Numbers

The book of Numbers is broken up into five sections: three wilderness locations, and two road trips. The book of Numbers is designed to show the Israelites rebellion in the wilderness as well as God's judgment and mercy.

Quick Navigation

• Section One: Mount Sinai
• Section Two: Travel in the Wilderness
• Section Three: Wilderness of Paran
• Section Four: Travel in the Wilderness
• Section Five: Plains of Moab
• Key Memory Verses
• Reflection Questions
• Summary & Outline
• Chapter Summaries
• Visuals

Section One: Mount Sinai

The first section of Numbers takes place at the bottom of Mount Sinai. Israel has been camped here for one year after having been rescued and delivered from Egypt. Following the book of Leviticus which outlines God's laws and commandments, and the covenant that Israel enters into with God, they are now ready to embark on their journey to the Promised Land.

Notes:

• Chapter 1: The first census of the Israelite community is taken, as ordained by God. God instructs Moses to record all the men twenty years old or older who were able to go to war, and they were to go tribe by tribe. The Levites were not to be accounted for in this registration as they were a consecrated and committed people solely to the Lord, working within the Tabernacle and its surrounding articles.
• The leaders of each tribe were:

• Chapter 2: The Lord gives Moses instructions as to how the Israelites are to camp when they are traveling to the Promised Land. They were also instructed that the way that they camp is the formation in which they are to travel from place to place.
• The Formation of the tribes were:

• Chapter 3: The family of Aaron is listed in their own registration. Moses is instructed to record any male that is one month old or older in the registration according to their family and clan and their assigned areas, as well as responsibilities.
• The Levitical registration was as follows:

• The Lord then asks Moses to record all the firstborn sons within the Levitical tribes. This would be the redeeming of the Firstborn sons. This meant that they would act as substitutes for the offerings mentioned in Leviticus as the tribe of Levi were already consecrated to God for their faithfulness to God after the rebellion with the Golden Calf. The total number of firstborn sons redeemed to the Lord was 22,273. To compensate for the extra number of firstborn sons, the Lord required five pieces of silver for each son that would be given to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price.
• Chapter 4: The duties of each of the Levitical tribes are laid. The Kohathite Clan were given instructions to the order and method in which they carried out their responsibilities. Then the Gershonite Clan were given instructions to the order and method in which they carried out their responsibilities. The Merarite Clan were also given their instructions according to their responsibilities. The able-bodied men who would be able to carry out their clan's responsibilities at the age of thirty and fifty years of age was recorded.
• The able-bodied number of men were as follows:

• Chapter 5: The Lord gives Moses further instruction regarding ritual and moral purity. The Lord outlines the consequences if anyone is found impure of ritual or moral impurity such as adultery or physical disease.

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If any of the people - men or women - betray the Lord by doing wrong to another person, they are guilty. They must confess their sin and make full restitution for what they have done, adding an additional 20 percent and returning it to the person who was wronged.'" (Num. 5:5-7)

• Chapter 6: The Lord gives Moses instructions and guidelines regarding the Nazarite Laws. God also tells Moses how to bless the people whenever they are setting out to depart.
• Chapter 7-8: The people of Israel begin to prep for their departure from the bottom of Mount Sinai. They begin with the offerings for the dedication of the Tabernacle, where each tribe was required to bring their gifts for the Tabernacle. Each leader of each tribe came each day, totaling 12 days of gifts for the Tabernacle. They prepared the lamps and dedicated the Levites, anointing and consecrating all these things to the Lord.
• Chapter 9: The people of Israel are instructed to celebrate the Passover for the second time. This Passover takes place exactly one year from the day that Israel escaped from Egypt. The next day, they pack up all of their possessions as well as the articles for the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle and follow the Fiery Cloud of the Lord towards the Promised Land.
• Chapter 10a: The last of the Lord's instructions at the bottom of Mount Sinai is that Moses is to create two silver trumpets that are to sound when the community of Israel must meet at the entrance of the Tabernacle. If only one sounds, then this would mean only the leaders of Israel would be required to meet at the entrance of the Tabernacle. These trumpets would also be used for various means with different sounds in order to let the community of Israel know what was to be expected of them.

