June 7, 2023

Will Israel follow directions?

Numbers 33

Kendall Williams
Wednesday's Devo

June 7, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

June 7, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

June 7, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

June 7, 2023

Big Idea

God's instruction can always be trusted.

Key Verse | Numbers 33:55

But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.

Numbers 33

Recounting Israel's Journey

1 These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2 Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the LORD, and these are their stages according to their starting places. 3 They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover, the people of Israel went out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians, 4 while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them. On their gods also the LORD executed judgments.

5 So the people of Israel set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth. 6 And they set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. 7 And they set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which is east of Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol. 8 And they set out from before Hahiroth 1 33:8 Some manuscripts and versions Pi-hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and they went a three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. 9 And they set out from Marah and came to Elim; at Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. 10 And they set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea. 11 And they set out from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin. 12 And they set out from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. 13 And they set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14 And they set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. 15 And they set out from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai. 16 And they set out from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah. 17 And they set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. 18 And they set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. 19 And they set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez. 20 And they set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah. 21 And they set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah. 22 And they set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. 23 And they set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. 24 And they set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. 25 And they set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. 26 And they set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. 27 And they set out from Tahath and camped at Terah. 28 And they set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah. 29 And they set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. 30 And they set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. 31 And they set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. 32 And they set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad. 33 And they set out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. 34 And they set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. 35 And they set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber. 36 And they set out from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh). 37 And they set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom.

38 And Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at the command of the LORD and died there, in the fortieth year after the people of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. 39 And Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

40 And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the people of Israel.

41 And they set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42 And they set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. 43 And they set out from Punon and camped at Oboth. 44 And they set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the territory of Moab. 45 And they set out from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad. 46 And they set out from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. 47 And they set out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. 48 And they set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho; 49 they camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.

Drive Out the Inhabitants

50 And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. 53 And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 54 You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. 55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. 56 And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”

Footnotes

[1] 33:8 Some manuscripts and versions Pi-hahiroth

S2:108 Numbers 33

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Numbers 33

I love sharing stories. I often find myself reminiscing over shared experiences or giving others a window into a moment in time through remembrance. Remembrance is something God has called His people to do since the start, yet we, like the Israelites, drift. Today, we're getting a window into a 40-year journey that the old generation endured as a result of their sin and a warning to this new generation of God's people (who will be the ones to enter the land.) We are closing a journey only to embark on a new one.

We begin Numbers 33 by recounting Israel's history from Mount Sinai (where they once received the law) to right outside of Jericho on the east side of the Jordan River (where the new generation will soon cross.) As we begin to see this verbal map of Israel's travel, "They set out," is often repeated. This clearly shows that God's heart was never for His people to stay in the wilderness, but they were always meant to move forward to the Promised Land where they are to live as His people; and He is to be their God. We see a faithless generation die in the wilderness, while a new generation is rising up.

Before they enter the land, God reminds the Israelites how this new generation is to represent Him as they begin to inhabit a land infiltrated with pagan customs and foreign gods. This is not an ethnic cleansing, but rather a spiritual cleansing. We know that God's desire is for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9); yet this will not happen in the company of "metal images" and "figured stones," but only by the power of the one true God. Separating themselves from foreign nations is to keep them holy, yet it was never meant to isolate them from other nations. No matter how much they separate themselves, the Mosaic Law will continue to fall short, pointing us to a need for a new and better covenant mediated through Jesus.  

Will this new generation be distinct in heart and allegiance, trusting the God of love, or will they do things their own way? Keep reading on The Journey! 

This month's memory verse

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

– 1 Corinthians 15:58

Discussion Questions

1. Take time to talk with God and ask Him to remind you of where you have been, where you are now, and what He wants to remind you of for the future.

2. When in your life have you found yourself stuck in a wilderness you were only meant to pass through? What does this tell you about the heart of man? 

3. Are there idols in your life that are keeping you from full devotion to Christ? What is your next step to ridding your life of those idols?

4. Are there any people or environments in your life that cause you to live according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit? Pray for the Spirit to help you deal with the people and environments in His power and by faith.

5. Set a five-minute timer and ask God, "What about me is pleasing to You?" and "What about my life is not wholly set apart for your service?"

