Deuteronomy 3 - 4

Moses recounts the journey through the desert, the defeat of kings, the division of the land, his own inability to enter the land due to sin, and an immediate plea for Israel to obey God's commands.  The nation is warned to give careful attention to God's instructions.  Following their direction will provide blessing; failure to obey will result in the removal of God's blessing.

Deuteronomy 1 - 2

Deuteronomy recounts for the nation the final addresses of their leader, Moses, prior to the nation's entrance into their promised land.  Moses reminds the nation that God's plan was for them to enter the land 40 years previously; but, due to their rebellion and refusal to trust Him, He allowed them to wander around the desert wilderness to learn to trust their God.  Each turn in the journey, each defeat of the kings in the area were proof of God's care and concern for His people.

Numbers 35 - 36

Cities are designated in which the Levites will live among the people they serve.  Cities of refuge, places where those guilty of manslaughter can receive a hearing, are also established.  The process for determining guilt or innocence is also laid out so that each case could be given a fair trial.  A process is also established for passing along a father's inheritance when no male heir is present.

Numbers 33 - 34

A summary is given of the nation's travel from Egypt to the very border of the Promised Land.  Now that they had arrived at the ending point of their journey through the desert, God gave careful instructions for the next step:  drive out all the inhabitants of the land and take possession of it for yourself.  Failure to do so would produce future problems.  The nation was given specific boundaries to restrict their movements; and a process was put into place to divide the land among the 9 1/2 tribes who would occupy it (2 1/2 took their land on the east side of the river, remember?).

Numbers 31 - 32

Moses was instructed to go to battle against the Midianites, and that after the battle he would come to the end of his life.  The kings of Midian were defeated, as well as Balaam the prophet who had brought trouble upon them by his pronouncements to king Balak.  The spoils of war were carefully considered, so that no further contamination would be brought into the population.  Several of the tribes petitioned Moses to have their inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan.  Moses granted their request on the condition that they would not fully receive their land until they had assisted their fellow countrymen in the battles to conquer the western side of the river.

Numbers 28 - 30

God laid out the requirements for the different sacrifices that were to be offered by His people.  Some were offered daily, some each Sabbath, others once a month or once a year.  During the holy days of the nation other offerings were to be made.  Each one pointed to the fact that God was the holy leader of His people and they were following His instructions to remind themselves of their position in His economy.  Even the feasts, joyous occasions that they were, were intended to be reminders of God's provision for His people.  The promises He made to His people were serious ones that would be kept.  The promises the people made to one another were also to be kept.

Numbers 26 - 27

The people were numbered, so that the land could be divided proportionally.  The total census of those able to defend the nation numbered 601,730.  These were all people who were under the age of 20 when the nation decided to NOT enter the Promised Land when God wanted them to do so.  Of that generation, only Joshua and Caleb (and Moses) remained alive.  Joshua was then selected to be Moses' successor.

Numbers 23 - 25

Balaam speaks out at the request of king Balak.  Instead of the expected curses against Israel, Balaam pronounces blessings three times; he tells Balak that he can only pronounce what God gives him to say about the nations.  Balak finally learns from Balaam that Israel will be weakened only when they neglect to follow and worship God as He has commanded.  When Israel begins to sin, a plague breaks out against the nation.  A zealous man named Phineas takes drastic action to stop the sin-caused plague and halts the divine punishment in its tracks.

Numbers 21 - 22

The nation of Israel continues their way through the wilderness, complaining as they travel.  They are not permitted into some areas, due to the way God had provided for them in the past.  One king, Balak, even went as far as bringing in a consultant named Balaam to advise him on how to destroy the Hebrews through passive means.  God instructed Balaam to only give the advise that He wanted passed to Balak.

Numbers 18 - 20

The privilege enjoyed by the Levites (working in the physical presence of God) brought extreme responsibilities as well.  They stood bearing the iniquity of the people before God, they ministered with a real sense of the cost and stench of sin.  They were responsible for making the sacrifices necessary for the appeasement of God's offended holiness.  They would be supported by the offerings of the people, but those offerings were first offered to God.  The procedure for atonement was laid out, providing a way to restore pure fellowship with an offended God.


As the journey continued, Miriam and Aaron died.  Moses kept leading a people that wanted to be selfishly served.  Due to his own sin, Moses was denied the blessing of entering the Promised Land.  Due to their reputation, other kingdoms would not extend favor to the wandering Hebrews.  Sin continued to exact a higher price than originally estimated.

Numbers 16 - 17

Opposition continued to mount against God.  This time, the opposition was to the leadership God established in Moses and Aaron.  One of the priests, Korah, accused Moses of overstepping his authority; his argument was that if the entire nation was holy to God, why was Moses needed?  When Moses sought to address the accusation, these men refused to meet for reconciliation.  God demonstrated clearly that Moses and Aaron were His choices for leadership by allowing the earth to open up and destroy only those who were in opposition to His leadership.  Two hundred fifty men were killed that day!


