Daily reading

Today’s reading is: Num. 34-36

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Numbers Chapter Thirty-Four

  1. Chapter 34 is a geographical survey of the land, instructions from the Lord before the conquest and quite similar to the survey recorded in Joshua (Josh. 15:1-4).
  2. The specific borders are established (Num. 34:3-15).
    1. The southern border (vv.3-5).
    2. The western border (v.6).
    3. The northern border (vv.7-9).
    4. The eastern border (v.10-12).
    5. These boundaries are only for the 9 ½ tribes and don’t include the 2 ½ tribes who stated their preference earlier (Num. 32).
  3. The Land Allotment Officers are designated (Num. 34:16-29).
    1. Ten officers are designated, omitting Reuben and Gad.
    2. Only Caleb (Judah) (v.19) remains of the Exodus generation. Joshua doesn’t serve as the Ephraim LAO because he is supervising the entire nation through this process.

Numbers Chapter Thirty-Five

  1. Levi will not have a land allotment, but they will have 48 cities throughout the other tribes’ allotments (Num. 35:1-8).
  2. Each Levitical city is also provided with appropriate pasture land for the city’s support (Num. 35:2-5).
  3. Six of the 48 Levitical cities are to be designated as Cities of Refuge, three on each side of the Jordan (Num. 35:6,9-34).
    1. The City of Refuge is a grace provision for the manslayer’s protection against the Blood Avenger (close relative) of the deceased (Num. 35:9-15).
    2. The City of Refuge is not a license to murder, but a place of safety until a fair trial can be conducted (Num. 35:12).
    3. If the manslayer is, in fact, a murderer, then the Blood Avenger will have the execution authority (Num. 35:16-21).
    4. The manslayer who is acquitted of murder charges lives in exile within the City of Refuge until the death of the High Priest.  At that time, the manslayer’s freedom of movement is restored (Num. 35:25-28).
  4. The passage concludes with general principles for handling homicide cases (Num. 35:29-34).
    1. Two witnesses are the minimum required (Num. 35:30; Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Matt. 18:16; Jn. 7:51; 8:17,18).
    2. Murder defiles a land (Num. 35:33), even as sexual perversion defiles a land (Lev. 18:24,25).

Numbers Chapter Thirty-Six

  1. The conclusion to Numbers is a follow-up issue to the inheritance question of Num. 27:1-11.
  2. Sometimes we don’t think of all the details right away, but God has them all worked out.
  3. The Book concludes with the statement of Divine origin (Num. 36:13).