Section Two: Travel in the Wilderness

The second section of Numbers takes place in the Wilderness as the Israelites are leaving Mount Sinai, two years after they escaped from Egypt. They are making their way towards the Plains of Moab which is part of the Promised Land from God.

Notes:

• Chapter 10b: Israel has camped at Mount Sinai for a whole year, marking their two year anniversary of their escape from Egypt. The cloud of the Lord lifts from above the tabernacle, signifying that the camp must be moved from where they are to wherever the Lord is taking them. They follow the Lord's instructions for the first time in how the tribes are to travel from one place to another. Moses encounters his brother-in-law, Hobab, and Moses pleads for him to join them on their journey. The Israelites marched for three days with the Ark of the Covenant moving ahead of all the tribes of Israel.
• Chapter 11: After approximately three days of traveling, the Israelites start to complain about the struggle of the camping. The Lord sends fire down from heaven as a response to their complaining. Moses pleads with the Lord after the people cry out to Moses for help. The foreigners traveling with the Israelites begin to vocalize how much they miss Egypt. They complain about the manna from heaven that God sends to feed them. Moses gets angry at the Lord for being harsh with him when the people are the complainers. He asks the Lord to help him by bringing people around him to carry the weight.
• The Lord tells Moses to choose seventy leaders from each of the tribes of Israel. The Lord, having not forgotten about the people's complaints about the manna, tells Moses that Israel will eat meat for a whole month until they are sick of eating it because of their complaints. The Spirit of the Lord rests upon the seventy leaders and they prophesy in the name of the Lord. Two other elders, Eldad and Medad, did not go to the Tabernacle like the Lord instructed, however they also began to prophesy with the rest of the elders. The Lord sends quail for the people to eat, but the people get greedy and gluttonous so the Lord sends a plague for the behavior.
• Chapter 12: Moses's siblings complain about him being married to a Cushite woman, mockingly questioning whether God will only speak through Moses and pointing out that they too have been used by God. The Lord hears this and becomes angry and tells Moses to call out both Aaron and Miriam, his brother and sister to the Tabernacle. The Lord chastises them publicly and removes his presence from the Tabernacle. Miriam is left standing with leprosy and Aaron pleads with Moses to tell the Lord to heal her skin.
• Moses does as his brother asks and pleads with the Lord but he tells Moses that she must follow the law for having leprosy. So she is sent out of the camp for seven days and when she returns healed, the people pack up their things and leave the areas of Hazeroth and camp in the wilderness of Paran.

"And the Lord said to them, 'Now listen to what I say: If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams. But not with my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust. I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as he is. So why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?'" (Num. 12:6-8)

Section Three: Wilderness of Paran

The third section of Numbers takes place in the Wilderness of Paran as the Israelites. After camping in Hazeroth, they are brought to the region of Kadesh to explore the land and to take what the Lord has already promised them.

Notes:

• Not added yet.

Section Four: Travel in the Wilderness

Not added yet.

Notes:

• Not added yet.

Section Five: Plains of Moab

Not added yet.

Notes:

• Not added yet.

Recall

• Setting
  • The bottom of Mount Sinai; the wilderness into Transjordan (the region east of the Jordan River) to the plains of Moab
• Author
  • Most Likely Moses, between the period of 1445-1406, 1269-1230 BC
• Meanings/Message
  • Numbers explains how God provided for his people's needs, and it documents their repeated disobedience as they rebelled against the Lord's commands. Like ancient Israel, Christians should learn from the mistakes of the past and live in faith and obedience to the Lord

Outline

• 1:1 - 10:10 - The Israelites Camp in the Wilderness of Sinai
• 10:11 - 22:1 - The Israelites Move from Sinai to the Plains of Moab
• 22:2 - 36:13 - The Israelites Camp in the Plains of Moab and Prepare to Invade Canaan

Key Memory Verses

Reflection Questions