Feb 19: Numbers 24:1 – 26:34
So Balaam
continues with his prophecies, and when he saw that God was pleased when he
blessed the Israelites, he did so again. I imagine this was the only time he
got reinforcement for his prophecies other than when he told others what they
wanted to hear!
While the
Israelites are waiting for permission to pass, it appears that many of the men
were seduced by Moabite and Midianite women. This kicked off another huge
plague which was stopped by the actions of Phineahas, son of Eleazor the head
priest.
Some
background – the Moabites are the nation that descended from the son of Lot and
his oldest daughter (remember, she seduced him in a cave after Sodom and
Gomorrah were destroyed). The Midianites hail from the fourth son of Abraham
and his second wife, Keturah. Moses’ wife and father-in-law were Midianites.
Then we get
into the second census of men who were of fighting age. In general it is hard
for me to read through these genealogies and census numbers, so I like to look
for interesting facts that are hidden among them. The history of Reuben’s clan
again reminds us of the rebellion against Moses, and in the descendants of
Judah we are reminded of Er and Onan, Tamar’s first and second husbands. It is
also interesting to look for names that show up later in the genealogy of
Jesus. Perez (verse 26:20) is listed in both genealogies of Jesus (Mt 1:3 and
Lk 3:33).
How far back
can you trace your ancestors?
TOMORROW’S
TEXT: Numbers 26:35-28:31
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment