy 3)

    Rest Day + Family Guide (Numbers 34-Deuteronomy 3)

    Rest Day

    Each Sunday is a Rest Day. There is no new Bible reading to do. Today, the goal is simple: rest in the presence of God. Maybe you need to use today to get caught up on the reading plan if you’re behind, maybe you want to journal what you’re learning so you don’t forget what God is teaching you, or maybe you want to spend time in concentrated prayer–do that. Above all, just spend time in God’s presence.

    Each Rest Day, we will have an additional element to help you dig deeper. Sometimes it will be extra resources to further your study, a video to watch, or a podcast to listen to. Sometimes we’ll have a verse to commit to memorize to help you hide God’s Word in your heart. 

    If you have kids, our Family Guide will help you discuss what you’re reading and learning with them! It’s a great opportunity for your family to read God’s Word together and review what we read the previous week!

    Read This

    As we kick off this new study of Deuteronomy, check out this resource page (along with a helpful FAQ section!) from The Bible Project!

    Family Guide

    Check out this week’s Numbers 34-Deuteronomy 3 Family Guide!

  • Deuteronomy 3

    Deuteronomy 3

    Read Deuteronomy 3

    Defeat of Og King of Bashan

    3 Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei.2 The Lord said to me, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”

    3 So the Lord our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down, leaving no survivors. 4 At that time we took all his cities. There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them—the whole region of Argob, Og’s kingdom in Bashan. 5 All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages. 6 We completely destroyed them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying every city—men, women and children. 7 But all the livestock and the plunder from their cities we carried off for ourselves.

    8 So at that time we took from these two kings of the Amorites the territory east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Hermon.9 (Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.) 10 We took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all Bashan as far as Salekah and Edrei, towns of Og’s kingdom in Bashan. 11 (Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaites. His bed was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide. It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)

    Division of the Land

    12 Of the land that we took over at that time, I gave the Reubenites and the Gadites the territory north of Aroer by the Arnon Gorge, including half the hill country of Gilead, together with its towns. 13 The rest of Gilead and also all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The whole region of Argob in Bashan used to be known as a land of the Rephaites. 14 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maakathites; it was named after him, so that to this day Bashan is called Havvoth Jair.) 15 And I gave Gilead to Makir. 16 But to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites. 17 Its western border was the Jordan in the Arabah, from Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea), below the slopes of Pisgah.

    18 I commanded you at that time: “The Lord your God has given you this land to take possession of it. But all your able-bodied men, armed for battle, must cross over ahead of the other Israelites. 19 However, your wives, your children and your livestock (I know you have much livestock) may stay in the towns I have given you, 20 until the Lord gives rest to your fellow Israelites as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan. After that, each of you may go back to the possession I have given you.”

    Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan

    21 At that time I commanded Joshua: “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. 22 Do not be afraidof them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.”

    23 At that time I pleaded with the Lord: 24 “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what godis there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? 25 Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.”

    26 But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the Lord said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan. 28 But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.” 29 So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.

    Go Deeper

    The third chapter of Deuteronomy is a continuation of the previous two chapters as Moses remembers all that Israel has been through. Right in the middle of this remembrance of the march on to Canaan and the appointment of Joshua, Moses makes a bold proclamation of his faith. Deuteronomy 3:22 says, “Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.”

    Fear is a battle for many of us. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear of sickness. Fear of rejection. Fear of change. The list could go on and on. Just as Moses reminded Joshua that he did not need to be afraid of the challenges set before him, God divinely preserved this scripture to remind us that we don’t have to be afraid.

    God doesn’t just command us to not be afraid, though. He gives us an explanation as to why we don’t need to be afraid. We don’t have to waste the time, energy, and emotional/physical strength battling all the fears that plague us because the Lord is already fighting those battles on our behalf! The million dollar question of “How do you fight fear?” is succinctly answered here: By trusting in the God who fights for you.

    In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses models for us that an important step in trusting God is to remember what God has done for you. We just read a few chapters ago in Deuteronomy 1:30-31 “The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” Moses desired for the Israelites and Joshua to remember that they had faced some very real and challenging fears, but not only had the Lord carried them through, but He had gone before them and led them to where they were now, on the verge of finally entering the Promised Land.

    Psalm 139:5 says “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.” God goes before us and comes behind us. Our finite minds have difficulty understanding his omnipresence, but scripture reminds us time and time again that it’s true. When the fear starts to bubble up and cloud our view of the Promised Land, we can boldly state “Do not be afraid, because the Lord your God fights for you” and then we confidently trust that he is.

    Questions

    1. What fears do you battle on a consistent basis?
    2. Do you have difficulty trusting God with those fears?
    3. Spend some time remembering how God has fought for you in the past. What steps can you take to trust God with your fears in the future?

    Listen Here

    Listen to the song “You’ve Already Won” from Shane & Shane and pay close attention to the following lyrics:

    “I don’t know what you’re doing 
    But I know what you’ve done 
    I’m fighting a battle that You’ve already won”

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Deuteronomy 2

    Deuteronomy 2

    Read Deuteronomy 2

    Wanderings in the Wilderness

    2 Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea, as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.

    2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. 4 Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own.6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”

    7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty yearsthe Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.

    8 So we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and traveled along the desert road of Moab.

    9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.”

    10 (The Emites used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. 11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites,but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the Lordgave them as their possession.)

    13 And the Lord said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.” So we crossed the valley.

    14 Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 The Lord’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp.

    16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died,17 the Lord said to me, 18 “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar. 19 When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.”

    20 (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21 They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. The Lord destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place. 22 The Lord had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir,when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. 23 And as for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites coming out from Caphtor destroyed them and settled in their place.)

    Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon

    24 “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. 25 This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.”

    26 From the Desert of Kedemoth I sent messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon offering peace and saying, 27 “Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left.28 Sell us food to eat and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot— 29 as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us—until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.” 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done.

    31 The Lord said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”

    32 When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz, 33 the Lord our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army. 34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed them—men, women and children. We left no survivors.35 But the livestock and the plunder from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. 36 From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, not one town was too strong for us. The Lord our God gave us all of them. 37 But in accordance with the command of the Lord our God, you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites, neither the land along the course of the Jabbok nor that around the towns in the hills.

    Go Deeper

    Deuteronomy is the last book of the Torah, so it happens to glance back at the first four books. Chapter 2 of this book is a call to covenant faithfulness from the mouth Moses. As Moses recalls the 40 years they’ve just experienced, he reminds the people of Israel that the Lord was present in the same way that the Lord will continue to be with them. Moses specifically mentions the wilderness years to remind the people’s call to patience.

    Patience is known to be an esteemed virtue. It’s a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 6:9), an instruction during tribulation (Romans 12:12), and a posture to hear God (Psalm 40:1). The difficulty of patience is temptation in the perceivably delayed timing. While the people of Israel wandered through the wilderness, they were told to disengage with the people that were a source of opposition. God, the people of Israel, and the Land was something meant to have full integrity. When there was a threat coming close, God asked Israel to trust Him in His timing.

    We have been granted the privilege of similar things to the ancient people: a relationship with God, a kinship with others, and a place to call home. While we are on the journey of our faith walk, we can be met with opposition. Maybe the relationship with God has found a lull, relationships in life are fractured, or frequented environments are harshly opposing Christian values. Integrity is desired for these things, but there’s a possibility that an unideal season is meant as a reminder: we do not need to be the first line of defense for a matter that is already being worked by the One, True God.

    God is right alongside us, during the highest of our highs and the lowest of our lows. “The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything” (v. 7). As Moses glanced at a time of threatened integrity, he recalled that God offered blessing. We may need to be reminded that He is a God of provision and protection; we just need to be patient to watch it be worked out.

    Questions

    1. Set aside a few minutes to reflect on your own life. How has God been faithful with provision and protection to you thus far? What’s the most recent example you can think of?
    2. Have you invited God into the things you are trying to hold together with integrity?
    3. Who do you need to come alongside you as you are living out patience in this season?

    A Quote

    The twentieth century pastor and author A.W. Tozer said this about developing patience:

    “What then are we to do about our problems? We must learn to live with them until such time as God delivers us from them. We must pray for grace to endure them without murmuring. Problems patiently endured will work for our spiritual perfecting. They harm us only when we resist them or endure them unwillingly.”

