The Land as Symbol
By general agreement these verses are thought to come from a later period because there are no early records of these places. These were the boundaries of the Land as they were in the 6th century BCE. But that doesn’t prevent us from entering into the emotions of a different people who had spent nearly 500 years in a totally different wilderness culminating in the fall of Jerusalem, exile in Babylon and a return, ready to establish a new nation. They needed roots, a past and (perhaps most of all) their own territory. What of the past did they value and what did they wish to preserve?
Certainly not the slavery — no suggestion whatsoever of going back to ‘the good old days of Egypt‘ — but a recognition and a certain pride in their story. Nomads with nothing (Abraham). Saving the mighty Egypt from a dire famine followed by years of immigrant growth and service in a land which was not theirs (Joseph). A few hundred years later a charismatic leader led them from slavery to freedom though not without a struggle and much deprivation (Moses). In the course of all that they have found a faith, embraced a God who first embraced them, constructed a community with meaning, purpose and a set of values, embodied in a religious structure. That was something of value and as each generation gave way to the next they intended to cling on to it. The land was, and still is crucial to complete the jigsaw. Today they stand on the brink, about to claim it for Yahweh and themselves.
Some people and some nations will read this and want to say ‘This is Our Story’, as they recognise and acknowledge it with some pride and satisfaction as part of similar heritage.
Numbers is an encouragement to acknowledge our past, to appreciate the moment when we stand on the brink of change (any change) and all the emotions that go with it, to know not only when to move and when to stick, but what to embrace and what to leave behind. This is Our Story and, at many points, personal, national and ecclesiastical.