Take the possession of the land and settle in in (Num 33)

Take possession of the land and settle in it

Numbers 33-36

Key verse - Numbers 33:51-53 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: '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.”

Introduction:

This is the last lesson for the book of Numbers. Congratulations to you all for finishing the study of this book! The teachings on these last chapters mark the end of Israel’s long journey of hope, which was envisioned from the time of their Exodus and continued on through their life in the wilderness for forty years until they finally arrived at the time and place of their goal’s fulfillment, the ultimate and final goal for their wellbeing. Furthermore, this land would be the forever site of their kingdom, enabling them to live, generation after generation, in the Lord’s true and abundant blessing. As they were filled with this hope, God addresses three fundamental things that Israel needed to do as their settlement in the land of His blessings became certain.

First, looking back on the events of Israel’s journey as living truth, they were  supposed to review and remember how the relationship between them and God needed to be kept alive throughout this journey, specifically noting how God had endured with Israel and expressed fully what He liked, what He disliked, and what His expectations were for His people (ch. 33).

Next, looking forward to what still needed to be done: a. they must occupy the entire territory that God was giving them as their inheritance, implying that they would have to drive out all of the inhabitants of this area, so that only the loving and trusting relationship between them and God may be exclusive (ch. 34); b. God was their king and He would rule the land through the Law of the Covenant, as administered by the high priests and Levites, who were charged with upholding His commanding principles, so the Israelite people must be holy as He, the Lord of holiness, resided among them; c. the most important commandment for Israel to obey was for them not to defile the land with bloodshed for God was dwelling among them (ch. 35); c. the inheritance of this blessed land would be given personally to a clan or tribe from the Lord and this inheritance would be retained forever by the ones to whom God gave it. No human weaknesses, sins, or manipulation would alter Israel’s possession of the land (ch. 36). In this message, I will discuss only the first part, looking back on the history of their journey (ch. 33).

A.     Record the stages of the journey (Numbers 33:1-2)

This journey started at Ramses in Egypt, Israel’s birthplace as a nation; however, this was not their land, but the Egyptians’. Instead, God offered them a permanent place, the land of His blessing. So, under God’s leadership, they left Ramses and moved on towards this promised land. Over the next forty years, they moved and camped in many different places, as God led them. Whenever the column of cloud lifted up from the tabernacle, they must pack up and follow as God guided them. The camps were set up for as short as one night or a week, or for as long as months and even years. The places they went were mostly uninhabitable or unsuitable for long-term habitation. From this journey’s outset, God had planted in them a hope for a land, which was flowing with mild and honey, a land richly blessed by Him. By this time, Israel had finished all of the matters concerning the eastern region of the Jordan and the Moabite plains, including the Midianites who enticed Israel to sin. Now that all things on the east side of the river were completed, they were ready to enter the land west of the Jordan river and conquer it. Before conquering the land, God commanded Israel to do this:

“Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. At the LORD's command Moses recorded the stages in their journey. This is their journey by stages:” (Numbers 33:1).

Israel’s journey began with God’s mighty deliverance from the yoke of Egypt and continued by His command.

“At the LORD's command they encamped, and at the LORD's command they set out. They obeyed the LORD's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.” (Numbers 9:23).

God led Israel from one camp to another with a clear purpose, which became prominent throughout their journey and can be recognized in each stage. So, before their final move, that purpose must be discerned, recognized, and accepted in each of their hearts. Before we examine each of these stages, it’s good to determine what God meant by commanding Moses to record ‘the stages of their journey’. 

When we talk about a ‘stage of a journey,’ we think about two things; first, we usually divide the entire journey into blocks of time and/or places, and second, stages have the idea of the progression of something. This means that God did something distinctive during each stage, but also each stage progressively moves on into the next stage toward an ultimate goal as they moved from one block of time or place to the next. What was the ultimate goal? As we noted, the ultimate goal was for them to enter the land of God’s promise and to establish His kingdom. Then the progress was of what and in what aspect? Obviously, this was not about God, but about Israel, their progress in their relationship with the Lord, and their ability to conform to God’s will, grow to be able to carry out the final goal, and to drive out all of the pagan inhabitants of the land God had promised. So the entire journey must be assessed in light of these two aspects: Israel’s ability to conform to God’s will and their readiness to conquer the land.

