Starting out with a question: which part of the OT is Numbers located in?
The Primary History
Hebrew Bible Genesis–Deuteronomy Joshua–II Kings
(Pentateuch) (Former Prophets)
Noth Genesis–Numbers Deuteronomy–II Kings
(Tetrateuch) (Deuteronomistic History)
Wellhausen Genesis–Joshua Judges–II Kings
(Hexateuch) (Collected Traditions)
And the rest of what has been called the Primary History of Israel is called the Former Prophets by the Jews. That division wasn't good enough for the critical Bible scholars in late 19th and early 20th century Germany. Noth, for example, moved Deuteronomy out of the Pentateuch to leave only a Tetrateuch, while Wellhausen added one book to the Pentateuch to make a Hexateuch.
Not to be outdone by two Germans, I looked at the Primary History from a structural point of view to see if any of these books were in close parallel to one another, and came up with a
Hendecateuch: Structure for the Primary History
IA. Prelude (Gen. 1-11)
IB. Covenant Relationship Defined (Gen. 12-50)
IC. In the Wilderness: Part I (Exodus)
ID. The Law (Leviticus)
IC'. In the Wilderness: Part II (Numbers)
IB'. Covenant Relationship Ratified (Deut. 1-30)
Center: Deuteronomy 31-34
IIB. Conquering the Land (Joshua)
IIC. Possessing the Land: A Mixed History (Judges)
IID. Transition of Leadership (I Samuel)
IIC'. Possessing the Land: A Mixed History (II Samuel-I Kings)
IIB'. Losing the Land (II Kings 1:1-23:25)
IA'. Conclusion: Leaving the Promised Land (II Kings 23:26-25:30)
I obviously love these literary arrangements found throughout the Bible for four reasons. In the first place, they point out the inherent order God has put into Scripture. I won't bore you with all the reasoning behind this proposed organization, but note that the early history in Gen. 1-11 serves as a prelude to the formation of the Jewish nation while the last chapters of Deuteronomy recap that history. The rest of Genesis and Deuteronomy deal with the covenant relationship God established with his chosen people; Exodus and Numbers can be read as a continuous story of the journey from Egypt to Caanan and these two books contain almost exactly the same number of words; and finally, Leviticus stands apart from the rest of the Pentateuch as being almost wholly a law book not a narrative.
And you can see that Noth was not completely off-base in considering Deuteronomy with the following history books since at least the last 5 chapters prepare us for the events in the Promised Land.
The Book of Numbers: Chuck Swindoll's Table of Contents
Commands (chs.1-9) Rebellion (chs.10-14) Punishment (chs.15-36)
Structural Divisions
I. Order (Chapters 1-10)
II. Rebellion (Chapters 11-25)
I'. New Order (Chapters 26-36)
That brings us up to the Book of Numbers. Earlier, our regular Sunday school teacher presented Swindoll's table of contents for this book, and it is a logical one. God gives commands to the people but they constantly disobey so they are punished. But often the events in the Bible are not given in a logical order. And if you compare several commentaries on Numbers with one another, you will find that they all have different ways of dividing up the major sections in the book. That brings up the second valuable thing about literary structures: they help determine the intended divisions in the Scripture. The justification for the three-fold division I propose in this slide is confirmed by the fact that there is internal symmetry within each of the three groupings. This contradicts the many scholars who don't see a lot of order in the book.
Slide “It presents us with a variety of genres...that seem to interrupt each other and whose connections to each other are neither explicitly stated nor easily seen.”
“...notoriously defiant of structural analysis.”
“It is almost a consensus that the Book of Numbers leaves much to be desired, and that much is puzzling in the presentation of its material.”
“Many interpreters complain that the book has no coherent organizational scheme or outline.”
And these comments are from evangelical scholars. I think they are missing the point because they are looking for the wrong type of order in the Bible. Let's look at the last third of the Book of Numbers, for example, since that is where today's lesson is found.
