1607.) Numbers 12

“Miriam Dancing” — Miriam in better days! — tapestry by Anna Kocherovsky

Numbers 12

Miriam and Aaron Are Jealous of Moses

Proverbs 27:4 (NIV)

Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?

^1-3Although Moses was the most humble person in all the world,

Numbers 12:3 (NIV)

Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.

from Wishful Thinking:  A Seeker’s ABC
by Frederick Buechner

HUMILITY

Humility is often confused with the polite, self-deprecation of saying you’re not much of a bridge player when you know perfectly well you are.  Conscious or otherwise, this kind of humility is a form of gamesmanship.

If you really aren’t much of a bridge player, you’re apt to be rather proud of yourself for admitting it so humbly.  This kind of humility is a form of low comedy.

True humility doesn’t consist of thinking ill of yourself but of not thinking of yourself much differently from the way you’d be apt to think of anybody else.  It is the capacity for being no more and no less pleased when you play your own hand well than when your opponents do.

Miriam and Aaron started complaining, ” Moses had no right to marry that woman from Ethiopia!  Who does he think he is? The LORD has spoken to us, not just to him.”

The complaint against Moses’ wife was just a cover; the real problem was their taking offense at Moses getting more credit than they. It’s pride.

Matthew 10:36 (NIV)

A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.

The LORD heard their complaint ⁴and told Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to come to the entrance of the sacred tent. ⁵There the LORD appeared in a cloud and told Aaron and Miriam to come closer. ⁶Then after commanding them to listen carefully, he said:

” I, the LORD, speak to prophets

in visions and dreams.

⁷But my servant Moses

is the leader of my people.

⁸He sees me face to face,

and everything I say to him

is perfectly clear.

You have no right to criticize

my servant Moses.”

⁹The LORD became angry at Aaron and Miriam. And after the LORD left ¹⁰and the cloud disappeared from over the sacred tent, Miriam’s skin turned white with leprosy.

When Aaron saw what had happened to her, ¹¹he said to Moses, ” Sir, please don’t punish us for doing such a foolish thing. ¹²Don’t let Miriam’s flesh rot away like a child born dead!”

Proverbs 30:32 (NIV)

“If you have played the fool and exalted yourself,
or if you have planned evil,
clap your hand over your mouth!”

_________________________

Aaron’s action of turning to Moses as the only one who can help is in itself an ironic confirmation of what Aaron and Miriam had earlier denied—Moses’ unique relationship to God.

¹³Moses prayed, ” LORD God, please heal her.”

¹⁴But the LORD replied, ” Miriam would be disgraced for seven days if her father had punished her by spitting in her face. So make her stay outside the camp for seven days, before coming back.”

This was appropriate, because Miriam had done something even more shameful than spitting in her father’s face; she tried to bring down a leader of God’s people with petty, false, and self-interested criticism.

¹⁵The people of Israel did not move their camp until Miriam returned seven days later. ¹⁶Then they left Hazeroth and set up camp in the Paran Desert.

Micah 6:4 (NIV)

Listen to what the Lord says:

I brought you up out of Egypt
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
also Aaron and Miriam.

_________________________

Music:

Having just read one of the most shameful and saddest chapters in the Old Testament, let’s take a break.  Now  HERE  is an odd connection to the whole Numbers story — do you remember the “Moses Supposes” sequence from the movie Singing in the Rain?  As you watch Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor sing and dance, you may start to feel more cheerful!

_________________________

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Images courtesy of:

Kocherovsky.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/12-miriam.jpg?w=450

jealous.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/12-jealous.jpg?w=450

cards.   http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Anglo-American_card_suits.png

Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.  http://www.marshotelonline.com/SFGsigns.JPG

man with hand over mouth.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/12-man-w-hand-over-mouth.jpg?w=450

oops!   http://www.faithandfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/oops.jpg

1606.) Numbers 11

Numbers 11

The Israelites Complain

¹One day the Israelites started complaining about their troubles. The LORD heard them and became so angry that he destroyed the outer edges of their camp with fire.

²When the people begged Moses to help, he prayed, and the fire went out. ³They named the place ” Burning,”  because in his anger the LORD had set their camp on fire.

__________________________

Music:

“Dear Lord and Father of Mankind — forgive our foolish ways” — sung  HERE  by Katherine Jenkins to the British tune, Repton.

__________________________

The People Grumble about Being Hungry

⁴One day some worthless foreigners among the Israelites became greedy for food, and even the Israelites themselves began moaning, “We don’t have any meat! ⁵In Egypt we could eat all the fish we wanted, and there were cucumbers, melons, onions, and garlic.

⁶But we’re starving out here, and the only food we have is this manna.”

The complaining heart romanticizes the past but it also exaggerates the problems of the present. Just how wonderful was life in Egypt, when they were slaves?  How can they be starving when they have manna every day?

⁷The manna was like small whitish seeds ^8-9and tasted like something baked with sweet olive oil. It appeared at night with the dew. In the morning the people would collect the manna, grind or crush it into flour, then boil it and make it into thin wafers.

¹⁰The Israelites stood around their tents complaining.

Oh, you Israelites!

Moses heard them and was upset that they had made the LORD angry. ¹¹He prayed:

I am your servant, LORD, so why are you doing this to me? What have I done to deserve this? You’ve made me responsible for all these people, ¹²but they’re not my children. You told me to nurse them along and to carry them to the land you promised their ancestors. ¹³They keep whining for meat, but where can I get meat for them? ¹⁴This job is too much for me. How can I take care of all these people by myself? ¹⁵If this is the way you’re going to treat me, just kill me now and end my miserable life!

Oh, Moses!

from Morning and Evening,
by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Wherefore hast Thou afflicted Thy servant?”
–Numbers xi.11.

Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith.  If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test.  It is a poor faith which can only trust God when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable; but that is true faith which holds by the Lord’s faithfulness when friends are gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father’s countenance is hidden.  A faith which can say, in the direst trouble, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him,” is heaven-born faith.

The Lord afflicts His servants to glorify himself, for He is greatly glorified in the graces of His people, which are His own handiwork.  When “tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope,” the Lord is honored by these growing virtues.  We should never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched; nor enjoy the juice of the grape if it were not trodden in the wine-press; nor discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten; nor feel the warmth of fire if the coals were not utterly consumed.  The wisdom and power of the great Workman are discovered by the trials through which His vessels of mercy are permitted to pass.

Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy.  There must be shades in the picture to bring out the beauty of the light.  Could we be so supremely blessed in heaven, if we had not known the curse of sin and the sorrow of earth?  Will not peace be sweeter after conflict, and rest more welcome after toil?  Will not the recollection of past sufferings enhance the bliss of the glorified?  There are many other comfortable answers to the question with which we opened our brief meditation; let us muse upon it all day long.

Oh, my own heart!

Seventy Leaders Are Chosen To Help Moses

¹⁶The LORD said to Moses:

Choose seventy of Israel’s respected leaders and go with them to the sacred tent. ¹⁷While I am talking with you there, I will give them some of your authority, so they can share responsibility for my people. You will no longer have to care for them by yourself.

The elders were there to help Moses carry the spiritual load — to help him care for and minister to the people, and to be a support for him in the ministry. God’s help was going to come to Moses through the support of godly men. This is a customary way for God to meet our needs.

¹⁸As for the Israelites, I have heard them complaining about not having meat and about being better off in Egypt. So tell them to make themselves acceptable to me, because tomorrow they will have meat. ^19-20In fact, they will have meat day after day for a whole month–not just a few days, or even ten or twenty. They turned against me and wanted to return to Egypt. Now they will eat meat until they get sick of it.

²¹Moses replied, ” At least six hundred thousand grown men are here with me. How can you say there will be enough meat to feed them and their families for a whole month? ²²Even if we butchered all of our sheep and cattle, or caught every fish in the sea, we wouldn’t have enough to feed them.”

²³The LORD answered, ” I can do anything! Watch and you’ll see my words come true.”

²⁴Moses told the people what the LORD had said. Then he chose seventy respected leaders and went with them to the sacred tent. While the leaders stood in a circle around the tent, Moses went inside, ²⁵and the LORD spoke with him. Then the LORD took some authority  from Moses and gave it to the seventy leaders. And when the LORD’s Spirit took control of them, they started shouting like prophets. But they did it only this one time. ²⁶Eldad and Medad were two leaders who had not gone to the tent. But when the Spirit took control of them, they began shouting like prophets right there in camp. ²⁷A boy ran to Moses and told him about Eldad and Medad.

²⁸Joshua  was there helping Moses, as he had done since he was young. And he said to Moses, ” Sir, you must stop them!” ²⁹But Moses replied, ” Are you concerned what this might do to me? I wish the LORD would give his Spirit to all his people so everyone could be a prophet.” ³⁰Then Moses and the seventy leaders went back to camp.

The LORD Sends Quails

³¹Some time later the LORD sent a strong wind that blew quails in from the sea until Israel’s camp was completely surrounded with birds, piled up about three feet high for miles in every direction. ³²The people picked up quails for two days–each person filled at least fifty bushels. Then they spread them out to dry. ³³But before the meat could be eaten, the LORD became angry and sent a disease through the camp.

³⁴After they had buried the people who had been so greedy for meat, they called the place ” Graves for the Greedy.”

Proverbs 28:25 (NIV)

A greedy man stirs up dissension,
but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

³⁵Israel then broke camp and traveled to Hazeroth.

Psalm 105:39-41 (NIV)

He spread out a cloud as a covering,
and a fire to give light at night.

They asked, and he brought them quail
and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
like a river it flowed in the desert.

_________________________

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Images courtesy of:

too many quail.   https://924jeremiah.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/7.jpg?w=630

fire flames.   http://www.sxc.hu/pic/m/h/hu/huibidos/1093985_fire_flames.jpg

spicy cold cucumber salad (with cucumbers, green onions, and garlic).   http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/2577344164_60bd12efc9.jpg

Stop whining.   http://edbatista.typepad.com/edbatista/images/2005/02/Stop%20Whining.jpg

quail.  http://biblestudyoutlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/god-send-quails-for-the-israelites.jpg

He cares for you.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/34-he-cares-for-you.jpg?w=450

1605.) Numbers 10

silver trumpets

Numbers 10

The Silver Trumpets

¹The LORD told Moses:

²Have someone make two trumpets out of hammered silver. These will be used to call the people together and to give the signal for moving your camp. ³If both trumpets are blown, everyone is to meet with you at the entrance to the sacred tent. ⁴But if just one is blown, only the twelve tribal leaders need to come together.

^5-6Give a signal on a trumpet when it is time to break camp. The first blast will be the signal for the tribes camped on the east side, and the second blast will be the signal for those on the south. ⁷But when you want everyone to come together, sound a different signal on the trumpet. ⁸The priests of Aaron’s family will be the ones to blow the trumpets, and this law will never change.

⁹Whenever you go into battle against an enemy attacking your land, give a warning signal on the trumpets. Then I, the LORD, will hear it and rescue you. ¹⁰During the celebration of the New Moon Festival and other religious festivals, sound the trumpets while you offer sacrifices. This will be a reminder that I am the LORD your God.

Psalm 81:1-4 (CEV)

Be happy and shout to God

who makes us strong!

Shout praises to the God

of Jacob.

Sing as you play tambourines

and the lovely sounding

stringed instruments.

Sound the trumpets and start

the New Moon Festival.

We must also celebrate

when the moon is full.

This is the law in Israel,

and it was given to us

by the God of Jacob.

_________________________

Music:

Today is a day for trumpet music!  And who better than Phil Driscoll?  He sings with that unmistakable gravel in his throat, but you forgive him for that once you hear him play his instrument!  HERE  he is with “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

_________________________

The Israelites Begin Their Journey

— one theory about the route followed by the Israelites —

¹¹On the twentieth day of the second month  of that same year, the cloud over the sacred tent moved on. ¹²So the Israelites broke camp and left the Sinai Desert.

This was the first time Israel marched as an organized, prepared nation. They were not the same group that escaped Egypt as a mob. They had been fully prepared to walk as Promised Land people:

• They were ordered and organized
• They were cleansed and purified
• They were set apart and blessed
• They were taught how to give and how to function as priests
• They were made to remember judgment spared and deliverance brought
• They were given God’s presence as a guide and the tools needed to lead the people

One would be tempted to think that after such extensive preparation — a virtual transformation from slave people to Promised Land people — the actual entering into the Promised Land would be easy. This was not the case. The preparation was exactly that, preparation. Ahead of them are the greatest challenges, challenges that can only be met by faith. A soldier might think boot camp finishes something, but it doesn’t. It only prepares for a greater challenge: the actual battle itself.

