Numbers 33:51

49 They camped by the Jordan, from Beth Jesimoth as far as the ^aAbel Acacia Grove in the plains of Moab.

Instructions for the Conquest of Canaan

50 Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying,

51 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ^a‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

52 ^athen you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their¹ high places;

53 you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to ^apossess.

54 And ^ayou shall divide the land by lot as an inheritance among your families; to the larger you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance; there everyone’s inheritance shall be whatever falls to him by lot. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Numbers 33:51 Mean?

Numbers 33:51-52

We should understand this in a religious sense since any representation of God changes Him from what He really is. Egyptians worshipped oxen, heifers, sheep, goats, lions, dogs, cats, monkeys, ibis, cranes, hawks, crocodiles, serpents, frogs, flies, scarab beetles, the sun, the moon, the planets, the stars, fire, light, air, and darkness. And they could come up with "good" reasons why!

A young man once said to me that he could see nothing wrong with the Christmas tree because he did not bow down and worship it. He misunderstood. Do we? The first commandment covers this particular aspect of idolatry. If one was bowing down to the tree, that would be what he was worshipping.

The second commandment has to do with the way we worship, in spirit and truth. Christmas—and its trappings like the Christmas tree—is not part of the way God commanded we worship. It is not part of the truth of God. Therefore, the Christmas tree is a component of an idolatry created when man desires to worship God as he devises rather than as God instructs. So he breaks the second commandment even though he never bows down to the tree.

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Second Commandment (1997)

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Instructions for the Conquest of Canaan

What Does Numbers 33:51 Mean?

Numbers 33:51-52

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning