[Music] [Music] in the wilderness of sin the Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting commanding him to take a census of the whole Israelite Community every male age 20 and older able to serve in the Army was to be counted by their ancestral tribes and families the total number of men fit for military service came to 63,0 550 the Levites however were not counted among them as they were set apart to care for the Tabernacle and its Furnishings the tribes of Israel were assigned specific places to camp around the Tabernacle ensuring order and
organization each tribe had its own leader and banner the tribe of Judah with its large numbers camped on the east side followed by isachar and Zebulon to the South were Ruben Simeon and Gad on the West Side were Ephraim manasse and Benjamin Dan Asher and naftali camped to the north the Levites camped around the Tabernacle itself to protect the community from the Wrath of the Lord if anyone else came near the lord gave detailed instructions on the duties of the Levites dividing them into three Clans the kohathites the gershonites and the meites each Clan had
specific responsibilities regarding the Tabernacle structure and its sacred items the kohathites were in charge of the sanctuary's most sacred objects the gershonites managed the curtains and coverings and the meites took care of the frames and pillars God also instructed Moses on the purification of the camp emphasizing the importance of Holiness anyone who was unclean due to a skin disease or contact with a dead body had to be sent outside the camp until they were purified additionally there were laws regarding restitution for wrongs committed and the procedure for a woman suspected of infidelity the Nazarite vow
was introduced allowing individuals to dedicate themselves to the Lord through a period of abstinence from wine cutting their hair and avoiding contact with the dead at the end of their vow they offered sacrifices and shaved their heads as a symbol of their commitment the leaders of Israel brought offerings for the dedication of the altar each day for 12 days one leader from each tribe brought offerings of silver gold grain incense and animals for sacrifice these offerings symbolize the unity and devotion of the tribes to the Lord the Lord spoke to Moses again instructing him to
set up the seven lamps on the lampstand in the Tabernacle ensuring they illuminated the area in front of it the Levites were then consecrated and purified for their service symbolizing their total dedication to the Lord as the Israelites prepared to leave SI the lord gave instructions on the use of silver trumpets to Signal the community the trumpets were to be blown to call the community together announc the time to set out and alert the people during times of war or celebration on the 20th day of the second month of the second year the cloud lifted
from above the Tabernacle of the Covenant law and the Israelites set out from the desert of Si the Israelites had begun their Journey from Mount Si to the promised land but soon they started to complain about their hardships their grumbling displeased the Lord and his anger was kindled fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp the people cried out to Moses who prayed to the Lord and the fire died down this place was called tabara meaning burning because the fire of the Lord had burned among them despite this warning
the people continued to grumble they longed for the variety of foods they had in Egypt fish cucumbers melons leaks onions and garlic they grew tired of the Mana the miraculous food that the Lord provided each day the Mana was like coriander seed and looked like resin the people would gather it grind it cook it and make it into cakes that tasted like something made with olive oil but now their craving for meat grew intense and they wept aloud each family at the the entrance of their tents Moses was deeply troubled by The People's complaints and
went to the Lord overwhelmed by the burden of leading them he prayed I am your servant Lord so why are you doing this to me what have I done to deserve this you've made me responsible for all these people but they're not my children you told me to nurse them along and to carry them to the land you promised their ancestors they keep whining for meat but where can I get meat for them this job is too much for me how can I take care of all these people by myself if this is the way
you're going to treat me just kill me now and end my miserable life the Lord responded by instructing Moses to gather 70 elders of Israel known to be leaders and officials and bring them to the tent of meeting there the Lord would take some of the spirit that was on Moses and put it on them so they could share the burden of the people the Lord also promised to provide meat for the people he told Moses that they would eat meat not just for a day or two but for a whole month until it came
out of their nostrils and became loathsome to them because they had rejected the Lord who was among them and had longed for Egypt Moses questioned how this could be possible given their large numbers but the Lord assured him that his power was not limited Moses gathered the 70 elders and the Lord came down in a cloud and spoke with him he took some of the spirit that was on Moses and placed it on the 70 elders when the spirit rested on them they prophesied but they did not do so again two men eldad and madad
who were listed among the elders but had remained in the camp also had the spirit rest on them and they prophesied there a young man ran to tell Moses and Joshua Moses's assistant urged Moses to stop them but Moses replied are you jealous for my sake I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them then the Lord sent a wind that drove in Quail from the sea which fell around the camp in great quantities the people spent all day night and the next day Gathering the
quail and they spread them out all around the camp but while the meat was still between their teeth before it could be consumed the Lord's anger burned against the people and he struck them with a severe plague this place was named katava meaning Graves of craving because there they buried the people who had craved other food from kibroth atava the Israelites traveled to hazeroth and stayed there although Moses was the most humble person in all the world Miriam and Aaron started complaining Moses had no right to marry that woman from Ethiopia who does he think
he is the Lord has spoken to us not just to him the Lord heard their complaint and told Moses Aaron and Miriam to come to the entrance of the Sacred tent there the Lord appeared in a cloud and told Aaron and Miriam to come closer then after commanding them to listen carefully he said I the Lord speak to prophets in visions and dreams but my servant Moses is the leader of my people he sees me face to face and everything I say to him is perfectly clear you have no right to criticize my servant Moses
the Lord became angry with Aaron and Miriam and after the Lord left and the cloud disappeared from Over the sacred tent Miriam's skin turned white with Leprosy when Aaron saw what had happened to her he said to Moses sir please don't punish us for doing such a foolish thing don't let Miriam's flesh rot away like a child born dead Moses prayed Lord God please heal her but the Lord replied Miriam would be disgraced for 7 days if her father had punished her by spitting in her face so make her stay outside the camp for 7
days before coming back the people of Israel did not move their Camp until Miriam returned 7 days later then they left hazeroth and set up camp in the Paran desert as the Israelites camped in the desert of pan the Lord instructed Moses to send men to explore the land of Canaan which he was giving to the Israelites Moses selected one leader from each of the 12 tribes to go on this reconnaissance mission among them were Caleb from the tribe of Judah and hosia who Moses called Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim Moses gave the Spy
Specific Instructions they were to see what the land was like whether the people living there were strong or weak few or many what kind of land they lived in whether it was good or bad and what kinds of towns they lived in whether they were unwalled or fortified they were also to see if the soil was fertile or poor and if there were trees finally they were to bring back some of the fruit of the land it was the season for the first ripe grapes the 12 Spies set out and explored the land from the
desert of Zin as far as rhob near Lebo hamath they went up through through the neav and came to Hebron where they saw the descendants of anak including aiman sheshi and talmi Hebron had been built 7 years before Zen in Egypt when they reached the valley of eshkol they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes it was so large that two of them had to carry it on a pole between them along with some pomegranates and figs the place was called the valley of eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites
cut there after 40 days of exploration the men returned to Moses Aaron and the whole Israelite community at cadesh in the desert of pan they reported to the entire assembly and showed them the fruit of the land they gave Moses this account we went into the land to which you sent us and it does flow with milk and honey here is its fruit but the people who live there are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large we even saw descendants of anak there they described the various people living in the land Caleb silenced
the people before Moses and said we should go up and take possession of the land for we can certainly do it however the other men who had gone up with him disagreed they spread a bad report among the Israelites saying the land we explored devours those living in it all the people we saw there are of great size we saw the Nephilim there the descendants of anak come from the Nephilim we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes and we looked the same to them their report caused fear and discouragement among the Israelites leading to
a pivotal moment of doubt and Rebellion against the plans of the Lord after the Israelites heard the report from the 12 men who had explored Canaan the people cried all night and complained to Moses and Aaron we wish we had died in Egypt or somewhere out here in the desert is the Lord leading us into Canaan just to have us killed and our women and children captured we'd be better off in Egypt then they said to one another let's choose our own leader and go back Moses and Aaron bowed down to pray in front of
the crowd Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes in sorrow and said we saw the land ourselves and it's very good if we obey the Lord he will surely give us that land rich with milk and honey so don't Rebel we have no reason to be afraid of the people who live there the Lord is on our side and they won't stand a chance against us the crowd threatened to Stone Moses and Aaron to death but just then the Lord appeared in a cloud at the sacred tent the Lord said to Moses I have done great
things for these people and they still reject me by refusing to believe in my power so they will no longer be my people I will destroy them but I will make you the ancestor of a Nation even stronger than theirs Moses replied with your Mighty power you rescued your people from Egypt so please don't destroy us here in the desert if you do the Egyptians will hear about it and tell the people of Canaan those Canaanites already know that we are your people and that we see you face to face and they have heard how
you lead us with a thick Cloud during the day and flaming fire at night but if you kill us they will claim it was because you weren't powerful enough to lead us into Canaan as you promised show us your great power Lord you promised that you love to show mercy and kindness and you said that you are very patient but that you will punish everyone guilty of doing wrong not only them but their children and grandchildren as well you are merciful and you treat people better than they Des deserve so please forgive these people just
as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt then the Lord said to Moses in answer to your prayer I do forgive them but as surely as I live and my power has no limit I swear that not one of these Israelites will enter the land I promis to give their ancestors these people have seen my power in Egypt and in the desert but they will never see Canaan they have disobeyed and tested me too many times but my servant Caleb isn't like the others so because he has faith in me I will allow
him to cross into Canaan and his descendants will settle there now listen Moses the amalekites and the Canaanites live in The Valleys of Canaan and tomorrow you'll need to turn around and head back into the desert toward the Red Sea the Lord told Moses and Aaron to give this message to the people of Israel you sinful people have complained against me too many times now I swear by my own life that I will give you exactly what you wanted you will die right here in the desert and your dead bodies will cover the ground you
have insulted me and none of you men who are over 20 years old will enter the land that I solemnly promised to give you as your own only Caleb and Joshua will go in you were worried that your own children would be captured but I the Lord will let them enter the land you have rejected you will die here in the desert your children will wander around in this desert 40 years suffering because of your sins until all of you are dead I will punish you severely every day for the next 40 years one year
for each day that the land was explored you sinful people who ganged up against me will die here in the desert 10 of the men sent to explore the land had brought back bad news and had made the people complain against the Lord so he sent a deadly disease that killed those men but he let Joshua and Caleb live the people of Israel were very sad after Moses gave them the Lord's message so they got up early the next morning and got ready to head toward the Hill Country of Canaan they said we were wrong
to complain about the Lord let's go into the land that he promised us but Moses replied you're disobeying the Lord your plan won't work so don't even try it the Lord refuses to help you because you turned your backs on him the amalekites and the Canaanites are your enemies and they will attack and defeat you but the Israelites ignored Moses and marched toward the Hill Country even though the sacred chest in Moses did not go with them the amalekites and the Canaanites came down from the Hill Country defeated the Israelites and chased them as far
as the town of horma after the rebellion and its consequences the Lord spoke to Moses giving further instructions for the Israelites when they enter the promised land he commanded that when they make offerings to the Lord burnt offerings grain offerings drink offerings or offerings for special vows they must accompany these with specific measures of flour mixed with oil and wine these offerings were to be presented as a pleasing Aroma to the Lord whether they were made by native born Israelites or foreigners living among them the Lord emphasized that the same laws and regulations apply to
both groups ensuring unity and consistency in worship practices the Lord also addressed unintentional sins providing a way for the community or individuals to seek atonement through specific sacrifices if the whole Community sinned unintentionally they were to offer a young bull as a burnt offering and a goat as a sin offering for individuals who sinned unintentionally a female goat was to be offered however for those who sinned defiantly showing contempt for the Lord the punishment was severe and they were to be cut off from their people additionally an incident occurred where a man was found Gathering
wood on the Sabbath and upon the Lord's command he was stoned to death by the community to help the Israelites remember and Obey all the Lord's commands the Lord instructed them to make tassels on the corners of their garments with a blue cord serving as a visual reminder to live a holy and obedient life Kora son of Yar was a levite from the kohathite clan one day he called together Dayan abiram and on from the Reuben tribe and the four of them decided to rebel against Moses so they asked 250 respected Israelite leaders for their
support and together they went to Moses and Aaron and said why do you think you're so much better than everyone else we're part of the Lord's holy people and he's with all of us what makes you think you're the only ones in charge when Moses heard this he knelt down to pray then he said to Kora and his followers tomorrow morning the Lord will show us the person he has chosen to be his priest and that man will Faithfully serve him Kora here is what you and your followers must do get some fire pans fill
them with coals and incense and place them near the sacred tent and the man the Lord chooses will be his priest Kora this time you Levites have gone too far you know that the god of Israel has chosen you Levites from all Israel to serve him by being in charge of the Sacred tent and by helping the community to Worship in the proper way what more do you want the Lord has given you a special responsibility and now Kora you think you should also be his priest you and your followers have rebelled against the Lord
not against Aaron then Moses sent for daythan and abam but they sent back this message we won't come it's bad enough that you took us from our Rich Farmland in Egypt to let us die here in the desert now you also want to boss us around you keep promising us rich farmlands with fertile fields and Vineyards but where are they stop trying to trick these people no we won't come to see you Moses was very angry and said to the Lord don't listen to these men I haven't done anything wrong to them I haven't taken
as much as a donkey then he said to Kora tomorrow you and your followers must go with Aaron to the Lord's sacred tent each of you take along your fire pan with incense in it and offer the incense to the Lord the next day the men placed incense and coals in their fire pans and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the sacred tent meanwhile Kora had convinced the rest of the Israelites to rebel against their two leaders when that happened the Lord appeared in all his glory and said to Moses and Aaron
get away from the rest of the Israelites so I can kill them at once but the two men bowed down and prayed Our God you gave these people life why would you punish everyone here when only one man has sinned the Lord answered Moses tell the people to stay away from the tents of Kora Dayan and abam Moses walked over to daythan and abam and the other leaders of Israel followed then Moses warned the people get away from the tents of these sinful men don't touch anything that belongs to them or you'll be wiped out
so everyone moved away from those tents except Kora Dayan abam and their families Moses said to the crowd the Lord has chosen me and told me to do these things it wasn't my idea and here's how you will know if these men die a natural death it means the Lord hasn't chosen me but suppose the Lord does something that has never been done before for example what if a huge crack appears in the ground and these men and their families fall into it and are buried alive together with everything they own then you will know
they have turned their backs on the Lord as soon as Moses said this the ground under the men opened up and swallowed them alive together with their families and everything they owned then the ground closed back up and they were gone the rest of the Israelites heard their screams so they ran off shouting we don't want that to happen to us suddenly the Lord sent a fire that burned up the 250 men who had offered incense to him then the Lord said to Moses tell tell Aaron's son Eleazar to take the fire pans from the
smoldering fire and Scatter the coals the pans are now sacred because they were used for offering incense to me have them hammered into a thin layer of bronze as a covering for the altar those men died because of their sin and now their fire pans will become a warning for the rest of the community elzar collected the pans and had them hammered into a thin layer of bronze as a covering for the altar just as the Lord had told Moses the pans were a warning to the Israelites that only Aaron's descendants would be allowed to
offer incense to the Lord anyone else who tried to would be punished like Kora and his followers the next day the people of Israel again complained against Moses and Aaron the two of you killed some of the Lord's people as the people crowded around them Moses and Aaron turned toward the sacred tent and the Lord appeared in his glory in the cloud covering the tent so Moses and Aaron walked to the front of the tent where the Lord said to them stand back I am going to wipe out these Israelites once and for all they
immediately bowed down and prayed then Moses told Aaron grab your fire pan and fill it with hot coals from the altar put incense in it then quickly take it to where the people are and offer it to the Lord so they can be forgiven the Lord is very angry and people have already started dying Aaron did exactly what he had been told he ran over to the crowd of people and stood between the dead bodies and the people who were still alive he placed the incense on the pan then offered it to the Lord and
asked him to forgive the people's sin the disease immediately stopped spreading and no one else died from it but 14,700 Israelites were dead not counting those who had died with Kora and his followers Aaron walked back and stood with Moses at the sacred tent the Lord told Moses call together the 12 tribes of Israel and tell the leader of each tribe to write his name on The Walking Stick he carries as a symbol of his authority make sure Aaron's name is written on the one from the Levi tribe then collect all the sticks place these
sticks in the tent right in front of the Sacred chest where I appear to you if I will then choose a man to be my priest and his stick will Sprout after that happens I won't have to listen to any more complaints about you Moses told the people what the Lord had commanded and they gave him the walking sticks from the TW tribal leaders including Aaron's from the Levi tribe Moses took them and placed them in the Lord's sacred tent the next day when Moses went into the tent flowers and almonds were already growing on
Aaron's stick Moses brought the 12 sticks out of the tent and showed them to the people each of the leaders found his own and took it but the Lord told Moses put Aaron's stick back let it stay near the sacred chest as a warning to anyone who might think of rebelling if these people don't stop their grumbling about me I will wipe them out Moses did what he was told the Israelites cried out to Moses we're done for and doomed if we even go near the sacred tent in the wilderness the Lord spoke directly to
Aaron making it clear that he and his sons along with their father's family the Levites were to take on the weighty responsibility of caring for the sanctuary and the priesthood this Duty was not just a privilege but a solemn charge as any mistakes or breaches of the Sacred duties would result in severe consequences Aaron and his Sons were to ensure that no unauthorized person approached the sacred objects or the altar as this was a responsibility reserved exclusively for them the Levites who were given to assist Aaron and his sons were to help with the work
of the tent of meeting but were not allowed to come near the most holy things the Lord emphasized that the priesthood was a precious gift to Aaron and his descendants a covenant of service that required dedication and respect the Lord also provided for the needs of the priests and Levites he declared that the priests would receive a portion of the offerings brought by the Israelites including the best of the grain oil and wine as well as the first fruits and various offerings dedicated to the Lord these holy gifts were for the priests and their families
to eat but only within the sanctuary as they were considered sacred for the Levites who were not given a land inheritance like the other tribes the Lord assigned the tithes brought by the Israelites as their inheritance in return for their service at the tent of meeting for from these tithes the Levites were to offer a portion a tithe of the tithes to the priests as an offering to the Lord this Arrangement ensured that both the priests and Levites were supported as they Faithfully carried out their sacred duties reinforcing the importance of their roles in maintaining
the spiritual well-being of the Israelite Community the lord gave Moses and Aaron instructions for a special ritual of purification the ritual centered around the sacrifice of a red Hyer a rare and un blemished cow the heer was to be slaughtered outside the camp and its blood was to be sprinkled seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting the entire animal including its hide Flesh Blood and awful was to be burned as the Hyer burned the priest was to throw Cedarwood hisop and Scarlet wool into the fire the ashes from this sacrifice were to
be collected and stored in a clean place outside the camp to be used in a purification water mixture for the Israelites this purification water Made From the Ashes of the red hyper mixed with fresh water was essential for cleansing anyone who became ritually unclean through contact with a dead body if someone touched a dead body they would be considered unclean for 7 Days on the third and seventh days they were to be sprinkled with the purification water after washing their clothes and bathing they would be clean by evening if they did not undergo this purification
they would remain unclean and be cut off from the community as their impurity would defile the Lord's Sanctuary this ritual was established as a lasting ordinance for the Israelites ensuring that they could maintain Purity and continue their worship and service to the Lord the people of Israel arrived at the Zin desert during the first month and set up camp near the town of cadesh it was there that Miriam died and was buried the Israelites had no water so they went to Moses and Aaron and complained Moses we'd be better off if we had died along
with the others in front of the Lord's sacred tent you brought us into this desert and now we and our livestock are going to die Egypt was better than this horrible place at least there we had grain and figs and grape Vines and pomegranates but now we don't even have any water Moses and Aaron went to the entrance to the sacred tent where they bowed down the Lord appeared to them in all of his glory and said Moses get your walking stick then you and Aaron call the people together and command that rock to give
you water that's how you will provide water for the people of Israel and their livestock Moses obeyed and took his stick from the sacred tent after he and Aaron had gathered the people around the rock he said look you rebellious people and you will see water flow from this rock he raised his stick in the air and struck the rock two times at once water gushed from the Rock and the people and their livestock had water to drink but the Lord said to Moses and Aaron because you refused to believe in my power these people
did not respect me and so you will not be the ones to lead them into the land I have promised the Israelites had complained against the Lord and he had shown them his holy Power by giving them water to drink so they named the place marba which means complaining Moses sent Messengers from Israel's camp near cadesh with this message for the king of Adam we are Israelites your own relatives and we're sure you have heard the terrible things that have happened to us our ancestors settled in Egypt and lived there a long time but later
the Egyptians were cruel to us and when we begged our lord for help he answered our prayer and brought us out of that land now we are camped at the border of your territory near the town of cadesh please let us go through your country we won't go near your fields or Vineyards and we won't drink any water from your wells we will stay on the main road until we leave your territory but the king of Edom answered no I won't let you go through our country and if you try we will attack you Moses
sent back this message we promised to stay on the main road and if any of us or our livestock drink your water we will pay for it we just want to pass through but the king insisted you can't go through our land then Edom sent out its strongest troops to keep Israel from passing through its territory so the Israelites had to go in another Direction after the Israelites had left cadesh and had gone as far as mount or on the Edomite border the Lord said Aaron this is where you will die you and Moses disobeyed
me at merbah and so you will not enter the land I promised the Israelites Moses go with Aaron and his son Eleazar to the top of the mountain then take Aaron's Priestly robe from him and place it on Eleazar Aaron will die there Moses obeyed and everyone watched as he and Aaron and Eleazar walked to the top of Mount [ __ ] Moses then took the Priestly robe from Aaron and placed it on Eleazar Aaron died there when Moses and elazar came down the people knew that Aaron had died and they mourned his death for
30 days the Canaanite king of Arad lived in the southern desert of Canaan and when he heard that the Israelites were on their way to the Village of aim he attacked and took some of them hostage the Israelites prayed our Lord if you will help us defeat these Canaanites we will completely destroy their towns and everything in them to show that they belong to you the Lord answered their prayer and helped them Wipe Out the Canaanite Army and completely destroy their towns that's why one of the towns is named horma which means destroyed place the
Israelites had to go around the territory of Edam so when they left Mount [ __ ] they headed South toward the Red Sea but along the way the people became so impatient that they complained against God and said to Moses did you bring us out of Egypt just just to let us die in the desert there's no water out here and we can't stand this awful food then the Lord sent poisonous snakes that bit and killed many of them some of the people went to Moses and admitted it was wrong of us to insult you
and the Lord now please ask him to make these snakes go away Moses prayed and the Lord answered make a snake out of bronze and place it on top of a pole anyone who gets bitten can look at the snake and be saved from death Moses obeyed the Lord and all of those who looked at the bronze snake lived even though they had been bitten by the poisonous snakes as the Israelites continued their journey to Canaan they camped at oboth then at a abim in the desert east of Moab and then in the zared gorge
after that they crossed the Arnon River Gorge encamped in the moabit desert bordering Amorite territory the Arnon was the border between the moabites and the amorites a song in the book of the Lord's battles mentions the town of wahb with its creeks in the territory of sufa it also mentions the Arnon River with its valleys that lie alongside the moabit border and extend to the town of AR from the Arnon the Israelites went to the well near the town of beer where the Lord had said to Moses call the people together and I will give
them water to drink the Israelites left the desert and camped near the town of Matana then at nalo and then at at bth finally they reached moabit territory where they camped near Mount Pisa in a valley overlooking the desert north of the Dead Sea the Israelites sent this message to King sihon of the amorites please let us pass through your territory we promis to stay away from your fields and Vineyards and we won't drink any water from your wells as long as we're in your land we'll stay on the main road but seon refused to
let Israel travel through his land instead he called together his entire Army and marched into the desert to attack Israel near the town of jahaz Israel defeated them and took over the Amorite territory from the Aran River Gorge in the South to the Jabbok River Gorge in the north beyond the Jabbok was the territory of the ammonites who were much stronger than Israel the Israelites settled in the Amorite towns including the capital city of heshbon with its surrounding Villages King seon had ruled from heshbon after defeating the moabites and taking over their land north of
the Anan River Gorge after the Israelites had settled in the Amorite territory Moses sent some men to explore the town of Jer later the Israelites captured the villages surrounding it and forced out the amorites who lived there the Israelites headed toward the region of Bashan where King OG ruled and he led his entire Army to edre to meet Israel in battle the Lord said to Moses don't be afraid of OG I will help you defeat him and his army just as you did King SE who ruled in heshbon OG's territory will be yours so the
Israelites wiped out OG his family and his entire Army there were no survivors then Israel took over the land of Bashan Israel moved from there to the hills of Moab where they camped across the Jordan River from the town of Jericho when King balac of Moab and his people heard how many Israelites there were and what they had done to the amorites he and the moabites were terrified and panicked they said to the Midian leaders that huge mob of Israelites will wipe out everything in sight like a bull eating grass in a field so King
balac sent a message to balam Son of Bor who lived among his relatives in the town of pathor near the Euphrates River it said I need your help a large group of people has come here from Egypt and settled near my territory they are too powerful for us to defeat so would you come and place a curse on them maybe then we can run them off I know that anyone you bless will be successful but anyone you curse will fail the leaders of Moab and Midian left and took along money to pay balam when they
got to his house they gave him balak's message spend the night here balam replied and tomorrow I will tell you the Lord's answer so the officials stayed at his house during the night God asked balam who are these people at your house they are messengers from King balak of Moab balam answered he sent them to ask me to go to Moab and put a curse on the people who have come there from Egypt they have settled everywhere around him and he wants to run them off but God replied don't go with bak's Messengers I have
blessed those people who have come from Egypt so don't curse them the next morning balam said to balak's officials go on back home the Lord says I cannot go with you the officials left and told balak that balam refused to come then balak sent a larger group of officials who were even more important than the first ones they went to balam and told him that balak had said balam if you come to Moab I'll pay you very well and do whatever you ask just come and place a curse on these people balam answered even if
balak offered me a Palace full of silver or gold I wouldn't do anything to disobey the Lord my God you are welcome to spend the night here just as the others did I will find out if the Lord has something else to say about this that night God said balam I'll let you go to Moab with balak's Messengers but do only what I say so balam got up the next morning and saddled his donkey then left with the moabit officials balam set out on his journey but God's anger was kindled because balam was eager to
accept the rewards offered by balak so one of the Lord's Angels stood in the road to stop him when balam's donkey saw the angel standing there with a sword it walked off the road and into an open field balam had to beat the donkey to get it back on the road then the angel stood between two Vineyards in a narrow path with a stone wall on each side when the donkey saw the angel it walked so close to one of the walls that balam's foot scraped against the wall balam beat the donkey again the angel
moved once more and stood in a spot so narrow that there was no room for the donkey to go around so it just lay down balam lost his temper then picked up a stick and whacked the donkey when that happened the Lord told the donkey to speak and it asked balam what have I done that made you beat me three times you made me look stupid balam answered if I had a sword I'd kill you here and now but you're my owner answered the donkey and you've ridden me many times have I ever done anything
like this before no balam admitted just then the Lord let balam see the angel standing in the road holding a sword and balam bowed down the angel said you had no right to treat your donkey like like that I was the one who blocked your way because I don't think you should go to Moab if your donkey had not seen me and stopped those three times I would have killed you and let the donkey live balam replied I was wrong I didn't know you were trying to stop me if you don't think I should go
I'll return home at once it's all right for you to go the Lord's Angel answered but you must say only what I tell you so balam went on with balak's officials when balak heard that balam was coming he went to meet him at the town of IR on the arnan river which is the northern border of Moab balac asked why didn't you come when I invited you the first time did you think I wasn't going to pay you I'm here now balam answered but I will say only what God tells me to say they left
and went to the town of kirat huso where balak sacrificed cattle and sheep and gave some of the meat to balam and the officials who were with him the next morning balak took balam to the town of bth Bal from there balam could see some of the Israelites balak eagerly prepared seven altars and offered sacrifices of bulls and Rams on each one hoping to receive balam's curse on Israel but when balam sought the Lord's message God gave him a blessing for Israel instead balam spoke of how the Israelites were a people set apart blessed by
God numerous and Victorious balak was Furious but balam reminded him that he could only speak the words that God gave him undeterred balac took balam to another location the field of zofim hoping that a different view of the Israelite Camp might result in a curse again they built seven altars and offered sacrifices but once more God gave balam a blessing for Israel declaring that God was not a man that he should lie nor a human that he should change his mind God had blessed Israel and no curse could stand against them balam spoke of Israel's
strength their protection by God and the assurance that they would triumph over their enemies balak was even more enraged but balam could only repeat that he must obey God's commands still not giving up balak took balam to a third location the top of peor overlooking the desert again seven altars were built and sacrifices were made this time balam did not seek Omens but immediately looked toward the Israelite Camp the spirit of God Came Upon him and balam delivered a powerful prophecy extoling Israel's Beauty their future prosperity and their dominance over their enemies he foretold the
rise of a great king from Israel whose power would crush the enemies of Moab and other surrounding Nations balak now beside himself with anger told balam to return home without reward as he had blessed rather than cursed Israel balam reminded Bak that even if he had offered all the silver and gold in his Palace he could only speak the words of the Lord before departing balam gave one final prophecy predicting the downfall of Moab and other nations that opposed Israel with that balam returned home and balak went his way having failed to curse the people
of Israel instead the Israelites remained under God's blessing poised to enter the promised land with the Assurance of divine protection and favor while the Israelites were camped at ACAA some of the men had sex with moabit women these women then invited the men to ceremonies where sacrifices were offered to their gods the men ate the meat from the sacrifices and worshiped the moabit gods the Lord was angry with Israel because they had worshiped the god Balor so he said to Moses take the Israelite leaders who are responsible for this and have them killed in front
of my sacred tent where everyone can see maybe then I will stop being angry with the Israelites Moses told Israel's officials each of you must put to death any of your men who worshiped Baal later Moses and the people were at the sacred tent crying when one of the Israelite men brought a midianite woman to meet his family Finas the grandson of Aaron the priest saw the couple and left the crowd he found a spearate and followed the man into his tent where he ran the spear through the man and into the woman's stomach the
Lord immediately stopped punishing Israel with a deadly disease but 24,000 Israelites had already died the Lord said to Moses in my anger I would have wiped out the Israelites if Finas had not been faithful to me but instead of punishing them I forgave them so because of the Loyalty that Finas showed I solemnly promise that he and his descendants will always be my priests the Israelite man that was killed was Zim son of Salu who was one of the leaders of the Simeon tribe and the midianite woman killed with him was Cosby the daughter of
a midianite clan leader named Zur the Lord told Moses the midianites are now enemies of Israel so attack and defeat them they tricked the people of Israel into worshiping their God at peor and they are responsible for the death of Cosby the daughter of one of their own leaders after the devastating plagues and the rebellions that had occurred during the Israelites Journey Through the Wilderness the Lord commanded Moses and Eleazar the son of Aaron to take a second census of the Israelite men who were 20 years old or more those able to serve in Israel's
Army this census was to be taken as the Israelites camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from Jericho marking the end of their long journey and the start of a new chapter as they prepared to enter the promised land Moses and Eleazar gathered the leaders of the tribes and began counting the people tribe by tribe the census recorded the names and numbers of the various families within each tribe revealing the total number of fighting men the tribe of Ruben the firstborn of Israel had 43,7 men the tribe of Simeon which had
been severely reduced due to the punishment of the previous rebellions had 22,200 men the tribe of Judah the most numerous had 76,500 Men followed by issachar with 64300 and zebulun with 60,500 the sons of Joseph Ephraim and Manasseh had 32,500 and 52,700 Men respectively other tribes were also counted each reflecting the population growth or decline that had occurred during the years in the wilderness the total number of men counted in this census were 6017302a [Music] ancestors the Lord instructed Moses that the land of Canaan was to be divided among the tribes according to the size
of each tribe with larger tribes receiving more land and smaller tribes receiving less the division of the land was to be determined by lot ensuring that each tribe received its inheritance as God had planned however among the Levites who were also counted in this census there were 23,000 males 1 month old or more unlike the other tribes the Levites were were not given a territorial inheritance in the promised land as their role was to serve in the Tabernacle and care for the sacred duties of worship as the census concluded it became clear that none of
the men who had been counted in the first census at Mount Si except for Caleb and Joshua were still alive the entire generation that had come out of Egypt had died in the wilderness as the Lord had decreed due to their Disobedience and lack of faith this new generation counted and ready was now the one that would enter the promised land under the leadership of Joshua with the promise of God's continued guidance and blessing zof fad was from the manasse tribe and he had five daughters whose names were Mara Noah hogler milka and tiza one
day his daughters went to the sacred tent where they met with Moses Eleazar and some other leaders of Israel as well as a large crowd of Israelites the young women said you know that our father died in the desert but it was for something he did wrong not for joining with Kora in rebelling against the Lord Our Father left no Sons to carry on his family name but why should his name die out for that reason give us some land like the rest of his relatives in our clan so our father's name can live on
Moses asked the Lord what should be done and the Lord answered zelophehad's daughters are right they should each be given part of the land their father would have received tell the Israelites that when a man dies without a son his daughter will inherit his land if he has no daughter his brothers will inherit the land but if he has no brothers his father's Brothers will inherit the land and if his father has no brothers the land must be given to his nearest relative in the clan this is my law and the Israelites must obey it
the Lord said to Moses one day you will go up into the abraam mountains and from there you will see the land I am giving the Israelites after you have seen it you will die just like your brother Aaron because both of you disobeyed me at merbah near the town of cadesh in the Zin desert when the Israelites insulted me there you didn't believe in my holy power Moses replied you are the Lord God and you know what is in everyone's heart so I ask you to appoint a leader for Israel your people need someone
to lead them into battle or else they will be like sheep wandering around without a shepherd the Lord answered Joshua son of nun can do the job place your hands on him to show that he is the one to take your place then go with him and tell him to stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the Israelites appoint Joshua as their new leader and tell them they must Now obey him just as they obey you but Joshua must depend on Eleazar to find out from me what I want him to do as he
leads Israel into battle Moses followed the Lord's instructions and took Joshua to Eleazar and the people then he placed his hands on Joshua and appointed him Israel's leader the Lord told Moses to say to Israel's tribal leaders when one of you men makes a promise to the Lord you must keep your word suppose a young woman who is still living with her parents makes a promise to the Lord if her father hears about it and says nothing she must keep her promise but if he hears about it and objects then she no longer has to
keep her promise the Lord will forgive her because her father did not agree with the promise prise suppose a woman makes a promise to the Lord and then gets married if her husband later hears about the promise but says nothing she must do what she said whether she meant it or not but if her husband hears about the promise and objects she no longer has to keep it and the Lord will forgive her widows and divorced women must keep every promise they make to the Lord suppose a married woman makes a promise to the Lord
if her husband hears about the promise and says nothing she must do what she said but if he hears about the promise and does object she no longer has to keep it the Lord will forgive her because her husband would not allow her to keep the promise her husband has the final say about any promises she makes to the Lord if her husband hears about a promise and says nothing about it for a whole day she must do what she said since he did not object the promise must be kept but if he waits until
