MOSES WROTE. Numbers 33 The promised land belonged to God. He gave it to Abraham more than four hundred years before Israel became a nation of over two million people. Other nations and groups have laid claim to that land through conquest, and this still occurs today in Israel. Despite ongoing wars and constant conflict, the fact remains that God gave the land of Israel to Abraham's descendants through Isaac and Jacob. He had the right to transfer it from the Canaanites to the Israelites. He promised it as a gift, but the gift had to be claimed, taken, and made their own in a personal way.
God's gifts to us come from His gracious hand and are offered freely, but we must reach out in faith to receive them, take hold of them, and use them for the purpose they were given. No matter how hard we try to obtain what we want, everything we truly receive and keep are gifts from God to those who are unworthy of even His smallest mercies.
Moses compiled a list of the places where the Israelites stopped at God's command. This provided an accurate record of their journey for future generations. Having a written account helped the children of Israel remember and review all the blessings God had given them as they traveled from Egypt to Canaan. By reviewing this list of place names, they would be reminded of God's deliverance of His people. The Lord guided the children of Israel throughout their forty-year journey. He was with them at the more than 40 stopping points along the way. He knew their needs, heard all their complaints, provided for them, and never abandoned them despite their failures.
It is beneficial for us to remember all the ways and places God has guided us on our journey home to heaven. Lessons learned along the way may be forgotten if we do not keep a record of them. Tracking our spiritual growth in God's ways and maintaining a journal of His interactions with us can help prevent us from making the same mistakes repeatedly and having to relearn what should have been understood the first time we faced the issue.
The first fifteen verses of this chapter describe the journey from Egypt to Sinai, where they stayed for a year. They received God's law and instructions for the Tabernacle, which they built at that time. Verses sixteen through thirty-six detail the years of wandering in the wilderness until the entire generation of Israelites had died. The rest of the chapter covers the final years of wandering, during which the nation moved from Kadesh to Moab, right across the Jordan River from Jericho. The promised land was waiting for them and was right in front of them.
The order of travel was described as being similar to that of an army. Each tribe had a position to assume in the movement of the nation, and each was organized into groups, probably by families. There would have been armed men in each division ready to defend the tribe. The number 40 often symbolizes a period of testing, like the 40 days of the Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness. 40 years were spent by Moses learning what was wrong with Egypt and what was right about faith in God. Forty years was seen as the length of a generation and, sometimes, a number of favors, as in the cases of David and Solomon. Forty was the weight of a load for a camel; shekels and measurements used often involve the number 40. The 40 years of Israel in the wilderness remind us that God allows both good and bad things to happen to us in this life. The names of the places where Israel stopped are kept as testimonies to God's power and man's weakness during the Israelites' journey to the promised land.
In our life in the world, our Lord is with us so we can cast our cares upon Him, and He will sustain us. The experiences we go through are opportunities for spiritual growth in the things of the Lord, helping us measure ourselves. The Lord knows what lies ahead of us in this wilderness, and He is present in every incident that happens to us. Whether in danger and need, despair and discouragement, He is there. In the glorious times when we walk by faith consciously and during times of victory, He is there. During moments of revival and restoration, He is present. He is fully aware of every circumstance in every place. "He knows the way that I take." He knows the goal and the best way to reach it.
In our lives, we can often recognize special places and times that are more than just physical stopping points. During those moments, our spiritual growth and effectiveness are tested, and we are challenged to make necessary changes for godly living and service. It may have been a time and place where we could evaluate the past and look ahead to our responsibilities in the kingdom of God. During those moments, we looked forward with eyes anointed by heavenly eye salve and saw more clearly why we are here, where we are going, and what we are to do. In those times with God's people today, just as with God's people in the past, God shows His love, mercy, justice, and grace to His self-willed people.
God gave His people Israel the land He had promised to Abraham many generations earlier as a gift. Now, they needed to claim that gift and make it their own. The idols and idolatrous people had to be driven out before they could possess the land. The Canaanite ways of life and worship were completely incompatible with what was expected of His chosen people. The wickedness of their lifestyle, including their idol worship, made coexistence between the children of Israel and the Canaanites impossible. In the ungodly society of Canaan, the immoral and sinful practices that were common among them would spread like a disease among God's people, preventing any mixing. Such a spiritual contagion would cause the Israelites to reject the holy God and accept the immoral lifestyle, leading to divine judgment upon the sinful.
We must discard the old way of life we once followed and intentionally move forward in our new life by faith and obedience to God. We cannot allow the wickedness practiced by the world to coexist with our new life in Christ that God has given us. Just as the people of God in the past, the pagan practices and unbelief of those around us must be completely removed from our lives so we can thrive. Corruption and compromise must be expelled from our lives before we can be free from the tension of the world and become "unspotted by the world."
Removing sin completely from our lives is challenging because sin often appears harmless, and we are drawn to it. We may fear acting against things we know are wrong due to concern about disapproval from our peers, especially those who are not believers. A habit from our past can cause serious issues the further we progress in life. If we have dealt with an evil habit or favorite sin half-heartedly, it will be much harder to confront when it appears again.
