Numbers 33. In Numbers 33 we are in the middle of the transition. God Yahweh has told Moses that he will not be leading the people into the promised land but that He will die. He will be gathered up to glory instead. But before he is, there are a few things that God wants Moses to do. And here in chapter 33 is another of those things. So let's begin reading in chapter 33, Numbers 33 and verse 1. These are the journeys of the sons of Israel by which they came out from the land of Egypt by their armies by the hand of Moses and Aaron. And Moses wrote down their starting places according to their journeys by the command of Yahweh. And these are their journeys according to their starting places. They journeyed from Ramses in the first month on the 15th day of the first month. Now on the next day after the Passover, the sons of Israel started out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. But the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn whom Yahweh had struck down. Among them, Yahweh had also executed judgments on their gods. Then the sons of Israel journeyed from Ramses and camped in Sukkoth. They journeyed from Sukkoth and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. They journeyed from Etham and turned back to Pi Haheroth, which faces Beelzebon, and they camped before Migdal. They journeyed from before Haheroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness. And they went three days journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marath. They journeyed from Morag and came to Elam. And in Elam there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees, and they camped there. They journeyed from Elam and camped by the Red Sea. They journeyed from the Red Sea and camped in the Wilderness of Sin. They journeyed from the Wilderness of Sin and camped at Dafka. They journeyed from Dafka and camped at Elush. They journeyed from Elush and camped in Rephidim. Now, it was there that the people had no water to drink. They journeyed from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai. They journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kebroth Hadavah. They journeyed from Kebroth Hadavah and camped at Hazeroth. They journeyed from Hazareth and camped at Rithma. They journeyed from Rithma and camped at Ramon Perez. They journeyed from Ramon Perez and camped at Libna. They journeyed from Libna and camped at Rissa. They journeyed from Rissa and camped at Kelada. They journeyed from Kelada and camped at Mount Shepherd. or Mount Shepherd. They journeyed from Mount Shepherd and camped at Herodotah, Herodotah. They journeyed from Herodotah and camped at Machaloth. They journeyed from Machaloth and camped at Tahoth. They journeyed from Tahoth and camped at Terah. They journeyed from Terah and camped at Mithka. They journeyed from Mithka and camped at Hashmanah. They journeyed from Hashmanah and camped at Maserath. They journeyed from Maserath and camped at Bene-Jakan. They journeyed from B'nai Jaqan and camped at Orhagadad. They journeyed from Orhagadad and camped at Jothbathaw. They journeyed from Jothbathaw. and Jathbethah and camped at Abranah. They journeyed from Abranah and camped at Ezion-Geber. They journeyed from Ezion-Geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin, that is in Kadesh. They journeyed from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor at the edge of the land of Edom. Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of Yahweh and he died there in the 40th year. after the sons of Israel had come from the land of Egypt on the first day in the fifth month. Now Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor. Now the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan heard when the sons of Israel were coming. Then they journeyed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmanah. They journeyed from Zalmanah and camped at Punan. They journeyed from Punan and camped at Oboth. And they journeyed from Oboth and camped at Ea Ebirim, at the border of Moab. They journeyed from Iyem and camped at Debon God. They journeyed from Dabonggad and camped at Almon-Diblothane. They journeyed from Almon-Diblothane and camped in the mountains of Abirim before Nebo. They journeyed from the mountains of Abirim and camped in the plains of Moab by Jordan, opposite Jericho. They camped by the Jordan from Beshtemash as far as Abel-Shittim in the plains. of Moab. So let's let's stop here for just a few minutes. We're going to finish the chapter but I want us to see a few things here before we do. So one of the things that God wanted Moses to do before he graduated to glory is to compile basically a travel journey of their trip from Egypt to where they presently were on the eastern banks of the Jordan River opposite Jericho. But this travel journey has some really conspicuous elements to it. First, it's not an exhaustive list of places that they journeyed to or through. There are places mentioned in other passages that they stopped at that are not on this list. But on the other hand, there are places listed on this list that are not found, that are not mentioned anywhere else in the scripture. So it's not an exhaustive list. But it is a very intentional list, meaning there are exactly 40 places on this list, with the exceptions of where they were from and where they now were. there are 40 listed places. And what does that number 40 immediately remind us of? It's actually even mentioned as we read in the text that short section about Aaron. It reminds us of the 40 years that this trip took, right? The duration of this trip. Now understand, this doesn't mean that they spent a year in each of these places. No, they didn't. But it is obviously an intentional reminder by God Yahweh Himself, by the way, we read in the beginning that God is the one who instructed Moses to make this list. So it is an intentional reminder by God Yahweh Himself of the length of time that this journey took. And then there's something else about this record, this list, or I should say there is something conspicuously absent from this travel journey. That being what actually happened. The events that took place at all of these stops. is absent. You notice, as we read, there is almost no detail given at all, other than just the places where they stop. There's nothing about the great miracle of the Red Sea crossing, for instance. Verse 8 dramatically understates it, as you would miss it if you didn't know it. They pass through the midst of the sea. This is what it says. Dramatic understatement that they passed through the midst of the sea. There's nothing about water from the the rock that Moses struck. There's nothing about manna from heaven. There's also nothing about God's judgment that fell upon the people of some of these places or even the enemies that they encountered. All of that is is missing. But why? Why is all of that missing? Well, because This list is not, this list is intentionally not about all of those things. That's why. So then what is this list about? What is it about? What is it here for? Well, it should be obvious to all of us because it is repeated no less than 46 times in these 48 verses. This is about the journey. That's what this is about. God Yahweh wants Moses to remind the people about the journey, the 40-year journey to the promised land. That's what this is about. In fact, let us all be reminded this morning that this journey to the promised land, it was a promised journey. It was a promised journey. This promised journey is actually the undercurrent, if I could use that language, the undercurrent of this entire book of numbers. Moses said it like this to his in-laws back in chapter 10. He said, we are setting out to the place of which Yahweh said, I will give it to you. That's the land of Canaan, right? That's this land that they're now standing on the opposite side of Jericho looking at to the west. That's this land. He said, come with us and we will do you good for Yahweh has promised good concerning Israel about this land. And actually this promised journey was not only the undercurrent of the book of Numbers, it's the river that drove Moses' entire life and ministry. Remember the burning bush? The burning bush where God first revealed Himself to Moses over 40 years earlier back in Exodus chapter 3? Listen to what God said to Moses there in that first encounter. And Yahweh said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their suffering. So I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. So this promised journey is really central to the book of Numbers and even to the life and ministry of Moses himself. But there's even more. Hundreds of years earlier, hundreds of years, over 400 years earlier. Remember that night recorded in Genesis chapter 15 when God put Abraham to sleep to make a covenant with Him? In other words, that covenant was definitely all of God Himself. Remember that? Well, listen again. Then God said to Abram, Know for certain that your seed, your children, your offspring, will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved and mistreated for a hundred years." What's this land he's talking about? It's Egypt. That's what he's talking about. But I will also judge the nation to whom they are enslaved, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. As for you, Abraham, you shall go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age. Then," in other words, long after, hundreds of years after your death, Abraham, then, in the fourth generation, they will return here. Abraham was sojourning. He was standing in the land of Canaan. They will return here for, it's going to be 400 years because the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete. Now it happened that the sun had set and it was very dark and behold there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces, these pieces of sacrificial animals. On that day, Yahweh cut a covenant with Abraham, saying, To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, the Kenite, the Kenizite, the Kadamite, and the Hittite, and the Perizite, and the Rephiam, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Gergesite, and the Jebusite. So this promised journey was central to the book of Numbers, it was central to the life and ministry of Moses, and really, this promised journey was central to the very existence of the nation of Israel itself. And it was this God-promised journey to this God-promised land that here now in Numbers 33 has now been all but completed. But, let me ask this. Actually, this text is demanding that we ask. How in the world has this great mass, millions of people, gotten from there to here? How in the world have they gotten 40 years in the wilderness from the beginning of numbers to here? Even more, how have they gotten from Moses at the burning bush How have they gotten 400 years from Abraham to here? How? How has it happened? How in the world has it happened? The answer is obvious, isn't it? Only one way. God Yahweh Himself. He is it. He is only. Yes? That's why God is reminding them of this journey. How in the world did they cover all these different places in 40 years, in 400 years? God Yahweh Himself. Can we all see that amazing truth here? It's God. It's only God. It's only Him. Okay, so now let's go back to our reading and pick it up again at verse 50. Because at verse 50, the text, God's instruction to Moses takes a turn. It turns out that this text is not just about Israel's past journey, it's also about their future journey. Look at verse 50, then Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan opposite Jericho saying, speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, when you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall dispossess all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their carved stones, and destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places. And you shall take possession of the land and inhabit it, for I have given the land to you to possess it." And you shall inherit the land by lot according to your families. To the larger you shall give a larger inheritance, to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that shall be his. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. But if you do not dispossess the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it will be that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land which you inhabit. And it will be as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you." So it should be obvious to us that the way that this is written that there's a connection between these two sections, right? There's a connection between this list of journey, their past journey, and what he tells them about what's ahead in their future journey. There's obviously a connection. But what is that connection? How are they connected? One, the first is about Israel's past, their past journey to the promised land. The other is about Israel's future journey in that promised land. But how are they connected? Well, let me state it like this. The God of their past journey is and will be the God of their future journey. The God of their yesterday is and will be the God of their today and their tomorrow. Isn't that it? Do we all see why God is doing what he is doing here through Moses? Why he intentionally did this, gave this record, instructed Moses to make this record? I mean, remember, The millions of Israel are standing here on the eastern banks of the Jordan River. And they are looking over into that famed land of promise. After 40 years, no actually, after 400 years, just as God Yahweh promised, here they are. They have finally arrived. But now, what's ahead? What's ahead? What about all the unknowns that are ahead? Actually, there is one thing that they do know for sure. Even by what God tells them right here in this text, many, there are many, many fierce battles awaiting them, right? Go in and destroy all the gods of this land first. and then dispossess all of these people out of the land. What does that mean? Struggle. Resistance. Pain. Suffering. And that's not all. Did you catch the part about give the inheritance of the land by lots to the family? The larger families get more land. The smaller families get less land. And that seems logical, right? But how easy would that be to divide the land? Just because a family's small don't mean that they want small. Do we all understand that in our day? If you don't, amass yourself a great amount of wealth and then try to leave it to your family and see how they fight over it. I guarantee you some of those with little will want much. And some of them with a lot may not want as much, but the Lord's telling them to do the exact opposite here. So not only are there going to be struggles within, there's going to be struggles without, but there's going to be struggles within too. So what they do know for sure, there is much ahead, so much unknown ahead of them, but what they know for sure, what they do know is that there's going to be struggle, there's going to be resistance. So, how in the world could they possibly have any hope of success in this land, then, that has been promised to them? The answer's obvious, isn't it? Only one way, God Yahweh Himself. He's there. He is only. Their only hope is the message of this text. That the God of their past journey is and will be the God of their tomorrow. The God of their future journey. Right? Can we see this connection? But seeing and saying this, there's something else here as well. Did we all catch, in verses 50 through 56, how God was telling them, this is the land I promised you, I will give it to you, you will take possession of it, it will be yours. And we might say but, but we really should say and. and you must drive out, you must dispossess the godless people who are in the land." Isn't that what he says? Now notice, he does not say that this conquering of the godless would be all on them. No, he did not say that. It certainly would not be that way. The very first battle of Jericho will certainly prove and confirm this, but they did have a responsibility to do this work. Realize something. God often gives his people responsibility that they cannot accomplish. He does that. He does that such as believing the gospel. You have a responsibility to believe the gospel doesn't mean that you can or will. but you have that responsibility. You and I have that responsibility. Repenting from your sin and coming to Christ, you and I have that responsibility, does not mean you can, does not mean you will, but we have that responsibility. Listen, God often gives his people responsibility that they cannot accomplish, but that does not remove our responsibility from us. Our inability does not remove our responsibility because God is sovereign. These people themselves absolutely could not conquer the fortified cities and the giants of this land, but it did not remove their responsibility to go up and fight to drive them out, to go up and fight to dispossess them. In fact, in verses 55 and 56, God spells it out really clearly. Their response to their responsibility to drive the godless out would be the difference between blessing upon their life or