Year in the Bible Week 10

Punishment of Korah and the Stoning of Moses and Aaron by Sandro Boticelli (1481-1482)

Hello all!

This week’s passages were a great pleasure, even as I dealt with the flu. After the long lists of rules and requirements in Leviticus, Numbers is giving us some solid affirmation of God’s character, and some of the most comforting verses of scripture, the Numbers Blessing (Also called the Aaronic Blessing) in Num 6:24-26.

Still, there were powerful, prideful people who wished harm, and wanted more than God intended for them. The Korah disaster wasn’t just about grumbling over water, but a real rebellion against God’s word and will. The way the earth swallowed them is more terrifying than any horror movie.

We lost Aaron and Mariam this week, and we know now that none from that generation (except two) would see the promised land in their lifetimes. So this was the lot for a million Israelites. They would eat manna and wander for the rest of their lives, while God increased their numbers and their strength.

King Balak of Moab saw a million new people coming to his territory, and heard about how they dispatched the Amelekites. It’s no wonder that he reached out to Balaam to try to gain advantage. If you’re wondering why God told Balaam to go with the Moabite emissaries and then got angry and blocked the path, I’ve found two ways we might look at it. The first, most popular version is that Balaam wasn’t doing “exactly” what God said to say and do. In this case, anything that wasn’t expressly ordered was blocked by the angel, and God used the donkey to remind Balaam that he wasn’t being observant enough. A second opinion i that Balaam was still intent on cursing Israel and getting paid, and God saw his heart and blocked him. Both are valid conjectures, and I’d love to hear anything you’ve oncovered in your studies.

This week the action continues as the Moabite king works harder and harder to unhinge the advancing nation. Keep reading!