Numbers 36 Study Notes

36:10-12 The faithful adherence to the instruction from the Lord is highlighted as the daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses. These words remind the reader of the central theme of the book of Numbers—faithfulness to the Lord’s instruction.

36:13 The conclusion to the book of Numbers summarizes the position of the Israelite nation as it was poised to inherit the promised land. Throughout the book, references to Israel’s faithfulness to God have been defined by the phraseology, “[Moses, Israelites, etc.] did just as the Lord had commanded.” The laws of Torah and the extensions of case law in various settings of life in the book of Numbers (and the subsequent book of Deuteronomy) must be the foundation of the community of faith as they enter the land of Canaan as the people of God. If they are faithful and obedient, the blessings of the covenant relationship in the inheritance and productivity of the land will be theirs, but if they do not follow the Lord’s commands, their lives will be beset by opposition from without—foreign enemy attacks—and from within—plague, civil war, and natural disaster.