Numbers 31

"...Balaam the son of Beor they also killed with the sword...Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lordin the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord." vv.8,16

Read chapter 31
We see Balaam again, well dead but the damage he caused.  He didn't get to die the death of the righteous liked he'd hoped for himself in his first oracle (23:10).  We learn something more of Balaam, even after he prophesied blessings over Israel four times and then finally went home by Balak's anger and order, that he caused the children of Israel to sin by use of Moabite women.  This is a great stumbling block that Israel and believers are to guard against Balaam's doctrine and way throughout all of scripture.  In Revelations chapter two to the letter to the church in Pergamos John writes, "But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality."  So the quick curse the Balak wanted didn't work, but the slow but steady deception and accommodation for evil led to the downfall of Israel that Balak wanted all along.  When we see Balaam's way, teaching, doctrine, error be mention by Peter, Jude, and John in the New Testament we need to be careful because that evil way is still prevalent today.    "Today, that philosophy, that teaching, that doctrine of Balaam promotes compromise and accommodation. Tolerate that which is evil that which God hates in the church. We see in the church worldliness, carnality accepted and promoted and platformed with Christian musicians, Christian artists, Christian authors, Christian preachers tolerating sin and fleshly behavior and getting paid lots of money to promote it, to live that lifestyle" (Nancy DeMoss, reviveourhearts.com)

Numbers 30

"But if her father overrules her on the day that he hears, then none of her vows nor her agreements by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the Lord will release her, because her father overruled her." v.5

Read chapter 30
This chapter focuses on vows of a girl while under her father's authority and also of a woman when under her husbands authority.  I know the word authority can seem harsh to some when referring to a husband and wife, but would agree it's fine when referring to a father and child.  Should their be a difference when it comes to this matter? Wives are to submit to their husband as to the Lord and husbands are to love their wife as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5).  We can also look at this as a protection for the girl or woman in that if they made the vow hastily, which is never a smart idea, the father or the husband could overrule the vow and then would release her from the punishment or guilt by not being able to keep the vow.  Notice that the father and the husband have to decide this when they first hear of the vow and not something they can change their mind later in time.  If you're a wife, wouldn't you want to discuss taking a vow with your husband before you committed to it?  Parents or guardians too also should be in communication with their children of vows as well for wisdom, support, and guidance.  "It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, and afterward to reconsider his vows" Proverbs 20:25.
How can you see this command different for today and how similar?

Numbers 29

"And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets." v.1

Read chapter 29
So we have a continuation of national offerings (in chapter 28 there were five and in chapter 29 there are 3).  All three offerings take place in the seventh month.  The seventh month (September/October according to our calendar today) for them was like celebrating New Years to us.  The first day of the new year was bringing it with blowing trumpets followed by great festivities and joy throughout the month.  The seventh month had more scheduled feasts and celebrations than any other month; it was the time between  harvest and seed time so more leisure time between heavy occupational demands.  The more down time we have should not just be wasted but in enjoying the Lord.  How do you use your leisure between work and business to offer or celebrate to the Lord?

Numbers 28

“And you shall say to them, ‘This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to the Lord: two male lambs in their first year without blemish, day by day, as a regular burnt offering.'" v.3

Read chapter 28
Five different scheduled offerings are mentioned in this chapter.  These are repeats from before given in the book of Exodus, but this was a new generation that has risen up and about to enter the promised land, the first generation dying off because of their unbelief we saw in chapter 14, so needed to be reminded and made afresh.  The five different offerings are scheduled offerings on various dates and seasons.  There's the daily offering, Sabbath offering (once a week), monthly offering, yearly offering (Passover), and a seasonal offering (Firstfruits- harvest festival seven weeks from passover).  That's a lot of offerings!  Can you imagine the work of the priests of just daily offering two lambs.  This would be a lot easier I bet once they enter the promise land and aren't constantly traveling and trying to keep this ordinance.  But as we read of these offerings in different seasons of the day, week, month and year for the Israelites, I can help but think of the offerings I could give to the Lord.  Every time I start a new day, give it to the Lord; every time I refresh from the weekend ready to start a new week, give it to the Lord; every time I receive reward after hard work, give it to the Lord; every time I start a new season of life, give it to the Lord.  How can you be offering to the Lord for the season you're in right now? 

