SCRIPTURE: NUMBERS 33
BIBLE VERSE:
“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, 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. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. 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.“‘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. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.’” (Numbers 33:51-56)
STAGES IN ISRAEL’S JOURNEY: (vs. 1-49)
Places they left / and places they camped:
- Rameses / Succoth
- Succoth / Etham
- Etham / Migdol
- Pi Hahiroth / Marah
- Marah / Elim
- Elim / Red Sea
- Red Sea / Desert of Sin
- Desert of Sin / Dophkah
- Dophkah / Alush
- Alush / Rephidim
- Rephidim / Desert of Sinai
- Desert of Sinai / Kibroth Hattaavah
- Kibroth Hattaavah HJazeroth
- Hazeroth / Rithmah
- Rithmah / Rimmon Perez
- Rimmon Perez / Libnah
- Libnah / Rissah
- Rissah / Kehelathah
- Kehelathah / Mount Shepher
- Mount Shepher / Haradah
- Haradah / Makheloth
- Makheloth / Tahath
- Tahath /Terah
- Terah / Mithcah
- Mithcah / Hashmonah
- Hashmonah / Moseroth
- Moseroth / Bene Jaakan
- Bene Jaakan / Hor Haggidgad
- Hor Haggidgad / Jothathah
- Jotbathah / Abronah
- Abronah / Ezion Geber
- Ezlon Geber Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin
- Kadesh / Mount Hor
- Mount Hor / Zalmonah
- Zalmonah / Punon
- Punon / Oboth
- Oboth / Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab.
- Iyim / Dibon Gad
- Dibon Gad / Almon Diblathaim]
- Almon Diblathaim / Abarim, near Nebo
- Abarim / Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho
- Moab / Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim.
Aaron died at Mount Hor at the age of 123.
LAW OF POSSESSING THE LAND (vs. 50-56)
- Drive out all the inhabitants of the land.
- Destroy all their figured stones.
- Destroy all their molten images
- Demolish all their high places.
HOW TO DIVIDE THE LAND:
1. Inherit the land by lot according to your families.
2. Larger families shall receive more inheritance than the smaller families.
3. Wherever the lot falls to anyone that shall be his.
4. Inherit according to the tribes of your father.
If you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those remainings will become as barbs in your eyes and as thorns in your sides. They will trouble you in the land in where you live.
THOUGHTS:
God gave the Israel nation the inheritance he promised but He also gave some responsibilities: Drive out the enemy; destroy their idols; disposing the people and then divide the land. This is also true with us. First, conquer. Then claim. Obedience before blessings. to live as Christians, we must destroy all the wickedness of our old ways of lives and move ahead into a new life of obedience to God and faith in Christ.
God warned the Israelites that if they did not drive out the wicked inhabitants out of the Promised land, those people will later become a source of great irritation. We sometimes are like the Israelites, hesitant to clear out all the sins in our lives. If we don’t want to let go our bad habit, unhealthy relationship or bad life styles, they will cause us serious problems in the future.