The Structure of Section III
A. The Tribes Numbered (26:1-56)
B. Levites Numbered (26:57-65)
C. Inheritance Laws for Daughters of Zelophehad (27:1-11)
D. End of Moses' Leadership (27:12-23)
E. Final Legislation Before Crossing Jordan (ch. 28-29)
F. Women's Vows (ch. 30)
E'. Final Narratives Before Crossing Jordan (ch. 31-32)
D'. Summary of Moses' Leadership (33:1-49)
A'. The Tribes' Inheritance (33:50-34:29)
B'. Levites' Inheritance and Cities of Refuge (ch. 35)
C'. Inheritance Laws for Daughters of Zelophehad (ch. 36)
You can see why many scholars are rightly confused since each lettered section represents a different story and the text seems to haphazardly jump around from one subject to another and then repeat itself. This sort of arrangement not only demonstrates that there is perfect order in the text, but (and this is the third important thing we can get from such an analysis) it also shows that sometimes the appropriate context for understanding a portion of Scripture is located several chapters later. Just look at our passage for today in bold. The last half of chapter 27 should really be read in conjunction with chapter 33 since they both deal with the same subject.
So all that introduces our passage of the week, but I will warn you that I am only going to briefly discuss it in order to concentrate on some more important verses in that same chapter instead.
Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint someone over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep without a shepherd.” Numbers 27:15-17
So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him; have him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. You shall give him some of your authority, so that all the congregation of the Israelites may obey.” Numbers 27:18-20
The cover of our weekly study guide has a picture of baton passing during a relay race. And many races have been lost at this key point. I prefer this picture. Notice that the runner receiving the baton is not standing still. He is already up to speed by the time of the hand-off. Joshua, for example, had almost 40 years working as Moses' assistant before he was handed the baton. And the process didn't stop there. Look at the subsequent leaders mentioned in the Book of Joshua and the overlap between them.
Leadership in the Book of Joshua
Joshua, son of Nun Eleazar Phinehas
1:1
2:1
2:23
6:6
---------------------------
14:1 14:1
17:4 17:4
19:49 -----
19:51 19:51
21:1 21:1
--------------------------
22:13 22:13
----- 22:30
22:31 22:31
22:32 22:32
Judges 20:28
It is the very picture of a relay race. That is why mentoring of the subsequent generation of leaders in the church is so important. At a previous church where I led an adult Sunday school class, I began a process of team teaching where different class members could try out their hand at teaching. Many of them went on later to teach their own classes at that church and other churches. And you probably know that in our own church where various committees help conduct the day-to-day business, there is a strong attempt to maintain a continuity of both membership and leadership so that the committees don't end up re-inventing the wheel each year. And of course each of us is called to pass the Word on to others in our circle of influence, especially our children and grandchildren.
As important as this theme is in Numbers 27, there is another sometimes neglected theme in that chapter that is just as important so I would like to spend the rest of the class time on it. Let's look again at the structure of this portion of Numbers.
The Structure of Section III
A. The Tribes Numbered (26:1-56)
B. Levites Numbered (26:57-65)
C. Inheritance Laws for Daughters of Zelophehad (27:1-11)
D. End of Moses' Leadership (27:12-23)
E. Final Legislation Before Crossing Jordan (ch. 28-29)
F. Women's Vows (ch. 30)
E'. Final Narratives Before Crossing Jordan (ch. 31-32)
D'. Summary of Moses' Leadership (33:1-49)
A'. The Tribes' Inheritance (33:50-34:29)
B'. Levites' Inheritance and Cities of Refuge (ch. 35)
C'. Inheritance Laws for Daughters of Zelophehad (ch. 36)
The final way in which literary structures are important is in helping us to identify the key points the author is stressing. In this case, the structure actually points to three key passages of emphasis. In the very center of these eleven chapters is a whole chapter devoted to women's vows. From both the OT and NT we learn that vows made to God are to be taken very seriously and once made, the person can't go back on his vow. A problem arose in the patriarchal society of the time when a woman living in her father's house or a married woman made a vow (such as sacrificing an animal on the altar) but her father or husband prevented her from carrying it out. In response to this situation, God proclaimed a law excusing such women from their vows under those conditions without coming under any condemnation. However, any women living on their own were expected to carry out their vows to God without exception just like the men.
The climaxes of the two parallel ABC series are also natural places where important teachings are located. Both of these involve property rights for women and the first is in Numbers 27, our chapter for today.
