Itinerary and Boundaries of the Israelites

Numbers Chapter 33 and 34

Chapter 33
The itinerary the Israelites followed as they marched out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and Aaron was kept in a written record and identified by the places they stopped along the way. The record is listed in verses 3 through 49.

Near the end of the journey as they were camped near the river Jordan, the Lord told Moses to speak to the Israelites and tell them that when they crossed the river into Canaan, they must drive out all the people living there. They must also destroy their molten idols and demolish their pagan shrines. Take possession of the land and settle it because the Lord gave it to the Israelites. Distribute the land among the clans and ancestral tribes. The Lord warned that if they failed to drive out all the people, those who remain would be like splinters in their eyes and thorns in their sides and they would harass the Israelites in the land. "And," said the Lord, "I will do to you what I had planned to do to them."

Chapter 34
The Lord gave Moses instructions to pass to the Israelites that when they come into Canaan,the boundaries will be: the southern border to the wilderness of Zin along the edge of Edom and it will begin on the east of the Dead Sea. It will run south past Scorpion Pass and the southernmost point will be Kadesh-barnea, from which it will go to Hazar-addar and to Azmon. From Azmon the boundary will turn toward the brook of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea. The western boundary will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. The northern boundary would run eastward to Mt. Hor, thru Zedad and Ziphron to Hazar-enan. The eastern boundary would then run south to Shepham, then down to Riblah and from their down along the eastern edge of the Sea of Galilee, then along the Jordan River to the Dead Sea.

The Lord told the people that this was the territory they were to divide among themselves by sacred lot. He named the men who were to divide the land: Eleazar, Joshua and one leader from each tribe. the list of tribes and leaders is listed in verses 20-29.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW that God had the Israelites drive out the wicked inhabitants of the promised land and destroy their idols. In Colossians 3, Paul encourages Christians to live in the same manner, throwing away our old way of living and moving ahead into a new life of obedience to God and faith in Jesus.
Why did God have the people living in Canaan destroyed?1. He was stamping out wickedness of a sinful nation. 2. He used Moses and Israel to judge Canaan for its sins in fulfillment of prophecy in Genesis 9:25. 3.God wanted to remove all trace of pagan beliefs and practices from the land. He did not want the Israelites to mix or compromise with idolatry. In all areas we should carry out his word without question even if we cannot fully understand his overall purpose.

IN chapter 34, the land given by God was larger than the area actually occupied by the Israelites. The boundaries correspond more to the land conquered by David and to the ideal territory as outlined by Ezekiel.

How do these two chapters relate to us today? In Chapter 33 we find that Moses and Aaron were keepers of records of the Israelites' travels. Records today are equally important today. Do you realize you use records daily? Driver's license, passport etc. Some folks think we use too many records these days, some folks shy away from giving away information on records such as the census. But without such records, we would not have a true picture of our nation and its people. Thank God for Moses and Aaron, keepers of the records.

Chapter 33 gives the adage that if you don't do things right the first time, they will come back to haunt you. In being hesitant about clearing out the occupants of Canaan,the Lord warned they would become thorns in the side and they did. Just as in today's world, nonbelievers can be like slivers under our skin, but we can do more than clear them away, we can show them the Christian life, we can convert them and we can pray and ask God for a way to deal with them.

Chapter 34 reminds us that the Lord gave the Israelites boundaries. There are all kinds of boundaries in our world today, not just land boundaries. But boundaries of decency, boundaries of honor and justice, boundaries even in the way we love and are loved. God is the overseer. He assigns responsibility to each of us and expects that we will take charge. God gave the Israelites more land than they thought possible. God is like that. He is generous with his people. He can give you more today than you could possible ask for -just pray to him for a clear plan, for help in the job he has assigned you - and if you listen, he will answer.

Yours in Christ,
Mary