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MESSAGE SUMMARY
In Numbers 32-34, two and a half tribes refuse to enter Canaan, but in exchange for their help in the battle for the Promised Land, God gives them the land of Gilead. Then when the boundaries of the Promised Land are drawn, we find out Israel only occupied one-tenth of what God promised Abraham. In this study, we are challenged to ask ourselves: Do we sit on the sidelines while our brothers and sisters go to battle for the Lord? And are we content to forfeit the inheritance God has for us?
STUDY GUIDE
Numbers 30-33
PREVIEW: In Numbers 30-33, the Lord gave His children the law concerning their vows, He instructed them to carry out His vengeance on the Midianites, and granted them favor to return victoriously with significant plunder. Two and a half tribes decided to settle east of the Jordan River, their wilderness wanderings were reviewed, and instructions on dividing the land and dealing with its inhabitants were given.
The Law Concerning Vows—Read Numbers 30:1-16
1. A vow and an oath are solemn promises, often invoking a divine witness; they typically involve one's future action or behavior. What is required when a person makes a vow to the Lord (vv. 1-2)? (See also Ps. 50:14; 76:11.)
2. What is the Lord's perception of not fulfilling a solemn promise made to Him? (See Deuteronomy 23:21–23.)
3. How does the Lord view a person who makes a vow to Him and fails to fulfill it? How does He respond to them? (See Hag. 5:4-7.)
4. A young woman living in her father’s house could make a vow, but because she is under her father’s headship and covering, her father could overrule her vow. Under what circumstances did he have a say in her vow (vv. 3-4)?
5. How was a daughter’s vow made binding by her father (v. 4)?
6. How was a daughter’s vow overruled by her father (v. 5)?
7. If a woman got married while bound by her vows, how would her husband make her vow stand? How would he overrule her vow (vv. 6-8)?
8. Could a widow or divorced woman have her vow overruled (v. 9)?
9. In Genesis 3:16, the Lord told the woman that her husband would rule over her. From God’s perspective, a husband is the head of his wife (see Eph. 5:23), and a father is the head of his daughter (see 1 Cor. 11:3). Being head implies responsibility, leadership, and authority (see John 14:28b). When did a husband need to voice his disagreement with his wife’s vow (v. 12)?
10. If a husband attempted to overrule his wife’s vow after the day he originally heard it, what became his responsibility (v. 15)?
11. What was to be done when a person could not fulfill a vow they had spoken rashly? (See Lev. 5:4-5.)
12. As Spirit-filled believers in Jesus, should we make vows to people? (See Matt. 5:33-37.)
Vengeance on the Midianites—Read Numbers 31:1-11
13. The Lord assigned Moses a final task on earth before he would be gathered to his people. What was that task (vv. 1-2)?
14. Vengeance is punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong. Why was vengeance to be exacted upon the Midianites? (See Num. 25:1-3; 16–18.)
15. Moses established an army to go and exact this vengeance against the Midianites. Who comprised this army (vv. 3-5)?
16. Who accompanied the army? What did he bring with him (v. 6)? Why do you think this person was specifically selected? (See Num. 25:6-13.)
17. Who was killed when the army of Israel took vengeance upon the Midianites (vv. 7-8)?
18. Who was not killed when the army of Israel took vengeance upon the Midianites (v. 9)?
19. What additional vengeance did the army of Israel exact upon Midian (vv. 9-11)?
Return from the War—Read Numbers 31:12-24
20. When the army of Israel returned victoriously from exacting vengeance upon the Midianites, they brought the booty and the spoil to Moses and Eleazer (vv. 12-13). When Moses saw the army and the booty, what was his response? (v. 14)?
21. Explain why Moses responded that way (vv. 15-16).
22. What command did Moses give the army officers concerning the spoils (v. 17)? What would be the long-term effect of this command?
23. What concession did Moses give the army officers concerning the spoils (v. 18)? Why was this an acceptable concession? (See Deut. 20:14.)
24. Every person in the army who had enacted the Lord’s vengeance upon the Midianites was to remain outside the camp for seven days (v. 19). Why? (See also Num. 5:2.)
25. All the booty and spoil from the war against the Midianites had to be purified. In what two ways were these items purified? What determined the manner in which an object was purified (vv. 21-23)?
Division of the Plunder—Read Numbers 31:25-54
26. All captives and goods were to be divided according to a strict formula. Explain the formula for diving the plunder (vv. 25-30).
27. There was a significant amount of plunder taken from the Midianites. How many people were given to the Levites from this plunder (vv. 40, 47)? What might the Levites have done with these people? (See 1 Sam. 2:22.)
