Chapter 33

Chapter starts like this:

1 These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2 Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the LORD, and these are their stages according to their starting places. [Num 33:1-2 ESV]

So this chapter is a recounting of the travels of the people of Israel from the time they left Egypt.  It names each place where they stayed.  All the places had names.  MSB note on the chapter says there are forty places named for the forty years in the wilderness.  However, it does not mention some places previously named, and many are named here but nowhere else.

Special notice is taken of the encampment at Mt. Hor, because it was here that Aaron rested with his fathers.  The exact day of his death is reckoned here. 

This chronology starts with the people leaving Rameses and follows them to the plains of Moab, by the Jordan at Jericho.  This is a new generation, back at the place where their fathers failed so miserably.

God instructs Moses to tell all Israel that they are to drive out the people in Canaan.  These verses:

51 "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. [Num 33:51-52 ESV]  The people are to be driven out, not resettled, not incorporated into Israel, but driven all the way out.  And the idols of these people are to be summarily and completely destroyed.  They are not to be left lying around to be studied, looked at, wondered at. 

Drive them out.  Because if any of the Canaanites remain, they will be barbs in their eyes and thorns in their sides.  And God will do to Israel what he thought to do to the Canaanites.  God wanted them gone.