On Leviticus and Numbers

In the next few weeks we will finish Exodus. The books in the Torah that follow are Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  I don't have the courage to work through the 63 chapters (in whole) of Leviticus and Numbers at this time. I will save those two books for later in this three-year journey through the Old Testament, after we (I) have developed a more robust understanding of the role of the Old Testament Law in the nation of Israel.  This year, I will jump directly on to the book of Deuteronomy.

What do we miss by skipping Leviticus and Numbers?

At the end of Exodus, YHWH renters the Tabernacle and his Holiness fills the tent.  Yet now Moses cannot enter the Tabernacle.  More work needs to be done.

Leviticus describes the rituals and sacrifices that must be done by the people of Israel in expectation of the Day of Atonement.  The Day of Atonement is the central, climactic episode in the book.  After all the feasts and sacrifices of Leviticus, Moses finally enters the Tabernacle.

The book of Numbers describes forty years in the desert, between the escape from Egypt and the entrance into Canaan.  The first ten chapters begin with a census of Israel at Sinai (thus the title of the book) followed by preparation for moving out into the desert from Sinai, towards Canaan. After that, we read the history of this journey (beginning in chapter 11.) Critical to this history is the exploration of Canaan by twelve spies (in Numbers 13) followed by a cowardly retreat from Canaan, despite God's promises of victory.  This leads to some 38 years of meandering in the desert, waiting for YHWH to allow them to enter Canaan.  During this time, we meet Balaam (Numbers 23-25) and his plans to curse the Israelites, a plan that turns into a blessing and a messianic prophecy. Prior to that we see a plague of serpents (Numbers 21) which is stopped by Moses raising a bronze symbol of the serpent for the people to focus on.  

Throughout these wilderness journeys we have numerous "murmurings" --  numerous places where the Israelites whine about their difficulties. One of the first murmurings is a complaint about the steady diet of manna and quail.

At the end of Numbers, the people are on the border of Canaan, poised to tenter.  Two and a half tribes settle the region east of the Jordan ("Transjordan") and then the Torah carries a series of final speeches by Moses.  Those speeches are the subject of Deuteronomy. In those speeches, Moses includes a summary of the previous 40 years.  

In 2023, we will skip Leviticus and Numbers and jump on to Deuteronomy.  We hope to come back to these skipped books in 2025.

An excellent summary of Leviticus is given by the BibleProject here. An equally excellent summary of Numbers is here.