What to Do with the Promised Land -- a study of Numbers 33
- mww
- 3 days ago
- 15 min read
There are no "renters" in God's Promised Land.
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Numbers 33
This is our final lesson in the book of Numbers, and our passage emphasizes God's final instructions to the people before they enter the Promised Land: basically, "do what I tell you in full" and don't leave any traces of God's enemies in their new home. Had the Israelites obeyed, they would have enjoyed peace and prosperity with God. But . . .
And what I had planned to do to them, I will do to you. (33:56)
Focus and Distraction
The Lifeway material suggests a version of this, and if you don't like my "home" idea below, it's a good alternative. What helps you focus, and what tends to distract you? In this week's passage, God gives explicit instruction to remove the peoples and their idols from the Promised Land. He knows it doesn't take much for the people to be distracted and start to pay attention to other religions and teachings.
Here's the "fun" "step on toes" escalation:
How many times do you look at your phone during Sunday School or church? What are you looking at and why?
What do you need to do to be fully "present" at church on Sunday mornings (not just in the actions but also with the people you're around).
Home
I've suggested a version of this topic before, but I think it's been a while. Lifeway has given us one lesson from the last 14 chapters of Numbers, and it's an ... interesting selection. But, it's about the Hebrews' new "home" in the Promised Land, which is something we can get a lot of mileage out of. (Plus, it's an important doctrinal topic.)
Where Is Home for You? (Location and Dwelling)
There are two different components to these "home" ideas -- where it is on the map, and what kind of dwelling it is (what kind of house, what kind of property, etc.). And for the sake of keeping these topics moving, you only get to consider one place "home". Where do you consider "home" right now? And why? What are the factors that go into making that decision for you?
Where Is Your "Forever Home"?
I've heard this phrase used, and I like it for this topic. If you don't imagine yourself living in your current dwelling indefinitely, where would you move? Again, what's the location on the map, and what kind of abode is it? And why? What are all the factors that help you make the decision of where you would want to spend the rest of your life?
When Does Where You Live Become "Home"?
This is such a great question because it has so many factors, including what you consider "home". This topic is based on a truism that I have heard for many years -- the average person moves 11.7 times in their life.
Using 2007 ACS data, it is estimated that a person in the United States can expect to move 11.7 times in their lifetime based upon the current age structure and average rates and allowing for no more than one move per single year. At age 18, a person can expect to move another 9.1 times in their remaining lifetime, but by age 45, the expected number of moves is only 2.7.
I'm sure that number has changed in 18 years.
Anyway, there are lots of ways to pursue this topic based on who is in your group. For example,
How old were you when you first felt like "home" was not where your parents lived?
How long do you have to live somewhere before you feel like it is "home"?
I came of age at a time when people moved a lot in this country (the mid-90s). It was just an expectation in my peer group that we were going to move away, move around, and keep moving. That's not necessarily the case today, and that's probably for the better. Can you feel like you have a "home" if you expect to move soon? ("I got no roots!")
I want to be careful about going any further down this rabbit trail because it becomes a sore subject to a lot of people.
Is It Your "Home" If You're Renting?
This is where I want to be careful. Our country has done an enormous disservice to young people by making home ownership nigh unaffordable. There are plenty of think pieces out there explaining exactly why this is very bad for the future of our country. But Sunday School isn't about public policy -- so let's take our world as it is and discuss it.
For those of you who are renting, does that make it harder to seem like it's "home"?
[Aside: to be clear, "owning" your home is no longer the bulletproof vest it once was. As property taxes rise, we are seeing too many instances of people who own their home in full be evicted because they can no longer afford their taxes. We can't consider that a "condition" of home ownership to make it parallel with this week's passage; if anything, God goes out of His way to make sure that continued "home ownership" in the Promised Land is in no way tied to a person's financial position.]
Here's where I'm going with these ideas: the Promised Land is literally God's promise of a permanent dwelling place for His people that is theirs forever*. It's their "forever home". I'm hoping your group understands the appeal of such a forever home. It is foundational to the human experience -- God built it into all of us -- which is why the idea of a Promised Land is so important in the Bible.
[*If they keep their part of the covenant.]
That's an obvious transition into the next topic.
This Week's Big Idea: The Significance of the Promised Land
Depending on your theological tradition, this week's passage can either be "interesting" or "central to how you understand the Bible". I'm being serious. So, let's investigate.