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    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

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  • Deuteronomy 1 + Introduction

    Deuteronomy 1 + Introduction

    Deuteronomy Introduction

    No matter how old we get, sometimes we need to be told something more than once. We all need to be reminded of what’s true and what’s good. In a nutshell, the entire book of Deuteronomy is Moses reminding the Israelites of the Law that had been given to them. This wasn’t, however, merely a carbon copy of the instructions given to the Israelites in Exodus and Leviticus. Instead it’s a restatement and retelling of the Law for a whole new generation of Israelites. 

    As a reminder, the Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness for some 40 years at this point. They were on the verge of entering the land that had been promised to them generations before. This was a huge moment in the life of the Israelites! But before they could settle the Promised Land, God wanted to reiterate his Covenant with them. They needed to be reminded of what the expectations were. Unlike the Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis (which was unconditional), the Mosaic Covenant was conditional: God would keep His promise to bless the Israelites if they remained faithful to Him. As Moses explains all of this to the next generation of Israelites, they have a choice to make: Will they wander away from God’s Law or remain faithful to it? 

    So, what can we learn by reading Deuteronomy? Any time we open up God’s Word, we can learn from it because God’s Word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11). The stories in Deuteronomy can help deepen our theology and shape what we believe to be true about God. Second, like the Israelites, we need constant reminders of what is true. We wander from what God has called us to be, so we need to be reminded over and over what is true (and what isn’t). Finally, Moses sums up the choice to pursue the things of God in this sermon found in Deuteronomy 30:19-20:

    This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life,and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

    As Christians reading the book of Deuteronomy, we’re reminded that choosing to follow Jesus means choosing life. By listening to His voice and holding fast to Him, we can live the life that God has intended for each one of us. As we read Deuteronomy together, take great notes, highlight the things that stick out to you along the way, and make connections to the New Testament. Above all, ask God each day what He wants you to learn and apply from this book.

    Read Deuteronomy 1

    The Command to Leave Horeb

    1 These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—that is, in the Arabah—opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. 2 (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.)

    3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them. 4 This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.

    5 East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses began to expound this law, saying:

    6 The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lordswore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”

    The Appointment of Leaders

    9 At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. 10 The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. 11 May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!12 But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself? 13 Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”

    14 You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.”

    15 So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judgefairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. 17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.” 18 And at that time I told you everything you were to do.

    Spies Sent Out

    19 Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea.20 Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

    22 Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”

    23 The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol and explored it. 25 Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, “It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.”

    Rebellion Against the Lord

    26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 27 You grumbled in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’”

    29 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

    32 In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, 33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.

    34 When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore:35 “No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.”

    37 Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either. 38 But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it. 39 And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet knowgood from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. 40 But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.”

    41 Then you replied, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.

    42 But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’”

    43 So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. 44 The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah. 45 You came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you. 46 And so you stayed in Kadesh many days—all the time you spent there.

    Go Deeper

    One fun aspect of reading a book like Deuteronomy is that we’re able to picture the setting in our minds as the narrative plays out. The book of Deuteronomy (which means “second law”) takes place around 1406 BC, just to the east of the Jordan River. The Israelites, after about forty years of wandering because of the previous generation’s disobedience, are on the verge of entering the Promised Land. But there’s a catch: their leader wouldn’t be going with them. Moses, who had led the Israelites for decades, wouldn’t be allowed to enter the Promised Land due to his own disobedience (see Numbers 20:1-13). With the Israelites all gathered around, Moses has one final chance to address his people before he would pass away. 

    What unfolds over the next 34 chapters is a mashup of sermons, history lessons, a review of the Law, and a final motivational speech to remind the Israelites to remain faithful to the Covenant they had established with God. The word “remember” is scattered throughout the pages of Deuteronomy fifteen different times. It is evident Moses wanted to make something clear to this new generation: it’s important to learn from the mistakes (and faithfulness!) of those who came before you. 

    As he begins the recounting of history, he reminds them of how they ended up near the Promised Land (v. 6-8), the appointment of leaders over smaller groups of Israelites (v. 9-18), and the sending out of the spies (v. 19-25), and ultimately, the rebellion of Israel and Moses (v. 26-46). He points them to these past failures as a way to remind them to move forward into the Promised Land abiding in the Lord and following His commands.