–David Guzik

And some time later, the cloud stopped in the Paran Desert.  ¹³This was the first time the LORD had told Moses to command the people of Israel to move on. ¹⁴Judah and the tribes that camped alongside it marched out first, carrying their banner. Nahshon son of Amminadab was the leader of the Judah tribe, ¹⁵Nethanel son of Zuar was the leader of the Issachar tribe, ¹⁶and Eliab son of Helon was the leader of the Zebulun tribe.

¹⁷The sacred tent had been taken down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites carried it, marching behind the Judah camp.

¹⁸Reuben and the tribes that camped alongside it marched out second, carrying their banner. Elizur son of Shedeur was the leader of the Reuben tribe, ¹⁹Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was the leader of the Simeon tribe, ²⁰and Eliasaph son of Deuel was the leader of the Gad tribe.

²¹Next were the Kohathites, carrying the objects for the sacred tent, which was to be set up before they arrived at the new camp.

²²Ephraim and the tribes that camped alongside it marched next, carrying their banner. Elishama son of Ammihud was the leader of the Ephraim tribe, ²³Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was the leader of the Manasseh tribe, ²⁴and Abidan son of Gideoni was the leader of the Benjamin tribe.

²⁵Dan and the tribes that camped alongside it were to protect the Israelites against an attack from behind, and so they marched last, carrying their banner. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was the leader of the tribe of Dan, ²⁶Pagiel son of Ochran was the leader of the Asher tribe, ²⁷and Ahira son of Enan was the leader of the Naphtali tribe.

The tribes marched in the same order as they had been placed around the tabernacle.

²⁸This was the order in which the Israelites marched each time they moved their camp.

²⁹Hobab the Midianite, the father-in-law of Moses, was there. And Moses said to him, ” We’re leaving for the place the LORD has promised us. He has said that all will go well for us. So come along, and we will make sure that all goes well for you.” ³⁰” No, I won’t go,” Hobab answered. ” I’m returning home to be with my own people.”

³¹” Please go with us!” Moses said. ” You can be our guide because you know the places to camp in the desert. ³²Besides that, if you go, we will give you a share of the good things the LORD gives us.”

³³The people of Israel began their journey from Mount Sinai.  They traveled three days, and the Levites who carried the sacred chest led the way, so the LORD could show them where to camp. ³⁴And the cloud always stayed with them. ³⁵Each day as the Israelites began their journey, Moses would pray, ” Our LORD, defeat your enemies and make them run!” ³⁶And when they stopped to set up camp, he would pray, ” Our LORD, stay close to Israel’s thousands and thousands of people.”

Psalm 68:1-3 (New International Version)

May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.

As smoke is blown away by the wind,
may you blow them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.

But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.

_________________________

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Images courtesy of:

silver trumpets.  http://www.templeinstitute.org/vessel_images/silver_trumpets.jpg

red trumpets.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/10-trumpets-red.jpg?w=450

map of the route of the exodus.    http://www.bible-history.com/maps/Map-Route-Exodus-Israelites-Egypt.jpg

tribes around the tabernacle.  http://www.yashanet.com/images/tribes.gif

candle dripping wax.  http://www.acornadvisors.com/Kitchen%20Newsletters/2007-09-06%20Setting_the_Table/Candle_Dripping.jpg

1604.) Numbers 9

Numbers 9

Regulations for Celebrating Passover

¹During the first month of Israel’s second year in the Sinai Desert,  the LORD had told Moses ²to say to the people, ” Celebrate Passover ³in the evening of the fourteenth day of this month  and do it by following all the regulations.” ^4-5Moses told the people what the LORD had said, and they celebrated Passover there in the desert in the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month.

Passover was meant to be a reminder of God’s “passing over” Israel in the judgment of the firstborn at the Exodus from Egypt.

The blood of the lamb, applied to the door posts of the home, would be seen by the angel of God’s judgment — and seeing the blood, the angel would “pass over” and spare the home covered by the blood. Passover was meant to be a continual reminder of this occasion of being spared judgment, and of the deliverance that followed in the Exodus.

Jesus fulfilled the Passover sacrifice by His death on the cross (1 Corinthians 5:7); the covering of His blood causes the judgment of God to “pass over” us. We are commanded to continually remember our occasion of being spared judgment and the deliverance that followed, by remembering Jesus’ work on the cross through the Lord’s Supper.

–David Guzik

⁶Some people in Israel’s camp had touched a dead body and had become unfit to worship the LORD, and they could not celebrate Passover. But they asked Moses and Aaron, ⁷” Even though we have touched a dead body, why can’t we celebrate Passover and offer sacrifices to the LORD at the same time as everyone else?”

⁸Moses said, ” Wait here while I go into the sacred tent and find out what the LORD says about this.”

⁹The LORD then told Moses ¹⁰to say to the community of Israel:

If any of you or your descendants touch a dead body and become unfit to worship me, or if you are away on a long journey, you may still celebrate Passover. ¹¹But it must be done in the second month,  in the evening of the fourteenth day. Eat the Passover lamb with thin bread and bitter herbs, ¹²and don’t leave any of it until morning or break any of the animal’s bones. Be sure to follow these regulations. ¹³But if any of you refuse to celebrate Passover when you are not away on a journey, you will no longer belong to my people. You will be punished because you did not offer sacrifices to me at the proper time.

¹⁴Anyone, including foreigners who live among you, can celebrate Passover, if they follow all the regulations.

The Cloud over the Sacred Tent

1 Corinthians 10:1 (NLT)

I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them.

^15-16As soon as the sacred tent was set up,  a thick cloud appeared and covered it. The cloud was there each day, and during the night, a fire could be seen in it.

This was more than proof of God’s presence. The cloud by day and the fire by night were actual helps and comforts to Israel. The fire at night was obviously a comfort to Israel in the midst of a dark wilderness, and the cloud by day would be a shade from the hot wilderness sun.

^17-19The LORD used this cloud to tell the Israelites when to move their camp and where to set it up again. As long as the cloud covered the tent, the Israelites did not break camp. But when the cloud moved, they followed it, and wherever it stopped, they camped and stayed there, ^20-22whether it was only one night, a few days, a month, or even a year. As long as the cloud remained over the tent, the Israelites stayed where they were. But when the cloud moved, so did the Israelites. ²³They obeyed the LORD’s commands and went wherever he directed Moses.

