Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• 3. Moses' birth and education 2:1-10
  "Whilst Pharaoh was urging forward the extermination of the Israelites, God was preparing their emancipator."34". . . among other things, the Pentateuch is an attempt to contrast the lives of two individuals, Abraham and Mose...
• 5. Moses' life in Midian 2:16-25
  This section introduces some of the secondary characters in Exodus and sets the stage for Moses' call. Its purpose is primarily transitional.Moses provided water for Jethro's daughters and their sheep in the wilderness (vv. 1...
• 4. The hostility of the Amalekites 17:8-16
  Whereas the Israelites had feared the possibility of having to battle the Egyptians (14:10) they now did engage in battle with the Amalekites."The primary function of this section in its present location is the demonstration ...
• Fire from the Lord 9:22-24
  After offering these sacrifices, Aaron blessed the people (v. 22). He "stepped down"perhaps from a platform near the altar of burnt offerings on which he may have been standing to address the people. Probably Moses took Aaron...
• Message8
  To formulate a statement that summarizes the teaching of this book it will be helpful to identify some of the major revelations in Numbers. These constitute the unique values of the book.The first major value of Numbers is th...
• Outline
  I. Experiences of the older generation in the wilderness chs. 1-25A. Preparations for entering the Promised Land from the south chs. 1-101. The first census and the organization of the people chs. 1-42. Commands and rituals t...
• The muster of the tribes except Levi ch. 1
  The purpose of this tally of the adult males 20 years of age and older was to identify those who would serve in battle when Israel entered the land (v. 3).11Entrance into the land should have been only a few weeks from the ta...
• 1. The cycle of rebellion, atonement, and death chs. 11-20
  The end of chapter 10 is the high point of the Book of Numbers spiritually. The beginning of chapter 11 records the beginning of the spiritual decline of Israel that resulted in God's judging the nation. He postponed the fulf...
• The departure from Kadesh ch. 20
  Here begins the fourth and last leg of the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.1. From Egypt to Sinai (Exod. 12-19)2. From Sinai to Kadesh (Num. 11-12)3. From Kadesh back to Kadesh--38 years of wilderness wand...
• Moses' rebellion at Kadesh 20:1-13
  At the end of 37 years the Israelites returned to the wilderness of Zin and Kadesh. Kadesh was a large area of desert located on the edge of the wilderness of Zin. God had previously judged the older generation of Israelites ...
• The Edomites' resistance 20:14-21
  The cloudy pillar led the Israelites, but apparently Moses had reason to believe that God was directing them eastward into the territory of Edom and from there north to Transjordan. Consequently he sent messengers to the King...
• The death of Aaron and the succession of Eleazar 20:22-29
  Mount Hor seems to have stood on the western border of Edom (v. 23).176Aaron died on the first day of the fifth month in Israel's fortieth year (33:37-38). He was 123 years old (33:39).Before Aaron died, Moses formally remove...
• The destruction of Arad 21:1-3
  "Arad was a large town in the northern Negeb, about 17 miles . . . south of Hebron."179"Atharim"means "the spies"(v. 1). Evidently this is the route the Israelite spies had taken into Canaan.The Canaanites of Arad took the of...
• The journey toward Moab 21:10-20
  The list of stopping places Moses recorded here differs from the one in 33:41-49. Apparently neither list is complete but both are selective. Archaeologists have not yet identified most of the sites Moses mentioned here. The ...
• Moses' successor 27:12-23
  Another preparation for entering Canaan involved appointing a new leader to take Moses' place.God foretold that Moses would die without entering the land (cf. 20:1-13). Graciously He allowed His servant to see the Promised La...
• 1. Review of Israel's journey from Egypt 33:1-49
  Forty-two stations appear in the list. Eighteen do not appear elsewhere in the record of the journey (vv. 13, 19-29), and four mentioned previously are absent in this chapter (cf. 11:3; 21:19). Obviously this is a selective l...
• Conclusion
  The Book of Numbers is a lesson in the importance of trust and obedience. The Israelites frequently failed to trust and obey God in the hours of their trials, and consequently God postponed His blessing. Most of them never en...
• Bibliography
  Aharoni, Yohanan. The Land of the Bible. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1979.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell...
• 2. The march from Kadesh to the Amorite frontier 2:1-23
  Following Israel's second departure from Kadesh (Num. 20) the nation set out for "the wilderness"(v. 1). This was probably the wilderness of Moab to the east of the Dead Sea. They travelled by "the way to the Red Sea"(v. 1). ...
• 2. The announcement of Moses' death 32:48-52
  The same day Moses gave his song to the Israelites God directed him to prepare for his death (v. 48; cf. Num. 27:12-14). Mt. Nebo is one of the peaks in the Abarim range that stands to the east of the Arabah northeast of the ...
