N
U M B E R S
CHAP. XXXIII.
In
this chapter we have, I. A particular account of the removals and encampments
of the children of
Israel, from their escape
out of
Egypt
to their entrance into
Canaan, forty-two in all,
with some remarkable events that
happened at some of those places, ver. 1-49. II. A strict command given them
to drive out all the inhabitants of the
land
of Canaan, which they were not
going to conquer and take possession of, ver. 50-56. So that the former part
of the chapter looks back upon their march through the wilderness, the latter
looks forward to their settlement in
Canaan.
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Encampments
of the Israelites.
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B.
C. 1452.
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1 These are the journeys
of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land
of
Egypt
with their armies under the
hand of Moses and Aaron. 2 And Moses wrote their goings out
according to their journeys by the commandment of the LORD:
and these are their journeys according to their goings out.
3 And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of
the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of
Israel
went out with an high hand in
the sight of all the Egyptians. 4 For the Egyptians buried all their
firstborn, which the LORD
had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD
executed judgments. 5 And the children of
Israel
removed from Rameses, and
pitched in Succoth. 6 And they departed from Succoth, and pitched
in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness. 7 And
they removed from Etham, and turned again unto Pi-hahiroth, which is
before Baal-zephon: and they pitched before Migdol. 8 And they
departed from before Pi-hahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into
the wilderness, and went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and
pitched in Marah. 9 And they removed from Marah, and came unto
Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and
ten palm trees; and they pitched there. 10 And they removed from
Elim, and encamped by the
Red sea
. 11 And they
removed from the
Red sea
, and encamped in the wilderness
of Sin. 12 And they took their journey out of the wilderness of
Sin, and encamped in Dophkah. 13 And they departed from Dophkah,
and encamped in Alush. 14 And they removed from Alush, and
encamped at Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink.
15 And they departed from Rephidim, and pitched in the wilderness of
Sinai. 16 And they removed from the
desert
of Sinai, and pitched at
Kibroth-hattaavah. 17 And they departed from Kibroth-hattaavah,
and encamped at Hazeroth. 18 And they departed from Hazeroth, and
pitched in Rithmah. 19 And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched
at Rimmon-parez. 20 And they departed from Rimmon-parez, and
pitched in Libnah. 21 And they removed from Libnah, and pitched at
Rissah. 22 And they journeyed from Rissah, and pitched in
Kehelathah. 23 And they went from Kehelathah, and pitched in mount
Shapher. 24 And they
removed from mount
Shapher, and encamped in Haradah.
25 And they removed from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth. 26 And
they removed from Makheloth, and encamped at Tahath. 27 And they
departed from Tahath, and pitched at Tarah. 28 And they removed
from Tarah, and pitched in Mithcah. 29 And they went from Mithcah,
and pitched in Hashmonah. 30 And they departed from Hashmonah, and
encamped at Moseroth. 31 And they departed from Moseroth, and
pitched in Bene-jaakan. 32 And they removed from Bene-jaakan, and
encamped at Hor-hagidgad. 33 And they went from Hor-hagidgad, and
pitched in Jotbathah. 34 And they removed from Jotbathah, and
encamped at Ebronah. 35 And they departed from Ebronah, and
encamped at Ezion-gaber. 36 And they removed from Ezion-gaber, and
pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh. 37 And
they removed from Kadesh, and pitched in mount Hor, in the edge of the
land
of Edom. 38 And Aaron the
priest went up into
mount
Hor
at the commandment of the LORD,
and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of
Israel
were come out of the land
of Egypt, in the first day of the
fifth month. 39 And Aaron was an hundred and twenty and
three years old when he died in mount Hor.
40 And king
Arad
the Canaanite, which dwelt in
the south in the
land
of Canaan
, heard of the coming of the
children of Israel. 41 And they
departed from mount Hor, and pitched in Zalmonah.
42 And they departed from Zalmonah, and pitched in Punon. 43 And
they departed from Punon, and pitched in Oboth. 44 And they
departed from Oboth, and pitched in Ije-abarim, in the border of Moab. 45 And they
departed from Iim, and pitched in Dibon-gad. 46 And they removed
from Dibon-gad, and encamped in Almon-diblathaim. 47 And they
removed from Almon-diblathaim, and pitched in the mountains of Abarim, before
Nebo. 48 And they departed from the mountains of Abarim, and
pitched in the plains of
Moab by
Jordan near
Jericho. 49 And they
pitched by
Jordan, from Beth-jesimoth even
unto Abel-shittim in the plains of
Moab.
This
is a review and brief rehearsal of the travels of the children of
Israel through the wilderness. It was
a memorable history and well worthy to be thus abridged, and the abridgment
thus preserved, to the honour of God that led them and for the encouragement
of the generations that followed. Observe here,
I. How the account was kept: Moses wrote their goings out, v. 2.
When they began this tedious march, God ordered him to keep a journal or
diary, and to insert in it all the remarkable occurrences of their way, that
it might be a satisfaction to himself in the review and an instruction to
others when it should be published. It may be of good use to private
Christians, but especially to those in public stations, to preserve in writing
an account of the providences of God concerning them, the constant series of
mercies they have experienced, especially those turns and changes which have
made some days of their lives more remarkable. Our memories are deceitful and
need this help, that we may remember all the way which the Lord our God has
led us in this wilderness, Deut. viii. 2.
II. What the account itself was. It began with their departure out of Egypt, continued with their march
through the wilderness, and ended in the plains of
Moab, where they now lay encamped.