    As we read this chapter (and book) through the lens of twenty-first century Christ followers, we have an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the Israelites. Each time they rebelled, it strained their covenant with God. While we’re under the New Covenant because of Jesus, we still have a tendency to forget God’s faithfulness to us in our own lives. In the same way Moses wanted the Israelites to stop and remember, it would benefit us to do the same. Remember the times that God has shown you grace. Remember the times God blessed you abundantly. Remember those seminal moments in your life when you knew without a shadow of a doubt that God was on the move. God designed our brains to remember. We’re all standing on the shoulders of those whose faith came before us and, much like the Israelites, we need to stop and remember His faithfulness today.

    Questions

    1. What stuck out to you in this chapter? Were there any stories Moses told the Israelites that were new to you or that you had forgotten?
    2. Why does Moses begin Deuteronomy with a history lesson for the Israelites?
    3. As you take time to remember God’s hand on your life, what are 2-3 moments that stick out most to you? It could be times that you saw God move, times you repented and were shown grace, etc.

    Watch This!

    As we begin this journey through Deuteronomy, check out this helpful video overview from The Bible Project!

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    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

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  • Numbers 36

    Numbers 36

    Read Numbers 36

    Inheritance of Zelophehad’s Daughters

    36 The family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses and the leaders, the heads of the Israelite families.2 They said, “When the Lord commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, he ordered you to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. 3 Now suppose they marry men from other Israelite tribes; then their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to that of the tribe they marry into. And so part of the inheritance allotted to us will be taken away. 4 When the Year of Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their property will be taken from the tribal inheritance of our ancestors.”

    5 Then at the Lord’s command Moses gave this order to the Israelites: “What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. 6 This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within their father’s tribal clan.7 No inheritance in Israel is to pass from one tribe to another, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal inheritance of their ancestors. 8 Every daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her father’s tribal clan, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of their ancestors. 9 No inheritance may pass from one tribe to another, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits.”

    10 So Zelophehad’s daughters did as the Lord commanded Moses.11 Zelophehad’s daughters—Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milkah and Noah—married their cousins on their father’s side. 12 They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in their father’s tribe and clan.

    13 These are the commands and regulations the Lord gave through Mosesto the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

    Go Deeper

    This chapter calls us back to Numbers 27 with the daughters of Zelophehad’s inheritance brought into question by the head of the clan of Gilead. They were essentially asking, “What happens to the land they inherited if those daughters marry outside of the tribe of Manasseh?”

    We see God answer this question through Moses by saying in verse 6 that the daughters may marry whomever they think best within the tribe of their father. What we learn is that the Lord values the inheritance of each tribe. In verse 9, we see the Lord declare that no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another. 

    In our eyes, this may seem very limiting to Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Micah, and Noah to impose on them the limit to only marry within their tribe. In reality, the fact that they received an inheritance is completely against the cultural norm of ancient times, as is the fact they are able to marry whomever they wanted. In ancient times, their father would be the one to choose and sign off on the wedding. The daughters did as the Lord commanded and were married into the people of Manasseh keeping the inheritance in the tribe. 

    The question you may be thinking is Why is this the last story in Numbers? Robert Alter, a Hebrew scholar and author, says of this chapter, “It does serve as a vivid focus for the prospect of inheriting the land that confronts the Israelites as they await orders to begin their invasion…. with the viability of the tribal division of the land thus reaffirmed, the Israelites are prepared to begin the conquest.”

    Inheritance is a theme throughout the New Testament. We see that believers are promised an inheritance from the Lord. Ephesians 1:3-14 tells us that when we heard the truth of the Gospel and believed in Jesus’s work on our behalf, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit who guarantees our inheritance. First Peter 1:4 says this inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. We don’t have to worry (like the heads of the Tribe of Manasseh did) about losing our inheritance, because we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.

    Questions

    1. What can we learn about obedience from the daughters of Zelophehad? 
    2. Do we value the inheritance we are given as much as God values the promised land for the Israelites? 
    3. What does it mean to have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God? Search the writings of the New Testament for the word “inheritance”

    Watch This

    Now that we’ve completed six weeks reading through the book of Numbers, go back and watch the overview video from The Bible Project! 

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  • Numbers 35

    Numbers 35

    Read Numbers 35

    Towns for the Levites

    35 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them pasturelandsaround the towns. 3 Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for the cattle they own and all their other animals.