B.      The six stages of Israel’s journey (Numbers 33:3-48)

Let’s look at the first stage (Stage I) (v3-10). In this stage, the Israelites camped seven times, including their first camp site at Ramses. Their last camp was by the Red Sea. Three things mark this stage. First, God chose the first two camp sites in order that Israel might not face any wars against any other nations while they were on the road to the land of His blessing.

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." (Exodus 13:17).

God’s primary goal was for Israel to avoid facing any enemies on the road so that they would not change their mind on their way to the land of His blessing. This will spoke of two things: this was the only way to the promised land and their hearts were not quite ready and hopeful for the land of His blessing. God’s choice of the next two camps was also in line with this purpose. These two camps were chosen in order to elude the Egyptian army so that His people might completely destroy their enemies. Eventually, God buried the mighty Egyptian army under the water of the Red Sea. When all of the surrounding kingdoms noticed this, no kings dared to pursue them. In this way, God provided an environment for them whereby only an exclusive relationship between Him and Israel might be possible. This was the second purpose of the first stage of their journey.

Some have called this a honeymoon period between God and Israel. God loved Israel, who was like an estranged wife, despite her unwillingness to wholly trust in Him. After all, the purpose for this was clear: so that God might focus His attention on Israel and they might give Him their undivided attention as their God, listening and complying with His directions and words. This exclusive relationship continued until Israel was ready to move forward to conquer the Promised Land [with the minor exception of the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-16), just before she arrived at Mount Horeb. This encounter is very interesting and meaningful for us in order to understand how much strength Israel had and how she handled the n enemy forces, particularly in comparison to the war in which they engaged at the end of this journey, when they were pretty much ready to fight the battle (Numbers 21:1-3, 21-35). Other than this, this was a honeymoon period between Israel and God.] The next two camp sites (v8-10) were places of God’s testing for Israel, so that they might learn how God would operate among them on this journey. At Mara, they became so thirsty, but the water they found was bitter. So, they grumbled and God said this:

“He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”” (Exodus 15:26).

Likewise, at the outset of Israel’s journey, God instructed them regarding the principle of living life in and with His presence. This was the third purpose of this stage of their journey. Also, we must not fail to notice that God reiterated this principle again in Numbers 33:54-55, as the Israelites were finishing the six stages of their training and discipline. What does this tell us? God wanted His people to uphold this principle of life; “listen to the words of God carefully and do what is right in his eyes” must be the commanding principle of their life with the Lord.

C.      Stages II-VI

As shown in the first stage of this journey, the entire recording of the location of Israel’s camps is a list of six sets of seven places where they stopped, totaling forty-two campsites. Here, we will look at the rest of the stages (II-VI).

The second stage (v11-18) is marked by the ratification of the covenant between God and Israel. Also, Israel faced four troubles, two before the covenant was given and two afterwards. The troubles they faced before they received the covenant are similar in nature to the troubles they experienced after God had imparted it to them. Yet, God’s response was totally different.

In the desert of Sin, the Israelites ran out of food and said this:

“The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."” (Exodus 16:3 NIV).

Here, they faced the very serious situation of possibly starving to death. God did not say anything against them, but provided them with manna and quail to eat. Through their years in the wilderness, God always provided them with manna to sustain their lives.

Not long after this, at Rephidim, they suffered from thirst, because they did not have water. At this time, they again complained:

“But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?"” (Exodus 17:3 NIV).

They were so serious about facing this death threat that they were even willing to stone Moses. However, God, without any rebuke for His people, provided them with water from a rock at Horeb. This place was called Massah (testing) and Maribah (quarreling).

God gave them the Ten Commandments and directed Moses to set up a tabernacle where He would reside among His people. God came down in a pillar of cloud upon the tabernacle. In this way, His presence among them became real. After setting up the camp according to the Law of the Covenant, Israel set off toward the land of God’s promise;

however, as they were traveling, they complained about the hardships they face while living in the desert. Immediately, God brought fire down on them and some died. This was shockingly different from how God had dealt with Israel before the covenant was ratified. Even after this, however, they again complained about their food:

“We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost-- also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!"... Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents.” (Numbers 11:5-6, 10).

The LORD became exceedingly angry with them. After consecrating them, He came down personally to speak with Moses. He sent many quails on the east wind and covered the ground with them, two cubits deep. The entire nation of Israel could eat quail meat for more than a month; some of them ate so much that they died of a plague. In this way, God showed His power and ability to feed His people as much or even far more than they could consume. His message on this was clear; He subjected them to thirst, hunger, and tasteless food, not because He could not feed them well, but so that they might know that He was the giver and sustainer of their lives.

Also, this stage of Israel’s journey was marked by their first rebellion. Miriam and Aaron challenged Moses’ authority, because they felt that Moses was only subjecting the Israelites to hardships. Therefore, God punished Miriam with leprosy.  

The third and fourth stages of Israel’s journey (v18-32) are bundled together for our discussion, because there is no clear distinction transitioning from stage III to stage IV. These fourteen camps’ location cannot be identified and most of the names listed only appear here. In these stages, two rebellions of unbelief occurred. These stages spanned over thirty-eight years, the longest of all the stages.

Israel’s first rebellion came after they received the report from the twelve spies who had explored the land of God’s blessing. Ten of them gave a pessimistic outlook because of their fear of the mighty Canaanites. The entire nation of Israel joined with these ten men in their fear and rebelled against the Lord. Even though Joshua and Caleb tried to persuade them that, since God was with them, they could defeat the enemies, the whole crowd was about to stone them. God became so furious with them and said this:

“The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?” (Numbers 14:11 NIV).

God was about to destroy them all and create a new greater and stronger nation out of Moses’ descendants. However, with Moses’ plea, He relented on this decision and said:

“The LORD replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times--not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.”” (Numbers 14:20-23 NIV).

God made it clear that, when one does not give full credit to the Lord as he is able, they could not enter the land of His blessing. So those who were twenty years-old or older would die in the desert.

Though there is no way to determine this with certainty, it seems that fourteen camp sites were the ones established during the forty-year period of wandering in the desert. The second major rebellion occurred while the Israelites were roaming in the desert. Korah and all of the other tribal leaders joined together to take over the nation’s leadership, i.e. overthrowing Aaron and Moses. Because of this, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up Korah and his family, and all of the two hundred and fifty leaders were burned to death. After this, the entire nation rose up to grumble against Aaron and Moses for killing all of their leaders. Therefore, God sent a plague and many people died, until Aaron offered incense as atonement. This rebellion was the most extensive one and ended with the highest number of deaths, 14,700 people. What was the root of this rebellion? It was a loss of hope for life, and, ultimately, the Israelite people were unable to bear the hardships of wandering in the desert; they challenged God’s authority, and they all died until atonement was made for them.

The fifth stage of Israel’s journey was marked by a simultaneous failure of both the second generation and Moses. This was preceded by Miriam’s death, and followed by Aaron’s death; also, for the first time in a long time, Israel had defeated a king, King Arad.

At the Desert of Zin, in the first month of Israel’s  fortieth year in the desert, Miriam died. From this period on, the second generation became the focus; however, this generation also made similar complaints about lacking water, as their fathers had.

“They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD!...Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!"” (Numbers 20:3, 5 NIV).

Their attitude toward Moses and in handling the problem of a lack of water and food were the same as what their fathers had faced. Despite so many experiences from their past, this second generation was not much different as far as their response to a shortage of water and food. Such shortages are a matter of life and death. With impending death in view, there was no warrior; this generation also complained.

Having seen the same complaints so many times before, Moses became tired of such grumblings and became angry with them. Out of his angry, he struck a rock twice, instead of speaking to it as God had commanded him to do. God faulted him for his dishonoring of His word. This was another form of rebellion against God’s authority. Moses, the receiver of God’s Law, the one who had seen His glory better than any other man on earth, still failed to honor the Lord. So this stage of Israel’s journey was marked by events that speak of the truth that no one can honor the Lord as much as he is worthy among all of Israel.  

As for defeating King Arad, we will discuss this event together with Israel’s dealing with Og, Sihon, and the Moabites at the end of our study.

The sixth stage begins with a usual complaint from the second generation of Israelites concerning food and water.

“They spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"” (Numbers 21:5 NIV).

At this time, God did not listen to them or provide them with any food or water; instead, God sent them venomous snakes that bit them, and many people died or were dying. At this time, they admitted for the first time that they were wrong and asked for God’s mercy.

“The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us."” (Numbers 21:7).

This was an amazing development in Israel’s attitude toward the problem that they could not overcome, even with their best efforts. They admitted their wrongs (sins) and asked for God’s mercy; then God provided them with a bronze snake, so that anyone who looked up at it, might be healed. As they were, they were surely dying, but God provided them with a solution:

“So Moses prayed for the people. The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.” (Numbers 21:7 NIV).

The Israelite people only needed to act in faith in God’s word (by looking at the bronze snake) in order to be healed. In this way, for the first time, God provided them with a concrete way in which to express their belief in Him and be cured from impending death by the snakes’ venom. They were not given water or food at all during this time, and they did not find any for quite some time (at a place near Mount Hor, passing Arnon, and then towards Beer - 21:10-18). However, they survived because they gazed upon the bronze snake. It looked as if a shortage of water and food were causes of impending death, But, in essence, Israel was complaining because of their unbelief in the Lord as the Lord of their life. Their mind was bound by the desires of the mortal body, which they felt dying from the snakes’ venom. God saved them repeatedly by providing water and food out of nowhere, even from a rock or from the sky. Nevertheless, they fell under the same power of fear and death again and again; they did not see God as the God of life. Here, for the first time, they came to trust Him and His provision for life - the bronze snake. So, the bronze snake speaks of one thing: God provided a cure for their life, which was dying because of the venomous snakes.

This made a new beginning, wherein Israel intimately knew the joy and victory that comes from repentance and belief in God’s mercy. This bronze snake incident was followed by three songs of joy and their victory over two pagan kings. In other words, it is likely that the bronze snake incident was the source of their renewed spirit because this was the first time they had truly believed the Lord, which brought them such new joy and led even to their victories over the two pagan kings.

Stage	Events	Summary
I (v3-10)	1.      Destruction of Egyptian army 2.      No drinking water - Mara incident	God’s formation of an environment conducive to an intimate relationship with Israel; Warned them against disobedience
II (11-17)	1.      Food shortage — Israel given manna 2.      Water shortage – water from a rock 3.      Ratification of the Sinai Covenant 4.      Complaints of hardship -- Burned by fire 5.      Need for meat — two cubits of quail, followed by a plague 6.      Miriam and Aaron’s rebellion	God began to implement the covenant’s full power
III (18-25)	1.      Rebellion at Kadesh Barnea 2.      Korah’s rebellion	No hope and many hardships; two major rebellions
IV (26-32)
V (33-41)	1.      Miriam’s death 2.      No water — Moses’ failure to honor God  3.      Aaron’s death	The death of the first generation and the beginning of the second generation; Moses’ rebellion
VI (42-48)	1.      No water and food - venomous snakes sent as punishment 2.      Three songs of joy 3.      Defeat of Sihon and Og 4.      Israel falls to Moab’s seduction - twenty-four thousand died 5.      Destroying Moab	Second generation rebels God provides forgiveness through a bronze snake Israel defeats  three pagan kings

(These six stages are noted by Wenham and was quoted by Dennis Cole in his Commentary on the book of Numbers in his NAC series). Since these are considered to be six separate stages, and, in the last stage (the sixth stage), Israel’s journey was yet unfinished, there must be another stage, i.e. a seventh stage. Certainly, this should be the final stage, consisting of them conquering and taking possession of the land. The entire period from the Exodus to the plain of Moab was seen as a period of preparation for God’s people, so that they might have an ‘everlasting relationship with God in the Land of His blessing’. So, knowing, in addition to learning what happened during each of these stages, along with their significance in regards to Israel’s relationship with the Lord, serves as the stepping stone for what the Israelite people were about to do, move on to the seventh stage. Also, being the final stage, this was also the place and time of their eternal relationship with the Lord.

