Numbers chapter 33 begins with a rapid-fire
history of the nation of Israel from the time they left Egypt. What
a great reminder, sometimes you have to look back to see how far you
have come! As we march through the normal toil of our day it is so
easy to lose sight of the successes along the way. If you are
feeling spiritually stagnant, perhaps it is time to look back in
preparation for your next step of faith? The chapter begins, “Here
are the stages of the journey of the Israelites… out of Egypt“.
Moses noted the day the journey begins and the location of their
captivity, “The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth
day of the first month… they marched boldly in full view of all the
Egyptians, who were burying their firstborn… for the Lord had
bought judgment on their gods.” Each of us should be able to
pinpoint a moment in time when our Christian walk began. Is there a
time when you walked away from death to life in Christ? The
Christian life always begins with a ‘yes’.
The
chapter lists Israel’s progress from camp to camp, “The
Israelites left Rameses and camped at Succoth. They left Succoth and
camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert.”
With few exceptions there are no details given, only the names of
the places they camped, but the names themselves were descriptive of
God’s work at each location. Always look back with an emphasis on
God’s Word, “Faith
comes by hearing, and by the word of Christ”
(Romans 10:17). Some of the segments in Israel’s journey lasted a
few days, while others lasted for years. Your journey may cover a
few weeks or a few decades; you may have traveled the world, or never
left home. Nonetheless, every event in your life has been a time of
preparation for what lies ahead. “He
who began a good work in you will carry It on to completion until the
day of Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 1:6)
After
remembering God’s faithfulness, the nation is told, “When
you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of
the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast
idols, and demolish all their high places. Take possession of the
land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.”
But this command comes with a warning, “If
you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to
remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They
will give you trouble.”
It is when we follow God half-heartedly that we get into trouble.
The chapter ends with an ominous warning, “And
then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.”
Thankfully for believers, our battle has already been fought! “Let
us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to
Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that
was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is
seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
(Hebrews 12:1-2). Amen.