Numbers 27

"Then came the daughters of Zelophehad...Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.” vv.1, 4

Read chapter 27
Feminist usually think that God is not good because of no rights for women in the Bible.  Well that's a skewed way of reading scripture and understanding of culture and God's provision. God did not abandon women or think less of them when He created Eve, but equal.  It's part of the curse of why we see this inequality today.  But even in the curse that we are waiting to be restored over thousands of years, God still provided protection for women in many ways and here we read an example of this in Numbers 27.  We see five sisters worried about what's going to happen to their family's inheritance now that their father died.  Land inheritance was a big deal then and was suppose to stay within the family according to their lot set by God, so these sisters don't want the land to be lost of their family's name perish so they ask for them to take possession.  Notice what the girls didn't do: They didn't sit back and do nothing, they didn't spend their lives as victims, and they didn't start gossip or criticism against leadership.  What they did do was take their case directly to Moses, not whining or crying or in anger most likely.  Moses then took their request to the Lord and God said yes!  God cares for petitions that might not even matter to the majority, God cares for the "nobodies" in society, God cares for women just as much as men.
If you're a woman, what is an issue that you dealt with in an opposite way as these sisters did? Is there something you have now that you can petition for in a godly manner?  If you're a man, how can you respect the requests of woman in a godly manner?

Numbers 26

"And it came to pass, after the plague, that the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying: 'Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel from twenty years old and above, by their fathers’ houses, all who are able to go to war in Israel'...These are those who were numbered of the children of Israel: six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty." vv.1-2, 51

Read chapter 26

Another census of the tribes of Israel while they are in the wilderness just like in Numbers chapter one.  This is actually the third time there is a census of Israel as the first was in Exodus 30.  The taking of the census was not for war, as we learn David did, but for seeing God's faithfulness that He would not blot out Israel and make them as numerous as sand on the seashore.  It's interesting to compare Numbers chapter one with chapter twenty-six of the population of each tribe whether they increased or decreased.  With all the times we see people die we might think that there's barely any Israelites left but the population number is just about the same.  In 1:46 we see there are 603,550 men twenty years and above not including Israelites.  In 26:51 we see there are 601,730 men twenty years and above not including Israelites.  So there's a decrease of 1,820; still a lot that have die but a lot that have been born and/or grown up. 

Today when it seems like more and more people are turning away from Christianity, we still see God preserving a remanent of believers.  When was a time you felt like the only Christian?  When have you been surprised meeting someone who was a believer?

Numbers 25

"Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab...And indeed, one of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting." vv.1, 6

Read chapter 25
Right after the chapters of the King of Moab, Balak, wanting curses to fall on Israel but they kept getting blessed, the Israelites then commit harlotry with the Moabites.  It's like if you can't blatantly get others to sin you deceive them to.  Sexual relations was more than just meeting their fleshly desires but in turn caused them to bow down to the Moabite gods. 

No matter how hard they tried, Balak and Balaam... they could not weaken, defeat, or destroy Israel by cursing them. So they set out to do it more subtly, through compromise, assimilation, accommodation, tolerance of evil. And somehow the Israelites had to become convinced that it was okay to do it. They didn't just jump up from being holy people who loved God and served Him with pure hearts and all of a sudden, "Oh, we're going jump in bed with these Moabite women. We're going to worship these false gods." No. Evil doesn't happen just in a moment like that. It's a process of a slippery slide, of accommodation and assimilation into the people of this world. (Nancy Leigh DeMoss)

So the Lord's anger burns and judgement is happening, apparently through a plague (v.9), and the people are weeping in repentance.  Then all of the sudden we see an Israelite man flaunting his sin blatantly come in before his family with a Midianite woman.  How often do you see this among Christians today, who've made light of sin and make it normal or ok while in Christian community, gatherings, in church?