When Christians talk about the Promised Land, I think most of us are thinking about this map -- the land of the Twelve Tribes as described in the book of Numbers. This little sliver of land in all the world is God's promised home for His people the Jews.
Why does this matter? Why do we care about this at all today?
It all comes back to God's promises in the book of Genesis, and then through Jacob's descendants to the nation of Israel --
I will be your God.
You will be My people.
I will dwell in your midst.
Here we have to remember that God created humans to be physical creatures. We exist in a physical location. So for God to dwell in people's midst, that means there had to be a place on a map where this happens.
When we go through the promises laid out in the various Old Testament covenants, we see it like this (and I'm using the handy summary in my Holman Bible Dictionary):
the promise of an offspring/people (Gen 12:7, 15:4, 17:16, 21:12, 22:16, 26:3, 28:13, 35:11)
the promise of a land/home (Gen 12:1, 13:17, 15:18, 17:8, 24:7, 26:3, 28:13, 35:12, 48:4, 50:24)
the promise of a blessing (to share with the world) (Gen 12:3, 18:18, 22:17, 26:4, 28:14)
In Baptist preacher-speak, you might hear this as
the promise of an heir
the promise of an inheritance
the promise of a heritage
In other words, the idea of a land/home/location is fundamental to God's promises to His people. If there is no Promised Land, Genesis is pretty meaningless.
Here are a pair of trustworthy articles on the topic:
What Is the Significance of the Promised Land in the Bible? (The Bible Project)
The Promised Land: Why and to What End? (The Gospel Coalition)
When you study this topic, you'll see a lot of references to Creation and Eden. Eden was God's gift to Adam and Eve, a perfect home where God could physically "walk" with His beloved creations. But their right to live there was conditional. When they broke the condition, they were evicted from the land.
God then "started again" with Abraham and his descendants; instead of working with just Adam and Eve, He worked with an entire nation. He also gave them conditions for the right to dwell in the land. The Bible Project article nails the perfect verse to explain this -- the Promised Land belongs to God; He's allowing His people to live there.
The land is not to be permanently sold because it is mine, and you are only aliens and temporary residents on my land. (Lev 25:23)
I like the phrase in that article - the Promised Land is a gauge of covenantal faithfulness. When the people violate the covenant, they suffer in the land and are eventually removed from the land. After the exile and God's mercy, the people return to the land. And that's where we eventually meet Jesus. But Jesus famously "has no home" -- He's itinerant. He even has relationships with people who are not Jews. It's our first indication that covenantal faithfulness is not entirely tied up in the Promised Land.
And indeed, we learn at Pentecost that God's people actually "carry the Promised Land" with us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We have the words of life. Everywhere we go, God is with us. A few weeks ago, I said that the Promised Land was a symbol of salvation. For Christians, the Promised Land is now a symbol of that promise of our true eternal home when heaven comes to earth and we dwell in the presence of God forever. I.e., salvation.
Note that the New Jerusalem is located on the old Jerusalem, so God has not abandoned all meaning of the physical location of the Promised Land. I've shared the theory that Eden was in the region of Canaan, and the Garden of Eden was located on the hill that became Jerusalem, so that particular location on our planet has always been "special" to God.
Anyway, there you go. That's why we care about the Promised Land.
Two Bonus Topics
Just in case you're interested, here's an article about the Promised Land from a fully Jewish perspective (there is no discussion of Jesus in this article):
And here's an article from one of those groups that believes the Promised Land is central to understanding the entire Bible. It's heady stuff, and I don't agree with their perspective, but I'm all about learning. Here's the long and short. "Covenantal Theology" (which a lot of Presbyterians hold) is the idea that all of the covenants in the Bible are expressions of the same covenant. "Continuity of the covenants." That's where infant baptism comes from -- it is the replacement for circumcision, just like the church is the replacement for Israel. That's a bridge too far for Baptists, so some Baptists have developed a middle-of-the-road version called "Progressive Covenantalism" -- there's still continuity of the covenants, but each covenant reveals something new. If you want to read an article from a Baptist who believes that the Promised Land is really, really, really important, I give you:
Where We Are in Numbers
We're skipping. A lot.