Numbers 9:23 (ESV)

At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out.

Matthew 4:18-22 (ESV)

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

_________________________

Music:

I have decided to follow Jesus . . .  HERE  is a song of offering ourselves to the Lord — “Christ is enough for me,” by Hillsong.

_________________________

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Images courtesy of:

Passover blood on door.  http://www.glory-of-zion.org/outmail/Passover.jpg.png

Passover matzah and wine.   http://wendythomasrussell.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/matzaver1.jpg

cloud covering.   http://revelationofjesuschrist.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/thunderstorm_1.png

follow me.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/6-followme.gif

 

1603.) Numbers 8

the golden lampstand

Numbers 8

Aaron Puts the Gold Lamps in Place

2 Peter 1:16-19 (New International Version)

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

¹The LORD said to Moses, ²” Tell Aaron to put the seven lamps on the lamp stand so they shine toward the front.”

³Aaron obeyed and placed the lamps as he was told. ⁴The lamp stand was made of hammered gold from its base to the decorative flowers on top, exactly like the pattern the LORD had described to Moses.

The light of the candlestick points to the Lord Jesus Christ, who said,

“I am the light of the world” (John 9:5),

and to the spoken and written Word of God, as David said,

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

and to the church, as the First and the Last said,

“As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands are the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20).

_________________________

Music:

HERE  is “Jesus, the Light of the World,” a Christmas song from the late 1800’s.   I think it will raise your spirits if you sing along!

_________________________

Instructions for Ordaining the Levites

⁵The LORD said to Moses:

⁶The Levites must be acceptable to me before they begin working at the sacred tent. So separate them from the rest of the Israelites ⁷and sprinkle them with the water that washes away their sins. Then have them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes.

⁸They are to bring a bull and its proper grain sacrifice of flour mixed with olive oil. And they must bring a second bull as a sacrifice for sin.

⁹Then you, Moses, will call together all the people of Israel and have the Levites go to my sacred tent, ¹⁰where the people will place their hands on them. ¹¹Aaron will present the Levites to me as a gift from the people, so that the Levites will do my work.

Reflection:

from Matthew Henry’s Commentary, first published in 1721:

All who expect to share in the privileges of the tabernacle, must resolve to do the service of the tabernacle. As, on the one hand, none of God’s creatures are his necessary servants, he needs not the service of any of them; so none are merely honorary servants, to do nothing. All whom God owns, he employs; angels themselves have their services.

What is your service for God today?

¹²After this, the Levites are to place their hands on the heads of the bulls. Then one of the bulls will be sacrificed for the forgiveness of sin, and the other to make sure that I am pleased. ¹³The Levites will stand at my altar in front of Aaron and his sons, who will then dedicate the Levites to me.

¹⁴This ceremony will show that the Levites are different from the other Israelites and belong to me in a special way. ¹⁵After they have been made acceptable and have been dedicated, they will be allowed to work at my sacred tent. ¹⁶They are mine and will take the place of the first-born Israelite sons. ¹⁷When I killed the oldest sons of the Egyptians, I decided that the first-born sons in each Israelite family would be mine, as well as every first-born male from their flocks and herds. ¹⁸But now I have chosen these Levites as substitutes for the first-born sons, ¹⁹and I have given them as gifts to Aaron and his sons to serve at the sacred tent. I will hold them responsible for what happens to anyone who gets too close to the sacred tent.

The Levites Are Dedicated to the LORD

“Levites at the Temple” papercut by Canadian-Israeli artist Naomi Spiers

²⁰Moses, Aaron, and the other Israelites made sure that the Levites did everything the LORD had commanded. ²¹The Levites sprinkled themselves with the water of forgiveness and washed their clothes. Then Aaron brought them to the altar and offered sacrifices to forgive their sins and make them acceptable to the LORD. ²²After this, the Levites worked at the sacred tent as assistants to Aaron and his sons, just as the LORD had commanded.

²³The LORD also told Moses, ^24-25” Levites who are between the ages of twenty-five and fifty can work at my sacred tent. But once they turn fifty, they must retire. ²⁶They may help the other Levites in their duties, but they must no longer be responsible for any work themselves. Remember this when you assign their duties.”

A Levite’s time of active service was to begin at age thirty and last until fifty according to Numbers 4:3, 4:23, and 4:30. Yet their formal training began at age twenty-five, with a five year apprenticeship.

–David Guzik

_________________________

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Images courtesy of:

menorah.    http://www.templeinstitute.org/vessel_images/menorah.jpg

golden candlestick.  http://gbcdecatur.org/files/GoldenCandlestick.jpg

Work for Christ.   http://www.fbct.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/workforchrist.jpg

Spiers.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/8-levites_papercut.jpg?w=450

1602.) Numbers 7

The Tabernacle in the Wilderness (illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible)

Numbers 7   (CEV)

The Leaders Bring Gifts to the Sacred Tent

¹When Moses had finished setting up the sacred tent, he dedicated it to the LORD, together with its furnishings, the altar, and its equipment. ²Then the twelve tribal leaders of Israel, the same men who had been in charge of counting the people,  came to the tent ³with gifts for the LORD. They brought six strong carts and twelve oxen–one ox from each leader and a cart from every two. ⁴The LORD said to Moses, ⁵” Accept these gifts, so the Levites can use them here at the sacred tent for carrying the sacred things.”

⁶Then Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites, ^7-8who were under the leadership of Ithamar son of Aaron. Moses gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites for their work, and four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites for their work. ⁹But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were in charge of the sacred objects that had to be carried on their shoulders.

¹⁰On the day the altar was dedicated, the twelve leaders brought offerings for its dedication. ¹¹The LORD said to Moses, ” Each day one leader is to give his offering for the dedication.”

^12-83So each leader brought the following gifts:

silver bowl

a silver bowl that weighed over three pounds and a silver sprinkling bowl weighing almost two pounds, both of them filled with flour and olive oil as grain sacrifices and weighed according to the official standards;

a small gold dish filled with incense;

“Ram and Goat” painting by Moya.

a young bull, a full-grown ram, and a year-old ram as burnt offering sacrifices to please the LORD; 

a goat

a goat as a sacrifice for sin;

“A Rocky Landscape With A Bull, Goat, Ram And Sheepdog” by German Baraque painter Philipp Peter Roos

and two bulls, five full-grown rams, five goats, and five rams a year old as offerings of well-being, sacrifices to ask the LORD’s blessing.

