Day 32 Reading Schedule : Numbers 29-33

Numbers 29: Israel's Seventh-Month Feast 

[Overview]

This chapter continues from Chapter 28, and discusses the regulations regarding the feasts that the Israelites were to observe when they entered the land of Canaan. In particular, the feasts mentioned in this chapter are observed in July, including the Feast of Trumpets, which commemorates the beginning of the new year (verses 1-6), and the Day of Atonement, in which the Israelite community made atonement before God and began the year with a new attitude (verses 7-11). The largest of the Israelite feasts is the Feast of Tabernacles, which is a time to settle the harvest of the year and give thanks to God (verses 12-40). The reason why such large feasts were concentrated in July is because it was the first month of the new year and the off-season for farming.

This chapter continues to discuss regulations regarding sacrifices and feasts, following the previous chapter. Here, the regulations for the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles are introduced. God taught the Israelites in such detail about the method of sacrifice and the number of sacrifices, so that they would thoroughly obey the established rules without any deviation. Through this, God wanted the chosen people to offer the right sacrifices to Him.

Numbers 30 : Rules on Women's Vows 

[Overview]

This chapter contains the rules on vows that have already been mentioned. Among them, it focuses on women's vows. A vow made before God must be kept (vv. 1-2). However, a woman's vow was only effective if the father (vv. 3-5) for a virgin and the husband (vv. 6-12) for a married woman. The content of this chapter does not mean that women must submit to men's will, but rather emphasizes absolute faithfulness to God by strictly regulating women's vows, which were not socially recognized at the time. It also mentions the husband's obligations regarding his wife's vows (vv. 13-15).

The text mentions rules on vows. A vow is a promise and oath made by a human to God. Therefore, the principle was that a vow must be kept. However, in the patriarchal society of the time, there were many obstacles to keeping vows for women and children. So, the text here introduces exceptional cases for keeping vows. However, these exceptional rules are also institutional devices to make vows more carefully.

Numbers 31 : Destruction of Midian 

[Summary]

This chapter mentions the war with the Midianites who caused the Israelites to commit fornication in the Baal Peor incident. At God’s command, Moses attacked the Midianites, the enemies of Israel, and killed all the men, women, children, and spoils (verses 1-12). However, God commanded that all the male children and women who had slept with men be killed (verses 13-18). Then, He commanded the soldiers who participated in the war to perform a ritual of purification and divide the spoils among the tribes (verses 19-47). The commanders of the armies gave thanks to God for the fact that no one was killed by His grace and offered the spoils they had received as gifts (verses 48-54).

This text mentions the scene where Israel attacked Midian and completely destroyed them. In fact, Midian was a foreign nation that helped Moab to lead Israel into idolatry when Israel was living in the plains of Moab, and thus contributed to the severe judgment. So God now instructed the Israelites to completely destroy Midian and take revenge. Those who oppose God's people will ultimately receive this kind of retribution.

Numbers 32: The Tribes of Reuben and Gad Who Demanded the East Side of the Jordan 

[Summary]

A new problem arose for Israel, who had conquered the eastern side of Canaan and established a foundation for entering Canaan. At that time, the descendants of Reuben and Gad, who had many livestock, demanded the eastern side of the Jordan as their inheritance (verses 1-5). Moses rebuked them for their actions, saying that they were causing division in the Israelite community (verses 6-15). However, the tribes of Reuben and Gad made a revised proposal that they would not receive their inheritance until the other tribes had completely conquered Canaan and would lead the conquest war (verses 16-19). All the tribes agreed, and Moses permitted this, giving them the eastern side of the Jordan as their inheritance. At this time, the half-tribe of Manasseh also took their inheritance with them (verses 20-42).

This happened just before Israel crossed the Jordan River, staying in the plains of Moab east of the Jordan. The tribes of Reuben and Gad, with their numerous flocks, were eager for the land east of the Jordan. The land east of the Jordan, with its wide pastures and plains, was an excellent place for herding. So these two tribes asked Moses to let them stay in the area east of the Jordan. This greatly disappointed the Israelites and angered Moses. The unity of the religious community began to crack. The text shows in detail how the Israelites wisely dealt with this issue of faith.

Numbers 33: Journey from Egypt to the Plains of Moab 

[Summary]

This chapter records the journey of Israel from the Exodus to the Plains of Moab east of the Jordan River. Moses recorded the journey of Israel's 40 years of wilderness life at God's command (verses 1-4). They passed through the Sinai Desert where they received the commandments in the Exodus (verses 5-15), passed through Kadesh where Moses lost his temper and was prevented from entering the land of Canaan (verses 16-36), and finally arrived at the Plains of Moab east of the Jordan River, which was within sight of the land of Canaan (verses 37-49). God commanded those who arrived at the Plains of Moab to drive out the Canaanites and destroy their idols, and divided the inheritance among the tribes (verses 50-56).

This chapter describes in detail the journey of the Israelites from the Exodus to the Plains of Moab. If we look closely at this journey, we can truly see how terrible the disbelief and injustice of the Israelites were. Israel could have reached Canaan in one week from Egypt, but because of their disbelief and injustice, it took 40 years to reach it. This is a passage that gives a truly important lesson to our saints who are embarking on a journey toward the heavenly Canaan.