Tanak Foundations-Concepts in Numbers-Chapter 35-36

Num 35.1-34 tells us about the forty-two Levitical cities, with pasture lands around these cities for them. These pasture lands were for their cattle and herds, and for all their animals. These lands were to extend from the wall of the city outward for a thousand cubits. On the east, west, north and south sides of these cities two thousand cubits were to be measured for fields, vineyards and orchards, besides basic pasture land; and the six cities of refuge; a distinction between murder and manslaughter; the legal procedure for a case of accidental homicide and concerning murder.

v 1…Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho.

v 2…”Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance in their possession cities to live in, and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities.

v 3…And the cities shall be theirs to live in; and the paasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts.

v 4…And the pasture lands of the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits (about a half mile).

v 5…You shall also 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, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasature lands for the cities.

v 6…And the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to, and in addition to them you shall five forty-two cities (these cities will be a refuge for the “manslayer” who has killed someone unintentionally, and from the “avenger of blood” so that the manslayer doesn’t die until he can stand before a court for trial. Three cities will be on the east side of the Jordan, and three cities will be on west side).

v 7…All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, together with their pasture lands.

v 8…As for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the sons of Israel, you shall take more from the larger and you shall take less from the smaller; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his possession which he inherits.”

v 9…Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

v 10…”Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan and into the and of Canaan,

v 11…then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge (these cities will have an eschatological application as we shall soon see), that the anslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation (court) for trial.

v 13…And the cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge (six is the number of man, sin, nail or peg).

v 14…You shall give three cities across the Jordan (three is the number of resurrection) and three cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge (Josh 20.1-9 tells us where).

v 15…THese six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the alien (Ger) and for the sojourner (T’shav) among them; that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

v 16…But if he struck him down with an iron object (v 16-23 gives us the difference between unintentional manslaughter and murder), so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

v 17…And if he struck him down with a stone in his hand, by which he may die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

v 18…Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he may die, and as a result died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

v 19…The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him (but not before his case is heard and tried).

v 20…And if he pushed him of hatred or threw something at him, lying wait and as a result he died,

v 21…or if he struck him down with his hand in enmity (a motive), and as a result he died, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death, he is a murderer, the blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him (after a hearing and trial).

v 22…But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity (no motive), or threw something at him without lying in wait.

v 23…or with any deadly object or stone, and without seeing it dropped on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor seeking his injury,

v 24…then the congregation (tribunal of judges, a court) shall judge between the slayer and the blood avenger according to these ordinaces.

v v 25…And the congregation (tribunal of judges) shall deliver the manslayer from the hands of the blood avenger , and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil (The manslayer was to live with the priests and the Levites. These cities of refuge were not seen as “jails” or “detention camps.” They were environments in which reckless people became aware that careless actions have consequences. They were instantly under the influence of their neighbors, the Levites. They would observe them pray, learn the Torah and interact with others. They would see what awareness and concern for others really was. It’s goal was to mold a new person, a person who was kinder, gentler and careful. We will look at the eschatological aspect of the ordinances in respect to the Messiah and the Redemption after v 28).

v 26…But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee,

v 27…and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood (like Solomon and Shimei in 1 Kings 2.36-44),

v 28…because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return to the land of his possession (Let’s look at how these laws give us an eschatological picture of Messiah and the Redemption-Psa 40.7; Luke 24.27; John 5.39-47). Heb 6.18-20 says, “in order that two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we make strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor for the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil where Yeshua has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.” THese passages are a clear allusion to the cities of refuge, and “within the veil” speaks of the city (New Jerusalem) of the Olam Haba. These verses relate to our salvation. The Mishkan was the “seventh” place to seek refuge into God’s presence. In the Holy of Holies there were six boards on the west side, alluding to the six cities of refuge (Exo 26.22). Are we guilty of the murder of Yeshua because of our sins? If so, the avenger of blood can take us out and slay us. However, let’s look at this a little closer. If we reject Yeshua deliberately, his blood is on our hands (Matt 27.25). On the other hand, if a person who has faith and accepts Yeshua, even though his sin “caused” his death and he did not realize the end result of his actions, he is guilty of manslaughter and is allowed to stay “within the veil” (New Jerusalem/Olam Haba) as long as the high priest Yeshua lives on (Heb 4.14-16), which is forever. So we are safe and secure as long as we are in that “city of refuge” which is the New Jerusalem or the Olam Haba).

v 29…And these things shall be for a statutory ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.’

v 30…If anyone kills a person , the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of two witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness (or less).

v 31…Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death.

v 32…And you shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land before the death of the high priest (this is like the sinner who is separated from his family. He has safety but with boundaries. He cannot leave, if he does it is in unbelief. He may die without ever hearing of the death of the high priest).

v 33…So you shall not pollute the land in which you are, for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed upon it, except by the blood of him who shed it.

v 34…And you shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel (in the Mishkan and later the Temple).”

