Numbers · chapter 33 of 36
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Numbers 33 retraces the stages of Israel's journey from Rameses in Egypt to the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho. Moses recorded each place at the Lord's command, including the death of Aaron on Mount Hor. At the end the Lord orders Israel to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan, destroy their idols and divide the land by lot.
The book of Numbers has told of a generation's march through the wilderness, and now the people are on the plains of Moab, about to cross the Jordan. Before entering, Moses writes down the whole route. The chapter works as a memorial: each stop recalls the faithfulness of the Lord, who brought his people out of Egypt and led them to the border of the promise.
Moses recalls that the Israelites left Egypt by divisions under Moses and Aaron, and that at the Lord's command he recorded each stage of the journey. They set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, in plain view of all the Egyptians, who were burying their firstborn while the Lord executed judgment on their gods.
The long list of camps follows: Succoth, Etham, the crossing of the sea, Marah, Elim, the wilderness of Sin and Rephidim, where there was no water to drink. Then Sinai, where they stayed almost a year, and the wilderness stations, among them Kibroth-hattaavah and Hazeroth. In the middle of the list comes Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and from there the people reach Mount Hor, where Aaron died at the Lord's command, at the age of 123, on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year.
The list continues through the territory of Edom and Moab to the plains of Moab, where they camp by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim. There the Lord commands them, when they cross, to drive out all the inhabitants of the land, destroy their images and high places and take possession of it. The land will be divided by lot among the clans, with a larger inheritance for the larger ones. If they do not drive out the inhabitants, those who remain will be barbs in their eyes and thorns in their sides, and the Lord will do to Israel what he had planned to do to them.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Moses wrote down at the Lord's command the starting points and stops of Israel. The journey was no accident: each stage was guided by God and was put in writing so later generations would remember his faithfulness.
Aaron goes up Mount Hor at the Lord's command and dies there at 123 years old, on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year. Even the high priest remained outside the promised land, yet the Lord kept guiding his people.
When Israel enters the land it must drive out the inhabitants and destroy their images and high places. The command is not explained as simple conquest: the idolatry of Canaan was a threat to Israel's faith.
If Israel does not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those who remain will become barbs in their eyes and thorns in their sides. The warning looks ahead: a half-hearted commitment to idolatry will end up wounding the people.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Moses recorded them at the command of the Lord. — Numbers 33:2
Answer: They set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month. — Numbers 33:3
Answer: There was no water for the people to drink. — Numbers 33:14
Answer: On Mount Hor, at the age of 123. — Numbers 33:38-39
Answer: On the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho. — Numbers 33:48-49
Answer: Destroy all their carved figures and cast images, and demolish their high places. — Numbers 33:52
A list of campsites looks like a chapter to skip, but it holds a simple lesson: remember the road. Moses wanted Israel to look back and see that every stage, even the hard ones, had been part of God's guidance. In a small group you can invite each person to walk through his or her own list of places, jobs, losses and changes, and to recognize the Lord's hand in them.
The second half of the chapter warns against tolerating what draws the heart away from God. Each Christian can ask what thing he calls unimportant is slowly harming him, like a thorn. Partial obedience often costs more than complete obedience.
Numbers 33 leaves Israel at the edge of the land, with the story of the wilderness written down and a warning not to repeat the idolatry of the peoples of Canaan. The next chapter defines the borders of the land the Lord gives his people and names the leaders who will divide it.
Because Israel's faith rests on events in history, and the list records that the journey happened and that each stage was guided by God. For today's reader it is a reminder that the story of salvation passes through concrete places and years of waiting.
The text presents it as a judgment on the idolatry of those peoples and as protection for Israel's faith, so that it would not be corrupted. It is a difficult theme, and some scholars point out that the Lord had waited centuries before acting. Christians do not use this command as a model for any present-day war.
Numbers 20 explains that Aaron and Moses did not honor the Lord as holy at Meribah, when they were told to speak to the rock. So Aaron died on Mount Hor, and his son Eleazar took over the office of high priest.