Page 109 - Part One

Day 5

Numbers Chapter 32. As you read the final chapters of Numbers make careful note of the
details. Some of the information may seem a little dry, but remember that this is the exact
account of the way the Tribes of Israel settled into their Land as a nation. This is particularly
relevant today. We are at a time when Israel is resettling in the same land after 2000 years.
Questions arise as to where the various Tribes have gone. We know more about Judah than any
other tribe but God has a plan for the end times that includes all Israel. In Chapter 32 we learn
that two and a half tribes settled on the East side of the Jordan River. These were the tribes of
Gad, Reuben and half of Manasseh. We might wonder why God allowed these tribes to settle
there. Perhaps their presence formed a protected zone on Israel’s border so that future conflicts
could be subdued more easily. Perhaps it was a beginning of the wider witness to the world.
These tribes could only inhabit this fertile territory after they had taken their part in the conquest
of Canaan. This was quite different from the time when the previous generation feared to enter
Canaan because of the giants.

Psalm 80 and John 15. In Psalm 80 Israel is likened to a vine that the Lord planted. It was
written later than the conquest of Canaan. It was at a time when Israel was under the discipline
of God after they had settled in the Land. The Psalm recalls the days when they were first
planted as a nation. Verses 8 to 11 remind us of when two and a half tribes settled on the east of
Jordan, spreading out from Canaan towards the rising sun. It is as though the fruitful branches of
the vine extended over the river from where it was planted in Canaan. This was God’s picture of
fruitful Israel bringing blessing to the nations, but Psalm 80 also takes us forward to the reality
of their failure when they were cut down like a fruitless vine on account of the sins of the nation.
On the plains of the Jordan there was vision and hope but this was not fulfilled in the days of the
Judges and Kings. This Psalm points more fully to John 15 where Yeshua declares Himself to be
the fruitful vine in which His people dwell. Indeed, in Him we bear fruit among all nations and
in Him is the promise of Israel fulfilled. God surely foresaw all of this even as Israel camped on
the shores of the Jordan, ready to inhabit the Land of Canaan.

Numbers Chapter 33. No-one knows the exact locations of the places where Israel set up camp
on their journey through the wilderness. Nevertheless, if you have a map in your Bible, you can
gain a rough idea of the journey from Egypt to Canaan. The Bible contains the exact record of
the journey. Read it carefully and see if you can imagine this journey. Recall the crossing of the
Red Sea, the encampment at Sinai where the Law was given, the building of the Tabernacle and
the journey from place to place. Each camp was set up according to the instructions given to
Moses, which we have read in detail. God led by the pillar of fire by night and pillar of cloud by
day, and rested on the Tabernacle when they camped. Imagine this ordered community going
from place to place. Now all this was in the past and Moses gave instructions for settling in the
Promised Land.

Chapter 34. Through Moses, God gave precise instructions for the boundaries of the Promised
Land and brought chosen leaders together to discuss the plan for advancing into the Land. This
was like a military campaign, where the commander-in-chief briefed his leaders on the strategy
for the occupation. There was no room for poor discipline. The Commander-in-Chief (God
Himself) had a precise strategy and demanded absolute obedience. If possible, have a map of the
Promised Land open as you read this chapter. There is often one at the back of our Bibles. Try to