    4 “The pasturelands around the towns that you give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits from the town wall. 5 Outside the town, measure two thousand cubits on the east side, two thousand on the south side, two thousand on the west and two thousand on the north, with the town in the center. They will have this area as pastureland for the towns.

    Cities of Refuge

    6 “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee. In addition, give them forty-two other towns. 7 In all you must give the Levites forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands. 8 The towns you give the Levites from the land the Israelites possess are to be given in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: Take many towns from a tribe that has many, but few from one that has few.”

    9 Then the Lord said to Moses: 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, 11 select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee. 12 They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that anyone accused of murder may not die before they stand trial before the assembly.13 These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge. 14 Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge. 15 These six towns will be a place of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.

    16 “‘If anyone strikes someone a fatal blow with an iron object, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. 17 Or if anyone is holding a stone and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. 18 Or if anyone is holding a wooden object and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death. 20 If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally so that they die21 or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death; that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when they meet.

    22 “‘But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally 23 or, without seeing them, drops on them a stone heavy enough to kill them, and they die, then since that other person was not an enemy and no harm was intended, 24 the assembly must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. 25 The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send the accused back to the city of refuge to which they fled. The accused must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

    26 “‘But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which they fled 27 and the avenger of blood finds them outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder. 28 The accused must stay in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may they return to their own property.

    29 “‘This is to have the force of law for you throughout the generations to come, wherever you live.

    30 “‘Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

    31 “‘Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. They are to be put to death.

    32 “‘Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge and so allow them to go back and live on their own land before the death of the high priest.

    33 “‘Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.’”

    Go Deeper

    Chapter 35 begins with God providing land for the Levites to live in and cultivate. The Levites will not inherit land, like the other tribes, because God will provide for all of their needs through the tithes that the Israelites present as offerings to the Lord. This includes even the land that they will live on.  God instructs the tribes to give, as an offering, land out of their inherited portion to be used by the Levites.  

    After God provides land for the Levites, He outlines how this land is to be used. Of the forty-eight towns provided for the Levites, six of them are to be cities of refuge. These are safe places for people to go if they have accidentally killed someone (a manslayer). This is because in ancient Israelite culture, the practice of avenging blood, or vengeance killing, was commonplace in order to redeem the blood of a slain family member and to restore justice to their family. The person responsible for carrying out the vengeance was typically the nearest male relative of the murdered person and is referred to as the avenger of blood.  

    However, avenging blood was only allowed when the murder was intentional in order to redeem the wrong or sin committed against a member of their family. The cities of refuge were given specifically as a safe place for those who accidentally killed another person in order to ensure that they received a fair trial and were not killed by an avenger of blood in an instance that was not justified. If it was determined that a killing was accidental, the guilty party could not be killed by the avenger of blood, but was forced to remain in the city of refuge until the death of the current high priest.  

    In The Bible Recap, Tara-Leigh Cobble states that “the premise behind this law is that only death can atone for sin and death, even accidental sin or death, and since the manslayer won’t be put to death, the high priest’s death is viewed as atonement for the wrongful death that happened on his watch.” If this sounds familiar, you are not alone.  

    All of us have committed sin against God and are worthy of death (Romans 6:23), but God has provided our ultimate High Priest and Savior to die on our behalf so that we may walk in freedom from the vengeance from our sin that we truly deserve. 

    Questions

    1. Do you consider the fact that your sin against God is worthy of death?
    2. What can you do today to remind yourself of the freedom that God has given you from the penalty of your sins?
    3. How has the gift of freedom from death changed the way that you live your life?

    Keep Digging

    Read this article from GotQuestions.org with more information about avengers of blood.

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  • Numbers 34

    Numbers 34

    Read Numbers 34

    Boundaries of Canaan

    34 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries:

    3 “‘Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. Your southern boundary will start in the east from the southern end of the Dead Sea, 4 cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, 5 where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.

    6 “‘Your western boundary will be the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This will be your boundary on the west.

    7 “‘For your northern boundary, run a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor 8 and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath. Then the boundary will go to Zedad, 9 continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will be your boundary on the north.

    10 “‘For your eastern boundary, run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham.11 The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ainand continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. 12 Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea.

    “‘This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.’”

