At the Lord’s command, Moses created this list of places where Israel had travelled since the nation left Egypt after first Passover. A few of the place names might be familiar from accounts we have read in the book of Numbers.

However, this is not so much a list of places Israel stayed, as a list of places they set out from. Notice how many sentences begin with “They left…”. Although the people were probably settled for periods of their 40 years of wandering, there was always a sense that they would not be fully settled until they reached the place that God had reserved for them. Each of these pauses, each of these temporary settlements, were a ‘setting off’ point on the way to their real destination.

In some ways, our own lives are a sort of temporary settlement. We live here in the world for now but we look ahead to the kingdom of God and eternity, which will be our real destination. If we allow ourselves to get too settled – too focused on the here and now – we risk losing sight of the promise that God would lead us into.

How would your view of your life change if you thought of your current situation as a ‘setting off’ point rather than your final destination? Although we might not physically move to a different place, we can always be on a journey in our walk with the Lord. What we know, what we understand and how we practice our faith now is just a setting off point for what the Lord has for us next.

In Hebrews 12:1, we read that we should “run with endurance the race that is set before us.” This race is a marathon, not a sprint. We will sometimes pause, reflect, and allow the Lord to renew our strength, but the goal should always be to keep ‘setting off’ again.

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