28. The army officers realized that the Lord had given them favor in their battle against the Midianites. What else did they discover (vv. 48-49)?
29. After recognizing the favor of the Lord, what did every man who fought against the Midianites decide to do (vv. 50-51)?
30. The total weight of the offering made by the men of war was 16,750 shekels, 420 pounds, 6,720 ounces (v. 52). In April 2014, the price per ounce for gold is $1,303.80. What was the total value of the offering made, according to this price?
31. What was done with the offering made by the men of war (v. 54)?
The Tribes Settling East of the Jordan—Read Numbers 32:1-42
32. As the children of Israel were poised to enter the Promised Land, what did the tribes of Reuben and Gad see? Why did they want what they saw (vv. 1-4)?
33. Because of what these two tribes saw, what did they ask Moses to do and to not do for them (v. 5)?
34. Moses stated numerous serious concerns he had with the request that the tribes of Reuben and Gad. What were those concerns (vv. 6-15)?
35. A compromise is an agreement or a settlement of a dispute that is reached when both sides make concessions. The tribes of Reuben and Gad offered a compromise to Moses in order to get what they wanted. What did they offer (vv. 16-19)?
36. Moses agreed to the compromise and made promises to them if they fulfilled their end of the deal. What specifically did he promise them (vv. 20-22)?
37. Moses agreed to the compromise, but he also warned them of the danger if they did not follow through. What, specifically, did he warn them of (vv. 23-24)?
38. The tribes of Reuben and Gad confirmed their commitment to the compromise, then Moses publically reiterated their commitment before the leaders of the nation of Israel (vv. 25-29). What did Moses clearly state the tribes of Reuben and Gad would have if they did not fulfill all they promised (v. 30)?
39. Moses allotted to Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh the areas that had formerly belonged to the Amorite kings Sihon and Og. Sihon had ruled in the southern part (Gilead) and Og in the north (Bashan). What two things did these tribes do to the cities that existed in that region (vv. 33-38)?
40. What did the children of Machir have to do before possessing their cities east of the Jordan (v. 39)? How did they decide on the new names for their cities (vv. 40-41)?
Israel’s Journey from Egypt Reviewed—Read Numbers 33:1-49
41. Numbers 33 reviews the journeys of the children of Israel. Who created this record (vv. 1-2)? (See also Ex. 17:14; 24:4; 34:27)
42. Every place the children of Israel journeyed was recorded in this chapter. Why do you think the Lord considered the journeys important enough to document? (See Job 31:4; 34:21; Ps. 139:2; Prov. 5:21; 15:3; Jer. 10:23; 16:17; 17:10; 23:24, 32:19; Heb. 4:13.)
Instructions for the Conquest of Canaan—Read Numbers 33:50-56
43. The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab, giving him instructions on what the children of Israel should do once they entered the Promised Land (vv. 50-54). The New King James Version lists these instructions by using five words that begin with the letter D. What were those instructions?
44. The inhabitants of Canaan were ungodly idol-worshipers. Why was it extremely important for the children of Israel to deal with the engraved stones, molded images, and high places?
45. We, too, live in an ungodly, idol-worshiping culture. Why is it important for us to deal properly with the graven images of our culture? (See Ps. 101:2–4; Eph. 5:1-2, 1 John 2:15-16; James 4:4.)
46. How were the children of Israel to divide the Promised Land among themselves (v. 54)? (See also Num. 26:53–56.)
47. If the children of Israel did not drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before them, what did the Lord say those people would become to them (v. 55)? (See also Josh. 23:13; Judg. 2:3.)
48. If we do not get rid of the evil in our lives, what will it become to us? (See Heb.12:1; Col. 3:5-10; 1 Cor. 5:9; 5:13, 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1.)
49. What additional warning did the Lord give to the children of Israel if they would not drive out all the inhabitants (v. 56)? (See also Lev. 18:28; 20:23, Deut. 28:63; 29:28; Josh. 23:15-16.)
DETAILED NOTES
Figures referenced: C.S. Lewis, C.H. Spurgeon
Foreign words: neter nefer
Cross references: Genesis 3:6; 13:10; Exodus 5:1-2; 12; Leviticus 25:23; Numbers 1; 13:1-14:38; 21; 26; 32-34; Deuteronomy 11:24; 12; Joshua 22; Proverbs 5:21; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Micah 7:19; Ephesians 1:3; Philippians 2:10; Hebrews 4:13; 1 John 2:16
Topic: Discontentment
Keywords: discontentment, God's promise, belief, provision, Promised Land, Christian living, spiritual warfare, Holy Land
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