    13 Moses commanded the Israelites: “Assign this land by lot as an inheritance. The Lord has ordered that it be given to the nine and a half tribes, 14 because the families of the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance. 15 These two and a half tribes have received their inheritance east of the Jordan across from Jericho, toward the sunrise.”

    16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “These are the names of the men who are to assign the land for you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. 18 And appoint one leader from each tribe to help assign the land.19 These are their names:

    Caleb son of Jephunneh,

    from the tribe of Judah;

    20 Shemuel son of Ammihud,

    from the tribe of Simeon;

    21 Elidad son of Kislon,

    from the tribe of Benjamin;

    22 Bukki son of Jogli,

    the leader from the tribe of Dan;

    23 Hanniel son of Ephod,

    the leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph;

    24 Kemuel son of Shiphtan,

    the leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph;

    25 Elizaphan son of Parnak,

    the leader from the tribe of Zebulun;

    26 Paltiel son of Azzan,

    the leader from the tribe of Issachar;

    27 Ahihud son of Shelomi,

    the leader from the tribe of Asher;

    28 Pedahel son of Ammihud,

    the leader from the tribe of Naphtali.”

    29 These are the men the Lord commanded to assign the inheritance to the Israelites in the land of Canaan.

    Go Deeper

    In this last section on Numbers, we see the New Generation, also known as the Conquest Generation, preparing to enter into the Promised Land. These final chapters are marked by both warning and encouragement. In chapter 33, we read a review of Israel’s journey from Egypt and God’s instructions to drive out the inhabitants of the land. The chapter ended with a warning of what would happen if they did not obey the Lord’s command to do this.

    This idea might not sit well with us or be confusing. Eugene Merrill, a former professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, gives four reasons behind why God instructed His people to drive out the inhibitions of the land. He states that these are: “The irremediable hardness of the hearts of its victims, the need to protect Israel against spiritual corruption, the destruction of idolatry, and the education of Israel and the nations as to the character and intentions of the one true God.” God is ultimately creator and judge, all have sinned, and He is impartial. 

    In this chapter, we see God through Moses giving the people specific directions on what their boundaries were to look like in the Promised Land and instructions for assigning the land to the Israelite tribes. Moses gave detailed commands for the borders in the north, south, east, and west. The southern border (v. 3-5) went from the Scorpion Pass in the desert to the Brook of Egypt. The western border was the Mediterranean Sea (v. 6), the northern border was at the entrance of Hamath (v. 7-9), and the eastern border was the Dead Sea (v. 10-12). The land within these boundaries were 150 miles long by 50 miles wide. This land was a real and tangible place with definite boundaries.

    The question you might be asking is Why did the Lord give them boundaries? Boundary markers were a stone pillar that marked a property line. They instructed the people how far they could go and were used to establish order. The purpose of these were also to prevent them from coveting others’ territories and wanting to expand outside the borders that the Lord gave them. It was against Mosaic law to move these boundary markers or go past them (Deuteronomy 27:17). Like the Israelites, the temptation in many of us is to want more than what we have been given. God freely gave them a land to inherit and live in, and He wanted them to experience this blessing within those borders. 

    This essentially addressed the lack of contentment that the Lord knew the Israelites would have. It is easy for us today to have a lack of contentment in what the Lord has given us. We compare ourselves to others and desire the things that they have, because we can believe the lie that what we have is not enough. Contentment will ultimately never come from what we have, it is a perspective. Psalm 23 says that we lack no good thing in Him, and He provides everything we need. Additionally, the commands the Lord gives us are for our benefit. They are not meant to be burdensome, but for our protection and for our good. Following Jesus and obedience to His commands go hand in hand. As it says in Psalm 19, would we see God’s instructions to us as perfect, reliable, righteous, and more valuable than gold.  

    Questions

    1. What do God’s commands in this chapter teach you about His character? 
    2. In the Great Commission, Jesus reminds His followers to obey everything He has commanded. His instructions are His boundaries for us. What is a boundary or instruction that God has set in place that you are tempted to cross? 
    3. What is something you desire more of than you currently have? What does it look like to have contentment in what the Lord has given you?

