Read Numbers 33:1-56
Did your jaw drop when you saw how many stops the Israelites made along their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land? I’ve always been curious as to what forty years of wandering around a fairly small region looked like, and the answer was here in this reading all the time! Remember the instructions God had given Moses about setting up and taking down the Tabernacle, as well as moving it each time they broke camp? That message came while they were camping in Sinai (verse 15). This text gives us the route and puts all of that into perspective.
The wilderness journey is now nearly complete. The people can see across the Jordan River to the land of Canaan. This will be their new home, the Promised Land God vowed to give his people, Israel. No more nomadic life; the end of the journey is in sight. What do you think God’s people thought about that? What do you think Moses was thinking knowing he’d never cross the river with them?
The LORD has done a masterful job of bringing the people to this moment. Think of all the ways he had provided, and yet the people still grumbled. Think of the laws he put in place to help the people succeed and stay faithful. The journey must have been hard, but God never abandoned his people. Their reward was near, but they still had many battles to fight to accomplish God’s will for their future.
God was preparing them for a glorious future. The people would not be going into this new land unaware. Here is a stern warning the people should have taken seriously. “But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”
That punishment doesn’t sound pleasant. Not only will the Israelites suffer at the hands of those left alive in the land, but they will receive God’s wrath for their disobedience. A “double whammy” of sorts. The story of God’s people will continue, and we’ll see how well they do at following God’s instructions. Suffice it to say, they must have ignored the “memo” and taken it upon themselves to believe that God would forgive them.
What wisdom can we glean from this summary and direction from God? For me, I think of the glorious future God has promised us. For those who believe and follow Jesus, the doors to heaven are open and eternal life is promised. We don’t have to follow all sorts of laws or act in certain ways to receive that destiny. We only need to believe.
Reflect on Jesus’ words in John 5:24 to help you prepare for your promised future. “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” The Bible makes it clear we should be hanging on every word Jesus spoke. We, too, have a promise from God. How do you respond to that?
Let’s pray. Lord, thank you for the future you have set out before me. May I never lose sight of that wonderful promise and never stray away from you again. It’s hard to fathom how many times the Israelites up and moved throughout their wilderness journey. Yet you never left them even when they were being difficult. Thank you for never leaving me. I look forward to spending eternity with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