Then the daughters of Zelophehad came forward...They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and they said, “Our father died in the wilderness...Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father's brothers.” Numbers 27:1-4
Can you image the amount of nerve it took for these five young, single women to go before all those people with their request. But Moses doesn't just dismiss their complaints.
Moses brought their case before the LORD. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: The daughters of Zelophehad are right in what they are saying; you shall indeed let them possess an inheritance among their father's brothers and pass the inheritance of their father on to them......It shall be for the Israelites a statute and ordinance, as the LORD commanded Moses.
So it actually established a legal precedent for the nation. That isn't the end of the story, however. It is continued nine chapters later when the girls' uncles complain to Moses: “The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the Israelites; and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. But if they are married into another Israelite tribe, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our ancestors and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry; so it will be taken away from the allotted portion of our inheritance.” Numbers 36:2-3
Moses replies: “This is what the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, 'Let them marry whom they think best; only it must be into a clan of their father's tribe that they are married, so that no inheritance of the Israelites shall be transferred from one tribe to another.” Numbers 36:6-7
And the five sisters readily agree to the compromise.
“...the character of the daughters is highlighted. They are properly bold, in contrast to the cowardice of the ten spies. But they are also properly obedient, willing to limit their choices and options in service to the larger tribe...This boldness mixed with obedience safeguards the inheritance of the social reality that the land represents.” (David L. Stubbs, Numbers, pp. 248-249)
This brings up the issue of the Christian view of women today, a topic that has become rather hot since last October. During a panel discussion John MacArthur was asked what he thought of Beth Moore in two words. His comment was “Go home.” Later a number of evangelical leaders asked him to clarify his words, hoping that he would be a little less confrontational. Unfortunately, MacArthur's clarification ran as follows: “Women need to get themselves under control and realize they are not to speak in a church.” Actually, some of the best comments I have heard in class discussions have come from the women in the class.
Unfortunately, this controversy only adds ammunition to atheists who brand the Bible as being anti-women. So I thought it might be useful to review some of the women highlighted in the Bible, and do it in the form of a quiz.
Women in the Old Testament
Who was created in God's own image: man or woman? (Genesis 1:27)
Who turned the LORD's wrath away from Moses? (Exodus 4:24-26) Zipporah
Who was the third prophet listed in the Bible, after Abraham and Aaron? Miriam
Who was the first song composer named in the Bible? (Exodus 15:20-21) Miriam (Selene knows)
Who is the only person to be judge over Israel, a prophet, and a co-general of the army” Deborah
Who co-wrote the fifth chapter of Judges? Deborah
The Book of Judges is especially known for stories in which women are oppressed, as the Christian feminist Phyllis Trible points out in her book Texts of Terror. But keep in mind that the purpose of Judges is to demonstrate in a series of repeated cycles the constant failures of God's people to live up to His commands. But in addition to these cycles, there is an overall downward trend as one proceeds through Judges. That can be illustrated in several ways, but the most obvious one is seen in the way women are portrayed.
Decline in the Time of Judges
Achsah requests and gets more land from Caleb (1:11-15): another bold woman asking for her fair rights and getting them.
Deborah judges over Israel (chs. 4-5)
Jael kills the commander of the Canaanite army by driving a tent peg through his ear when he is sleeping. (chs. 4-5)
A woman of Thebez kills the evil ruler Abimelech by dropping a millstone on his head from the top of a tower (9:50-54) These are all treated as heroes in the Bible who take forceful action when necessary.
Jephthah's daughter suffers because of her father's rash vow (11:34-40)
Samson's wife becomes a pawn between Samson and the Philistines and is treated poorly by both sides. (Judges 14-15)
A Levite throws his concubine outdoors to a gang of Benjamites in order to save himself, they rape her all night long, she dies, and then the Levite cuts her body up into 12 pieces (ch.19)
Benjamites are given permission to kidnap the women of Shiloh and force them into marriage (ch. 21)
Back to the quiz: Which two books in the Bible have a woman as the main character? Ruth and Esther
Which book spends over half its time describing the inner thoughts of a woman? Song of Solomon
Who convinced David to pay attention to the nation's concerns when he was depressed after Saul's death? Wise woman of Tekoa (2 Samuel 14:1-24)
Who saved the people of the city of Abel from being destroyed? A wise woman (2 Samuel 20) This was when David's forces were trying to capture David's enemy Sheba who had fled there. She convinced David to stop and the people of the city to hand over Sheba's head to them instead.
