The History of the Bible, Numbers – Deuteronomy
Numbers.
Q. What call you the fourth booke of Moſes?
A. Numbers.
Q. Why is it ſo called?
A. Becauſe it principally conſiſteth of numbring.
Q. What is the ſubſtance of it?
A. The hiſtorie of the children of Iſrael after their departure from Mount Sinai, vntill they came to the plaine of Moab, vponupon the confines and borders of the land of Canaan.
Q. How is this booke deuided?
A. Into two parts: the firſt containeth the numbring of the children of Iſrael, prepared for the iourney: the ſecond, the number of their iourneyesfrom Mount Sinai to the borders of Canaan, and at their laſt ſtation they are again numbred.
Q. What was the number of the people here numbred?
A. Sixe hundred and three thouſand, fiue hundred and fiftie.
Q. How often were the children of Iſrael numbred in this their trauell?
A. Thrice, the firſt and ſecond times at Mount Sinai, the third at their laſt ſtation, when they were to enter into the land.
Q. Why were they thus often numbred?
A. The firſt time they were nūbred, that towards the building of the tabernacle, eueryevery man might giuegive a price for the redemption of his life.
The ſecond time they werenumbred for diſpoſing of thē in order for iourneying about the Tabernacle, and pitching their tents at the end of their iourney.
The third time they were numbred, that the diuiſion and diſpoſing of the land might be to eueryevery tribe according to the number.
Q. Why were the Leuites numbred the firſt time?
A. To ſhew that they hauehave need of a redeemer, & redemption as well as any other men.
Q. Why were not the Leuites nū bred the ſecond nor third time?
A. They were not numbred the ſecond time, becauſe they were to attend vponupon the tabernacle, and not to go to warre.
And they were not numbred the third time, becauſe they had no lot of inheritance amōgtheir brethren.
Q. At what age were the Leuites taken to the Lord?
A. At a monethmonth old they were dedicated to the Lord, Num. 3.15. at 28. they were to labour and to do ſeruice in the tabernacle, Num. 8.28. at thirtie to enter into the more inward works of the Sanctuary, Numb. 4.3. and at fiftie to leaue the hard labours, and to take charge to guide, to ouer-ſee, & to preſcribe by counſell and inſtruction what others ſhould do. Num. 8.….5.
Q. How many of the twelue principall iourneys are ſet downe in this booke?
A. Seauen: Kibroth Hattavah, Hazeroth, Rithma in Paran, Kadeſh-Barnea, Mount Hor, Punon in Zalmona, and the plaine of Moab.
Q. How many things do you obſerue in theſe iourneys?
A. Two: either ſuch as are common to them all, or peculiar to either, ſeuerally conſidered by it ſelfe.
Q. How many things are there cōmon to eueryevery of theſe iourneys?
A. Three: the peoples murmuring, Moſes prayer, & Gods mercies.
Q. Did the people murmure at eueryevery iourney?
A. Yes, in ſeauen iourneyes they murmured eight times.
Q. Againſt whom did they murmure?
A. VponUpon eueryevery diſlike they did murmure againſt Moſes & againſt God.
Q. What did Moſes when they murmured at him?
A. Hee as a moſt mild man prayed, yet once hee ſhewed apaſſion of imperfection, for which the Lord was angrie, and would not ſfufer him to enter into the land of Canaan. chap. 20.11.
Q. Did the Lord beare with their continuall grudgings and murmurings?
A. Yes, he gaue eare to Moſes prayers, and continued his mercies towards them.
Q. Now ſhew me thoſe things which are peculiar to each iourney: and firſt to Kibroth Hattavah?
A. Firſt, as wearie of their iourney, they murmured. The Lord ſent fire and conſumed the vtmoſt parts, but Moſes praying, the fire was quenched.
Secondly, they loathed Manna the heauenly bread: luſted for fleſh: 70. Elders are ioyned to Moſes to aſſiſt him in gouerning this vnruly people: Quailes are ſent, and the people die with the fleſh betweene their teeth. chap. 11.
Q. What is peculiar to the ſtation at Hazeroth?
A. Aaron and Miriam murmured againſt Moſes.
Q. For what cauſe?
A. They pretended one cauſe, his matriage with a Midianitiſh woman, but their ambition was the very cauſe, chap. 12.2. Miriam is ſtriken with leproſie: Moſes praieth and God healeth her.
Q. What is peculiar to Rithma in Paran?
A. Twelue men are ſent to ſearch the land of Canaan. VponUpon the falſe report of tenne the people murmure, as if God could not performe his promiſe to giuegive them the Land.They would hauehave ſtoned Caleb and Ioſhua for reporting the truth.
Q. How were they deliuered from ſtoning?
A. By the hand of the Lord: who told them that none of thē ſhould enter into the land of promiſe, ſaue Caleb & Ioſhua: and they which enterpriſed to enter into the land contrarie to Gods appointment, are ſlaine by their enemies.
Q. Did the people remayning, (taſting his mercies and ſeeing his iudgements) louelove, feare, and ſerue him?
A. No: there was one found vponupon the Sabbath day gathering of ſticks.
Q. What was done with him?
A. He was by the Lords commādement ſtoned to death chap. 15.36.
Q. That was but the act of one, what did the reſt?
A. Others did not take heede, for firſt Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On, with 250. captaines rebelled againſt Moſes and Aaron, and the earth opening, ſwallowed vp them and theirs.
Secondly, the people not taking warning thereby, did all murmure againſt Moſes & Aaron, wherefore there were deſtroyed, 14700. of them.
Q. What did Moſes and Aaron?
A. They ſought an attonement with God for them.
Q. How was the matter ended?
A. God ſet order, firſt, for the Prieſthood, ſecondly, for a ſacrifice for their ſinnes.
Q. What order was taken forthe Prieſthood?
A. The Lord bad Moſes take for eueryevery tribe a rod, and write eueryevery mans name vponupon their rodde, and Aarons name vponupon Leuies rod, and lay them in the tabernacle before the arke, and the mans rod which budded would the Lord chuſe.
Q. Whoſe rod did bud?
A. Aarons did budde and bloſſome, and he had the prieſthood.
Q. What order was taken for their ſinnes?
A. God appointed the ſacrifice of the red cow, chap. 19. for the cleanſing of theſe their ſinnes, and the aſnes of purifying of the vnclean by touching the dead.
Q. When they departed from Rithma in Paran, whither went they?
A. To Kadeſh-Barnea.
Q. What things are peculiar to that iourney?
A. Foure: firſt, the death of Miriam.
Secondly, the Iſraelites murmure for water.
Thirdly, Moſes and Aaron are charged with incredulitie, and receiue iudgement to dy in the wilderneſſe.
Fourthly, Edom denieth Iſrael paſſage through his country.
Q. The next iourney beeing Mount Hor, what befell there?
A. Aaron dieth: Eleazer his ſonne ſucceedeth him. Arad the King of Canaan commeth forth againſt Iſrael and is vanquiſhed.
Q. To their iourney frō mount Hor, to Punon in Zalmona, what things are peculiar?
A. In their iourney aboutthe land of Edom, they murmure at the hardneſſe of the way, and for bread and water loathing Manna.
They are deſtroyed by fierie ſerpents, and are remedied by the brazen ſerpent.
They ouerthrow two kings, Sihon and Og, & deſtroy their countries.
Q. In their iourney to the plain of Moab, what is principally to be conſidered?
A. The eſtate of them, when ſome of them entred into their portions, and others were readie to enter.
Q. How many things are herein to be conſidered?
A. Two: firſt, the hinderances, ſecondly, the reconciliation of the people.
Q. How were they hindred?
A. Partly by others, but eſpecially ſpecially by their owne ſinnes.
Q. Who were thoſe others?
A. Balak the king of Moab, who ſent for Balaam to curſe the people. Balaam the falſe Prophet, who could not curſe them, but gaue counſell to allure them to ſinne: and the Midianitiſh women, who enticed them to fornication and idolatrie.
Q. Did the Lord ſuffer theſe ſinnes to go vnpuniſhed?
A. No: he began firſt with his owne people, & by a plague deſtroyed of them 24000.
Q. What did he with his enemies?
A. When he was reconciled to his people, he powred out his wrath vponupon them.
Q. In what ſort?
A. Balakand the 5. Kings of Midian were ſlaine. Balaam the falſe Prophet was controlled by his aſſe, and alſo ſlaine. All the males of Midian, and the women who had lyen by man, were ſlaine.
Q. How was God reconciled to his people?
A. By the zeale of Phineas, who ſlew Zimri and Cosbi committing fornication.
Q. What teſtimonie did God giuegive of his reconciliation?
A. Firſt, he made a couenant with Phineas. Secondly, he appointed Ioſhua to be gouernour in Moſes ſtead. Thirdly, he gaue to Reuben, Gad, and halfe the tribe of Manaſſeth, their portions on that ſide of Iordan in the Land of Moab. Fourthly, twelue men are aſſigned to deuide the land of Canaan. Laſtly, their lawes giuen for ſacrifices, obſeruation offeaſts, vowes, cities of refuge, and inheritances.
Finis Numb.
Deuteron.
Q. VVhat call you the fifth booke of Moſes?
A. Deuteronomie.
Q. VVhy is it ſo called?
A. Becauſe it containeth a ſecond reherſall of the law.
Q. VVhat doth he in the beginning of this booke?
A. He repeateth the actes which God had done for them in peace and warre: becauſe they were dead to whom the Law was giuen in mount Sinai: and to make them more attentiue to the lawe, from the firſt chapter to the fift.
Q. VVhat doth he then?
A. He repeateth the lawe more particularly, he exhorteth and perſwadeth them to obſerue and keepe the Lawe, from the 5. chap. to the 31. In the 31. Chapter he prepareth himſelfe to die, and reſigneth vp his office.
In the 32. chap. he ſingeth a Pſalme: and in the 33. chap. he bleſſeth the Tribes of Iſrael.
Q. Why did Moſes bleſſe Leui otherwiſe then Iacob did?
A. Becauſe of the zeale that the Leuites ſhewed at Mount Sinai, the curſes of Iacob vponupon Leui, were turned into bleſſings.
Q. Where died Moſes?
A. In the land of Moab.
Q. Why did he not enter into the land of Canaan?
A. Becauſe he murmured at the waters of Miribah, ſaying: Heare now ye rebels: ſhall wee giuegive you water out of the rocke? Numb. 20.10.
Q. Did he ſee the land of Canaan?
A. Yes, he went vp into mount Nebo, vntounto the toppe of Piſgah, and the Lord ſhewed him all the land of Gilead vntounto Dan.
Q. Vhom did he appoint in his ſtead?
A. Ioſhua the ſonne of Nun?
Q. How long liued Moſes?
A. One hundred and twentie yeares.
Q. Where was he buried?
A. In a valley in the Land of Moab, ouer againſt Bethpeor, but no man knoweth of his ſepulchre vntounto this day.
Q. By whom was he buried?
A. By an angel of the Lord: leaſt the Iſraelites knowing of his graue, ſhould go a whoring after it.
Finis Deuteronomii.