the next day to stop her from keeping her promise he is the one who must be punished these are the laws that the lord gave Moses about husbands and wives and about young daughters who still live at home the Lord said to Moses before you die make sure that the midianites are punished for what they did to Israel then Moses told the people the Lord wants to punish the midianites so tell our men to prepare for battle each tribe will send 1,000 men to fight 12,000 men were picked from the tribes of Israel and after
they were prepared for battle Moses sent them off to war finaz the son of elazar went with them and took along some things from the sacred tent and the trumpets for sounding the battle signal the Israelites fought against the midianites just as the Lord had commanded Moses they killed all the men including balam son of beor and the five midianite Kings evi ream Zur her and Reba the Israelites captured every woman and child then LED away the midianites cattle and sheep and took everything else that belonged to them they also burned down the midianite towns
and Villages Israel's soldiers gathered together everything they had taken from the midianites including the captives and the Animals then they returned to their own camp in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho where Moses Eleazar and the other Israelite leaders met the troops outside Camp Moses became angry with the Army commanders and said I can't believe you let the women live they are the ones who followed balam's advice and inv Ved our people to worship the god Bal pure that's why the Lord punished Us by killing so many of our people you
must put to death every boy and all the women who have ever had sex but do not kill the young women who have never had sex you may keep them for yourselves then Moses said to the soldiers if you killed anyone or touched a dead body you're unclean and have to stay outside the camp for 7 Days on the third and seventh days you must go through a ceremony to make yourselves and your captives clean then wash your clothes and anything made from animal skin goat's hair or wood Ela then explained if you need to
purify something that won't burn such as gold silver bronze iron tin or Lead You must first place it in a hot fire after you take it out sprinkle it with the water that purifies everything else should only be sprinkled with the water do all of this just as the Lord commanded Moses wash your clothes on the seventh day and after that you will be clean and may return to the camp the Lord told Moses make a list of everything taken from the midianites including the captives and the Animals then divide them between the soldiers and
the rest of the people Eleazar the priest and the family leaders will help you from the half that belongs to the soldiers set aside for the Lord one out of every 500 people or animals and give these to Eleazar from the half that belongs to the people set aside one out of every 50 and give these to the Levites in charge of the Sacred tent Moses and Eleazar followed the Lord's instructions and listed everything that had been taken from the midianites the list included 675,000 sheep and goats 72,000 cattle 61,000 donkeys and 32,000 young women
who had never had sex each half included 337,000 sheep and goats 36,000 cattle 30,500 donkeys and 16,000 young women from the half that belonged to the soldiers Moses counted out 675 sheep and goats 72 cattle 61 donkeys and 32 women and gave them to elazar to be dedicated to the Lord then from the half that belonged to the people Moses set aside one out of every 50 animals and women as the Lord had said and gave them to the Levites the Army commanders went to Moses and said sir we have counted our troops and not
one soldier is missing so we want to give the Lord all the gold jewelry we took from the midianites it's our gift to him for watching over us and our troops Moses and elazar accepted the jewelry from the commanders and its total weight was over 200 kg this did not include the things that the soldiers had kept for themselves so Moses and elazar placed the gold in the Lord's sacred tent to remind Israel of what had happened the Israelites were nearing the end of their Journey to the promised land and as they approached the Border
ERS the tribes of Ruin and G saw that the lands of Jer and Gilead were ideal for their livestock recognizing the fertility and abundance of the region they approached Moses requesting to settle there rather than crossing the Jordan River into the land that had been promised to their ancestors they argued that this land was suitable for their families and animals and they expressed their desire to claim it as their inheritance Moses initially responded with frustration and concern fear fearing that this request mirrored the actions of their ancestors who had refused to enter the promised land
years earlier due to fear and doubt he worried that the request would discourage the rest of the Israelites from crossing the Jordan and fulfilling God's plan Moses reminded them of the consequences that had befallen the previous generation for their Disobedience including wandering in the desert for 40 years he feared that another Act of Disobedience would bring further punishment upon the people however the leaders of Ruben and Gad reassured Moses that they had no intention of abandoning their fellow Israelites they proposed a compromise they would build fortified cities in the land for their families and livestock
but the men would still cross the Jordan fully armed fighting alongside the rest of the tribes until the land across the river was conquered and allotted once the other tribes had settled they would return to their own lands east of the Jordan Moses after Consulting with God agreed to this proposal on on the condition that they fulfill their promise to assist their brothers in battle satisfied with the arrangement Moses divided the land of Gilead between the tribes of Reuben Gad and half of the tribe of manasse another tribe that sought territory on the east side
of the Jordan this region with its Rich pastures and strategic cities became the inheritance of these tribes the leaders of Reuben Gad and Manasseh began preparing their families and livestock for life in these new territories while also ready in their Warriors for the battles ahead across the river with the trib's agreement settled the Israelites resumed their preparations for entering the promised land they reviewed the journey they had taken from Egypt reflecting on the victories and trials they had faced as they made plans for the conquest of Canaan Moses issued final instructions regarding the division of
the land the establishment of Cities of Refuge and the importance of following God's commands these instructions underscored the significance of unity and faithfulness as they stood on the threshold of a new chapter in their history [Music] I