    A Quote

    “This is the secret of being content: to learn and accept that we live daily by God’s unmerited favor given through Christ, and that we can respond to any and every situation by His divine enablement through the Holy Spirit.” –Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness

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  • Rest Day + Family Guide (Numbers 28-33)

    Rest Day + Family Guide (Numbers 28-33)

    Rest Day

    Each Sunday is a Rest Day. There is no new Bible reading to do. Today, the goal is simple: rest in the presence of God. Maybe you need to use today to get caught up on the reading plan if you’re behind, maybe you want to journal what you’re learning so you don’t forget what God is teaching you, or maybe you want to spend time in concentrated prayer–do that. Above all, just spend time in God’s presence.

    Each Rest Day, we will have an additional element to help you dig deeper. Sometimes it will be extra resources to further your study, a video to watch, or a podcast to listen to. Sometimes we’ll have a verse to commit to memorize to help you hide God’s Word in your heart. 

    If you have kids, our Family Guide will help you discuss what you’re reading and learning with them! It’s a great opportunity for your family to read God’s Word together and review what we read the previous week!

    Read This

    As we near the end of our study on Numbers, check out this resource page (along with a helpful FAQ section!) from The Bible Project!

    Family Guide

    Check out this week’s Numbers 28-33 Family Guide!

  • Numbers 33

    Numbers 33

    Read Numbers 33

    Stages in Israel’s Journey

    33 Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2 At the Lord’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey. This is their journey by stages:

    3 The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out defiantly in full view of all the Egyptians, 4 who were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lordhad struck down among them; for the Lord had brought judgment on their gods.

    5 The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Sukkoth.

    6 They left Sukkoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert.

    7 They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth, to the east of Baal Zephon,and camped near Migdol.

    8 They left Pi Hahiroth and passed through the sea into the desert, and when they had traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, they camped at Marah.

    9 They left Marah and went to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.

    10 They left Elim and camped by the Red Sea.

    11 They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.

    12 They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

    13 They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.

    14 They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

    15 They left Rephidim and camped in the Desert of Sinai.

    16 They left the Desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah.

    17 They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.

    18 They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

    19 They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez.

    20 They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah.

    21 They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.

    22 They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

    23 They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

    24 They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

    25 They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

    26 They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

    27 They left Tahath and camped at Terah.

    28 They left Terah and camped at Mithkah.

    29 They left Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

    30 They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

    31 They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.

    32 They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.

    33 They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.

    34 They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

    35 They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber.

    36 They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.

    37 They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the border of Edom.38 At the Lord’s command Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he died on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. 39 Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

    40 The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.

    41 They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

    42 They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

    43 They left Punon and camped at Oboth.

    44 They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab.

    45 They left Iye Abarim and camped at Dibon Gad.

    46 They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim.

    47 They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim,near Nebo.

    48 They left the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moabby the Jordan across from Jericho. 49 There on the plains of Moab they camped along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim.

    50 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho the Lord said to Moses, 51 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, 52 drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. 53 Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. 54 Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes.

    55 “‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. 56 And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.’”

    Go Deeper

    At first glance, Numbers 33 reads like an ancient history book recounting the locations  and movements of the nation of Israel. This chapter begins with the note that the Lord wanted Moses to record these movements (v. 2), so Moses did just that. Beginning with their defiant escape from slavery in Egypt (v. 3), Moses goes on to list all the places Israel traveled and set up camp. He even makes special note of where Aaron, his brother and trusted co-leader, passed away on Mount Hor (v. 39). 

    Towards the end of this chapter, Israel is presented with its next task: to drive out the Canaanites from the land that had been promised to them (v. 50-56). They weren’t just to assimilate into the culture–they were to destroy the idols and purge the ungodliness from Canaan. God even gives them a warning of what will happen if they don’t do this! 

    Pastor David Guzik, author of the Enduring Word commentary, has this note connecting it to us as readers today: 

    “The abiding spiritual principle teaches us that it is of no use for the church to succeed in the eyes of man–as Israel had succeeded when they occupied the land and became a legitimate nation, instead of an enslaved people–if it merely allows the corrupt practices and attitudes of the Canaanites to take root among God’s people. If, spiritually speaking, a similar thing happens among God’s people today, they should expect to be eventually driven from their place of apparent success or influence.”

    While it’s easy to read this list full of locations that are difficult to pronounce and think they are insignificant, it’s important to remember that these are all real places. This historical narrative is exactly that: history. And each one of these locations was an important part of Israel’s history as they were delivered from the hands of the Egyptians, wandered in the wilderness, and walked in repentance. All of these places had meaning and significance. They all mattered and shaped Israel into the people they had become.

