Numbers 26 - 36: The Second Generation
INTRODUCTION.
A. In this lesson, we witness the second generation of Israel, the generation which inherited the promise land. In this lesson, we will see the following:
1. The numbering of the second generation.
2. A set of instructions for offerings and vows.
3. The punishing of Midian.
4. The request of the tribes of Reuben and Gad to stay on the east side of Jordan.
5. A history of the travels of the Israelites.
6. The establishing of the borders of the promised land.
7. The establishing of cities for the Levities and cities of refugee.
B. With this lesson, we will examine chapters 26-36 to see what lessons we can learn from this history of God’s people.
I. THE SECOND GENERATION. (26:1-27:23)
A. The Lord told Moses and Eleazar, the son of Aaron, to take “a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel from twenty years old and above, by their fathers’ houses, all who are able to go to war in Israel.” (Numbers 26:2, NKJV) (26:1-62)
1. From the tribe of Reuben, the number was 43,730. (vs 5-11)
2. From the tribe of Simeon, the number was 22,200. (vs 12-14)
3. From the tribe of Gad, the number was 40,500. (vs 15-18)
4. From the tribe of Judah, the number was 76,500. (vs 19-22)
5. From the tribe of Issachar, the number was 64,300. (vs 23-25)
6. From the tribe of Zebulun, the number was 60,500. (vs 26-27)
7. From the tribe of Manasseh, the number was 52,700. (vs 28-34)
8. From the tribe of Ephraim, the number was 32,500. (vs 35-37)
9. From the tribe of Benjamin, the number was 45,600. (vs 38-41)
10. From the tribe of Dan, the number was 64,400. (vs 42-43)
11. From the tribe of Asher, the number was 53,400. (vs 44-47)
12. From the tribe of Naphtali, the number was 45,400. (vs 48-50)
13. The total for the census was 601,730 men, 20 years and above, who were able to go to war. (vs 51)
14. Moses was to divide the land among the tribes in proportion to their population. The larger tribes would receive more land, the smaller tribes would receive less land. (vs 52-56)
15. The tribe of Levi was also numbered; however, they were not included in the overall census results since they would not received a land inheritance. The tribe of Levi was numbered, counting everyone who was one month and older. Their number was 23,000. (vs 57-62)
B. Of this second generation, there remained only two from the first generation which was numbered in the Wilderness of Sinai. (26:63-65)
C. The Lord decrees that daughters may receive the inheritance when the father dies if there are no sons of the father. (27:1-11)
D. The Lord told Moses that he would not be entering the land of Canaan. He would be gathered to his people just as was Aaron. Moses asked the Lord to appoint someone to lead the Israelites. The Lord told Moses to anoint Joshua, the son of Nun, as leader over the Israelites. Moses presented Joshua to the people and inaugurated him. (27:12-23)
II. INSTRUCTIONS FOR OFFERINGS AND VOWS. (28:1-30:16)
A. Instructions for the daily offerings. (28:1-8)
B. Instructions for the Sabbath day offerings. (28:9-10)
C. Instructions for offerings on the first of every month. (28:11-15)
D. Instructions for day of Passover celebration. (28:16-25)
E. Instructions for the Feast of Weeks or the Festival of Harvest. (28:26-31)
F. Instructions for the Festival of Trumpets. (29:1-6)
G. Instructions for the offerings for the Day of Atonement. (29:7-11)
H. Instructions for the Festival of Shelters. (29:12-40)
I. The Lord established the rules for binding vows and non-binding vows. (30:1-16)
III. THE PUNISHING OF MIDIAN. (31:1-53)
A. The Lord told Moses to avenge the children of Israel by attacking the Midianites before he dies. (31:1-2)
B. Moses recruits 1,000 men from each tribe. (31:3-6)
C. The Israelites warred against the Midianites and killed all the males, the five kings of Midian, as well as Balaam the son of Beor. Balaam died because he had counseled the women who seduced the Israelites into idolatry and brought about a plague (cf. 31:16; 25:1-3). Israel burned the cities of the Midianites as well as taking captives from the people and the animals. (31:7-11)
D. The Israelite warriors returned to the Israelites’ camp in the plains of Moab.
1. Moses was angry because they had kept alive the women since it was the women who had seduced Israel into idolatry at the counsel of Balaam. (vs 16)
2. Moses told the soldiers to kill the boys as well as any of the women who had had sexual relations with a man. (vs 17)
3. Moses told the soldiers to keep alive all the young girls who had not had sexual relations with a man. (vs 18)
4. Moses ordered all the soldiers who had killed or who had touched someone who had been killed to remain outside the camp for seven days . They were to purify themselves and their captives on the third day and on the seventh day. (vs 19-24)
5. Moses instructed the army in how to divide up the spoils between them and the people. He also told them how much of the spoils they were to give to the Lord. (vs 25-47)
6. The officers and the captains of the army brought an offering to the Lord because the Lord had delivered them in battle and not one soldier was killed in battle. (vs 48-54)
IV. THE INHERITANCE OF THE TRIBES OF REUBEN, GAD, AND HALF OF MANASSEH. (32:1-42)
A. The tribes of Gad and Reuben saw that the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead was a good region for livestock. These two tribes asked that these lands be given to them as their inheritance. These lands were east of the Jordan river. (32:1-5)
B. Moses asked the tribes of Reuben and Gad if they would sit on the east side of Jordan while the rest of Israel went and warred with the west side of Jordan. Moses warned them of discouraging the heart of Israel as was done by the first set of spies. (Cf. Numbers 13:1-14:45) (32:6-15)
C. The tribes of Reuben and Gad said that they would live all their women, children, and sheep in the cities and sheep folds of the land. They said that they would not return home to the east of Jordan until all of the land of Canaan had been conquered. (32:16-19)
D. Moses gave his approval for Reuben and Gad to stay behind on the east side of Jordan as long as they upheld their agreement to fight in the land of Canaan with the rest of Israel. Moses told the tribes that if they did not come to fight with the rest of Israel, then their sin would find them out (vs 23). (32:20-32)
E. “Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country.” (32:33, NKJV) The tribes built cities throughout the land. (32:33-40)
V. A HISTORY OF THE JOURNEYS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. (33:1-55)
A. Moses sets out to record the journeys of the Israelites. They started from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the month, the day after the Passover. (33:1-4)
B. Listed below is the rest of the journey until they are on the outskirts of Jericho. (33:5-49)
1. The Israelites left Rameses, stopped in the following cities or locations: Succoth, Etham, Pihahiroth, Marah, and Elim. In Elim they found twelve fountains of water, and 70 palm trees.
