Numbers 32 - Deuteronomy 34

Numbers 32

Rueben and Gad Settle in Gilead

The children of Rueben and the children of Gad, had very large herds and flocks, and when they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock, they came to Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, and said, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon; the land the Lord subdued before the people of Israel, are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”

“If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”

Moses said to the children of Gad, and the children of Reuben, “Should your brethren go to war while you sit here? Why do you discourage the children of Israel from crossing over into the land the LORD has given them?”

“This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to look over the land. After they went up to the valley of Eshkol and viewed the land, they discouraged the children of Israel from entering the land the LORD had given them.”

“The LORD’S anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath: ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land I swore unto Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the LORD wholeheartedly.’

“The LORD’S anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.”

“And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the LORD even more angry with Israel. If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.”

Then they came up to him and said, “We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. But we will arm ourselves for battle and go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place.”

“Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received their inheritance. We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”

Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle, and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the LORD until he has driven his enemies out before him, then when the land is subdued before the LORD, you may return and be free from your obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the LORD.”

“But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”

And the children of Gad, and the children of Reuben said to Moses, “We your servants will do as our lord commands. Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord, just as our lord says.”

Then Moses gave orders concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and Joshua son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel. He said to them, “If the children of Gad, and the children of Reuben, every man armed for battle, will cross over Jordan with you before the LORD, then when the land is subdued before you, you must give them the land of Gilead as their possession. But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in Canaan.”

And the children of Gad, and the children of Reuben answered, “Your servants will do what the LORD has said. We will cross over before the LORD into Canaan armed, but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan.”

Then Moses gave to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the whole land with its cities and the country around them.

The children of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks.

And the children of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh and Kiriathaim, as well as Nebo and Baal-meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah. They gave other names to the cities they rebuilt.

Then the children of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it and drove out the Amorites who were there. So Moses gave Gilead to Machir, the son of Manasseh, and he settled there.  

Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, captured their settlements and called them Havvoth-jair.

And Nobah captured Kenath and its surrounding villages and called it Nobah after his own name.

Numbers 33

Stages in Israel’s Journey (1 – 49)

Moses Gives Instructions Before Possessing the Land

On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their pictures, all their molten images, and demolish all their high places. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.”

“Divide the land by lot, according to your families. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.”

“‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. Moreover it will come to pass, I will do to you what I plan to do to them.’”

Deuteronomy 34

The Death of Moses

Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him all the land, from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the south and the whole plain and valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.

Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”

And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. And the LORD buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth-peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is (see Jude verse 9, Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.).  Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.

And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.

Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands upon him. And the children of Israel listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses.

Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

ONE Greater Than Moses (see Hebrews 3:1-6)

Hebrews 3:1-6, “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; ² Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. ³ For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. ⁴ For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. ⁵ And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; ⁶ But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.”