cursing upon it. Hmm. So I know by now all of you are already seeing it here, right? It certainly is no surprise to us, is it, that this is instructive, is an instructive example recorded for us. Right? Saints, we are living right now. You and I are living in the land of promise that this text pictures. We're living in it. We're living in the land of the experience of and experiential salvation. We are here today, saints, in this good land. Because in eternity past, God the Father, in free and sovereign grace, promised and committed the gospel glory, the perfect person and work of His Son, Christ Jesus, to us. He imputed, He accounted His incarnation, His perfect life, His sacrificial substitutionary death, His resurrection, His present intercession of perfection. All of that He promised, He committed to us. All of that He promised, He committed Himself to us. We are here today living in this land of milk and honey, living in the land of God's salvation, His promised salvation, because God the Holy Spirit has given us new life and light with its faith and repentance. And because of this, God in Christ Jesus has become the author of our salvation, the archegos of our journey. It's been an amazing journey. Yes, saints? Amen? It's been an amazing journey to have been brought by God's free grace from death to life, from darkness to light, from children of wrath to children of God. But how have we gotten here? It's been an amazing journey. How have we gotten here? God promised it to us in eternity past. Before we or the world even existed, all of these things were culminated in the mind of God and directed towards us personally, each, individually as His people. And we've traveled this journey, and so how have we gotten here? Well, the answer's obvious, isn't it? One way, God alone. God only. What makes you and I differ from the godless? You? Me? No. God alone. God only. And now that we are the children of God, as long as we live in this land of promise as Christ followers, many things are unknown to us, right? What about the future? Many things are unknown to us about what we will encounter in this land. But one thing is sure, one thing we do know, Enemies, resistance, persecution, sin, death, even the world itself will constantly be warring against us. We're told that. It is our lot as believers. We've been chosen for that just as we've been chosen for salvation. We do know that. There are many things unknown. But we do know that enemies and resistance and persecution and sorrow await us. So what hope could we possibly have of having success, of having blessing and not cursing in this great and glorious land for sure, but also in this land filled with the enemies of our souls? Well, the answer is obvious, isn't it? Yes. How? He who has begun a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. That's how. The God of our past journey, the God of our yesterday, is and will be the God of our tomorrow, the God of our future journey. Amen? He most certainly will be. That's the picture that this text draws for us. That's why it's here. So we can see this in Israel and they being, as we're told in the new covenant, they being an instructive, these things are recorded as an instructive example for us that we might have comfort in the scriptures, that we might be comforted in this good and wonderful land, but also in this land filled with enemies through the scripture. So yes, the God of our past journey is and will be the God of our future journey, the God of our tomorrow. He most certainly will be. Not but, but and. And, here's the thing. Because of who He is and what He has done, we, you and me, have a responsibility in this good work that he has, has done, and is doing, and yet will do. We have a responsibility. Isn't that part of what's right here? We have a responsibility in this good work. Because of what and who He has promised, what and who He has committed to us, He deserves, He deserves that we acknowledge and love and obey Him as He guides us to glory. That's what He was telling these people to do. Okay, I've been with you all this time. I'm going to be with you. Y'all get it? I'm with you. I'm for you. That's what He was saying to them. The same thing He said to us when He committed Christ Jesus to us. Because if He's given us His Son, surely He'll give us everything else. So He's saying, hey y'all, wake up. Everybody wake up. I'm with you. I'm for you. Nothing can separate you from My love. It was free when I gave it to you. It's still free. It will always be free. I've been with you in the past. I'm going to be with you in the future. I'm with you. I'm for you. But you own responsibility in this. Because of what I've committed to you, because of what I've done for you, because of who I gave to you, we have a responsibility he deserves. that we acknowledge and love and obey Him as He guides us in this land of promise. Children of God, God will absolutely complete our salvation. He will do so because of God the Son, Christ Jesus. He will do so through God the Spirit. Not but, but and. And, because He has and because He will do it all, we have the responsibility to fight with Him, to fight beside Him against godlessness within and without. Or let me say it like this, and I'll close. Because of this journey to the true promised land that God has brought us on, we each have a responsibility to acknowledge, love, and obey Him in our future, starting now. Starting now. Because of this journey to the true promised land that God has brought us on, we each have a responsibility to be faithful to Him as our one, true, and only God starting right now. May it be so, because our God, this God, this same God, He deserves it. Doesn't He, saints? He does. Let's pray.