ESV Chronological Plan, Day 61 | Numbers 34-36

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Numbers 34:1-36:13

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

According to the outline laid out on Day #52, we are in the section of Numbers that I've called "Hope" (Numbers 32-36).

This land is my land, this land is your land. On the surface of it, it seems like today we are just reading about how the land in Israel is going to be divided up. And--well, we are! But this is incredible. Think about what this represents. (1) The journey's basically over, we made it through the wilderness. The first bit of land is being settled, and the rest of the land is being portioned out, and we're even figuring out what to do if a daughter of a family inherits land and then goes and gets married to someone from a different tribe (answer: she can't). God's people made it, everyone! And in God's strength, whatever wilderness you're in the middle of, you can make it too. (2) The faithfulness of God is real. God really could have, by all rights, been done with Israel at any time in the wilderness. But he is a God who keeps steadfast, covenant love. If he did not give up on the Israelites in the wilderness, neither will he give up on his people now. (3) There's a foretaste of the Promised Land in the midst of the wilderness. Before the people are led up into the Promised Land, he gives them a little bit of inheritance in the wilderness. Before they march in to Jericho, he describes the boundaries of the land that they are about to receive. We might spend a lot of time wandering in the wilderness that we find ourselves in, and yet in that time there may be little tastes of glory. Those are reminders of God's faithfulness--a taste of what's to come.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I think seeing God's faithfulness here is a good opportunity to remember other examples of his faithfulness, and to glorify him. And in our attitude, we could emulate this kind of steadfast love for the unlovables in our life. In actions, we can take time to learn about the promises that God makes to us in his word--this is like our version of the land boundaries that God gave to Israel: we can open up the record and see where God is taking you and me.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, help me to finish up my time well in the wilderness. Help me to see ways that you are already bringing your promises to fruition. Help me to believe every promise that you have made to your people, so that my faith will increase and so that I will find my joy in you."