Numbers 36 concludes the book with an inquiry regarding the inheritance. One of the men in the clan of Manasseh only has daughters. It is pointed out to Moses that if the daughters marry someone from another tribe the inheritance will pass to the other tribe. God commands that in households where there are only daughters they must marry within their ancestral tribe in order to keep the land within that tribe. The daughters in question obey the Lord’s commands and the inheritance remains in the clan.

Congratulations, you have finished yet another book. We now move to the last book of the Torah, the Law.

Deuteronomy 1 opens in the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year that the Israelites have been in the wilderness. Moses speaks to the Israelites and declares that they are as numerous as the stars in the sky. The covenant with Abraham has been fulfilled. He offers them a blessing that they will continue to multiply. He then gives them an account of the last part of the journey they had made. Moses reminds them that in Horeb he determined they were too numerous for him to lead alone. He told each tribe to choose men who are wise to be their leaders. They command at various levels: thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.  These leaders judge disputes among the people. If a case is too hard it may be brought to Moses but otherwise they have been charged with this duty.

Moses reminds them of the time when they sent spies into the land of the Amorites and they were afraid to fight. He had reminded them of the fact that god had carried them this far and would continue to carry them into the Promised Land but they did not trust the Lord. It was then the God declared that none of that generation would enter the Promised Land.

Only Caleb and Joshua had faith and were chosen to be able to go into the land with the next generation. Moses reminds the people that even he was prohibited to go into the Promised land because of their doubt.  Trying to prove themselves the people decided to go against the Amorites but it was without God’s blessing and they did not succeed.

Psalm 32 speaks of those who have been forgiven. When we do not confess our sin we suffer, the guilt consumes us. But when we confess our sin, release it to the Lord, and receive the forgiveness He offers, we are renewed. We experience God’s sustaining love.