Story 57: Events During The Last Days Of Mo'ses lll

   The numerical strength of each tribe as revealed in this census was made the basis for allotting the land of Ca'naan. Mo'ses, knowing that he would not be permitted to cross the Jor'dan and take part in the conquest of Ca'naan, gave full instructions concerning these allotments, and they were later carried out by his successor, Josh'u-a.
   There were many other matters of importance to which Mo'ses gave his attention before he ascended Mount Ne'bo for his departure to Heaven. Rules were given for the several feasts which were to be observed by Is'ra-el in their national life. Further instructions concerning the duties of the priests and Le'vites were given, and new provisions were made for their support. The system of tithing was confirmed and carefully outlined. The laws of sacrificial offerings were repeated and made more complete. Mo'ses prepared for future generations a complete account of the journeys of Is'ra-el from E'gypt to Ca'naan, and of the various places where they had encamped. Directions were given for the assignment of certain cities to the Le'vites, and others were set aside as Cities of Refuge.
   Mo'ses made a series of speeches in which he recounted all the laws which God had given him, calling special attention to the moral and religious codes. These addresses make up the greater part of the Book of Deu-ter-on'o-my.
   In these long speeches Mo'ses reviewed the goodness and mercies of God toward His chosen people, and reminded Is'ra-el of her Divinely chosen place among the nations of the world as the recipient of God's special revelations. He not only urged the necessity of perfect obedience to the Laws of God, but also stressed the solemn duty of faithfully teaching them to their children.
   In many respects the book in which these addresses are recorded is superior to all the other writings of Mo'ses, for it is a summary of the entire Law of God as given to Is'ra-el by Divine Inspiration. The four addresses of Mo'ses are the words of a dying father to his children, inspired of God, earnest, and impressive.

Story 57: Events During The Last Days Of Mo'ses ll

   The Reu'ben-ites and Ga'di-tes then changed their proposal. They offered to leave their women and children, and their flocks and herds, on the east side of the Jor'dan while the men crossed over to help the ten other tribes in the conquest of Ca'naan. They would then return and take up their allotment on these lands.
   In their new proposal these two tribes agreed to share in the hardships and dangers involved in conquering the entire land of Ca'naan, and they gave up all claim upon any lands west of the Jor'dan. Mo'ses accepted this offer, praised them for acting righteously, and warned them against any unfaithfulness in carrying out the agreement.
   Lying to the north of the territory requested by the tribes of Reu'ben and Gad was a rugged, mountainous district known as Gil'e-ad. It was not adapted to stock-raising, so would be of no use to people who had large flocks and herds. Mo'ses directed that this region be given to half of the tribe of Ma-nas'seh, descendants of one of the sons of Jo'seph. The leaders of this tribe were noted for bravery and success in war. They had defeated the strong heathen tribe known as the Am'o-rites, and had overcome scores of heavily fortified towns. Gil'e-ad was a frontier district, and would be the natural course of attack upon Is'ra-el by countries of the northeast in later years. For these reasons it was important that this region be held by a strong, courageous tribe.
   As mentioned in a previous story, the third census of Is'ra-el during the forty years between their departure from E'gypt and their final occupation of Ca'naan was taken during the encampment at A'bel-Shit'tim. Thousands of Is'ra-el-ites had died since the census which had been taken just before they left Si'nai. Some had been slain in wars, some had perished from plagues sent upon them for acts of disobedience, some from the bite of the fiery serpents, and many from natural causes. Within the entire camp there were only three men above sixty years of age. Of all the men who were twenty years or more of age when they left E'gypt, the only ones now living were Mo'ses, Josh'u-a, and Ca'leb. All the others had perished because of their refusal to enter at once into the Promised Land, as commanded by the LORD, when they were at Ka'desh-Bar'ne-a thirty-nine years prior to this last census.
   In the last enumeration of Is'ra-el before entering Ca'naan it was found that some of the tribes had grown in numbers during the thirty-eight years of wandering in the wilderness, while others had decreased. The total number of men above twenty years and able to bear arms was 601,730, slightly less than at the last census. This number did not include the men of the tribe of Le'vi, as they were consecrated to special services in the Tabernacle.

