Numbers BRI

B.R.I—Numbers

1.    Identify what Author, wrote for which Original Readers, and When

a.    Author/Compiler of Numbers

                                                          i.    Internal

1.    Exodus 24:4- ‘And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord.’

2.    Numbers 31:21- Eleazar the priest said...”This is the statute of the law that the Lord commanded to Moses...”’

3.    Numbers 33:2- ‘Moses wrote down...’

4.    Deuteronomy 31:9- ‘Then Moses wrote down the law...’

                                                         ii.    External

1.    Comments in in other places in the Bible appear to support the traditional view that Moses wrote Numbers. (Zondervan’s)

2.    ‘Much of the material was from Moses...indicates numerous times that Moses received instructions from God. It does not normally indicate whether Moses recorded these instructions in writing.’ (ISBE)

3.    Moses may have had someone else write it. (ISBE)

4.    Both Aaron and Eleazar received revelation from God, so it is possible that they could have written it. (ISBE)

                                                        iii.    Conclusion

I believe the Moses wrote Numbers, because there are so many places in the Bible where it the Torah is referred to as’ Moses’ Teachings.’ Most people believe that it was written or compiled during the Exile, while others believe the more traditional view that Moses wrote it.
Moses was the only one with direct contact to God, with the exception of Aaron and his son, Eleazar, but Moses possibly would have been the only one with direct contact who had the knowledge to write.

b.    Written To-The Israelites

                                                          i.    Internal

1.    Exodus 34:27- ‘The Lord said to Moses, “Write these words; in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”’

2.    Leviticus 26:46- ‘These are the statutes and ordinances and laws that the Lord established between himself and the people of Israel on Mount Sinai through Moses

3.    Numbers 5:1- ‘The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “command the Israelites...”’

                                                         ii.    External

1.    In lecture it was implied that Numbers was written to the Israelites.

                                                        iii.    Conclusion

It is my opinion that the book of Numbers was written to the Israelites, so that the 2^nd generation would understand you the 1^st generation was not allowed to come into the Promised Land.

c.    Written/Compiled When/Where

                                                          i.    Internal

1.    When

a.    1 Kings 6:1- ‘In the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt...’

2.    Where

a.    Numbers 1:1- ‘The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai...’

                                                         ii.    External

1.    When

a.    Late 15^th century, or early 13^th century BC. (Zondervan’s)

b.    1445 BC (Nelson’s)

2.    Where

a.    In the Desert of Zin. (Zondervan’s)

                                                        iii.    Conclusion

Since they were wandering for around 40 years in the desert it makes sense that the book of Numbers would have been written around 1445 BC in the wilderness of Zin, where they were wandering.

2.    Research the Background of the Author, Original Audience, and Readers

a.    Author’s Background

Moses was a ‘Hebrew prophet’ who was called by God to lead the Israelites out of 400 years of slavery in Egypt. He was born in Egypt, to Hebrew parents, but raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. After killing an Egyptian taskmaster, he fled to Midian, where he married the daughter of a Midianite priest, and where he was called by God.

b.    Original Audience’s Background

The OA, the Israelites, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were slave in Egypt for 400 years, after the death of Joseph, and the rise of a new Pharaoh. They wandered in the desert for 40 years. During this time, the first generation, which came out of Egypt, died and the second generation was given the Promised Land.

c.    Original Reader’s Background

The OR, the Israelites, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, wandered in the desert for 40 years. They were the generation after the generation that came out of Egypt. These were the people who entered the Promised Land.

3.    Reasons Written

a.    To teach the OR, the second generation, not to complain, even when you can’t see what God is doing right away.

b.    To teach the OR that both disobedience and obedience have consequences.

4.    Author’s Literary Tools

a.    Kind of Writing

                                                          i.    Prose

                                                         ii.    Poetry

1.    6:24-26

2.    10:35b-36

3.    14:18

4.    21:17-18

5.    21:27b-30

6.    23:7-10

7.    23:18-24

8.    24:3b-9

9.    24:15-24

b.    Type of Literature

                                                          i.    Narrative

                                                         ii.    Law

c.    Structure

                                                          i.    Topical

                                                         ii.    Biological

                                                        iii.    Chronological

                                                       iv.    Interchange

d.    Composition Tools

                                                          i.    Chiasm

                                                         ii.    Cycle

5.    Main Ideas

a.    The actions of the father carry over to the son.

b.    Complaining gets the OA nowhere.

6.    Final Book Overview

a.    Reason Written Summary

                                                          i.    To teach the OR that both disobedience and obedience have consequences

b.    Main Idea Summary

                                                          i.    The actions of the father carry over to the son.