Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho. – Numbers 22:1

Today's Scripture Reading (February 2, 2025): Numbers 22

When I was a child, my family made a 2000-mile, or 3000-kilometer, move from east to west. We went from a place where we had family all around us to a place where we had no close family anywhere in the vicinity. The plan for the move had been in place for months. My mother had purchased the house we would live in months earlier without the assistance of my dad. I was the reason for the move, or maybe more precisely, my health would be the reason for the move.

I probably wasn't aware of all of the things that were happening around me. It was an adventure to a new world for my eight-year-old self. The journey began with the breakdown of the three-ton truck my dad had purchased for the move. My paternal grandfather had decided to accompany us through the first leg of the trip. Still, as the adventure progressed and unexpected trials mounted, Grandpa decided to join us for the entire move.

When we finally arrived at our destination, we discovered that the house we had planned to move into wasn't empty. The former owner and his family still inhabited the home. So, while we had arrived at the end of our journey, the adventure wasn't over. According to eyewitnesses, again, the young me had no idea what was going on, my grandfather moved into action, demanding concessions from the delayed owner. The next day, my family moved in the back door, as the previous house owners moved out the front. 

Israel has reached the end of the journey, but the adventure isn't quite over. There are still hurdles to cross and mountains to climb. The biblical community will camp on the other side of the Jordan across from Jericho for at least another year. But the Plains of Moab would be the site of the rest of Israel's wilderness story. But there were still lessons to be learned before the people were ready to take the land, moving in through the back door at Jericho. The story of that event is told in the Book of Joshua. 

But everything that is told in the rest of the book of Numbers and Moses's addresses, given in detail in the book of Deuteronomy, would take place on this plain across from the city of Jericho. And I am sure everyone in the neighborhood, including the residents of Jericho, was well aware of their presence.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 23