Which prophet did righteous King Josiah consult? Huldah (2 Kings 22)
The Book of Proverbs has been accused of dealing strictly with advice given by a father to his son. But look at how it is organized. You can see from the highlighted sections the equal prominence given here to men and women. And the first half of Chapter 31 was even written by a woman, Lemuel's mother.
The Structure of Proverbs
I. Concerning Wisdom and Wise Men (1:1-7)
II. Warnings from a Father (1:8-3:36)
III. The Two Ways (4:1-7:27)
IV. Two Invitations (8:1-9:18)
V. Four Books of Proverbs
IV'. Skeptic Answered (30:1-6)
III'. Agur’s Proverbs (30:7-33)
II'. Warnings from a Mother (31:1-9)
I'. Concerning Wisdom and the Wise Woman (31:10-31)
Women in the New Testament
How many women are listed in Jesus' genealogy? 5 (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, Mary)
Who was the first Christian? We will see if you were paying attention during Hugh's last lesson. Mary, mother of Jesus (also according to the cover story of Nov. CT).
Who, according to Luther, preached the first Christian sermon? Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-45)
Who was commended by Jesus for choosing the better portion? Mary, sister of Martha (Luke 10:38-42) because she wanted to learn at the feet of Jesus. This was a rather revolutionary thing for Jesus to say considering the conventional wisdom of the ancient rabbis at the time.
“It is said, ‘Gather the men, women and children’—since the men come to learn Torah and the women come to hear, why do the children come?” Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah (1st cent. AD)
“Anyone who teaches his daughter Torah teaches her sexual license.” Eliezer ben Hyrcanus (1st-2nd cent. AD)
“Women’s wisdom is solely in the spindle.” “The words of the Torah should be burned rather than entrusted to women” Jerusalem Talmud (350-400 AD)
A year ago, an Israeli Supreme Court ruling ordered a halt at last to women entering the Western Wall plaza being frisked for ritual items such as Torah scrolls. In response, the ultra-Orthodox Party has proposed a bill classifying the entire area as a holy site governed by Israel's rabbinic courts.
Who was pointed out by Jesus as a superior example of giving? (Mark 12:42) The widow and her mite
What female did Jesus compare himself to? (Matt. 23:37) “Jerusalem, Jerusalem...How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing.”
Who stayed with Jesus when he was on the cross? John, his mother Mary, her sister, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, Salome
Who were the first witnesses of the resurrection? Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, Mary the wife of Clopas, Joanna, and Salome
Where did the early church first meet? The house of Mary, the mother of Mark (Acts 12:12)
Were there women prophets in the NT? (Anna in Luke 2:36; It was a fulfillment of Joel's words quoted at Pentacost – Acts 2:18; Philip's four daughters in Acts 21:9; Paul says it was a regular occurrence in the early church – I Cor. 11:4-5)
Who corrected the prominent preacher Apollos' faulty theology? (Acts 18:26) Priscilla and Aquila
What titles does Paul give Phoebe in Romans 16:2? A deacon in the church and a benefactor of Paul
What is Junia's distinction? (Romans 16:7) She was a prominent apostle.
What is the church called in Revelation? The bride of Christ (Rev. 19-22; Eph. 5:25-27)
One last question. Does this quote remind you of any teaching in the NT? “Praise God who has created me a human and not beast, a man and not a woman, an Israelite and not a gentile, circumcised and not uncircumcised, free and not slave.” Rabbi Judah (2nd cent. AD)
Variations of this prayer are still recited by Orthodox Jewish men today.
Some scholars have suggested that the Apostle Paul was alluding to an earlier version of this blessing when he declared, “There is no longer Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, neither male nor female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Alternatively, Rabbi Judah may have been reacting to Paul’s words to contradict what Paul had said.
I think that the final proof of Christians' view of women comes from the November National Geographic issue of last year. They ranked 167 nations as far as women's status is concerned. They used criteria such as equal employment, access to education, freedom from violence, and strong legal rights. It is no surprise that the top 30 nations almost all had a strong Christian heritage while the bottom 60 were overwhelmingly Muslim or Hindu countries.
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