    Today, remember where you’ve been and God’s faithfulness in your own life and remember the call God has on your life to be salt and light in a dark world (Matthew 5:13-16). 

    Questions

    1. What stuck out to you on your first read through this chapter? Why?
    2. Why was it so important for Moses to record this series of events and locations from Israel’s past? Why is it so important to remember?
    3. What does it look like to destroy and demolish the idols in your own life? What is a step you can take today to begin that process?

    Did You Know?

    By the end of this chapter as the Israelites set up camp on the plains of Moab, they were a few months away from crossing the Jordan and making their way into Canaan after 40 years of wandering. 

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  • Numbers 32

    Numbers 32

    Read Numbers 32

    The Transjordan Tribes

    32 The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock. 2 So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, and said, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon— 4 the land the Lord subdued before the people of Israel—are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock. 5 If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”

    6 Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? 7 Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them? 8 This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land.9 After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them.10 The Lord’s anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath:11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob— 12 not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’ 13 The Lord’s anger burned against Israeland he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.

    14 “And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel. 15 If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.”

    16 Then they came up to him and said, “We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. 17 But we will arm ourselves for battle and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance. 19 We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”

    20 Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle 21 and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him—22 then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the Lord.

    23 “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”

    25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “We your servants will do as our lord commands. 26 Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. 27 But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord, just as our lord says.”

    28 Then Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and to the family heads of the Israelite tribes. 29 He said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross over the Jordan with you before the Lord, then when the land is subdued before you,you must give them the land of Gilead as their possession. 30 But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in Canaan.”

    31 The Gadites and Reubenites answered, “Your servants will do what the Lord has said. 32 We will cross over before the Lord into Canaan armed, but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan.”

    33 Then Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.

    34 The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer,Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks. 37 And the Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh and Kiriathaim, 38 as well as Nebo and Baal Meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah. They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.

    39 The descendants of Makir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it and drove out the Amorites who were there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, the descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there. 41 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, captured their settlements and called them Havvoth Jair. 42 And Nobah captured Kenath and its surrounding settlements and called it Nobah after himself.

    Go Deeper

    Numbers 32 is difficult to understand without recalling back to what happened years before in Numbers 13 and Numbers 14. As a refresher, twelve spies were sent to investigate the land of Canaan and report back what they saw. The Israelites had been promised the land and wondered what it looked like. Ten of the twelve, however, got cold feet and were scared off by the giants they saw inhabiting the land. As a result of their lack of faith, an entire generation (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb) were not allowed into the promised land after all and they spent years and years wandering in the desert. 

    In this chapter, the leaders of the tribes of Gad and Reuben found a place where they wanted to settle and establish their homes. Instead of continuing to fight against their enemies alongside their brothers and fellow Israelites, they wanted to leave the fighting up to someone else and take an easier way out. Moses, however, was discouraged by their proposal and reminded them of what had happened a generation before. This was an important part of Israel’s history and Moses didn’t want history to repeat itself in this way. 

    As Moses points back to the story of Joshua and Caleb, he uses a word multiple times to describe their devotion: wholehearted (v. 11-12). That’s the kind of devotion God was looking for back then and it’s the same devotion He’s looking for today. We are easily distracted and amused people. We fill our minds, calendars, and free time with all kinds of things…but we often neglect the things of God. We are easily taken off mission by a lack of wholehearted devotion. While the leaders of Reuben and Gad eventually agree to join in the fighting, their obedience was delayed. 

    Paul’s words in Acts 20:24 can serve as a helpful reminder to us that our only aim is to finish the race and to testify to the good news of God’s grace. As you go about your day to day, do so in a way that shows a wholehearted devotion to Jesus.

    Questions

    1. What stuck out to you on your first read through this chapter? Why?
    2. What were the potential dangers if the leaders of Reuben and Gad had settled on the land? Why would that have been so disruptive to Israel?
    3. Where are you lacking wholehearted devotion today? What steps can you take today to center your devotion on Jesus today?

    Keep Digging

    What does it mean in verse 23 when it says “Be sure that your sin will find you out”? Check out this article from GotQuestions.org! 

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