Numbers 30
This chapter is about laws concerning vows that the Israelites make to God or under oath. It says, in verse 2, “A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.” Then there is a distinction made. Here, the law differs for men and women. While a woman must also fulfill her vows, certain men in her life were able to nullify the vow she makes within one day of hearing it. The only women who were not under the authority of their fathers or husbands were widowed and divorced women.
Many biblical women couldn’t do things that women today do such as get outside employment or sign a contract without worry that a man could reject her desire to commit. Even if she had made a commitment to the Lord, if her husband or father did not approve it in one day it was nullified. This law would have affected younger Israelite women more. I think that God meant to use this law to confirm the obedience that all Israelites were to have towards Him.
Numbers 31
The Lord tells Moses to take revenge on the Midianites for leading the Israelites into idolatry, and after that he will die and join his ancestors. Moses did as God told him without protesting the fact that he was going to die soon.
Numbers 31 describes a moment where God judges a nation, Midian, that intentionally tried to destroy Israel spiritually and morally. The chapter reflects ancient warfare and a specific covenant context. The Bible doesn’t hide the violence, but it also doesn’t stay there. Over time, Scripture moves toward mercy, culminating in Jesus Christ, where God absorbs judgment instead of inflicting it.
In this chapter, Balaam son of Beor, was killed with by Israel’s sword during the attack on Midian. Israel’s plight for revenge was successful once all the Midianites were killed, as God commanded.
Numbers 32
It’s a paradox. The land across the Jordan River further south than Manasseh is closer to the Aram, Ammon, and Moab tribes. The tribes of Reuben and Gad were given this land and then requested to stay in Manasseh even though they have generous amounts of livestock. Is this really enough of a good reason to request different land? The tribes of Reuben and Gad were probably worried about being in closer proximity to the other nations and used their livestock as an excuse because if they would have stayed in Manasseh, they actually would have less land between all three tribes there. The division of land confused the Israelites, but it did not confuse God!
Numbers 33
In this chapter, the entire route of the Israelite’s exodus from Egypt and journey in the wilderness is reported. It gives the dates and some of what happened to them. I think it does this because Aaron dies in this chapter and he was pivotal in helping to lead the exodus from Egypt and in the Israelites’ relationship to God.
Then the Lord gives Moses the instructions to drive out all the people living in the land of Canaan once they cross the Jordan River. What this does is implicate that the Israelites are God’s chosen people. It says that the Lord tells them that the remaining people would be like splinters and thorns and harass them. God wants the Israelites to know that they have His favor because it says that if they don’t drive them out, He will do the same things to the Israelites that He intends to do to them, making the Israelites preferred by God.
Numbers 34
The Lord tells Moses what the boundaries of Israel need to be. Then, the Lord tells Moses how Eleazar the priest and Joshua are to appoint leaders to the tribes to be settled west of the Jordan who would then divide the land amongst each tribe.
Numbers 35
This chapter describes how there is land for the Levites in each of the 12 tribes. The Levites will reside in 48 cities set aside on land in each tribe. Six of those cities are cities of refuge where a murderer is allowed to reside if they accidentally commit murder. There are several laws for this described in the chapter; for example, the murderer cannot leave the refuge city until the high priest of that city dies.