Story 57: Events During The Last Days Of Mo'ses l

   During the months of Is'ra-el's encampment on the plains of Mo'ab, at a place called A'bel-Shit'tim, many of the people attended a festival in which the false god called Ba'al-pe'or was worshipped in rites of an immoral nature. The Is'ra-el-ites had come to the festival at the invitation of the women of Mo'ab and Mid'i-an, but they should not have remained in a place where idol-worship was practiced. They were guilty of forsaking the True God, and of joining the heathen in acts which they knew were wrong.
   The LORD punished Is'ra-el by sending a plague which resulted in the immediate death of twenty-four thousand men. An Is'ra-el-ite named Zim'ri and a Mid'i-an-ite woman named Coz'bi defamed the name of God by their evil deeds before the Tabernacle, and were put to death by Phin'e-has, who was a son of E-le-a'zar and grandson of Aa'ron. For this act  of justice in upholding the laws of Is'ra-el he was praised by Mo'ses, and later was highly honored.
   The plague in the camps of Is'ra-el was then removed, but the LORD directed Mo'ses to make war upon the Mo'ab-ites and Mid'i-an-ites for the bold, disgraceful manner in which they had turnt many of the Is'ra-el-ites from the worship of God into idolatry.
   Because the women of Mid'i-an had been the chief offenders in leading the Is'ra-el-ites into idolatry and wickedness, the leaders of the army had been ordered to slay them. But when the war was over, Mo'ses found that many of his captains had not obeyed these orders, but had made prisoners of the Mid'i-an-it-ish women. He rebuked them severely, and ordered that all these women who had taken part in leading Is'ra-el into idolatry should be slain at once.
   The territory east of the Jor'dan which had been conquered by the Is'ra-el-ites,  from the brook Ar'non on the south to Mount Her'mon on the north, and extending eastward for many miles to the desert plateaus, consisted of wide, grassy plains and low hills and plateaus which were well watered by many streams, It was well adapted for stock-raising, and was noted for its fine pastures.
  Two of the tribes of Is'ra-el, those descending from Reu'ben and from Gad, had very large flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, and were noted for their skill as shepherds. They came to Mo'ses and E-le-a'zar requesting that these lands be given them, and that they be excused from crossing the Jor'dan for the conquest of Ca'naan west of this river.
   Mo'ses rebuked the tribes of Reu'ben and Gad for making this request, for it was both selfish and unpatriotic. Their wish to settle on the land east of Jor'dan gave no regard whatever to the welfare of their brethren in the other tribes. it appeared to Mo'ses that they were trying to avoid military service against the strong heathen tribes which held the country west of the Jor'dan, and he felt that such a course would be a reproach upon the unity of Is'ra-el, and a violation of the Covenant which they had made with God.
  