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Ryan! Love your point about stories. I am told that the most popular Ted Talks are all about stories. Maybe the authors learned that from Jesus? Q2. There are long seasons where it seems like this is what constitutes every day. What it tells me is that I long for home and Him, (see below). Q3. Three idols. Busyness. Busyness. Busyness. A constant fight and prayer battle. Q4. In recovery I learned that I would need to change my playground and playmates. A friend adds, "and playlist”. All three are true.
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Hugh Stephenson

As I think I’ve mentioned a few times, Amy and I are big fans of our friends at The Eden Project. They’re just over in the East Tower. We LOVE the work, resources and equipping they give us, (https://www.theedenproject.com). As an intro statement they offer this- “We’re all trying to get back to a home we’ve never been to.” I see that in my twisted and tortuous journey. I see that in the twisted and tortuous journey of the Israelites. John Lennon offers this from 1970- “The long and winding road That leads to your door Will never disappear I've seen that road before It always leads me here Lead me to you door The wild and windy night That the rain washed away Has left a pool of tears Crying for the day Why leave me standing here? Let me know the way” I always presumed that he was not a believer. These lyrics make me wonder.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

God has promised them the Promised Land. They want to get “back there” to the land of the Patriarchs. Bring part Scottish and part Cherokee and part Welsh and part English it becomes trickier to assess where I’m “from”. What appeals to me about the Eden Project statement is that they have a clear understanding of where “home” is. AND they can help me along my journey there. My history is four places- Savannah, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Dallas. The Israelites can look back and see the hand of God fulfilling His promises to them- -Food, Water, the Law, victories over enemies, and 40 years of protection. -And their struggles: ingratitude, internal rebellion/disobedience, & idol worship, Like them, God calls me to eliminate all paganism and idols in my life. Also like them it’s still a struggle. Throughout I see the long-suffering graciousness and faithfulness of God despite the constant sin of man and Hugh. The notes close out this chapter- "Evidently Moses intended this record to help the Israelites recognize, first, their failure to learn from their past, and second, God's continuing faithfulness despite this inability." "When, then, God says, 'Drive out all the inhabitants of the land,' it has a meaning for the Christian; and its meaning virtually is, 'Mortify the old man,' crucify the whole body of sin. Do not spare any sin. Let all be resisted and overcome." "If we do not drive sin out, sin will drive us out; if we be not the death of our lusts, our lusts will be the death of our souls." "Never, brethren, should a sinful thought be indulged under the notion that God will forgive it, and that it will be easy to overcome it at some future time. God may, in mercy, forgive it; but if He does so, that act of unfaithfulness will bring bitterness into the soul, will prepare the way for new conflicts and temptations."
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Michael Sisson

Re: Num 33:1-49 “From the time they left Ramses in Egypt until they reached the plains of Moab (at the border of the Promised Land), Israel camped at 42 named locations. Before the Sin of the Spies (at Kadesh), Israel had camped at 14 locations en route to the land, but was then forced to wander for 38 more years until the original generation that sinned had died off. That leaves 28 more places listed. Eight of these, however, are places Israel camped at during their 40th year in the desert (after the death of Aaron), so we have 20 places that Israel camped during a period of roughly 38 years -- an average of one place for every two years in the wilderness.” — Hebrew For Christians https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Parashah/Summaries/Masei/masei.html Re: Num 33:55-56 Num 33:55-56 (NASB) ‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that >>>those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live. ‘And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.’ ”<<<
SB

Sue Bohlin

Hey Kendall! Thanks for the devo and your service in JTJ! I especially appreciated you making the distinction between an ethnic cleansing and a spiritual cleansing. Great point! Oh man. Verse 55. "But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell." "Barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides." How lovely. And there's where we get the term "a thorn in my side," which anyone can relate to even if they don't know the Bible. After serving with re:generation, our biblical recovery ministry for several years, hearing many people's stories, I have a new appreciation of why God wanted a thorough cleansing of the spiritually polluted and infectious land He was giving to His people. If we leave sinful habits and patterns undisturbed and unchallenged, they function like the Canaanites in the promised land, barbs in our eyes and thorns in our sides--both of which are a continual distraction preventing us from experiencing the kind of joyous, peace-filled life God wants for us. ESPECIALLY the habit of cherishing unforgiveness, which is particularly dangerous and destructive.
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Michael Scaman

One thing is God did use old people. Joshua will later in his eighties recount going into the promised land as 'a young man of forty'. (so Biblically 40 is a young man? like a young elder). Moses and Aaron and Mirian were all at least 80 at the start of the Ecodus and 120 at the end. Miriam was older than Moses and died on the way. There were also a lot of mountain top experiences on mountain tops with a lot of mountain climbing for these older people. Mt Sinai, Mt Pisgah death of Moses, Mt Hor Death of Aaton. One purpose we see from Psalms 67, Ps 67:1-6 is that God blesses Israel to bless the nations.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. Prayer: God, thank you for always loving me. You have been there for me in the past. You are with me now. And I am sure you will be with me in the future. Thank you for all of it. May I continue to look to you, listen to you, and use your guidance in everything. Amen. 2. I have been “stuck in the wilderness” in school, in work, and in money. These things tell me that God makes life easier. 3. I do not have idols at this time. 4. Yes there are people everywhere who tempt me to believe in myself more than the Spirit. Prayer: God be with me and others to believe in your Spirit. Help us be strong to resist temptations that keep us from believing in you and your Spirit. Amen. 5. I am a helpful and giving person. I can make improvements in the area of money.