Today, I am reading and commenting on Numbers 32-33.

Initially, I was going to write about the Reubenites and Gadites interaction with Moses when they requested to settle east of the Jordan River, but I have written about that just about every time I read this passage.  So, I was looking for something new to think about and write about in today’s passage.  Which led me to look at the list of the stages of their journey through the wilderness, but it’s just a list of places.  Then I noticed this sentence, “At the Lord’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey. ”  This list isn’t here because some writer thought it would be nice to have such a list here.  It is here because God told Moses to record it.  That means it is important.  I am not sure why it was important, but the thought that comes to mind is the fact that secular historians claim that the Exodus never happened.  However, this list reminds me of Luke’s geographic descriptions in his gospel and the Book of Acts.  At one time historians were sure that the geographical details given by Luke were nonsense, but today archeologists know those details accurately reflect the travels which people would have taken in the first century.  In the same way, the list of the stages of Israel’s journey through the wilderness allowed the people of ancient Israel track where the people went.  I also suspect that at some point it will provide a template which will provide confirmation that something like the Exodus happened.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.