The tribal leaders brought their gifts and offerings in the following order:

On the first day Nahshon from Judah,

on the second day Nethanel from Issachar,

on the third day Eliab from Zebulun,

on the fourth day Elizur from Reuben,

on the fifth day Shelumiel from Simeon,

on the sixth day Eliasaph from Gad,

on the seventh day Elishama from Ephraim,

on the eighth day Gamaliel from Manasseh,

on the ninth day Abidan from Benjamin,

on the tenth day Ahiezer from Dan,

on the eleventh day Pagiel from Asher,

on the twelfth day Ahira from Naphtali.

^84-88And so when the altar was dedicated to the LORD, these twelve leaders brought the following gifts:

twelve silver bowls and twelve silver sprinkling bowls, weighing a total of about sixty pounds, according to the official standards;

twelve gold dishes filled with incense and weighing about three pounds;

twelve bulls, twelve full-grown rams, and twelve rams a year old as sacrifices to please the LORD, along with the proper grain sacrifices;

twelve goats as sacrifices for sin;

and twenty-four bulls, sixty full-grown rams, sixty goats, and sixty rams a year old as sacrifices to ask the LORD’s blessing.

⁸⁹Whenever Moses needed to talk with the LORD, he went into the sacred tent, where he heard the LORD’s voice coming from between the two winged creatures above the lid of the sacred chest.

Psalm 80:1-3 (New International Version)

Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock;
you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
come and save us.

Restore us, O God;
make your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

_________________________

Music:

HERE  is a reminder about an important gift for us to bring to the Lord every day — “We bring the sacrifice of praise.”

_________________________

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Images courtesy of:

illustration from the Holman Bible.   https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Holman_The_Tabernacle_in_the_Wilderness.jpg

antique Gorham silver bowl.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/7-silver-bowl.jpg

frankincense.    http://www.billcasselman.com/frankincense_captioned.jpg

Moya.  https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/7-ram-goat-moya.jpg?w=450

goat.    http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/0809-warm-goat-breath-aphids/8451649-1-eng-US/0809-warm-goat-breath-aphids_full_600.jpg

Roos.    http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/thumbnail/347502/1/A-Rocky-Landscape-With-A-Bull,-Goat,-Ram-And-Sheepdog-Before-A-Set-Of-Ruins,-A-Shepherd-And-Flock-Beyond.jpg

Ark of the Covenant / “sacred chest.”    http://www.wildolive.co.uk/images/ark.jpg

1601.) Numbers 6

Numbers 6   (CEV)

Rules for Nazirites

The vow of the Nazirite was to express one’s special desire to draw close to God and to separate one’s self from the comforts and pleasures of this world.

From G. J. Wenham: “The English word Nazirite transliterates Hebrew nazir, meaning “set apart.”

–David Guzik

¹The LORD told Moses ²to say to the people of Israel:

If any of you want to dedicate yourself to me by vowing to become a Nazirite, ³you must no longer drink any wine or beer or use any kind of vinegar. Don’t drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins– ⁴not even the seeds or skins.

⁵Even the hair of a Nazirite is sacred to me, and as long as you are a Nazirite, you must never cut your hair.

Judges 13:1-5 (NIV)

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless.  The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, “You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son.  Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean,  because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

⁶During the time that you are a Nazirite, you must never go close to a dead body, ^7-8not even that of your father, mother, brother, or sister. That would make you unclean. Your hair is the sign that you are dedicated to me, so remain holy.

So — The Nazirite was forbidden to eat or drink anything from the grape vine; this was a form of self-denial connected with the idea of a special consecration to God. Generally speaking, wine and grape products were thought to be a blessing (Proverbs 3:10), something to be gratefully received from God (Psalms 104:15). So one’s diet was consecrated.

The hair was to be allowed to grow all during the period of the vow, and then cut at the conclusion of the vow. This was a way of outwardly demonstrating to the world that this man or woman was under a special vow. So one’s appearance was consecrated.

Dead bodies — even those of a close relative — were not to be approached during the vow of a Nazirite. Separation from death — the effect of sin — was essential during the period of the vow. So one’s associations were consecrated.

–David Guzik

⁹If someone suddenly dies near you, your hair is no longer sacred, and you must shave it seven days later during the ceremony to make you clean. ¹⁰Then on the next day, bring two doves or two pigeons to the priest at the sacred tent. ¹¹He will offer one of the birds as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a burnt offering, a sacrifice to please me.  You will then be forgiven for being too near a dead body, and your hair will again become sacred. ¹²But the dead body made you unacceptable, so you must make another vow to become a Nazirite and be dedicated once more. Finally, a year-old ram must be offered as the sacrifice to make things right.

¹³When you have completed your promised time of being a Nazirite, go to the sacred tent ¹⁴and offer three animals that have nothing wrong with them: a year-old ram as a burnt offering, a sacrifice to please me, a year-old female lamb as a sacrifice for sin, and a full-grown ram as an offering of well-being, a sacrifice to ask my blessing.  ¹⁵Wine offerings and grain sacrifices must also be brought with these animals. Finally, you are to bring a basket of bread made with your finest flour and olive oil, but without yeast. Also bring some thin wafers brushed with oil.

The vow of a Nazirite ended with a public ceremony, with extensive sacrifice.

¹⁶The priest will take these gifts to my altar and offer them, so that I will be pleased and will forgive you. ¹⁷Then he will sacrifice the ram and offer the wine, grain, and bread.

¹⁸After that, you will stand at the entrance to the sacred tent, shave your head,

and put the hair in the fire where the priest has offered the sacrifice to ask my blessing.

¹⁹Once the meat from the ram’s shoulder has been boiled, the priest will take it, along with one loaf of bread and one wafer brushed with oil, and give them to you. ²⁰You will hand them back to the priest, who will lift them up  in dedication to me. Then he can eat the meat from the ram’s shoulder, its choice ribs, and its hind leg, because this is his share of the sacrifice. After this, you will no longer be a Nazirite and will be free to drink wine. ²¹These are the requirements for Nazirites. However, if you can afford to offer more, you must do so.

The Blessing for the People

“Aaron’s Blessing” by Philip Ratner

²²The LORD told Moses, ²³” When Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel, they must say:

²⁴I pray that the LORD

will bless and protect you,

²⁵and that he will show you mercy

and kindness.

²⁶May the LORD be good to you

and give you peace.”

²⁷Then the LORD said, ” If Aaron and his sons ask me to bless the Israelites, I will give them my blessing.”

The three-fold repetition of Lord does not prove the Trinity, but it certainly illustrates it.

• God the Father blesses and keeps His children
• God the Son makes God’s face to shine on us and brings us grace
• God the Holy Spirit communicates God’s attention to us, and gives us peace

2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

_________________________

Music:

HERE  the Concordia College Band sings (!) “The Lord Bless You and Keep You”  by Peter C. Lutkin.

_________________________

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Images courtesy of:

Aaronic benediction.  http://www.godhealing.net/i//tn_aaronic_final_-_Copy_1.jpg

Samson.   https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/4d/82/7f/4d827f5c037cee5cf6e9e3f73506c9fa.jpg

shaved head.   http://z.about.com/d/menshair/1/0/t/-/-/-/thinning05.jpg

1600.) Numbers 5

Numbers 5   (CEV)

People Are Sent Outside the Camp

¹The LORD told Moses ^2-3to say to the people of Israel, ” Put out of the camp everyone who has leprosy  or a bodily discharge or who has touched a dead body. Now that I live among my people, their camp must be kept clean.” ⁴The Israelites obeyed the LORD’s instructions.

As Israel prepared to march to the Promised Land, the leper (Leviticus 13), those with a discharge (Leviticus 15), and any priest who would touch a dead body, except that of a close relative (Leviticus 21:1) were commanded to be put out of the camp of Israel until ceremonially clean. Now God said that Israel must do what He had previously commanded. Adam Clarke says, “Probably this ordinance gave the first idea of a hospital, where all those who are afflicted with contagious disorders are put into particular wards, under medical treatment.”

It wasn’t that any of these things made a person a notorious sinner; but leprosy, unclean discharges, and dead bodies were reminders of the effects of sin — from which Israel must separate as they prepare to march on the Promised Land.

–David Guzik

The Penalty for Committing a Crime

⁵The LORD told Moses ⁶to say to the community of Israel:

If any of you commit a crime against someone, you have sinned against me. ⁷You must confess your guilt and pay the victim in full for whatever damage has been done, plus a fine of twenty percent. ⁸If the victim has no relative who can accept this money, it belongs to me and will be paid to the priest. In addition to that payment, you must take a ram for the priest to sacrifice so your sin will be forgiven.

^9-10When you make a donation to the sacred tent, that money belongs only to the priest, and each priest will keep what is given to him.

A Suspicious Husband

“Loyalty is rare. It can only be proven under test.”                  — Alfred Armand Montapert

¹¹The LORD told Moses ^12-14to say to the people of Israel:

Suppose a man becomes jealous and suspects that his wife has been unfaithful, but he has no proof.  ¹⁵He must take his wife to the priest, together with two pounds of ground barley as an offering to find out if she is guilty. No olive oil or incense is to be put on that offering.

from the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary, first published in 1871:

This law was given both as a strong discouragement to conjugal infidelity on the part of a wife, and a sufficient protection of her from the consequences of a hasty and groundless suspicion on the part of the husband. His suspicions, however, were sufficient in the absence of witnesses (Lev. 20:10) to warrant the trial described; and the course of proceeding to be followed was for the jealous husband to bring his wife unto the priest with an offering of barley meal, because none were allowed to approach the sanctuary empty handed (Ex. 23:15). On other occasions, there were mingled with the offering, oil which signified joy, and frankincense which denoted acceptance (Ps. 141:2). But on the occasion referred to, both these ingredients were to be excluded,  because it was a solemn appeal to God in distressing circumstances.

¹⁶The priest is to have the woman stand at my altar, ¹⁷where he will pour sacred water into a clay jar and stir in some dust from the floor of the sacred tent. ^18-22Next, he will remove her veil, then hand her the barley offering, and say, ” If you have been faithful to your husband, this water won’t harm you. But if you have been unfaithful, it will bring down the LORD’s curse–you will never be able to give birth to a child, and everyone will curse your name.”

Then the woman will answer, ” If I am guilty, let it happen just as you say.”

²³The priest will write these curses on special paper and wash them off into the bitter water, ²⁴so that when the woman drinks this water, the curses will enter her body. ²⁵He will take the barley offering from her and lift it up  in dedication to me, the LORD. Then he will place it on my altar ²⁶and burn part of it as a sacrifice. After that, the woman must drink the bitter water. ²⁷If the woman has been unfaithful, the water will immediately make her unable to have children, and she will be a curse among her people. ²⁸But if she is innocent, her body will not be harmed, and she will still be able to have children.

A woman suspected of adultery in Numbers 6 is given a drink of “bitter water.” In John 4, Jesus comes to the well of Jacob and meets a Samaritan woman.  Jesus reveals her secret — that she has had five husbands and now lives with a man who is not her husband — and offers her a drink of “living water.” He does not condemn her, but proclaims to her that he is the Messiah, and offers her forgiveness and new life.

^29-30This is the ceremony that must take place at my altar when a husband suspects that his wife has been unfaithful. The priest must have the woman stand in my presence and carefully follow these instructions. ³¹If the husband is wrong, he will not be punished; but if his wife is guilty, she will be punished.

the last stanza of  “Dover Beach”
by Matthew Arnold, 1867

Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.

_________________________

Music:

A true country music classic from 1952.  HERE  is Hank Williams, Sr. and “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”

_________________________

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Images courtesy of:

Blessed are the pure in heart.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/ef1ec-blessedarethepure.jpg

suspicious husband.  https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/5-suspicioushusband1.jpg?w=450

“Samaritan Woman at the Well”  by He Qi.    http://library.samford.edu/about/exhibits/2012/images/Qi_8.jpg

statue from Vigeland Park, Oslo, Norway.  http://www.marlenebrowne.com/VigelandAM.jpg

1599.) Numbers 4

Numbers 4

The Duties of the Kohathite Clans

Whenever the Tabernacle was moved, the Kohathites carried the most holy things–the ark of the covenant, the lampstands, and the tables.

¹The LORD told Moses and Aaron:

^2-3Find out how many men between the ages of thirty and fifty are in the four Levite clans of Kohath. Count only those who are able to work at the sacred tent.

