Numbers 7 After Moses finished setting up and dedicating the tabernacle with all of its furnishings and utensils,  the leaders of Israel.. the heads of each tribe brought an offering. They brought altogether 6 covered carts and 12 oxen to pull the carts.  The Lord told Moses to accept the offerings and to give them to the Levites "that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting.. "  Two carts  and 4 oxen were given to the Gershonites.. who were responsible for moving all of the tents etc.  4 carts and 8 oxen were given to the Merarites who carried all of the frames, pillars, etc.  The Gershonites did not get any carts or oxen for they carried the sacred objects that had to be carried on their shoulders.  ( Remember what happened when David tried to move the ark by cart?) 

Then the leaders offered dedication offerings.. each tribe offering the same thing:

A silver plate or platter weighing a little over 4 lbs. and a  silver bowl weighing about 2.18 lbs.  Both of these were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. 

Each offered one gold pan about 5 oz. filled with incense. 

Each offered a burnt offering consisting of one bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old.

Each one gave a male goat for a sin offering.

Each one made a peace offering of 2 oxen, five rams, five male goats,  and five male lambs-1 year old.

For 12 days one tribe at a time offered their sacrifices.  The first day was the tribe of Judah and the man who was the leader at that time was Amminadab.. the great, great, great grandfather  of David. 

Altogether the silver uses was about 75 pounds and about 60 ounces of gold. There were 12 bulls, 12 rams, 12 one-year old lambs with their grain offerings; 12 male goats for the sin offerings.  Also the peace offerings were 12 bulls, 60 male goats, and 60 male lambs one year old.

This was all for the dedication of the altar.. and after that Moses entered the tent of meeting and spoke with the Lord.. and "he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony from between the two cherubim, so He spoke to him." 

Hebrews 9:18-22 tells us that Moses "took the blood of calves and the goats.. " and he sprinkled the book of the Law, the people and both "the tabernacle and all the vessels of ministry with blood." But verse 24 tells us " For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;"   He made a "new and living way" that we might enter through the veil into the holy place by His blood.  The writer tells us "let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful.. " ( Hebrews 10: 22-23) 

As perfectly planned and executed.. and incredible and amazing  the Holy tabernacle was for Israel.. it fell far short of the Perfect Lamb and High Priest.. Jesus Christ who came to lead us into the very Presence of the Holy One.  Praise the Lord, Oh my soul and all that is within me. Praise His Name.

 Father, help us to hold fast.. to cling to ... and to draw nearer and nearer to the Savior, we pray, in His Holy Name .  Amen. 

 Numbers 6  

Verses 1-21 give the instructions for taking a "Nazarite vow".   This is a vow of separation to the Lord.  When a man or a woman made this "special vow" they had to abstain from anything that came from grapes.. no wine..no raisins.. no grapes of any kind at all. They also abstained from using a razor.. so that their hair would grow long.  They were not able to go near anyone who died.. not even their parents or siblings.  There is a whole long list of sacrifices that would need to be offered if they were accidentally exposed to a dead person.. like if someone fell over beside them and died.  There is also a long list of offerings to be given at the end of the time when the vow ended. Including shaving their head and burning the hair. 

It sounds very complicated... and it doesn't talk about any benefit for the person making this vow.  Yet, look at the life of Sampson.. or the life of Samuel.. both brought up to be Nazarites.. not by their own choice but by the command of the Lord. They were both called to be separate.. and to have a special place in the history of Israel. 

As believers in Jesus Christ... Paul writes that we should be "separate" 2 Corinthians 6:17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."  This is a quote from Isaiah 52:11 which talks about the Lord bringing deliverance and redemption to His people.  He wants us to come out from what is unclean and impure. He wants to be able to be in His holy Presence which is impossible when we are living in the world.. contaminated with the sins of worldly living. 

Then the Lord commands Aaron and his sons to offer a prayer for the people of Israel.. to "bless them".. to set them apart for Himself... 

"The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;  The Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace. "  This prayer would "invoke" His name on the people. It would put His name upon them.. to charge them; to preserve them; to regard them; to appoint them or set a sign on them.  This prayer would set a hedge around the people of Israel.. the Lord Himself would guard, protect and attend to them.. His gracious presence would grant them favor as He stooped down in kindness.. His "face"would "shine" upon them.. providing light in the darkness..  His presence would be in front of them, behind them, shining down with peace.. with health and safety and rest.. and joy would fill them as they dwelt with Him.  This is a prayer we need to pray for all of us.. 

Father, we pray for others this great prayer.. for we all need Your blessing.. Your Light.. Your Presence and Your peace. May it be so! Amen. 

 Numbers 5  Something happened... they were getting everyone settled in their places with the tent in the middle of the tribes.. and the discourse takes a turn.. "Command the sons of Israel that they send away from the camp every leper and everyone having a discharge and everyone unclean because of a dead person."  The Lord Himself would dwell in the midst of the camps.. and He would not allow anyone to defile it.  They would be sent outside of the camp.. obedient to the Law which ordered them to stay away for the amount of time required or the needed cleansing to be accomplished. 

Whenever sin was committed , whenever a man or woman acted "unfaithfully against the Lord".. they were commanded to confess their sin and pay any restitution required by the Law.  Atonement would be brought as the priest offered "the ram of atonement" before the Lord. 

Verses 11-31 deal with the sin of adultery.. it could be a married woman who was accused of unfaithfulness to her husband- or- a husband who is overwhelmed by a "spirit of jealousy".  The man would bring a grain offering. The priest would take water and contaminate it with dust from the floor of the tabernacle.  The woman would stand before the priest, hold the grain offering in her hand, and drink the "water of bitterness".  If she was innocent.. she would be fine.  If she was guilty she would be cursed and physically stricken so that her stomach would swell and her  thigh would waste away.. 

All of this sounds a bit like the witch trials of the 1600's...doesn't it? Perhaps this is where they took their ideas from..  but for them it led to hysteria.. not to truth.. 

 I would think this Law would be quite a deterrent to unfaithfulness in any way. Why this Law was added at this particular time had to be because of something that happened just then.. God saw it, even if no one else did.. and acted immediately to protect the people from any more defilement in the camp. 

How can we learn from this?   We see how much God desires us to live holy lives.. He desires us to confess our sins..to find forgiveness through the atonement that Jesus Christ provides us through His sacrifice. We see that our God sees us and knows us and nothing is hidden from His eyes.  We see that His will is for us to be faithful... to be faithful to Him.. and to be faithful in our marriages.  It is uncomfortable to see people sent outside of the camp.. outside of the church.. or even outside of our family.. but sometimes it is necessary so that they do not contaminate the rest of the house.. or the church..   It is uncomfortable to think that your spouse may be unfaithful.. but the truth will be exposed one way or another and the Lord has provided a way to forgiveness and reconciliation through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.  "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace." (Ephesians 1:7)

Thank You Father! Thank You Jesus!  Fill us Holy Spirit that we might walk faithfully, in Truth, in Righteousness, in Peace, in Faith.. in the Word... and in prayer. Let Your Grace be with us who love the Lord Jesus. Amen

 Numbers 4   It is so interesting to read how the Lord organized and assigned the duties of the Levites in regard to the tent of meeting and tabernacle. The three clans of the sons of Levi were numbered and assigned to very specific duties.. 

The Kohathites were assigned to carry the most holy things.. the ark, the table of bread, the lampstand and all the utensils used in the Holy of holies.. But, they could not touch anything until Aaron and his sons went in and covered each piece with cloth, porpoise skins and in the case of the ark - the veil . Everything had poles that were used for carrying. Eleazar, Aaron's son carried the sacred oil, incense, and offerings himself and he took responsibility for all that the Kohathites  were assigned to do.  He was responsible for assigning each man his load and for making sure they didn't touch the most holy objects so that they didn't die. 

The Gershonites were assigned to serve by carrying all of the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting... all the screens and hangings and the cords and equipment for the  entire place.  Ithamar, the son of Aaron was given the responsibly for these men and assigned each one to a certain job. 

Ithamar was also responsible for the Merarites who were given the duty of carrying  the boards, pillars, bars and sockets and equipment for the skeleton of the tent and tabernacle. 

The men assigned to these tasks were between the ages of 30-50. They "were numbered, everyone by his serving or carrying; thus these were his numbered men, just as the Lord commanded Moses." 

What can we learn from this?  The Lord told Moses what to do.. Moses told Aaron and his sons.. and they told all the sons of Levi their specific duties.  The Lord gave them responsibilities and provided clear leadership.. from the top down... It is so practical and so specific that there would be no need for arguments or chaos.   The Lord leads us in the same manner.. Jesus Christ is the Head.. as I Corinthians 11 tells us.. " But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman ( wife), and God is the Head of Christ." Paul continues in chapter 12 teaching that we are "one body" but that the Holy Spirit distributes "to each one individually just as He wills."  Verse 18 "But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired."  and Verse 24 " But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to the member which lacked, that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. " 

As a church we have different "duties".. different "responsibilities".. we are meant to serve.. and for some that means we are called to "carry" whatever load the Lord gives to us.  The Kohathites were assigned to carry but were not permitted "to go in to see". I wonder if they were tempted to peek?  Are we sometimes wanting a different job than the one the Lord has given us to do?  Have we neglected our responsibilities to lead or to obey?  Have we forgotten to honor others or resent the honor that has been given to another? Perhaps, this chapter in the book of Numbers can give us encouragement to think about theses things.. to remember that God knows best..  

Father in heaven, thank You for being the Head.. for Christ who is the Head of all men.. for the privilege of serving You in the job You chosen for each of us as a member of one body.. one family.. to the glory of our God.  May we be faithful to the calling You have for each of us.  You have called us by name.. You have a plan that is perfect, practical, and beneficial to the whole body. May Your will be done we pray. amen. 

 Numbers 3  In this chapter we are told that the Lord numbered and organized the family of Levi.  

Aaron and his sons were "the anointed priests".  They were "ordained" or consecrated - filled, confirmed, wholly given to the Lord's service. Verse 32 tells us that Eleazar,  Aaron's son was the "chief of the leaders of Levi, and had oversight of those who perform the duties of the sanctuary" . 

All of the rest of the Levites were brought before Aaron "that they may serve him."  They were divided into 3 specific groups according to their families.  Levi had 3 sons.. Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.   Each group was charged with specific responsibilities in the care of the tabernacle.  But, altogether they were "wholly given to [Aaron] from among the sons of Israel."  Not only were they given to Aaron and the priests.. but they were wholly claimed by God..  " So the Levites shall be Mine"!   Thirdly, they were considered a substitute for every first-born son from all the other tribes.  When the Lord struck down all the first born sons of Egypt and spared the sons of Israel, the Lord "sanctified" to Himself all the first born men and animals, saying "They shall be Mine; I am the Lord".  

The sons of Gershon were numbered.. "from a month old and upward".  There were 7,500 men. They were given the westward camp around the tabernacle. The tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin would be next to them. Their duties "involved the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the doorway".. all the hangings, screens, and cords would all be in their charge. 

The sons of Kohath would camp to the south of the tabernacle next to the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad.  There were 8,600 males from the age of one month and upward in the Kohathites.  Their service included the ark, the table and lamp stand, the altars, the utensils and the screen for the sanctuary.. the holy place.

The sons of Merari numbered 6,200.  They camped to the northward side of the tabernacle next to Naphtali, Asher, and Dan.  Their service was to care for the frames, the bars, the pillars, the sockets and all the other equipment.. pegs and cords and pillars ect. .. the "bones" of the tabernacle. 

To the east of the tabernacle Moses, Aaron and all of his sons..those who were "performing the duties of the sanctuary.. " camped.  They would be next to Judah, Issachar and Zebulun..

Altogether there were 22, 000 Levite males from a month old and upward.  The next thing that the Lord commanded Moses to do was to number every 1st born son in all the other tribes. There were 22,273. Each Levite male "redeemed" a first born male from another tribe - head for head.  There were still 273 first - born males beyond the number of Levites.. so the Lord commanded that each of these would pay a "ransom" of 5 shekels a person.  "The ransom" was given to Aaron and his sons for the sanctuary. 

So, what can we learn from this?  Again, we see the wisdom of our God. So specific, so organized and practical.. and yet revealing a hint of what was His future plan for His people.. and for us.  Jesus is the firstborn Son.. He is the ransom for all those who have no other way to be redeemed. He is the High Priest who serves..and also the Lamb that was sacrificed.  He directs each of us to His side.. and gives us "good works" that He has prepared for us to do.. (Ephesians 2:10).

Father, we thank You for calling each of us to serve as You have ordained.  You have given us gifts to serve in Your church.. to encourage, to teach, to pray, or to give.  Some have been charged to lead and others to follow.  We all must surrender to Your leading, and so we pray that Your will be done and Your Name exalted. Thank You for Jesus our Lord and Savior.. the ransom for many.. draw us closer and closer to You we pray, in His mighty Name. Amen. 

 Numbers 2 The Lord told Moses and Aaron to arrange the camps of the tribes of Israel in a very specific order.  They were to camp around and facing the "tent of meeting" that would be the center... with the Levites "keeping charge",  3 tribes on each side.

To the east and going out first when they traveled were the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.  These three tribes descend from  Jacob's wife, Leah. Altogether this army had 186,400 men. 

To the south were the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad.. Reuben and Simeon were Leah's sons, the first and second born of Jacob. Gad's mother was Zilpah, the maid of Leah, the 7th born son. They would set out 2nd when they traveled. Their army had 151,450 men. 

The Levites with the tent and all of the furniture would be in the middle of all the other tribes. 

Next , would be the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin. They would camp to the west of the tent of meeting and would set off after the Levites. All of these were descended through Jacob and Rachel, Ephraim and Manasseh, being the sons of Joseph. This army numbered 108,100 men. 

Finally, camped to the north and setting out last were the tribes of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali.  Dan and Asher were children from Rachel's maid Bilhah, and Naphtali was the other son born by Zilpah, Leah's maid. This final army was altogether 157,600 men. 

Every tribe had their own army and their own standard or banner.  Each tribe had a leader appointed by name as the Lord determined.  "Thus the sons of Israel did according to all the Lord commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, everyone by his family, according to his father's household." ( v 34)

So.. what is the Lord showing us through all these numbers?  I see that this arrangement put the largest armies in the front and the back as they traveled, with the Levites and the tent protected.  The tent of the meeting was protected on all sides when camped.. and as the tribes faced it they would be continually reminded of the Lord's presence among them.  This is how it is meant to be.. the Lord in the midst.. our eyes turned toward Him.. His presence extending north, south, east and west.. He is the anchor and the light for our families.. our churches.... our nation.  

Father.. abide in our hearts.. abide in our fellowships.. our homes.. and in every part of our lives.  Surround us with Your mighty army and move in our lives that we might walk in Your ways and bring glory to Your Holy Name.  We ask to be filled by Your Spirit so that we might walk in all truth and righteousness.  Strengthen our faith and lead us every day to know You more and to grow in grace and love. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and King. Amen .

 

Numbers 1   Back in time..to the wilderness.. out of Egypt... heading to the promised land.. I find this alternating between the New and the Old Testament a way to keep it all fresh.. to learn new lessons in the old books; to remember the mighty works of the Lord God among these ordinary and often stubborn people that He chose to be His own. And I marvel at how it all leads to the One who gave His all for us. 

"Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, "Take a census.. " 

The people were registered according to their clans.. the 12 tribes of Israel.  The Lord chose "by name"  a man who would be the head of each tribe: 

Elizur of the tribe of Rueben;
Shelumiel of the tribe of Simeon;
Nahshon of the tribe of Judah;
Nethanel of the tribe of Issachar;
Eliab of the tribe of Zebulun;
Elishama of the tribe of Ephraim and Gamaliel of the tribe of Manasseh - the two sons of Joseph 
Abidan of the tribe of Benjamin;
Ahiezer of the tribe of Dan;
Pagiel of the tribe of Asher;
Eliasaph of the tribe of Gad; 
Ahira of the tribe of Naptali.

The Lord knew each man and called him by name.. what a wonderful thought!  He knows us.. by name.. and He calls us to do what He has made us to be.. 

The tribe of Levi was set apart from this count. They would not be included in the armies of Israel for they were appointed to care for the tabernacle.. they were called to "keep charge" over the holy things of God. 

This census counted the men only.. those 20 years old  and upward.  They were counted "head by head". These men had to be "able to go out to war."  When all were counted there were 603,550 men who would fight for Israel. 

Today there are approximately 1.3 million  US  active military personnel with about 452, 823 being  army personnel. China has over 2 million soldiers  and India ranks 2nd with 1, 475,750 active personnel. Iran has over 900,000...   Israel, on the other hand has about 169, 500 active personnel with another 465,000 in the reserve.. bringing the total to 634,500.  Interesting, that the number of soldiers.. all men over the age of 20 were chosen to fight for the land of Israel in that Numbers account.. and the army today is not much larger.

The other thing to remember is that none of these men in the first census, except Joshua and Caleb, would still be living in the day they entered Canaan.. they all died in the wilderness because of their sin of rebellion when they refused to fight the battles they were called to fight.  It is their sons and grandsons that were counted 40 years later.. 601,730 who would fight for the land that God would give them. ( Numbers 26)

Then and now.. it is the Lord's army that really counts.. those willing to serve, willing to go, willing to fight.. willing to trust and obey.  It is the Lord who fights the battles and brings the victory.. and He will use us as He chooses.. whether it is to go to war or to stay and care for His House.  

Father, thank You for leading us in Your ways.. help us to be willing to seek Your will and to obey Your Word so that Your Kingdom will come and You will bring that final victory to the glory and honor of our Captain.. our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.