• D. Moses' blessing of the tribes ch. 33
  After receiving the reminder of his death and as one of his final official acts as Israel's leader, Moses pronounced a prophetic blessing on the tribes of Israel (cf. Gen. 49)."In the ancient Near East, a dying father's final...
• E. Moses' death and burial: narrative epilogue ch. 34
  "A testament is of force only after the death of the testator [cf. Heb. 9:16-17]. So the Deuteronomic Covenant in it testamentary aspect . . . would not become operative until after the death of Moses. Only then would Joshua ...
• Samson's victory at Ramath-lehi 15:14-20
  Note again that the Spirit of God gave Samson his supernatural strength (v. 14). He slew 1,000 of the enemy (or one unit) on this occasion (v. 15). The unlikely instrument Samson used, a dead donkey's dentures, proved more th...
• Scope
  The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
• 2. Exhortation to believe the sovereign Lord 95:7b-11
  Israel, however, had been a wayward flock in the past. This led the writer to warn the people to avoid the sins that had resulted in the wilderness wanderings. At Meribah (lit. strife; Exod. 17:1-7; Num. 20:2-13) and Massah (...
• 2. The record of Israel's unfaithfulness to God 106:6-46
  106:6 The psalmist confessed that Israel had been unfaithful to God. This was true of his own generation as it had been true of former generations. This confession introduced a review of specific iniquities and wickedness.106...
• The pride of Ephraim 9:8-12
  Isaiah explained that because the Northern Kingdom had not turned to Him for safety but to an alliance with Syria, He would not defend her from her enemy.123". . . thesin for Isaiah, the source of all other sin, is the pride ...
• E. The oracle against Edom 49:7-22
  The Edomites lived to the southeast of Judah, south of Moab. The Zered River was their northern border, the Gulf of Aqabah (about 100 miles to the south) the southern, the Arabah the western, and the desert the eastern border...
• The elimination of claimants to the land ch. 35
  What follows in this chapter is another oracle against a foreign nation (cf. chs. 25-32). What is it doing here? Evidently the writer included this oracle here because it promises to desolate an enemy of Israel that wanted to...
• 4. An oracle against Edom 1:11-12
  Amos next moved from addressing chief cities to addressing countries, specifically countries with closer ethnic ties to the Israelites. Perhaps their closer relationship to Israel is why he mentioned countries rather than cit...
• A. The Statement of the Charge v. 10
  Pride was not the only reason God would humble Edom. The Edomites had also cursed the people whom God had purposed to bless, the Israelites (cf. Gen. 27:40-41; Exod. 15:15; Num. 20:14-21; Deut. 2:4; Judg. 11:17-18; 1 Sam. 14:...
• 1. The symbolic act 3:1-5
  3:1 Zechariah's guiding angel next showed the prophet, in his vision, Joshua (lit. Yahweh saves), Israel's current high priest (6:11; Ezra 5:2; Neh. 7:7; Hag. 1:1), standing before the angel of the Lord (1:11-12). "The accuse...
• 2. The accompanying promises 3:6-10
  3:6-7 Then the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua. He promised, in the name of sovereign Yahweh, that if Joshua obeyed the Lord and served Him, Joshua would govern the temple, have charge of the temple courts, and enjoy free...
• 3. Jesus' temptation 4:1-11 (cf. Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13)
  Jesus' genealogy and virgin birth prove His legal human qualification as Israel's King. His baptism was the occasion of His divine approval. His temptation demonstrated His moral fitness to reign. The natural question a thoug...
• The promise of the Spirit 7:37-44
  Having announced His departure Jesus proceeded to offer the Holy Spirit for those who believed on Him (cf. chs. 14-16).7:37 The feast of Tabernacles lasted seven days (cf. Deut. 16:13). However the day following the feast was...
• 2. The command to witness 1:6-8
  The key to the apostles' successful fulfillment of Jesus' commission was their baptism with and consequent indwelling by the Holy Spirit. Without this divine enablement they would only have been able to follow Jesus' example,...
• The tragic example of Israel 10:1-5
  The point of this example is that God's people can practice idolatry, and persisting in idolatry has dire consequences. Paul stressed the similarity of experience that the church, the Corinthian church particularly, and Israe...
• C. The Possibility of Rest for God's People 4:1-14
  The writer returned again from exhortation to exposition. He now posed the alternatives of rest and peril that confronted the new people of God, Christians.127The writer warned his readers so they would not fail to enter into...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

• The Waters Of Meribah
  Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month : and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. 2. And there was no water for the congreg...