If you are following The Plan, you should be through NUMBERS Chapter 30 by the end of today.

Our readings over the past week have taken the Israelites from Sinai to the outskirts of Canaan.  This part of the Bible is really all about REBELLION – which is common theme.

·         Miriam and Aaron rebel against Moses and try to usurp them.  God punishes Miriam with a plague (but not Aaron, hmmmm?) and relents at Moses’ request.

·         The People lose faith and rebel after the spies sent to Canaan report back that it is a barren land guarded by giants….all except Joshua and Caleb.   God declares all those over 20 years old will not enter the promised land (remember the census?) because of their lack of faith. 

·         Korah rebels against the leadership of Moses and is promptly swallowed up by the earth – along with his henchmen.   

·         The People rebel about the path around Edom and God sends snakes among them, and again are saved through Moses’ prayer.

·         The Moabites try to usurp the Israelites through “harlotry”…and look to be succeeding.  God punished the People with a plague (again).   Then there is this great passage from Numbers 25:  Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ⁷ When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand ⁸ and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped.  I’ll say it again – Pastor’s today have it easy….

This part of the Bible is also a walk down the memory lane of OT also-rans:

·         The Israelites run into the Edomites, who will not let Israel pass.   Remember, EDOM = Esau, so these are the descendants of Esau, whose birthright Jacob stole.

·         The Israelites run into the Amorites.   The Amorites are descendant of Canaan, who was the son of Ham, and was cursed by Noah for being drunk and seeing his father’s “nakedness.”

·         The Israelites run into the Moabites (not for the last time I might add).  The Moabites are descendant of Moab, who was the son of Lot and was born of his incestuous union with his daughter.   Remember, Lot is the son of Abraham’s brother – Haran.

AS if this weren’t enough, we learn about the Red Heifer without defect ( more on that here http://www.revive-israel.org/2001/red_heifer.htm), Aaron dies, Miriam dies, there is an interesting story around Balak and Balaam and his 5 oracles, a Second Census is taken, and Joshua is anointed to succeed Moses. 

We read this in Numbers 27  - Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit – Pay attention to comments about “the spirit” in the OT.  It seems that God would work among us through specific individuals.   But this changes in the NT.  In the NT we have the spirit descending on all of the faithful at Pentecost. 

Blessings.

Keep reading.

Pray.