Numbers 31-36

Numbers 31-36

I guess "Thou shalt not kill." doesn't apply when God tells you to do the killing and raping of a country.


The Israelites kill thousands of Midianite men but Moses isn't happy until they go back and kill thousands more women and children.  God tells them how to divide up the remaining women for slaves.
The Israelites don't lose one soldier in the battle so they donate their gold, silver and jewels to God.
God also gets 32 people as a tribute.  What does that mean?  Were they sacrificed?  Slaves to the tabernacle?


I was disappointed that Balaam was killed.  I thought he would survive after siding with the LORD.  That would also help explain how the writers of Numbers would have known what was going on in Canaan.


The cattle barons decide that the land they just conquered is good enough for them and they successfully bargain for it.


Chapter 33 gives us a great guide of the long journey from Egypt.


Here is one of the better maps showing a possible path.  If anyone has a better visual aid please post.
How could the Israelites possibly have wandered for forty years in such a small space?
Could it just be a mis-translation for them being nomadic before settling?




We then get the nitty gritty on the boundaries of the promised land and how it will be divided up.
Map of territories

Chapter 35 gives us the Cities of Refuge and with them, some rules of law.


We end Numbers with the daughters of Zelophehad being forced to marry within their own tribe so the land of their father won't be inherited away from them.


Once again, as in Exodus, I was expecting a little more WOW when the book wrapped up.  How about you?

Deuteronomy is next.  I don't want to rush the last book of the Pentateuch so we'll take it over a period of  11-12 days.

Numbers 20-25

Numbers 20-25

God FINALLY kills Aaron for being a jerk.  Oh, no, wait, God kills Aaron because the Israelites asked for water.

God then kills more Israelites with fiery serpents but then gives Moses the power to cure fiery serpent bites.

The tribe tries passing through several lands but get the metaphorical doors slammed in their faces.  They even gets their butts kicked in a battle.
After promising (again) to stand with the LORD, The Israelites start kicking and taking names.  Moses enacts the scorched earth policy and leaves no living thing in his wake.

Num 21:35

So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.

About time.

I'm curious about this part.  God seems to be talking to the enemy of the Israelites.

Num 22:9

And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men [are] these with thee?

and

Num 22:20

And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, [and] go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.

Balaam sees the light and refuses to follow Balek's desire to destroy the Israelites.  My question is how does Moses (the one man who authored these books) know the behind the scenes goings on of his enemies?  I'm guessing we'll be seeing Balaam in the near future.


Chapter 25 shows us that once again, the Israelites can't go one day without screwing up God's commands.  God starts killing thousands (again) before the grandson of Aaron kills a man and woman with his spear.  God likes that "he was zealous for my sake among them".


We end with God commanding Moses to exterminate the Midianites.