Chapter 4 NUMBERS TO DEUTERONOMY
The book of numbers was called “The Lord said”. When translated into Greek, it was titled Numbers.
The book has two censuses, First census at beginning with a count of 603,550, The second forty-years later counted 601,730. Between the two counts, there was one-thousand-eight-hundred and twenty less in the population. Because of their unbelief, a whole generation died except for three people. God told them why they were to die. “It was because you refused to go into the promised land when I told you”. Only Moses Joshua and Caleb survived.
All the laws were given when they were camped. They listened to what God told them what to do. Eighty times throughout the book Numbers,“God said to Moses …”. Eighty times the people agreed to do whatever Moses said in response. But as soon as they broke camp and were on the move again, they disobeyed. That is why they spent their time walking in circles between Sinai Moab and back.69
Most of the law and order commands were designed to change them from a slave mentality into a national army. They camped exactly as the Egyptian military would have camped. They marched exactly as the Egyptian military would have marched.
Figure 16: Overview of Deuteronomy
There are three reasons for this “drilling”: First, To teach them to be careful not casual because God is in the camp. Second, to teach them cleanliness, not just hygiene but also a reminder that a holy God is in the camp and third to encourage them to move up from profaned to common, and common to holy.
We should be grateful that we were given a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And in this kingdom we please God by worshipping him and by showing him great honour and respect. Our God is like a destructive fire!70
In Exodus, God redeemed Israel from Egypt and declared that the firstborn of every Israelite tribe belonged to him. In Numbers, we see that the Levites serve as an acceptable substitute for the fulfilment of this commitment.
Levites are mine and will take the place of the first-born Israelite sons. When I killed the oldest sons of the Egyptians, I decided that the first-born sons in each Israelite family would be mine, as well as every first-born male from their flocks and herds. But now I have chosen these Levites as substitutes for the first-born sons,71
As the Israelites were organizing for their first march through the wilderness, they showed faithfulness and obedience to the commands. We can see this in the conducting of the census; the organization of the Levites for Tabernacle service and transport72; the arrangement of the Israelite camps; the agreement for the redemption of the firstborn and the keeping of the Passover. The camp of the Israelites was ordered around the Tabernacle. In Chapter-twenty-four, Balaam’s third oracle compares the camp orderliness to the garden of Eden;
How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the Lord has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters.73
Deuteronomy scrolls began “The words” When translated to Greek, duteron (meaning second) onomy (meaning law). It was the same law but called second-law because Moses gave the law to the second generation. The first generation heard it at Sinai in Exodus but they had all died. Now Moses gives it again to the second generation All adults died in wilderness because of unbelief It was a “broken marriage vow”. God has no grandchildren so all the children had to accept it or reject these laws for themselves.
Whenever one land was conquered by another, as part of the surrender terms the captured people would have to sign a treaty called a Suzerain treaty. Moses would have been familiar with this practice because Egypt would always use it after a victory. The book of Deuteronomy is written like a Suzerain treaty. Suzerain treaties consist of a Preamble, a Historical Prologue74, a Declaration basic of Principles75, a Detailed Legislation76, Sanctions77 Invocation of Witnesses78, a Provision of Continuity79, and finally a ceremony of ratification which the Israelites were to perform on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal once they entered the land.
In reading Deuteronomy, basically, If you behave and keep the new laws you can live in the land—if you misbehave you will be expelled or exterminated.
The ratification of the Deuteronomy treaty took place in the promised land and on the twin mountains Ebal and Gerizim. Half the tribes were to shout a blessing from one mountain, half to shout the curses from the other. Moses’ strategy was it should take place on mountains inside the land as a permanent reminder of this covenant to them and their descendants. The sanctions were there for God to declare the consequences if the laws were broken. God’s long-suffering always provided a chance to repent before it was too late so, included was a sequence of warning signs they were going off track. First, you get no rain, (remember Elijah and the three-and-a-half-year drought?), Second, neighbouring nations would become a thorn in their side. Finally, other nations would attack them and either conquer them or expel them from the land. God prepared for scenario in advance you will remember, when He brought the Hebrews into the land from the East, He brought another people—at the same time from the West. The Prophets are constantly reminding them of this to bring them back into repentance.
I brought you out of Egypt, but I also brought the Philistines from Crete and the Arameans from Kir. 80
69 (see page ).
70Hebrews 12: 28 .
71Numbers 8: 16 .
72Numbers 1: 47-53.
73Numbers 24: 5-6.
74 Chapters 1: 6 to 4: 9.
75 Chapters 5-11 plus the 10 commandments.
76 Chapters 12-16, which are Codes of Conduct enshrined in law.
77 Chapters 27-28.
78 Chapters 30 -32 to (usually a deity).
79 Chapters 31-34–detailing what happens when a king dies.
80Amos 9: 7.