Num 36.1-13 deals with what is called the “Laws of the Heiress” and it is in addition to a previous ruling. We learned in Num 27 that daughters can inherit family assets in the absence of male heirs. Here, the sons of Joseph brought a question to Moses concerning inheritance (v 2-4). The land was given and divided by lot into portions. Now the concept of “lots” is a major theme in the Scriptures. Purim (lots) is even a festival. Lots were cast every day in the Temple to see who would do what. This was to avoid jealousy and favoritism among the kohanim (priests). The two goats on Yom Kippur were designated by lot, Yeshua’s garment was given by lot and in Acts 1.26, and Judas was replaced by lot.

In Num 36.1-7 the question came up about a daughter who got her inheritance of land, but then wanted to marry someone from another tribe. Does that land now go over the the tribe of the man she marries? Moses says this was a good question (v 5) and begins to tell them that the woman who inherits must marry within the family of the tribe of her father (v 6). Since the tribes were large enough, this presented no problem. Besides, the land reverted back to the original owners at the Yovel every fifty years. No inheritance will be transferred from one tribe to another. This is said two times (v 7 and v 9). The bottom line is Israel cannot trade land among their own people.

But this brings up a question for today. If Israel could give up the land they had as an inheritance to someone from a different tribe, what makes them think they can give up the land of their inheritance to another nation now? A daughter could not intermarry with other tribes, and v 10-13 shows us how the daughters of Zelophehad did it. They married within their father’s tribe to keep it “within the family.”

This book ends with the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab (of father) by the Jordan River. It began with the nation “in the wilderness” and now they are close to going into the promised land, in fact, about as close as you can get. They are standing across from Jericho, and we need to remember what it took to get them to this point. God describes it as bringing them out “on eagles wings” in Exo 19.4. This term will be used again in the book of Revelation in describing how he will bring Israel out to the wilderness when fleeing from the False Messiah (Rev 12.14). When they left Sinai they struggled with the flesh, they murmured, complained and gossiped about one another. They were a generation of unbelievers and were condemned to die in that wilderness.

Yehovah led them for 38 years in the wilderness. They moved around but made no progress. There was mutiny (Korah) and murmuring. They were just running out the clock until that unbelieving generation died off. In their place, the children would be brought to maturity and brought into the land, and that is who is standing on the banks of the Jordan now. When they set out for the land a second time, and faced the same pressures their fathers did, they dealt with them better and that is why they made it the border. Spiritually many believers die in the “wilderness” because they will not trust the Lord or walk in emunah (faith/action/confidence). Many people live in the wilderness rather than on the doorstep of the promises. We should learn by their example (1 Cor 10.11) because we are poised to go “into the land” (Olam Haba) too.

v 1…And the heads of the fathers households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and stood before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers households of the sons of Israel,

v 2…and they said, “The Lord commanded my lord to give the land by lot to the sons of Israel a an inheritance, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters.

v 3…But if they marry one of the sons of the other tribes of the sons of Israel, their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of our fathers and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong, thus it will be withdrawn from our allotted inheritance.

v 4…And when the jubilee (Yovel year) of the sons of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong, so their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of the tribe of their fathers (lessening it).”

v 5…Then Moses commanded the sons of Israel according to the word of the Lord (who he consulted), saying, “The tribe of the sons of Joseph are right in their statements.

v 6…This is what the Lord has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them marry whom they wish; only they must marry within the family of the tribe of their father (they were large enough so this was no problem).’

v 7…Thus no inheritance of the sons of Israel shall be transferred from tribe to tribe, for the sons of Israel shall each hold to their inheritance of the tribe of their fathers.

v 8…And every daughter who comes into possession of the inheritance of any tribe of the sons of Israel shall be wife to one of the families of the tribe of her father, so that the sons of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers.

v 9…This no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another tribe, for the tribes of the sons of Israel shall each hold to his own inheritance (no trading or negotiations, all reverted back at the Yovel; if you can’t give your inheritance to another tribe, what makes Israel think they can give it to another nations).”

v 10…Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did;

v 11…Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad married their uncle’s sons.

v 12…They married those from the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained with the tribe of the family of their father.

v 13..,.These are the commandments (mitzvot) and the ordinances (mishpatim) which the Lord commanded to the sons of Israel through Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho (this all began in the wilderness and now they are as close to the land as they can; to get them to this point many had died, a generation.  Now a new one has been brought to maturity and will go in.  Spiritually, we need to learn their lessons, we are in a stable and and balanced condition to go in to the land of promise, too).

 

Posted in All Teachings, Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Prophecy/Eschatology, The Festivals of the Lord, The Tanak, Tying into the New Testament

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