In today’s readings we see the Lord’s plans for borders for the Israelites in their new land and the enactment of a just legal system that included 6 cities of refuge. Be blessed as you keep seeking Him.
Numbers 34: Boundaries of the Land
1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Command the people of Israel, and say to them, When you enter the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan as defined by its borders),
3 your south side shall be from the wilderness of Zin alongside Edom, and your southern border shall run from the end of the Salt Sea on the east.
4 And your border shall turn south of the ascent of Akrabbim, and cross to Zin, and its limit shall be south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it shall go on to Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon.
5 And the border shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and its limit shall be at the sea.
6 "For the western border, you shall have the Great Sea and its coast. This shall be your western border.
7 "This shall be your northern border: from the Great Sea you shall draw a line to Mount Hor.
8 From Mount Hor you shall draw a line to Lebo-hamath, and the limit of the border shall be at Zedad.
9 Then the border shall extend to Ziphron, and its limit shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern border.
10 "You shall draw a line for your eastern border from Hazar-enan to Shepham.
11 And the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain. And the border shall go down and reach to the shoulder of the Sea of Chinnereth on the east.
12 And the border shall go down to the Jordan, and its limit shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land as defined by its borders all around."
13 Moses commanded the people of Israel, saying, "This is the land that you shall inherit by lot, which the LORD has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe.
14 For the tribe of the people of Reuben by fathers' houses and the tribe of the people of Gad by their fathers' houses have received their inheritance, and also the half-tribe of Manasseh.
15 The two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, toward the sunrise."
List of Tribal Chiefs
16 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
17 "These are the names of the men who shall divide the land to you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun.
18 You shall take one chief from every tribe to divide the land for inheritance.
19 These are the names of the men: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
20 Of the tribe of the people of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.
21 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.
22 Of the tribe of the people of Dan a chief, Bukki the son of Jogli.
23 Of the people of Joseph: of the tribe of the people of Manasseh a chief, Hanniel the son of Ephod.
24 And of the tribe of the people of Ephraim a chief, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.
25 Of the tribe of the people of Zebulun a chief, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.
26 Of the tribe of the people of Issachar a chief, Paltiel the son of Azzan.
27 And of the tribe of the people of Asher a chief, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.
28 Of the tribe of the people of Naphtali a chief, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.
29 These are the men whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance for the people of Israel in the land of Canaan."
Numbers 35: Cities for the Levites
1 The LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
2 "Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites some of the inheritance of their possession as cities for them to dwell in. And you shall give to the Levites pasturelands around the cities.
3 The cities shall be theirs to dwell in, and their pasturelands shall be for their cattle and for their livestock and for all their beasts.
4 The pasturelands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around.
5 And you shall measure, outside the city, on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the middle. This shall belong to them as pastureland for their cities.
6 "The cities that you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee, and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities.
7 All the cities that you give to the Levites shall be forty-eight, with their pasturelands.
8 And as for the cities that you shall give from the possession of the people of Israel, from the larger tribes you shall take many, and from the smaller tribes you shall take few; each, in proportion to the inheritance that it inherits, shall give of its cities to the Levites."
Cities of Refuge
9 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
10 "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11 then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there.
12 The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
13 And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge.
14 You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge.
15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.
16 "But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
17 And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
18 Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
19 The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
20 And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, lying in wait, so that he died,
21 or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
22 "But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait
23 or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm,
24 then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules.
25 And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled,
27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood.
28 For he must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest, but after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession.
29 And these things shall be for a statute and rule for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
30 "If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.
31 Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death.
32 And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest.
33 You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.
34 You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel."
Things to think about…
1. In Numbers 34:1-15 shows the boundary of Israel. Many modern Israelis are trying to defend their right to reclaim the land that the Lord has allocated for them. Parts of it are divided between Palestinian and Muslim groups. Israeli Prime Ministers are very keen to see the ancient borders established under Israel, a great challenge no-one denies. Christ is the one who will ultimately establish these borders as declared in Ezekiel 47:13 - 48, and Revelation 7:1-8, 14:1-5, when he returns to the earth.
2. The leaders listed are called by God to lead His people, Num 35:16-29. These men were heads of their tribes and were called out to lead their perspective tribes into the Promised Land. Imagine the strength of character and fearlessness that would have been required by these guys. They were really signing up for many years of warfare until the land was settled. Christian leaders should be endowed with the same Spirit. While Christ has won the war, the battles rage – hence the need for armour, Eph 6. Unfortunately the heat of the battle is rarely recognised and hence many modern leaders get discouraged in the fight. Pray for the Holy Spirit to inspire and encourage Christian leaders in this generation.
3. The Levites were not only those who were required to keep the law of the Lord, they were also required to keep the law of the land and as such were given an inheritance around the ‘cities of refuge’ that were to be allocated in the land of Canaan, Num 35:1-9. This was clearly a theocracy. Can theocracies work in our modern day? They don’t seem to. How much do we separate ‘Church and State’? Should Christian laws be wrapped up in a secular legal system? Can morality/should morality be legislated? They worked for ancient Israel and were commanded to be so. Modern Israel is attempting to keep the ancient laws and try to make them work. Obviously Christ is the solution as the Saviour. The cross and the gospel are Israel’s only hope.
4. We see the provision of the ‘Cities of Refuge’ in Num 35:9-34. This type of justice system is unheard of anywhere else in any other ancient near eastern culture. This type of legal system shows justice as well as mercy and grace. These are true attributes of God. Christ is our ‘City of Refuge’ from the ‘Avenger of Blood’. Christ perfectly fills this role against the requirements of a holy God against sin. He became sin, who knew no sin, that we might become His righteousness! In our day churches should reflect a city of refuge by being places of healing, hope, peace and truth. What a tragedy when this witness is not shown. I thank God we have a good measure of Christ’s hope and healing at CBC.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Title was “The highs and lows of the Judean kingdom” from 2 Chronicles 36:14-21
1. Andrew Otte mentioned all the good, the bad and the worst kings of Juda listed in 2 Chronicles 26-36. Do remember who was mentioned as good and bad kings? Who was the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) and why?
2. Isaiah the prophet was mentioned in the message and had 3 sons. What were their names and why was King Ahaz fearful? How was this significant to the GOAT – Hezekiah and what he showed to the Babylonians and our reading in 2 Chr 36. How was Isaiah’s second son “Immanuel” mentioned in Isa 7:14 significant?
3. Andrew mentioned the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal. Billy Graham was asked to give a comment at the time. What was his comment and how is it relevant to us? Even the best of us have issues, comment on this.
4. Pray for our new government, that the gospel and churches are made stronger. Pray for Ukraine and other issues within the group.
Prayer Points
1. Continue to pray for wisdom with gun ownership in the US w.r.t the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Elementary school 21 dead. 19 students, 2 adults. No words for this horror.
2. Our new Albanese government. That the Lord would be merciful. We need it with the spiritual change that has been happening in Australia.
3. Peace to rest over Ukraine.
4. Continue to pray for the flood clean-up as well as the money donated to help.
5. Folk sick with Covid – relief and healing.
6. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
7. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Andrew Otte’s message on Sunday
2. Worship on Sunday – thankyou Josh, Ben, iMan, Tim.
3. All those who faithfully serve in ministries, Worship, Sound/Technical/Kids Church/ Cell Groups/Admin - Bulletins/Finances/Property/Welcoming/Spiritual Leadership/Cafe
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Remember to check your duty rosters.
2. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
3. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism question for June...
Q. 4. What becomes of men when they die? A. The body returns to dust, and the soul goes back to God to be judged.