⁴The Kohathites will be responsible for carrying the sacred objects used in worship at the sacred tent. ⁵When the Israelites are ready to move their camp, Aaron and his sons will enter the tent and take down the curtain that separates the sacred chest from the rest of the tent. They will cover the chest with this curtain, ⁶and then with a piece of fine leather, and cover it all with a solid blue cloth. After this they will put the carrying poles in place.

⁷Next, Aaron and his sons will use another blue cloth to cover the table for the sacred bread.  On the cloth they will place the dishes, the bowls for incense, the cups, the jugs for wine, as well as the bread itself. ⁸They are to cover all of this with a bright red cloth, and then with a piece of fine leather, before putting the carrying poles in place. ⁹With another blue cloth they will cover the lampstand, along with the lamps, the lamp snuffers, the fire pans, and the jars of oil for the lamps. ¹⁰All of this will then be covered with a piece of fine leather and placed on a carrying frame.

¹¹The gold incense altar  is to be covered with a blue cloth, and then with a piece of fine leather, before its carrying poles are put in place. ¹²Next, Aaron and his sons will take blue cloth and wrap all the objects used in worship at the sacred tent. These will need to be covered with a piece of fine leather, then placed on a carrying frame.

¹³They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar and cover it with a purple cloth. ¹⁴On that cloth will be placed the utensils used at the altar, including the fire pans, the meat forks, the shovels, and the sprinkling bowls. All of this will then be covered with a piece of fine leather, before the carrying poles are put in place.

¹⁵When the camp is ready to be moved, the Kohathites will be responsible for carrying the sacred objects and the furnishings of the sacred tent. But Aaron and his sons must have already covered those things so the Kohathites won’t touch them and die.

2 Samuel 6:1-7   (NIV)

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all.  He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah  to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name,  the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark.  They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart  with the ark of God on it,  and Ahio was walking in front of it.  David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs  and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.

When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.  The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.

¹⁶Eleazar son of Aaron the priest will be in charge of the oil for the lamps, the sweet-smelling incense, the grain for the sacrifices, and the olive oil used for dedications and ordinations. Eleazar is responsible for seeing that the sacred tent, its furnishings, and the sacred objects are taken care of.

from Whispers of His Power,
by Amy Carmichael

Numbers 4:16 — And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth . . . the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof.

Psalm 138:3 — In the day when I cried Thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

Numbers 4 is one of the many chapters in the Bible which hallows detail.  “The oversight of the tabernacle and of all that therein is” included such detail as the naming of the separate instruments used.  There is something very loving in the way burden-bearing is recognized as part of service–Aaron and his sons were to appoint them every one to his service and to his burden (Numbers 4:19).  The God with whom we have to do is a God who understands.

Are you burdened in your service today because of the continual necessity of looking after details?  In work of every sort there are a thousand tiny things which do not seem to matter, and yet matter very much.  Indeed there is nothing, except things concerning our own comfort or desires, about which we can say, “It doesn’t matter.”

How can our spirit be kept fresh and sweet and buoyant and tireless?  A quick look up, “O Lord, Thou knowest,” will restore us.  In the day–in the moment–when I cried Thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

^17-20The Kohathites must not go near or even look at the sacred objects until Aaron and his sons have covered those objects. If they do, their entire clan will be wiped out. So make sure that Aaron and his sons go into the tent with them and tell them what to carry.

The Duties of the Gershonite Clans

Every time the Tabernacle was moved, the Gershonites took the curtains down, and then put them back up.

²¹The LORD said to Moses:

^22-23Find out how many men between the ages of thirty and fifty are in the two Levite clans of Gershon. Count only those who are able to work at the sacred tent.

²⁴The Gershonites will be responsible ²⁵for carrying the curtains of the sacred tent, its two outer coverings,  the curtain for the entrance to the tent, ²⁶the curtains hanging around the courtyard of the tent, and the curtain and ropes for the entrance to the courtyard. The Gershonites are to do whatever needs to be done to take care of these things, ²⁷and they will carry them wherever Aaron and his sons tell them to. ²⁸These are the duties of the Gershonites at the sacred tent, and Ithamar son of Aaron will make sure they do their work.

The Duties of the Merarite Clans

The Merarites moved the poles, pegs, ropes, and so on, of the Tent of Meeting.

^29-30The LORD said:

Moses, find out how many men between thirty and fifty are in the two Levite clans of Merari, but count only those who are able to work at the sacred tent.

³¹The Merarites will be responsible for carrying the frames of the tent and its other pieces, including the bars, the posts, the stands, ³²as well as the posts that support the courtyard, together with their stands, tent pegs, and ropes. The Merarites are to be told exactly what objects they are to carry, ³³and Ithamar son of Aaron will make sure they do their work.

The Levites Are Counted Again

^34-49Moses, Aaron, and the other Israelite leaders obeyed the LORD and counted the Levi tribe by families and clans, to find out how many men there were between the ages of thirty and fifty who could work at the sacred tent. There were two thousand seven hundred fifty Kohathites, two thousand six hundred thirty Gershonites, and three thousand two hundred Merarites, making a total of eight thousand five hundred eighty. Then they were all assigned their duties.

Each of these had a role to play in doing the work of tabernacle, and God made them all dependent on each other to do that work.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote, “It is worthy of note that these Levites, although they were all equally consecrated to God, had not all exactly the same work to perform. God is not the God of all uniformity. There is a wondrous unity of plan and design in all that he does, but there is also an equally marvelous variety.”

Paul says the church is to work like a body — many parts, looking different, doing different jobs, meeting different needs, some more visible, some less, but all essential — and all with the same DNA code.

Much trouble is caused in the service of the Lord by those who desire a different calling than they have, or who are jealous of those who have a different calling, or by those who exalt one calling and abase another. Everyone has a place and a job, and all can set themselves to do it.

–David Guzik

_________________________

Music:

HERE  is a song about fulfilling our calling and desiring to do God’s will — nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.  “Audience of One” by Big Daddy Weave.