Ignoring certain aspects of God’s blessings and provision is a serious mistake and a sin. Overlooking these spiritual blessings creates gaps in our lives and testimonies, which can become like thorns in our flesh and pinpricks in our eyes. These neglected areas can bother us, hinder us, and hurt us, especially when they relate to our life and practice before salvation. Never review, much less glory in, those things from the past that may seem attractive when told as stories.
The tools of technology, the pursuit of pleasure, and the trappings of a successful life in the world can cause us to stumble and fall. Anything that is not of faith is a sin. “Not that I have, mine own I’ll call, I hold it for the Giver; my heart, my strength, my life, my all, are His and His forever.”
The actions God expected from His people in the past were to completely clear the promised land of idols, idolatry, and those who worshipped them. Otherwise, after they had possessed the land and distributed it by lot, the ungodly who remained would influence them to do evil. If that happened, then God would reverse the process and would do to Israel what He wanted done to the ungodly inhabitants of the land of Canaan.
Lists of names and places usually serve a specific purpose. This list isn’t just about learning geography but about reminding us of God’s guidance, leadership, and provision for His people. Without Him, they wouldn’t have survived. The same God who provided for His people then also provides for us now. He leads, guides, and supplies us for His service according to His divine plan and purpose.
There is truly no way for light and darkness to coexist. All you would have is dim twilight. Similarly, right and wrong cannot coexist; all that remains is an ineffective compromise. The power of Satan cannot coexist with the power of God because one embodies complete evil, while the other represents the epitome of goodness, righteousness, and holiness. For those who are of God, we cannot serve two masters. Anyone who tries will fail, regardless of who they are or what they attempt. We must dedicate ourselves to righteousness and godliness, even if those around us criticize, compromise, and complain, accusing us of being unreasonable for not allowing sin even the smallest leeway.
People who do not read the Bible or who just skim its pages are often angered by Israel’s right to possess the land God promised. They believe God is unfair to the people who live there from time to time. People who pay taxes, rent, buy and sell land, and fight wars to defend what they claim is theirs are annoyed by the Israelis reclaiming their land. There were tribes that lived on the land God promised Abraham for four hundred years, and by His grace, He allowed them to stay there for long periods.
The idolatrous people who have been allowed to use God’s land have polluted it with the wickedness of their lifestyle and religious idolatry. They do not tend to the land properly and leave it in a mess wherever they live. There is a clear difference between the land that has been reclaimed and well-maintained by the Israelis and the land used by those of “other tribes.”
Abusing privileges can persist for a long time, leading people to develop a mindset that “anything goes” because I am satisfied. However, this is not acceptable in stewardship, leasing, or rentals, even with fairly compassionate landlords. God has demonstrated His grace for thousands of years toward people who have misused the property He gave to His chosen earthly people, the Jews. It is only by God’s grace that they have survived, but God is longsuffering and not willing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to the knowledge of the truth.
God’s timing of events differs greatly from that of humans. Some people say that “possession is nine-tenths of the law,” but a judge won’t use that as a reason to excuse a thief or robber. The thief may “possess” what he stole, but that doesn’t mean it’s his. In the case of Israel, the original owner was God. The fact that Israel reclaimed the land given to them by the Original Owner bothers those who don’t believe that God created the heavens and the earth.
The path I have traveled and where I am headed are important for me to consider. As each day passes, clear evidence shows that I am getting closer to the end of this journey. God has been working in every situation over the years to prepare me for what lies ahead. The record I keep helps me remember all the things I did and what He said to me. Sometimes, what I did was not what God wanted, but what pleased me. Later, as I learned from my mistakes, I realized what should have been done if I had been more careful. God keeps a record, and it’s helpful if I don’t let things go unnoticed. If I kept a record, it would help me stay on track, and my work would have more power.
The walk of my life from one place to another is a chronicle of God’s grace at work on my behalf. There were some incidents I learned from and some people I met in distant places when, as a pilgrim, I moved from one location to the next. An account of these events provides a perspective that is necessary to understand the bigger picture of what the Lord is doing, as well as offering lessons I need to heed in the work I am called to do. At the same time, it may be within the words that are recorded that I will realize why I failed in some important responsibilities.
Spiritual progress is difficult to measure because our records often favor ourselves. Over time, living with the awareness that our actions will be judged motivates us to be faithful in all aspects of life, honoring our Lord. He has guided us each day, every mile of the way, and we will be thankful when we reach the end. Miracles have occurred that still amaze me, even though many mundane moments did not seem very significant. Often, my walk with the Lord in darkness made the good things that happened seem even brighter, so that the record remains in my mind as memories unfold like a story waiting to be written. It truly is a mental account of how He led me—a record of His grace.
The thoughts and words about the journey of life, at times, don’t seem so important. Reflecting on the past and how God has worked in my life genuinely impacts how I live. If possible, I pray I may bring some glory to my Lord. In the record of life, I wonder how much has truly been for God’s glory alone. I will be glad to compare God’s record and mine when, finally, I reach heaven and home.