D.     God’s purpose for His people

As we reviewed the events of each of the journey stages, there are two prominent findings that stand out.

First, the prominent finding in these journeys was that Israel faced problems from a lack of water and food five times (once  in each of the first, fifth, and sixth stages and twice in the second stage). It is more accurate to say that God subjected Israel to such an environment where there was not much water or food. They could not overcome these difficulties on their own, and they felt that their lives were constantly threatened by such a lack of basic necessities. This fear never subsided or waned, causing them to repeatedly complain to Moses and God; why did you bring us here to let us die? This fear was real and they were pushed beyond their ability to endure. More often, this period is compared to that of Jesus’ temptation by Satan after his forty days of fasting. Fasting for so long will surely tip the balance of one’s life towards impending death. Likewise, Israel was pushed to that threshold of life again and again. God repeatedly gave them what they needed - water and food out of nowhere - by His mighty power. Even though these experiences were still fresh in their memories, they still fell into the same trap of unbelief and complaints. God wanted to give them one message, that water and food would not sustain their lives, but He would; He was the source of their life and, as long as they were doing well in trusting Him, God would have no problem in sustaining them. God ultimately wanted them to trust Him as their source of life. In addition to this, by subjecting them to the frailty of the human body, God forced them to look for new life in a new body that would not suffer such weaknesses as total dependence on what they ate from the earth.

The next prominent event was Israel’s rebellions, both their rebellion against their leader, and eventually against God. The rebellion occurred once in the second stage of their journey, twice in the third and fourth stages, and once in the fifth stage, a total of four times. All of Israel, including Miriam, Aaron, and even Moses at one point, participated in these rebellions. There was one exception; only Caleb and Joshua, who had trusted that God would be able to give them the Promised Land, did not participate in any of these rebellions. Two major rebellions are worthy to note; they occurred in the third and fourth stages of Israel’s journey, i.e. before and during the time they spent wandering in the desert as punishment because God ruled that all those who did not trust Him could not enter the Promised Land. On these two occasions, virtually all of Israel rebelled and a massive number of people had to pay for their disobedience, first, anyone over the age of twenty and then 14,700 people.  Even their leaders, Miriam, Aaron, and Moses, were not exempt and had to pay with their lives for their rebellion.

What does this tell us? Even though the Bible does not pinpoint what the cause of Israel’s rebellion was, we can deduce two possible causes by considering their complaints. First, as they went through various hardships in the desert, particularly in regards to a lack of water and food, the Israelites could not enjoy their lives and could not recognize God as the source of their lives. Second, their hearts were focused on their present wellbeing, rather than the hope of a better land. Because of this, they were unable to endure any hardships. God’s promise of the Promised Land comprised of two guarantees for them; they would survive the harsh environment of the desert, no matter how terrible or threatening it might be. At the same time, they could enter and enjoy the land of God’s blessing with certainty. However, when they did not trust the Lord for one thing (i.e. the delivery of the Promised Land), they could not trust Him for another (i.e. security for their lives in the desert). Finally, their hope was shattered, and their only ‘meaning’ was found in the betterment of their current lives by alleviating any suffering. Under this desire, God’s presence among them was an immense burden, for they were commanded to be holy and to abide by God’s Law, to the very letter of His word. Korah’s reason for rebellion was significant in this regard.

“They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly?"” (Numbers 16:3 NIV).

Behind Korah, was the Levites and two hundred and fifty leaders, contending that the whole community was holy. All commands came from the Tabernacle (God) to Moses from Moses to Aaron, and from Aaron to the Levites and all the other leaders of Israel. These people were so tired of listening to and obeying the commands because they thought they were already holy! This was a gross misapprehension of God and His holiness; this was also a stark revelation of their self-righteousness, even while they were ruled by rebellious hearts. As we know from our study of later passages, Korah was eventually swallowed up by the earth, and the two hundred and fifty leaders were burned to death while they were burning incense. This pictures how and why all mankind rebel against the God of creation. 