_________________________

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Images courtesy of:

location of the Levite clans.   http://barrybandstra.com/tables/ch04/ch04_tb9.jpg

Kothatites carry the ark.   http://www.kohath.org/images/photos/8_19_08/147736.jpg

ark of the covenant.    http://justinlessard.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/ark-of-the-covenant.jpg

detail button.   http://graceevan.org/files/Family%20Life/07-sign%20-%20details%20button%20orange.gif

curtains.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/4-curtains.jpeg?w=450

tent poles, pegs, ropes.  https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/4-tent-poles-pegs-ropes.jpg?w=450

I love my job.   http://www.newlywedsonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/love-my-job.jpg

1598.) Numbers 3

This is a Minnesota farm family dad with his four sons. Real people.  Aaron had four sons: two of them died, and the other two (and their descendants) served as priests.

Numbers 3   (CEV)

The Sons of Aaron

¹When the LORD talked with Moses on Mount Sinai, ²Aaron’s four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, ³were the ones to be ordained as priests. ⁴But the LORD killed Nadab and Abihu in the Sinai Desert when they used fire that was unacceptable  in their offering to the LORD.

Read about Nadab and Abihu’s deaths  HERE.  God’s ministers must be careful of the awesome seriousness of their tasks.

And because Nadab and Abihu had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests with their father Aaron.

The Duties of the Levites

⁵The LORD said to Moses:

⁶Assign the Levi tribe to Aaron the priest. They will be his assistants ⁷and will work at the sacred tent for him and for all the Israelites. ⁸The Levites will serve the community by being responsible for the furnishings of the tent. ⁹They are assigned to help Aaron and his sons, ¹⁰who have been appointed to be priests. Anyone else who tries to perform the duties of a priest must be put to death.

It is important to realize that the priests were only one small family among the Levites; all priests were Levites but not all Levites were priests. Only those who were descendants of Aaron could be priests.

^11-13Moses, I have chosen these Levites from all Israel, and they will belong to me in a special way. When I killed the first-born sons of the Egyptians, I decided that the first-born sons in every Israelite family and the first-born males of their flocks and herds would be mine.  But now I accept these Levites in place of the first-born sons of the Israelites.

The firstborn belonged to God; a firstborn lamb from a ewe would be given to the Lord. God didn’t want human sacrifice, so He took the tribe of Levi as Israel’s  firstborn.

–David Guzik

The Levites Are Counted

¹⁴In the Sinai Desert the LORD said to Moses, ¹⁵” Now I want you to count the men and boys in the Levi tribe by families and by clans. Include every one at least a month old.” ¹⁶So Moses obeyed and counted them.

counting the men, from old to young

¹⁷Levi’s three sons, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, had become the heads of their own clans. ¹⁸Gershon’s sons were Libni and Shimei. ¹⁹Kohath’s sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ²⁰And Merari’s sons were Mahli and Mushi. These were the sons and grandsons of Levi, and they had become the leaders of the Levite clans.

²¹The two Gershon clans were the Libnites and Shimeites, ²²and they had seven thousand five hundred men and boys at least one month old. ²³The Gershonites were to camp on the west side of the sacred tent, ²⁴under the leadership of Eliasaph son of Lael. ²⁵Their duties at the tent included taking care of the tent itself, along with its outer covering, the curtain for the entrance, ²⁶the curtains hanging inside the courtyard around the tent, as well as the curtain and ropes for the entrance to the courtyard and its altar. The Gershonites were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down.

The Gershonites were to take care of the skins that covered the tabernacle itself.

²⁷The four Kohath clans were the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites, and the Uzzielites, ²⁸and they had eight thousand six hundred  men and boys at least one month old. ²⁹The Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the sacred tent, ³⁰under the leadership of Elizaphan son of Uzziel. ³¹Their duties at the tent included taking care of the sacred chest, the table for the sacred bread, the lampstand, the altars, the objects used for worship, and the curtain in front of the most holy place. The Kohathites were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down. ³²Eleazar son of Aaron was the head of the Levite leaders, and he made sure that the work at the sacred tent was done.

The Kohathites were to take care of the furniture of the tabernacle: the ark of the covenant, the table of showbread, and so forth, under the direction of Eleazar the priest, son of Aaron.

³³The two Merari clans were the Mahlites and the Mushites, ³⁴and they had six thousand two hundred men and boys at least one month old. ³⁵The Merarites were to camp on the north side of the sacred tent, under the leadership of Zuriel son of Abihail. ^36-37Their duties included taking care of the tent frames and the pieces that held the tent up: the bars, the posts, the stands, and its other equipment. They were also in charge of the posts that supported the courtyard, as well as their stands, tent pegs, and ropes. The Merari clans were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down.

The family of Merari was to take care of the structural aspects of the tabernacle: the pillars, the boards, and so forth.

³⁸Moses, Aaron, and his sons were to camp in front of the sacred tent, on the east side, and to make sure that the Israelites worshiped in the proper way. Anyone else who tried to do the work of Moses and Aaron was to be put to death.

³⁹So Moses and Aaron obeyed the LORD and counted the Levites by their clans. The total number of Levites at least one month old was twenty-two thousand.

The Levites Are Accepted as Substitutes for the First-Born Sons

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Music:

Malachi 3:3 says —

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

HERE  is “And He Shall Purify” from Messiah by Handel, by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and choir.

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⁴⁰The LORD said to Moses, ” Make a list and count the first-born sons at least one month old in each of the Israelite families. ⁴¹They belong to me, but I will accept the Levites as substitutes for them, and I will accept the Levites’ livestock as substitutes for the Israelites’ first-born livestock.”

⁴²Moses obeyed the LORD and counted the first-born sons; ⁴³there were 22,273 of them.

⁴⁴Then the LORD said, ⁴⁵” The Levites will belong to me and will take the place of the first-born sons; their livestock will take the place of the Israelites’ first-born livestock. ⁴⁶But since there are more first-born sons than Levites, the extra two hundred seventy-three men and boys must be bought back from me. ⁴⁷For each one, you are to collect five pieces of silver, weighed according to the official standards. ⁴⁸This money must then be given to Aaron and his sons.”

⁴⁹Moses collected the silver from the extra two hundred seventy-three first-born men and boys, ⁵⁰and it amounted to one thousand three hundred sixty-five pieces of silver, weighed according to the official standards. ⁵¹Then he gave it to Aaron and his sons, just as the LORD had commanded.

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Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Images courtesy of:

father with four sons.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/3-father-and-sons.jpg?w=450

great-grandfather with baby.   http://www.texashomesteader.com/wp-content/uploads/papa-and-andrew-300×236.jpg