We begin this chapter by looking back (v1,2) with a detailed account of the journeys of the Children of Israel from leaving Egypt. They left Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after Passover (v3,4). The Lord states that it wasn’t a secret escape but with boldness while the Egyptians were burying their dead.
It is interesting that the Lord details all the stopping points (v5-15). Rameses to Succoth, Succoth to Etham, Etham to Pi Hahiroth, camping near Migdol. We are even told that they turned back from Etham to Pi Hahiroth, then through the midst of the sea (v8) (which would be the crossing of the Red Sea and the subsequent drowning of the Egyptian armies.) We tend to think that the crossing of the sea happened almost immediately, but it was clearly not so because they camped at three places beforehand.
I am not going to list all the places, but it clearly shows that God was in control. He opened the sea for them, provided them with water, manna and gave them victories over enemies on the way. They were not random places which they chose, God led them with the pillar of cloud and fire. They were not to move until God told them. They eventually came to the Wilderness of Sinai (v15). This journey took them the best part of a year and it was at Sanai that they received the law.
They moved to approximately twenty places until they came to Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin (v16-49). From Kadesh to Mount Hor on the boundary of Edom where Aaron died at the age of 123 years. This was in the fortieth year after leaving Egypt. They had four further stops until they reached the border of Moab, three further places until the mountains of Abarim before Nebo, from there to the plains of Moab. One writer says, ‘a lot of activity, but no progress’. All this time was to allow for the unbelieving generation to die before entering the Promised land.
We now come to looking ahead and the command to conquer Canaan (v50-53).
“Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their moulded images, and demolish all their high places; you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess.’”
Not only were they to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan but to wipe out their idolatrous icons and practices. The most important phrase to me is “I have given you the land to possess.” They had a responsibility to obey the LORD, but He gave them a promise to go with it. Their responsibility was clear, they were not just going to walk in and all be plain sailing, they had work to do.
God goes on to command Moses to possess the land and divide it by lot among the families (v54-56). Larger families to receive larger territories and smaller ones accordingly. However, there was a ‘but’ – “if you do not drive out the inhabitants…. Those who remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you…. I will do to you as I thought to do to them.” Therefore, if they failed to comply with the Lord’s instructions, they could still remain in the land but the Lord would drive them out just as He told them to drive out the Canaanites and we see this actually happened, in history, they failed and were driven out and went into exile, eventually scattered over the earth.
Similarly, we must not allow worldly practices to come into or continue in the church.