E.      What does this teaching mean to us?

The six stages of Israel’s journey comprised of forty years in the wilderness with the Lord. It was a most valuable time for them to get to know the Lord in a more intimate setting than in any other period of human history. Yet, this ‘training and learning’ was aimed at one, final goal: to enter and possess the land of God’s blessing forever in His presence. As we learned, this all depends on one thing: how well Israel obeys the Lord and abides by the covenant. Simply put, the fulfillment of God’s plan for Israel relied on whether they fully trusted Him, even to the point of death. The faith they learned in the wilderness must be exercised in the final and ultimate stage, stage VII. God told Israel to do these three things:

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: '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. Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes.” (Numbers 33:51-54).

First, the Israelite people must drive out all of the inhabitants of the Promised Land. They were not to leave anyone behind, because this land was exclusively purposed for the kingdom of God, for Israel and the Lord, no one else.

Second, they must remove all traces of pagan worship, i.e. idols, high places, etc. In this kingdom where God resides as the king, there must not be any other gods or any cultic traces of other gods; only worship of the Lord was allowed.

Third, they were ordered to take possession of the land, distributing the lots evenly among themselves. They were to take charge of all the matters of this land in order to keep up with God’s will and purpose. In other words, they were to consciously, positively, and actively implement all of the covenant regulations to please the Lord their king. This included protecting the land from pagan invasions and preserving and upholding the Lord as their king.

This land was the ultimate place for Israel’s wellbeing, a picture of the Garden of Eden restored. Just as Israel made their journey to the entrance of the Promised Land, so also God leads our journey toward God’s kingdom. It is worthy to take note of what Israel had gone through under God’s precepts. The most compelling issue that they faced or was forced to solve was how their lives would be sustained; it is not accomplished by what we put in our mouths but by the promise that God has given us and the fact that He Himself is the source of our lives. We must be able to entrust our lives to His care, even to the point of death.

“"But 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 in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them."” (Numbers 33:55-56).

F.       God withheld His full judgment and consistently showed Israel His grace

1.      God did not bring any judgment upon Israel before the covenant’s ratification; in the first and second stages, before the covenant was established, God listened to Israel’s complaints and provided for their needs out of His grace.

2.      God also showed His grace in the case of Miriam and Aaron’s rebellion, by curbing His judgment on them, even though God punished them for their sins.

3.      There were two major rebellions in Israel’s early history, as we mentioned in stages III and IV. The first rebellion involved the entire nation, except Caleb and Joshua. At that time, God said this to Moses:

“The LORD replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked.” (Numbers 14:20).

Although everyone who twenty years-old had paid for their sins by dying in the wilderness, God still allowed them to inherit the land of His blessing, as we see in the account of Zelophad’s daughters.

The entire nation joined in the second rebellion, which was led by Korah, his associated Levites, and two hundred and fifty Israelite leaders. This revolt occurred as they showed their anger, accusing Moses and Aaron of killing the Lord’s people (Numbers 16:41), because God had sent a plague against them and many were dying. This was how God showed His mercy:

“The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense for the atonement for them. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.” (Numbers 16:47-48).

4.      God’s provision for their faith was His ultimate and final grace in this last stage.

“The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."” (Numbers 21:8).

5.      The second generation of Israelites, even though they began to trust the Lord, failed miserably in dealing with the cunning Moabites, who lured them into sexual pleasure. This was the first of such temptations for Israel. God was about to bring His full anger against His people, but instead, He said this:

“The LORD said to Moses, "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal.” (Numbers 25:10-11).

In this way, in each of Israel’s failures, God withheld His full judgment, of which they were worthy, and instead showed them His invariable grace. In other words, whenever Israel failed, God showed His grace in one way or another. The most important instance of this was when He allowed each Israelite sinner to be included in the inheritance of His land of blessing, as shown in the case of Zelophehad’s daughters.