Story 56: How A Dumb Animal Talked With A Prophet lll

   The messengers returnt to Ba'lak with the news that Ba'laam would no come to him at this time. Their words were even more deceptive than those of Ba'laam, for they did not tell their master that the LORD had forbidden Ba'laam to come. This led the Mo'ab-it-ish king to believe that he would come later, and that he would curse Is'ra-el as requested. He suspected that Ba'laam was merely waiting until more money was offered him.
   Then Ba'lak sent another group of messengers to Ba'laam. This delegation was larger, and its members were of higher rank than the first messengers. They came to Ba'laam and said, "Ba'lak urges that you come to him at once, and that you let nothing hinder you. He promises that he will give whatever you ask, if you will only curse the Is'ra-el-ites."
   Ba'laam already knew that he must neither visit the king, nor curse Is'ra-el, but he let the messengers think that he would finally do both. He said to them "If Ba'lak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more."
   He should have sent the messengers away at once, but he invited them to tarry with him, speaking as though he thought that the LORD would give him permission to curse Is'ra-el. The LORD knew that Ba'laam's heart had been turnt by his love of money, so He gave him permission to go with these messengers in order to teach him a much needed lesson.
   As Ba'laam was riding an ass on the way to the place where Ba'lak lived, a miracle suddenly took place. The ass on which he was riding turnt aside into the fields, and Ba'laam angrily forced it back into the road. Again the ass turnt suddenly to one side, crushing Ba'laam's foot against a stone wall. Then it fell down, and was beaten severely by Ba'laam. All of these strange actions were caused by an Angel of the LORD, who was visible to the ass, but unseen by Ba'laam.
   The ass then spoke in human language, saying, "What have I done unto thee that thou hast smitten me these three times?" Apparently not alarmed by the strange fact of having a dumb animal speak to him, Ba'laam answered, "Because thou hast mocked me, if I had a sword I would kill you." After the ass reminded him of its faithful years of service the LORD gave Ba'laam power to see the Angel standing in the highway with a sword in his hand. The Angel rebuked Ba'laam for his cruelty to the ass, and told him that if it had not turnt aside, death would have come to the prophet. The Angel also declared that God was trying to save him from the evil which lay in his heart. Ba'laam was permitted to continue his journey, but warned not to curse Is'ra-el.

Story 56: How A Dumb Animal Talked With A Prophet ll

   Ba'lak sent messengers to Ba'laam to hire him to curse Is'ra-el. In return for this favor to the heathen
king, Ba'laam was to be promoted in rank. Valuable gifts were brought to him by the messengers, and he was promised a large sum in gold for uttering the curse.
   Ba'laam received the messengers with true Oriental courtesy, inviting them to spend the night in his home. He assured them that he would place Ba'lak's request before the LORD, and would do whatever the LORD commanded.
   During the night the LORD appeared to Ba'laam, probably in a vision, and told him neither to return to Ba'lak with these men, nor to pronounce a curse upon the people of Is'ra-el. The next morning he told the messengers of Ba'lak that the LORD had forbidden him to go to the king of Mo'ab at any time. But he did not tell them the most important part of the message from God. An honest report of what had taken place during the night would have ended the matter then and there, but he led the men to think that it was still possible for him to curse Is'ra-el.
   Ba'laam is a strange character to many people, but the Bible story gives us a clear picture of him. He was a prophet to whom God revealed certain Divine purposes, and to whom He sometimes gave information concerning worldly matters. Ba'laam was very intelligent, often grasping truths which were too deep for other men to understand. His people were not included in the Is'ra-el-ites Cov'e-nant, but he professed to believe in the God of the He'brews. He was also well informed concerning the history of Is'ra-el, knowing about their miraculous deliverance from E'gyp-tian bondage, God's care for them during the forty years in the wilderness, and the hopes which they now held for the future.
   At heart, however, Ba'laam was greedy. He simply could not break away from the "wages of divination" which he had received as a magician of the Mid'i-an-ites. He tried to serve God and Mam'mon at the same.