Last week, we talked about Balaam and his donkey in chapter 22. It's a fascinating story about obedience and rebellion on multiple levels. And yes, the donkey is the one who emerges as more moral and obedient than Balaam, and by proxy Israel, who is at that moment rebelling against God and Moses (which we read more about in chapter 25).
Chapter 26 is the final turning point in Numbers -- the second census. God gives renewed instructions on how to divide the land, how to live in the land, and what kind of festivals to keep. There's a lot of very interesting stuff, but we're just going to focus on a section of chapter 33.
Chapter 33 is really important. We read the 42 "travel stops" for the 40 years of wandering. The Bible does not say how long they were at each location, but on average, they camped in a location for a year. All of these stops represent both God's faithfulness to the people (His miraculous provision) as well as the people's rebellion (had they not rebelled, they wouldn't have wandered so long and far).
Part 1: It's Almost Time (Numbers 33:50-53)
50 The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, 51 “Tell the Israelites: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you, destroy all their stone images and cast images, and demolish all their high places. 53 You are to take possession of the land and settle in it because I have given you the land to possess.
This map is a pretty impressive attempt to put all of this information in one place. Take it all with a grain of salt -- most of those locations are debated.
Whatever the details, we know that the people are right on the verge of entering the Promised Land. (And yes, Moses' time is short. Hence Deuteronomy.) These are some final instructions from God to His people.
Most importantly, the people are to remove the inhabitants and their false religions.
This can be a controversial topic. I've previously linked an article on this topic before --
Divine judgment, not human violence
Divine patience with human evil
Divine impartiality
Not Israel vs. Canaan but God vs. human evil
Overtures of peace
Catch the wording. God's instructions are not to "kill everybody" -- they are to remove the non-Godfearers from God's Promised Land. When those people refuse to leave, as will sometimes happen, God instructs the Israelites to mete out His capital punishment on them. But they can leave and be fine. God promised this land to Abraham's descendants; the current inhabitants are interlopers. God even kept His own people in slavery for 400 years to give these inhabitants the opportunity to repent of their sin and follow Abraham's God, but they refused. And now judgment comes.
This is a key instruction, and it has great spiritual value for God's people even today. When God tells His people to drive out the inhabitants from their Promised Land and destroy their religious implements, what is He telling them to do?
Is there something Christians can take away from this today? Paul says yes.
Rom 12:1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
What are modern, spiritual equivalents of "not driving out the inhabitants of the land" and "not destroying their idols"? (Let me be very clear that this has nothing to do with physically removing non-Christians from your community.) So, what does it mean?
What are ways the world around us can influence our religious thinking? Our church's religious practice?
You could certainly take a focus like Kyle Idleman's 2013 book Gods at War and focus on "modern idols" like money, comfort, entertainment, technology, success, etc. That's always, always a useful discussion to look into those things in your own heart that distract you from God's perfect will.
But I think the parallel topic for us would be specifically on how we allow non-Christians to influence what we think to be true and what we think to be central to our church. And this will look very different for every Christian and for every church, so I'm not exactly sure how to give you examples of what this might include.
An obvious example is how some churches no longer condemn people's sinful choices because they want to affirm all people (they didn't learn that from the Bible but from modern culture).
A less-obvious example might be how some churches go all-in on certain uses of technology or American entrepreneurialism, like a concert atmosphere in the worship service or an emphasis on virtual church or networked church (again, they didn't find that in the Bible but in the culture).
We have to be very careful about these kinds of discussions. Just because something is affirmed in the culture doesn't make it wrong! But where is the source of truth? Is it found in the Bible, or is it just found in the culture?
In Numbers 33, God told His people to remove absolutely every trace of the "world" so that it would have no influence over them.
Verse 53 should remove any doubt as to why. The land belongs to God. He has graciously given it to Abraham's descendants. One of the conditions of their habitation is that they look fully and only to Him for truth, morality, and religion.
Part 2: Don't Screw This Up (Numbers 33:54-56)
54 You are to receive the land as an inheritance by lot according to your clans. Increase the inheritance for a large clan and decrease it for a small one. Whatever place the lot indicates for someone will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to your ancestral tribes. 55 But if you don’t drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs for your eyes and thorns for your sides; they will harass you in the land where you will live. 56 And what I had planned to do to them, I will do to you.”
If you haven't yet talked about the theological importance of the Promised Land, do it here.
