The structure of the Book of Numbers
This text is from a letter written by David Gooding in 1994.
You ask for my comments on your proposed structure for the book of Numbers. Your proposal is certainly very interesting, and in great part seems to me to correspond with the intentions of the inspired author of Numbers.
The idea that the book is basically in three major sections—first, the preparations for the journey and the beginning of the journey; secondly, the period of rebellion and apostasy; and thirdly, the period of recovery at the end of the journey—is something that has appealed to many expositors, who tend also to see in this structure not only a summary of the realities of Israel's spiritual history, but also a foreshadowing of Israel's larger history: their early spiritual prosperity, their eventual apostasy, and finally their restoration.
For my own part, I tend to see the journey section of the book a little differently, and I suggest that you might care to look at the following considerations.
In the journey section, there are four major rebellions against God:
The refusal to enter the promised land
The rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram
The rebellion of Moses and Aaron
Israel's rebellion in the matter of Baal-Peor
So there are these, as well as a further fifth incident that seemed to Moses to be a rebellion on the part of the two-and-a-half tribes but which, upon further examination, turned out not to be a rebellion.
The account of the first rebellion ending in chapter 14 is immediately followed by chapter 15, which includes much detail about sacrifices. That is a pattern that is followed in each of the four rebellions; i.e. the account of the rebellion is followed sooner or later by a significant chapter or chapters giving great details about sacrifices.
When one has a row of incidents that, as here, are very similar, in that they are all concerned with rebellion, it is important to notice the similarities between them, but more important to notice the differences.
Two questions arise in my mind:
What would you say are the differences between the major rebellions, or are they simply exactly similar repetitions of the same thing?
What relation, if any, have the chapters on sacrifice to the stories of rebellion? It is evident that chapter 15 is thematically very closely related to the rebellion that precedes it, for chapter 14 ends with Israel running away from the promised land as hard as they can run; and then chapter 15 opens immediately with the words 'when you be come into the land'. Is it so, therefore, that the sacrifices that follow the other accounts of rebellion are similarly related to those rebellions, each in its own distinctive way?
The other observation I would like to make is that prominent themes in the journey section (from chapter 11 to the end) correspond very closely to certain themes in the section that deals with preparation for the journey (chapters 1–10). For instance, chapters 5 and 6 are concerned with keeping the camp clean. They deal with two prominent matters: the jealousy of a husband who thinks his wife has been disloyal to him and gone after some other man (ch. 5), and the Nazirite's vow and its regulations (ch. 6). Now, the rebellion of Israel in chapter 25 is spoken of in terms that recall that God's relationship with Israel was that of a husband to a wife. When, therefore, Israel proves unfaithful to her divine husband and goes after another husband (Baal), God's jealousy is stirred and has to be placated.
Later on, after the two long chapters on sacrifice (chapters 28 and 29), chapter 30 is dealing with the question of vows, and in particular with a husband's responsibility to supervise his wife's vows.
Similarly, chapter 7 deals with the dedication of the altar, and chapter 8 with the living sacrifice of the Levites in their dedication to God's service. The second rebellion in the journey section deals with the rebellion of one of the Levites against Moses and Aaron, and when it is over God commands that the censers used by these rebels should be beaten out and attached to the altar, so that coming generations, when they approach the altar, might be reminded of the rebellion of the Levites.
These thematic similarities between the provisions made in chapters 1–10 and the actual events on the journey seem to me to be very clear pointers to the structure of the book, which would then comprise ten major sections falling into two groups, rather than three major sections and two smaller sections.
But I simply submit these ideas for your consideration.
Yours very sincerely in Christ,
