numbers 33-34

I discovered something interesting when I outlined today’s chapters according to God’s paragraph divisions:

Num 33:1-39 {s} Journey of Israel from Egypt to Mount Hor (death of Aaron);
Num 33:40-49 {s} Journey of Israel from Mount Hor to Acacia Grove (idolatry with women of Moab and Midian);
Num 33:50-56 {p} Israel shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and possess it

All three of these paragraphs form one greater strong paragraph. Seen this way, it becomes clear that the goal of being delivered from Egypt in the first place, is that Israel shall enter the land, dispossess its inhabitants, demolish its idolatry, divide the land for an inheritance by lot, and dwell in it. The goal of deliverance from Egypt is to possess the land, establishing the worship and way of YHVH in it!

We saw yesterday that there is a warfare that is the LORD’s warfare – a commanded warfare. The nation of Israel today, I believe, would be doing righteously to drive out the inhabitants of the land, and establish its commanded borders. Recent events have shown clearly how not driving out the inhabitants of the land, have left them to be irritants in the eyes and thorns in the sides of Israel.

We also saw yesterday, that the warfare that is the LORD’s warfare, is at its root a spiritual warfare. We ourselves were delivered from Egypt by type when we were delivered from the kingdom of darkness. The whole end of that deliverance, is so that we may enter into our promise, the kingdom of heaven! Now if the prophetic nature of Torah history holds, this is a promise for this world – not only the spiritual world we will enter when we die. It is in this world that the LORD’s enemies are entrenched, not heaven. It is to this world that Jesus Christ is returning to rule and reign as king!

To enter in to the kingdom of heaven here on earth that He has already given us, we must dispossess its already established inhabitants: the principalities and powers. We must demolish its idolatry, and dwell in the land, establishing the worship and way of YHVH in it! I don’t think we do that by picketing abortion clinics, because I don’t see Jesus or His disciples spending any time in things like that.

I think we do it by, every where we go, being open and ready to preach in love the gospel that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. We do it by reversing the oppression of hell, death, and the devil in people’s lives, by casting out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead, calming the storms, and multiplying the food. We display God’s truth, love, and power, to set the prisoners free and break every yoke. I believe Scripture is teaching us, this is our warfare.

For further study: There are multiple chiastic structures in these final ten chapters of Numbers, chapter 27 through 36. Can you find them? Note the central axis’ and meditate on why Scripture has highlighted those passages in particular with neon flashing lights!

Finding Messiah: Forty years of journeys are summarized in 49 verses in Num 33. Many, many things happened to Israel in the course of their 40 years of journeying. Only the details of a very few of them are recounted in this summary, so I assume they are included because they are important!

They depart Egypt following the Passover (vs. 3). They pass through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, then they journey for three days into the wilderness (vs. 8). In the entire summary, this is the only extent of time recorded from one place to the next – for a reason! When they arrive in the wilderness, they camp at Marah – where the water was bitter, and YHVH miraculously turned the bitter water sweet (vs. 8). Then they camp at Elim, where there are twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees (vs. 9).

Passover = crucifixion of Messiah Yeshua, our Passover Lamb (1 Cor 5:7)
Crossing the midst of the sea = burial (Col 2:12, 1 Cor 10:2)
Three days to Marah = after three days, resurrection (our bitterness is turned to sweetness)
Oasis of Elim = rest, water, shade, 12 and 70.

I do not yet understand the prophetic significance of Elim, with the 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees, but I do know that an oasis means rest and peace, and that 12 and 70 are spiritually significant, and this detail is not accidental or coincidental!

For further reading:
Wilderness Journey (map)
The Design of Scripture: the number three – Brad Scott
The Design of Scripture: the number twelve – Brad Scott

<– 31-32 numbers 35-36 –>
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