Proclaimer Blog
Numbers 33: what do you do with a long list of names
Last week we spent some wonderful time with Iain Duguid in the book of Numbers. Here's some helpful stuff on Numbers 33 which might also help you with clear thinking about some of the other lists of names in the Old Testament:
On the face of it, Numbers 33 is one of the most unpromising texts in the Old Testament. It is a list of place names, but not just a random collection of place names. Rather, it is a list designed (at God's command) to shape Israel's perspective on her wilderness wanderings as a whole. When we look closely, there are three different kinds of places listed here. Some of the places where they stayed call to mind the Lord's faithfulness to Israel in providing for their needs in the desert. Others call to mind Israel's sinful rebellion against the Lord at a variety of points through their wandering. Still others are places where, as far as we know, nothing particular of note happened. Each of these categories has lessons for God's people.
(1) The people needed to be reminded of God's faithfulness along the way. (2) The people needed to be reminded of God's forgetfulness along the way. Curiously, you wouldn't know about the rebellion from the list itself. Whilst some mention is made of God's faithfulness along the way, none is made of the people's sin apart from the place names themselves. When God lists the wanderings, he chooses to pass over the sin in silence. (3) The majority of the time nothing happens at these places. They are the geographical equivalents of 'Tuesdays' – days which are often immemorble. Life is not a collection of highs and lows, but the majority of life is about the time in between and God is in those days and places too.