Day 70

Read: Numbers 34:1 – 36:13

Today we finish the Book of Numbers, congratulations! We hope that these posts have been helpful. Did you notice the many contrasting themes as we read this book?

• God’s faithfulness and human failures
• God’s guidance and human stubbornness
• God’s purpose and human disobedience
• God’s provision and human complaints
• God’s holiness and human sinfulness

All of these themes reflect God’s choice to reveal Himself to His people and show forth His glory. God’s twofold plan was to reveal His faithfulness through provision and deliverance and to relate His law, which prepared Israel to maintain covenant relationship with Him and to fulfill the task of being His people in the midst of an ungodly world.

The book of Numbers closes on the practical note of obedience, individually and corporately. As the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, God provided specific, detailed, and gracious boundaries for their inheritance. This was not just land, it was a gift. The breadth of these boundaries shows that God’s promises are often larger than our immediate experiences. However, the gift of the land came with responsibilities:

• God defined the borders – showing He is a God of order and knows our needs and places us where He intends.
• God established sanctuary cities for those who committed unintentional manslaughter (Numbers 35:6-34 emphasizes justice and mercy rather than hasty vengeance) – shows that God cares for the vulnerable and ensures justice is handled rightly.
• God ensures the inheritance of Zelophehad remains within the family – shows protection for the long-term, God-given blessing.

Trust God’s boundaries. Like the Israelites, God has set boundaries in our lives for our protection and blessing. We can trust that His boundaries are good. The cities of refuge, point to Jesus. Jesus is our ultimate refuge from judgment and the One who secures our eternal inheritance.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for the boundaries You set in my life, knowing they are for my good and for my protection. Thank You for the inheritance I have in Christ. Help me to trust You and to live in obedience to Your word and to find my refuge in You alone. Amen.