Numbers 34 - 26

Preparing To Inherit
Note: We complete our reading of Numbers today.  This is four books out of sixty-six to be read.
Numbers ends in a non-dramatic fashion which is not surprising considering the overall message and tone of this book.  It is a book of counting, of planning, of reiterating the details of the law, and of preparing a wandering people to become a ruling people.

In chapter 34, leaders from every tribe are appointed to manage the distribution of land. In 35, the Levites are granted cities and land for grazing from each tribe proportional to the tribe's size.  The "cities of refuge" are discussed providing a safe haven for those who accidentally kill another person.

While murder must be avenged by the death of the murderer at the hand of the avenger, accidental death is exempt from this judgement.  The cities of refuge provided a safe-haven for those who needed it.  The law concerning these cities provided a way for the person responsible for the death to return back to their land. In a society based on "in-kind" and retaliatory judgment, the Lord provides a way for people to cool off and consider the facts.

Finally, in chapter 36, the concept of women's inheritance is revisited.  This allowed women who, through unfortunate circumstances, had no male relatives through whom they could stake their inheritance of land. The Lord graciously provides a ruling for this situation allowing a woman in these circumstances to still be part of the inheritance and distribution of land in Canaan.

May God bless you and bless the reading of His Word.