The final part of this lesson really is just an elaboration of these verses, so I don't know that it needs its own section.
34:13 So Moses commanded the Israelites, “This is the land you are to receive by lot as an inheritance, which the Lord commanded to be given to the nine and a half tribes. 14 For the tribe of Reuben’s descendants and the tribe of Gad’s descendants have received their inheritance according to their ancestral families, and half the tribe of Manasseh has received its inheritance. 15 The two and a half tribes have received their inheritance across the Jordan east of Jericho, toward the sunrise.”
So, we skipped chapter 32 where we learned that the tribe of Gad and Reuben (and half of Manasseh) looked at the land they crossed on the eastern side of the Jordan River and thought it would be suitable for settlement. God had not excluded this region from His description of the Promised Land (hence, these tribes are called "the Transjordan Tribes"). But, Moses did not want them to think that they could "get out of" helping conquer the rest of the Promised Land. So, the tribes promised to send their fighting men with the army and only return when every tribe was settled in their new home.
Judah, Ephraim, and the rest of Manasseh receive their allotments early in the book of Joshua. But Joshua 18 shows us the fulfillment of this week's passage:
1 The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land had been subdued before them, 2 but seven tribes among the Israelites were left who had not divided up their inheritance. 3 So Joshua asked the Israelites, “How long will you delay going out to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, gave you? 4 Appoint for yourselves three men from each tribe, and I will send them out. They are to go and survey the land, write a description of it for the purpose of their inheritance, and return to me. 5 Then they are to divide it into seven portions. Judah is to remain in its territory in the south and Joseph’s family in their territory in the north. 6 When you have written a description of the seven portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the Lord our God. 7 But the Levites among you do not get a portion, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the Lord. Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have taken their inheritance beyond the Jordan to the east, which Moses the Lord’s servant gave them.”
In other words, the people divided the land into "regions", and they drew lots to see which tribe would get which region. And yes, God made sure that the lot took into account the needs of the tribe.
This allotment was to be permanent for God's people. They could not shortsightedly sell their land to other tribes to make a quick buck and then cease to exist. No, God built into the law the idea of the kinsman-redeemer (the book of Ruth has a famous instance of this) as well as the Jubilee Year every 50 years (during which all land was to be returned to the original tribal owner).
For us as Christians, when we realize that the Promised Land is a symbol of salvation, this should give us the comfort and confidence of knowing that our place in heaven is permanent. There is no losing your salvation, and there is no being evicted from heaven!
But it's only a symbol of salvation. God puts conditions on living in the Promised Land. If the people violate those conditions, they will be removed from the land. (Spoiler: they do and they are.)
And that could give us great angst. How could we possibly keep the covenant fully? Don't we sin? Doesn't that mean that we lose right of access to our "Promised Land" and thus salvation?
If there's one eternal truth to learn today, it is this: we are not the one keeping the covenant; Jesus is. We cannot keep the covenant perfectly, but Jesus can and did. He fulfilled our part of the covenant, and God then gave Him the "right" to share His covenant blessings with everyone who would come to Him as Lord and Savior.
Does that make sense? Our salvation is not based on our ability to "keep it" but on Jesus' past and permanent action. To follow the imagery of this week's passage, we won't lose our place "in the Promised Land" because we are not there based on our own worthiness at all, but entirely on Jesus'.
Back to the passage.
God gives one of the conditions for possession of the Promised Land: drive My enemies out. This is where I find that Bible Project article particularly helpful -- this isn't about "Israel vs. Canaan"; it's about God vs. His enemies.
There are no neutral parties when it comes to God. You either submit to Him or you rebel. The inhabitants of Canaan had chosen to rebel against God.
And if the Israelites did not drive them out, they would be a barb in their eyes and a thorn in their sides. (What great images, btw. Are those as effective for you as they are for me?)
And beyond that, because those people would only be in the Promised Land because Israel had deliberately disobeyed God's clear instruction, that would make the Israelites lawbreakers and worthy of God's punishment.
My expectation is that you are familiar enough with the rest of the Old Testament to know how this plays out. If you are not, do the depressing task of reading the book of Judges. That will tell you everything you need to know. Not a long read, but it's a brutal one.
And that's it for the book of Numbers. We will turn next week to the book of Deuteronomy, which is one of my personal favorites. In it, we have the priceless record of Moses making sense of all of this for us.