Numbers 10:29

My Notes

What Does Numbers 10:29 Mean?

"And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel." Moses invites his Midianite father-in-law HOBAB to JOIN the journey: come with us to the Promised Land. The invitation is INCLUSIVE — a NON-ISRAELITE is invited to share in Israel's PROMISE. The motivation: 'the LORD hath spoken GOOD concerning Israel' — and that good can extend to those who JOIN Israel. The outsider is invited INSIDE on the basis of God's spoken goodness.

The phrase "we are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you" (nos'im anachnu el hammaqom asher amar YHWH oto etten lakhem — we are journeying to the place which the LORD said, 'I will give it to you') shares the PROMISE with an outsider: Moses tells Hobab WHERE they're going (the promised land) and WHO promised it (the LORD). The sharing of the destination-information IS the invitation. The telling of the promise IS the welcoming. The outsider is included in the KNOWLEDGE of the promise — the first step to being included in the EXPERIENCE of it.

The "come thou with us, and we will do thee good" (lekhah ittanu vehetavnu lakh — come with us and we will do good to you) makes the invitation RELATIONAL and BENEFICIAL: 'come WITH US' (relational — join our community). 'We will do thee GOOD' (beneficial — you'll benefit from the association). The invitation isn't 'come and serve us.' It's 'come and we'll BLESS you.' The outsider is promised BENEFIT, not demanded SERVICE.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What outsider are you inviting to join — and is the invitation based on God's spoken goodness?
• 2.What does sharing the DESTINATION (the promise) with an outsider model about evangelism?
• 3.How does 'we will do thee good' (promising benefit, not demanding service) describe generous invitation?
• 4.What does the outsider being invited to PARTICIPATE in God's spoken goodness teach about inclusive community?

Devotional

Come WITH US. To the place God PROMISED. We'll do you GOOD. Because God has spoken GOOD about Israel. Moses invites an OUTSIDER — his Midianite father-in-law — to join the journey to the Promised Land. The invitation is inclusive, generous, and grounded in GOD'S GOODNESS, not in the outsider's merit.

The 'we are journeying unto the place' SHARES the promise with a non-Israelite: Moses doesn't keep the destination SECRET. He TELLS Hobab — a Midianite, a non-covenant person — where Israel is going and who PROMISED it. The sharing of the promise IS the invitation. The telling IS the welcoming. The outsider is brought into the KNOWLEDGE of what God said before being brought into the EXPERIENCE of it.

The 'come with us and we will do thee good' makes the invitation BENEFICIAL for the outsider: Moses doesn't say 'come and help us navigate the desert' (though Hobab's desert-knowledge is valuable — verse 31). He says 'come and WE'LL BLESS YOU.' The benefit flows FROM Israel TO the outsider. The invitation promises GOOD — not exploitation, not servitude, but BENEFIT. The outsider is promised the GOOD that God has spoken over Israel.

The 'the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel' is the GROUND of the invitation: the good that Moses promises Hobab isn't Moses' to give. It's GOD'S — spoken over Israel, promised to the community, available to those who JOIN. The goodness is God's WORD. The invitation is to PARTICIPATE in what God's word has produced. The outsider joins the community that carries the PROMISE. The promise extends to those who travel WITH the promise-carriers.

What outsider are you inviting to 'come with us' — and is the invitation based on what GOD has spoken?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture