Day #69

Sermon - Audio
Num 35-36 - Audio
Num 35-36 - Daily Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

35

Background - Analysts have been in general agreement that this section belongs to the priestly material in the book of Numbers. The section bears obvious witness to the priestly view of the Levites, and makes further provision for their support. The Levites have no territorial possession in Israel, and Deut 18:6 makes it clear that they were scattered among various Israelite tribes (WBC-OT).

v1-v8 = Cities for the Levites. After the censuses for the secular tribes always come the censuses of the Levites (chs. 1–3; 26). The second census was for determining the size of the tribes so as to give them an appropriately sized territory. But the Levites were expressly excluded from inheriting land (26:52–62). Nevertheless, they had to live somewhere and needed land to graze the livestock they received in tithes from the other tribes. Arrangements for the other tribes were discussed in 34:16–29, so now the Levites’ needs are broached. Basically the Levites are assigned 48 cities (in reality, little villages) and their immediately surrounding grazing land. The grazing land stretched for a thousand cubits (500 yards [457 m]) from the city wall (35:4). This meant that if the “city” was very small, the grazing lands would stretch two thousand cubits in each direction (v. 5). Commentators assume that in the case of larger settlements, the pasturelands would still stretch 1,000 cubits outward from the city wall, but overall the total size of the settlement would be bigger. Among the Levitical cities are six cities of refuge, whose function is described in vv. 9–34. Forty-two other cities of refuge had to be chosen elsewhere, to make a total of 48. Big tribes had to have more Levitical cities, and small tribes had to have fewer cities (v. 8). Joshua 21 reports the fulfillment of this command, but most tribes ended up with four Levitical cities each (ESVSB).

v8 - It's interesting to think about the Levites being pretty much evenly distributed through the land. I wonder if this is because God wanted people that are "set apart" to spread around His people, much like Christians are called to spread around the world and help restore every area for Him...Just a thought.

v9-v15 - 6 of the 48 Levitical towns would serve as an asylum for anyone who murdered someone unintentionally (involuntary manslaughter). City elders assessed each case individually to determine the nature and cause of the victim’s death. The killer’s guilt was atoned only through the death of the high priest, so the killer was obliged to remain inside the city until the high priest died. This was only for unintentional murder. If we remember in Genesis 9:6, "Whoever shed’s man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God, God made man."

v13-v14
1. Joshua 20:7-8 records the actual choice of the cities.
2. Deuteronomy 19:3 talks about the roads/structure built to them.

v16-v28 = There needed to be a differentiation between murder and killing. Intentional death and unintentional death needed to be sorted out. There are various distinctions given here including the type of weapon used and the intent of their heart in the action that caused the death. A congregation would choose between the "murderer" and the "avenger"(person sent from the family in which the death took place who would avenge or "redeem" by killing the other person.) If the congregation found that person not guilty of murder they would be safe inside these cities of refuge, but not outside of them until the high priest past on. Once the high priest died his trespasses are no longer held against him.

Hebrews 6:17-20 = "So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

Thoughts

1. Jesus is our high priest who has gone before us and payed the price for our sins. As sinners and broken people we run to the promises found in Jesus Christ and hold fast to the hope that is set before us, not just in the future, but as we live now in the mission of reconciliation.

2. The city walls are the only protection these people have. The psalmists use various language like "refuge," "city," and "protection/help." God is our only refuge.

v29-v34 = More than 1 person was needed in order to convict someone of murder. If someone was convicted of an intentional murder their life would be required. No ransom would be paid, maybe because God wanted people to know that money could not replace a life. Justice required a life. This is again a look back at Gen 9:5-6

v33-v35 = The notion that bloodshed and other transgressions pollute the land, thereby endangering its inhabitants with divine wrath, is common in the Bible (see Gen. 4:10–12; Lev. 18:28; 2 Sam. 21:1–14; Ezek. 36:17–19; Hos. 4:2–3). (JSB) The notion that bloodshed and other transgressions pollute the land, thereby endangering its inhabitants with divine wrath, is common in the Bible (see Gen. 4:10–12; Lev. 18:28; 2 Sam. 21:1–14; Ezek. 36:17–19; Hos. 4:2–3). (ASB)

36

Background - This set of passages is returning back to Numbers 27:1-11 where the daughters of Zelophehad were concerned that their father’s inheritance would vanish, because there were no sons in their family.

v5-12 = Women could marry whom they pleased and their property rights would be retained, as were the men’s, within the boundaries of the tribe so long as they married within the clans of the tribe. They could marry outside the tribe, but in that case they would forfeit their property rights. The conclusion upholds Zelophehad’s daughters as examples of faithfulness to the Lord’s instruction; when they married they “did as the LORD commanded.” (ASB)

v13 = Numbers ends with Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, at Jericho...ready to claim their inheritance!