1. Some things are observed here concerning their departure out of Egypt, which they are reminded of
upon all occasions, as a work of wonder never to be forgotten. (1.) That they went
forth with their armies (v. 1), rank and file, as an army with
banners. (2.) Under the hand of Moses and Aaron, their guides, overseers, and
rulers, under God. (3.) With a high hand, because God's hand was high
that wrought for them, and in the sight of all the Egyptians, v.
3. They did not steal away clandestinely (Isa. lii. 12), but in defiance of
their enemies, to whom God had made them such a burdensome stone that they
neither could, nor would, nor durst, oppose them. (4.) They went forth while
the Egyptians were burying, or at least preparing to bury, their first-born, v.
4. They had a mind good enough, or rather bad enough, still to have detained
the Israelites their prisoners, but God found them other work to do. They
would have God's first-born buried alive, but God set them a burying their own
first-born. (5.) To all the plagues of
Egypt
it is added here that on
their gods also the Lord executed judgments. Their idols which they
worshipped, it is probable, were broken down, as Dagon afterwards before the
ark, so that they could not consult them about this great affair. To this
perhaps there is reference, Isa. xix. 1, The idols of
Egypt
shall be moved at his
presence.
2. Concerning their travels towards Canaan. Observe, (1.) They were
continually upon the remove. When they had pitched a little while in one place
they departed from that to another. Such is our state in this world; we have
here no continuing city. (2.) Most of their way lay through a wilderness,
uninhabited, untracked, unfurnished even with the necessaries of human life,
which magnifies the wisdom and power of God, by whose wonderful conduct and
bounty the thousands of Israel not only subsisted for forty years in that
desolate place, but came out at least as numerous and vigorous as they went
in. At first they pitched in the edge of the wilderness (v. 6),
but afterwards in the heart of it; by less difficulties God prepares his
people for greater. We find them in the wilderness of Etham (v. 8), of
Sin (v. 11), of Sinai, v. 15. Our removals in this world are but
from one wilderness to another. (3.) They were led to and fro, forward and
backward, as in a maze or labyrinth, and yet were all the while under the
direction of the pillar of cloud and fire. He led them about (Deut. xxxii.
10), and yet led them the right way, Ps. cvii. 7. The way which God takes in
bringing his people to himself is always the best way, though it does not
always seem to us the nearest way. (4.) Some events are mentioned in this
journal, as their want of water at Rephidim (v. 14), the death of Aaron
(v. 38, 39), the insult of
Arad
(v. 40); and the very
name of Kibroth-hattaavah--the graves of lusts (v. 16), has a
story depending upon it. Thus we ought to keep in mind the providences of God
concerning us and our families, us and our land, and the many instances of
that divine care which has led us, and fed us, and kept us, all our days
hitherto. Shittim, the place where the people sinned in the matter of Peor (ch.
xxv. 1), is here called Abel-shittim. Abel signifies mourning
(as Gen. l. 11), and probably this place was so called from the mourning of
the good people of
Israel
on account of that sin and of
God's wrath against them for it. It was so great a mourning that it gave a
name to the place.
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The
Canaanites Doomed.
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B.
C. 1452.
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50 And the LORD
spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho,
saying, 51 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them,
When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 52 Then ye
shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy
all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down
all their high places: 53 And ye shall dispossess the
inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land
to possess it. 54 And ye shall divide the land by lot for an
inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more
inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance
shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your
fathers ye shall inherit. 55 But if ye will not drive out the
inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that
those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and
thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.
56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I
thought to do unto them.
While the children of Israel were in the wilderness their total separation
from all other people kept them out of the way of temptation to idolatry, and
perhaps this was one thing intended by their long confinement in the
wilderness, that thereby the idols of Egypt might be forgotten, and the people
aired (as it were) and purified from that infection, and the generation that
entered Canaan might be such as never knew those depths of Satan. But now that
they were to pass over Jordan
they were entering again into
that temptation, and therefore, 1. They are here strictly charged utterly to
destroy all remnants of idolatry. They must not only drive out the
inhabitants of the land, that they may possess their country, but they
must deface all their idolatrous pictures and images, and pull down all
their high places, v. 52. They must not preserve any of them, no,
not as monuments of antiquity to gratify the curious, nor as ornaments of
their houses, nor toys for their children to play with, but they must destroy
all, both in token of their abhorrence and detestation of idolatry and to
prevent their being tempted to worship those images, and the false gods
represented by them, or to worship the God of Israel by such images or
representations. 2. They were assured that, if they did so, God would by
degrees put them in full possession of the land of promise, v. 53, 54.
If they would keep themselves pure from the idols of Canaan, God would enrich them with the
wealth of
Canaan. Learn not their way, and then
fear not their power. 3. They were threatened that, if they spared either the
idols or the idolaters, they should be beaten with their own rod and their sin
would certainly be their punishment. (1.) They would foster snakes in their
own bosoms, v. 55. The remnant of the Canaanites, if they made any
league with them, though it were but a cessation of arms, would be pricks
in their eyes and thorns in their sides, that is, they would be upon all
occasions vexatious to them, insulting them, robbing them, and, to the utmost
of their power, making mischief among them. We must expect trouble and
affliction from that, whatever it is, which we sinfully indulge; that which we
are willing should tempt us we shall find will vex us. (2.) The righteous God
would turn that wheel upon the Israelites which was to have crushed the
Canaanites: I shall do to you as I thought to do unto them, v.
56. It was intended that the Canaanites should be dispossessed; but if the
Israelites fell in with them, and learned their way, they should be
dispossessed, for God's displeasure would justly be greater against them than
against the Canaanites themselves. Let us hear this, and fear. If we do not
drive sin out, sin will drive us out; if we be not the death of our lusts, our
lusts will be the death of our souls.
Contents
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