2. From Elim, the Israelites traveled to: By the Red sea, the wilderness of Sin, Dophkah, Alush, Rephidim, the wilderness of Sinai, Kibrothhattaavah, Hazeroth, Rithmah, Rimmonparez, Libnah, Rissah, Kehelathah, mount Shapher, Haradah, Makheloth, Tahath, Tarah, Mithcah, Hashmonah, and Moseroth.
3. The Israelites left Moseroth and travled to: Benejaakan, Horhagidgad, Jotbathah, Ebronah, Eziongaber, wilderness of Zin (which is Kadesh), and mount Hor (in the edge of the land of Edom). Aaron, 123 years old, died on mount Hor in the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt.
4. From mount Hor, the Israelites traved to: Zalmonah, Punon, Oboth, Ijeabarim (in the border of Moab), Dibongad, Almondiblathaim, mountains of Abarim (before Nebo), and the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.
C. The Lord warns the children of Israel that they must drive out all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. They were to destroy all the idols and the high places. The Lord told them that any inhabitants left would would become irritants in their eyes and thorns in their sides. (33:50-56)
VI. THE LORD ESTABLISHED THE BORDERS OF THE PROMISED LAND. (34:1-29)
A. The Lord established borders for the promise land. (34:1-12)
1. The southern border was from the Wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom. The border would then extend eastward to the end of the Salt Sea or Dead sea. The border would then turn from the southern side of the Ascent of Akrabbim and continue to Zin, and be on the south of Kadesh Barnea. The border would then go on to Hazar Addar and continue to Azmon. The border would then turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt and ended at the Sea. (vs 1-5)
2. The western border would be the Great Sea (Mediterranean Sea). (vs 6)
3. The northern border line would extend from the Great Sea (Mediterranean Sea) to Mount Hor. From Mount Hor border would continue to entrance of Hamath. The direction of the border would then change and would be toward Zedad. From Zedad, the border would proceed to Ziphron and would end Hazar Enan. (vs 7-9)
4. The eastern border would extend from Hazar Enan to Shepham. From Shepham, the border would go down to Riblah on the east side of Ain. Then border would then go down and reach to the eastern side of the Sea of Chinnereth (Sea of Galilee). The border would then go down along the Jordan and would end at the Salt Sea (Dead Sea). (vs 10-12)
B. The Lord chose twelve men to divide up the promise land among the nine and a half tribes who would be dwelling in the land. (34:13-29)
VII. CITIES FOR THE LEVITES AND THE CITIES OF REFUGEE. (35:1-29)
A. The Lord told Moses to commanded the Israelites to give the Levites cities. The Israelites were also to give the Levites common-land for their cattle, herds, and their animals. (35:1-5)
B. Among the cities given to the Levites, six were to be cities of refuge. The total number of cities given to the Levites were 48. (35:6-8)
C. The Lord gives instructions for the cities of refugee. They were set aside for the person who accidentally kills another person. The man guilty of accidentally killing another person could flee to the city of refugee and remain there safely until he was able to stand before the congregation in judgment. (35:9-15)
D. If a person kills another person with the intent to hurt or the kill, then he would be put to death. (35:16-21)
E. If a man accidentally kills another person and he is found to be innocent, then he may return to a city of refugee and live, no long fearing death. However, if he leaves the city of refugee before the high priest’s death, then the avenger of blood could kill him. After the death of the high priest, the man could return to his land. (35:22-28)
F. The Lord declared that a murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of two or more witnesses. No ransom shall be taken for the life of a murderer. (35:29-34)
VIII. THE DAUGHTERS WHO POSSESS INHERITANCE SHALL MARRY WITHIN THEIR TRIBE. (36:1-13)
A. The question was raised the question of the inheritance of daughters who marry outside of their tribe. (36:1-4)
B. The Lord commanded that the daughters who have received an inheritance could marry only within their tribe. By placing this limitation, no inheritance would be exchanged between tribes. (36:5-12)
CONCLUSION.
A. Numbers 36:13 reads, “These are the commandments and the judgments which the Lord commanded the children of Israel by the hand of Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho.” (Numbers 36:13, NKJV)
B. The book of Numbers is a history of two generations of people. The first generation, which was led from bondage, revolted against the Lord on several occasions. Finally, the Lord declared that the first generation would not enter into the promise land. The second generation seemed to have learned from the mistakes of the prior generation. They obeyed God and followed Him into the promise land.
C. As followers of the Lord, we would do wise to follow the example set by the second generation. Let us not revolt against the commands and judgments of the Lord. Let us faithfully follow Him to our promise land.
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Old Testament Series: Numbers 26-36: The Second Generation -- April 2, 2000 -- File # 667
by John M. Duvall – Lawton, OK