One would think that the people would respond humbly to Moses' leadership and God's authority. They did not.  They accused Moses of "killing the people of the Lord." God immediately summoned Moses and Aaron for instruction, and told them to (my paraphrase) "step a little to the left ... a little more ... see, I don't want you harmed when I destroy these people."  Moses and Aaron immediately begin interceding for the preservation of God's people (the very people accusing him of murder and tyranny).  God destroyed 14,700 people before the plague was halted.  God takes His authority seriously; He will not share His glory with anyone!  He demonstrated quite clearly that Moses and Aaron were His representatives.  One would trust that the people had learned this valuable lesson.  Only time would tell.

Numbers 14 - 15

The people do not like the prospect of facing formidable foes in Canaan.  They weep, mourn and plan to elect a leader who will take them back to Egypt.  While Moses and Aaron plead before God for the people, Joshua and Caleb (the two spies convinced that victory was possible) attempted to encourage the people with reminders of God's protection and faithfulness to show them favor.  Moses asks God to not slay the people for their unwillingness to obey; and God promises that those who refused to go where He lead would not enter the promised land.  Only Joshua and Caleb would survive among those who were over the age of 20.  For the next forty years, the nation would wander through an area that would have only taken several weeks to traverse in a straight line.  In the mean time, God continues laying out the laws and regulations that would govern His people.

Numbers 11 - 13

The journey of the Hebrews was filled with wonderful provisions from the Lord.  Yet, there were still those who complained that all was not to their liking.  Some remembered the foods of Egypt and longed for what they considered to be "better provisions" than what God had given.  God provided for them, yet punished them for not trusting His supply.


The complaints also came from others in leadership.  Moses' siblings spoke out against his leadership; God promptly cursed Miriam with leprosy.  Moses prayed for her healing and restoration - what an example of how to treat those who mistreat you!


Men were also sent to perform a reconnaissance mission on the land of Canaan.  The reports brought back spoke of a land that was plenteous in what it could provide materially.  Many of the spies reported formidable enemies in the land and suggested that the small band of Hebrews would be easily defeated.  Two spies, Joshua and Caleb, spoke of how the Lord would provide for even the defeat of these impressive enemies.  The nation was faced with a choice.

Numbers 8 - 10

The Levites were presented to the Lord and ceremonially cleansed.  A system was established to call the nation for important matters and quickly disseminate instructions.  After a prolonged period encamped at Sinai, the Hebrew nation left and began wandering through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.  God guided them by day with a cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire.

Numbers 7

The leaders of the priests offered sacrifices for themselves and the people of Israel.  In this way the tabernacle and its leaders were dedicated and consecrated for God's use.  Moses would enter the tabernacle and speak directly to God.

Numbers 5 - 6

God continues to give His commands for the social structure of Israel.  The procedures for judging the faithfulness of a spouse are given; as well as the rules for making, keeping and fulfilling vows made to the Lord.  The famous words of blessing are also given:  "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."

Numbers 3 - 4

Aaron's sons are named and their commissioning to the priesthood is recorded.  They would stand for the firstborn of the nation that God commanded were consecrated to His service due to His deliverance of them from Egypt on the night that the firstborn were slaughtered by the Angel.  The 2,750 sons of Kohath were responsible for the care and transportation of the holy items in the tabernacle  The 2,630 sons of Gershon were responsible for the care and transport of the curtains and coverings of the tabernacle structure, while the 3,200 sons of Merari cared and transported the hardware used to erect the tabernacle.

Numbers 1 - 2

Moses is told to take a census of the people, to determine how many are eligible to fight in battle for the nation.  The report brought back a total of 603,550 men of fighting age.  The nation was then divided into groups and placed in quarters around the central component of their encampment - the tabernacle of meeting.  Everything had a place; and God expected them in their places.

A return to blogging ...

I have returned from my recent blogging hiatus.  Those familiar with me and my ministry were aware of my whereabouts.  I was out of the country for approximately 3 weeks, working alongside 2 missionary families that our church considers part of our church family.  In the coming days, perhaps I will post pictures and thoughts from my journey to Chile.  It was transforming, to say the least.  I returned home with a greater desire to pastor well and champion the causes of our missionary families spread across the globe.

Leviticus 25 - 27

God continues to outline His plans for the Hebrew society.  Every detail is described, nothing is left to speculation.  God demands that His holiness be respected, reverenced and even celebrated by His people.  He used elaborate ceremonies and rituals to remind His people that they were powerless to do anything without His help and assistance.  Their actions to one another were to be reflections of His dealings with them.  If they would keep His ordinances, all would be well with them.  If they chose to disobey, He would exact justice on them for their failure to respond properly to Him.  All aspects of life were to be reflections of God's holiness and greatness.