Story 56: How A Dumb Animal Talked With A Prophet l

   The Is'ra-el-ites were now encamped on the plains of Mo'ab on the east side of the river Jor'dan, their camp reaching back five or six miles toward the high plateau of this area. They looked eagerly across the river to the land promised to their fathers, no doubt expecting the LORD to tell them to cross the river at any moment.
   But the time had not yet come for Is'ra-el to occupy the land of Ca'naan. There were other territories east of the Jor'dan to be conquered, and the LORD had some important lessons to teach them before they would be ready to conquer the land west of the river.
   In much of their recent travels the Is'ra-el-ites had occupied certain parts of the territory of the Mo'ab-ites, and had crossed their borders without opposition. Instead, the most friendly relations had been enjoyed by both nations, and the Mo'ab-ites had sold food and water to the children of Is'ra-el.
   But the defeat of the two strong kings of the Am'o-rites, and the conquest of all their territory by the Is'ra-el-ites, had brought suspicion and fear to the heart of Ba'lak, king of the Mo'ab-ites. The army of Is'ra-el numbered 601,730 warriors who had shown great courage and skill in fighting the Am'o-rites. Ba'lak feared that they might attack his own people, and dared not meet them in open battle.
   In a small territory near Mo'ab there lived a people called the Mid'i-a-nites. They were a different branch from those of the same name who had given shelter to Mo'ses during the forty years of his exile from E'gypt. This branch had settled on the grassy plains between the lands of the Mo'ab-ites and Am'o-rites before the days of I'saac and Ja'cob. They were stock-raisers, and traded with the caravans which passed through their land. No conflict between them and the Is'ra-el-ites had occurred up to this time. The Mid'i-an-ites were neither very strong nor warlike. In their early history they had been defeated by the E'dom-ites, and later were subdued by Si'hon, who made them subjects of the Am'o-rites.
   Ba'lak's alarm was without cause, for the Is'ra-el-ites had shown no unfriendliness whatever toward his people. The LORD had instructed them not to harm the Mo'ab-ites, and they had carefully obeyed His order.
   Knowing that he could not defeat the Is'ra-el-ites in battle, Ba'lak took a course which he hoped would deprive them of the protection and aid of God which had been so manifest in their battles against the Am'o-rites. There was a magician among the Mid'i-a-nites whose name was Ba'laam, and who also possessed the gift of prophecy. He claimed to speak with God, and to have the power of reading the future. Ba'lak decided to have this magician utter a curse against Is'ra-el, and in this way to offset the special favor which they enjoyed from the LORD.
   In those days some men were given the power to bless or to curse others, and Ba'laam probably had such power. The most gifted man of God, however, could not bring a curse upon others without reason. No man can curse those whom God is blessing.
  

Story 55: Is'ra-el's March From Ka'desh To The Plains Of Mo'ab lV

   The Am'or-ites were descendants of E'mer, the fourth son of Ca'naan, and were both strong and numerous in the land. Two strong kings ruled over large areas east of the river Jor'dan, and five over territory west of the Jor'dan. Og, who was another king east of the Jor'dan, was later conquered by the Is'ra-el-ites under Mo'ses, and the territory of Si'hon and Og was given to the tribes of Reu'ben, Ma-nas'seh, and Gad. The five kings west of the Jor'dan were later conquered by Josh'u-a.
   After conquering all the territory under the rule of Si'hon, the Is'ra-el-ites carried the war against the Am'or-ites into the northern district of Ba'shan, which was ruled by Og. He and his people were very powerful, and Og himself was so large that he had a bedstead of iron twelve feet long and six feet wide. The giant king and his warriors made the mistake of leaving their fortified cities, and making war against Is'ra-el on the plains. Is'ra-el won a great victory over Og, taking possession of all his territory.
   Is'ra-el's warfare against the Am'or-ites east of the Jor'dan was one of extermination. God had commanded them to wipe out these heathen people because of their idolatry and wickedness. And so the lands of the Am'or-ites became the property of God's chosen people, and Is'ra-el was enriched by herds and flocks, and the spoils of many cities.
   A triumphant war-song celebrating the victory over these powerful peoples, and giving all honor for it to God, was sung by all Is'ra-el. The people then moved to the plains of Mo'ab, which ran along the eastern border of the Dead Sea and of the river Jor'dan. The city of Jer'i-cho was on the west side of the river, near its mouth, and just opposite the place where Is'ra-el was encamped. Many preparations, however, had to be made before Is'ra-el could cross the river and take possession of the land then known as Ca'naan. The more important of these preparations will be reviewed in our next chapter.