Front matter (continued, part 22)
The second census was of all the Levites, ages thirty to fifty, who were able to serve in the sanctuary (4:1–3, 21–23, 29–30), and the total was 8,580 (vv. 46–49). According to 8:24, the Levites began to serve at age twenty-five, so it's likely that the younger men went through a five-year training period to prepare them for their work. They had a great deal to learn about the sacrifices and the tabernacle service, and it was dangerous to make mistakes. Later, David lowered the starting age to twenty (1 Chron. 23:24–25).
All this information about the ministry of the Levites reminds us that our God is concerned with details and wants His work to be done by the people He has chosen and in the way He has appointed. Nothing in the camp of Israel was left to chance or human contrivance. Each Levite and priest knew his responsibilities and was expected to "serve God with reverence and godly fear" (Heb. 12:28). Caring for the tabernacle was serious work, a matter of life and death.
The Gershonites (3:21–26; 4:21–28, 38–41) were numbered at 7,500, with 2,630 old enough to serve (4:40). They camped at the west end of the tabernacle, and had Eliasaph as their leader. Their responsibility was to transport the coverings, hangings, and framework of the tabernacle, and all the equipment that pertained to them, for this work they were given two carts and four oxen (7:7). Ithamar the priest supervised their work.
The Kohathites (3:27–32; 4:1–20, 34–37) numbered 8,600 men, of whom 2,750 were old enough to serve (4:36). They camped on the south side of the tabernacle and had Elizaphan as their leader. They were responsible for carrying the furniture in the sanctuary, and 4:1–20 explains the procedure. When the camp was about to move, Aaron and his sons would enter the holy place, take down the veil, and use it to cover the ark of the covenant. They would put over this a protective covering of skins and then a cloth of blue. They then put the wooden staves into the rings on the ark so that four of the men could carry it before the marching nation.
The chapters also remind us that not everybody has the same burdens to bear. The Gershonites and Merarites could put their burdens on wagons, but the Kohathites had to carry their burdens on their shoulders. There are some burdens we can share (Gal. 6:2), but there are other burdens that only we can bear (v. 5).7
Finally, we must note that our God believes in organization, but the organization is a means to an end and not an end in itself. One of my coworkers at Moody Church liked to say, "Remember, the church is an organism, not an organization." But I would remind him that if an organism isn't organized, it will die! Yes, the church is a living spiritual organism, but it's also an organization. If an army isn't organized, it can't fight the enemy successfully; if a family isn't organized, it will experience nothing but chaos and confusion.
Once the ark was safely covered, the other pieces of furniture were covered in a similar manner. First they covered the table of showbread, then the lampstand and the golden altar of incense, and finally the altar of burnt offering. The various vessels and implements pertaining to each piece of furniture were also packed. Each of these sacred items was fitted for staves and the Kohathites carried the pieces of furniture on their shoulders.6 It was important that the furnishings be covered lest some inquisitive Levite look at them and incur the judgment of God (vv. 16–20). Aaron's son Eleazar was in charge of the work of the Kohathites
God was preparing His people to engage enemy nations and defeat them. It was important that the camp be orderly and the work of the tabernacle be organized. Otherwise, the worship would not please God and the warfare would lead to defeat.
We live in an age not unlike that described in the book of Judges, when "every man did that which was
Numbers 4—5
We may not like his answer, but we do have to face the fact that too often God's people get in the way of God's work. This is no better illustrated than in the book of Numbers where we see Israel repeatedly disobeying God and suffering for it. This explains why the Lord laid down some plain and practical rules for daily life in the camp of Israel. Israel was God's chosen people, separated from the other nations, and God wanted them to be different in the way they lived. What kind of people did the Lord want them to be?
right in his own eyes" (Judg. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). But God's word to His people is just the opposite: "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain" (Heb. 8:5 nkjv; see Ex. 25:40).
When God's work is done God's way, in obedience to God's truth, it will never lack God's blessing.
1 Samuel Eliot Morison, The Oxford History of the American People (New York: Oxford University Press, 1965), 1030. 2 The Jews also call Numbers bemidbar, "in the wilderness." 3 The phrase, "by their polls" in the KJV (vv. 2, 18) means "by their heads," that is, one by one. The modern "poll tax" means "head tax." In ancient times, men "polled" their heads, i.e., thinned out their hair (2 Sam. 14:26). 4 Leviticus 16:12 suggests that the two sons of Aaron may have been intoxicated when they brought "false fire" into the sanctuary. What they did stemmed from pride because they were disobeying God's clear instructions. At the beginning of Israel's formal worship at the tabernacle, this divine judgment made it clear to priests and people alike that only what God authorized must be practiced there. Innovations were not permitted. 5 When you add the numbers recorded in 3:22, 28, and 34, you get a total of 22,300, but the total in verse 39 is 22,000. What happened to the other 300 Levites? Some Hebrew texts of verse 28 read 8,300 instead of 8,600, and this would make the difference. The Hebrew language uses letters for numbers and it would be easy for a copyist to make an error. 6 It seems odd that the laver isn't mentioned in this list of furnishings, for surely it had to be carried in the wilderness march. This is only one peculiar thing about it. Another is that no dimensions are given for the laver, so we don't know its size or shape. The laver is commonly thought to be circular, but there's no Scripture to support this. The Hebrew word translated "laver" in Exodus 30:18 etc. is translated "scaffold" ("platform," niv) in 2 Chronicles 6:13, and it's clear that its shape was square. The laver could have been a square container, perhaps the same shape as the altar of burnt offering, and they may have been carried together. 7 The word translated "burden" in Galatians 6:5 means "a soldier's pack," and every soldier has to carry his own pack. If my car breaks down, my neighbor can help me by driving my children to school, but my neighbor can't assume my parental responsibilities in the home so that I can do as I please. There are some burdens that you have to shoulder and can't hand to others.
A clean people (5:1–31) God's glorious presence dwelt in the camp of Israel (v. 3; Ex. 29:45), and therefore the camp had to be pure and holy in His sight. "I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people," was His promise (Lev. 26:12 nkjv), and with that gracious promise came the solemn responsibility: "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44–45).1
The concepts of "clean" and "unclean" were vital to daily life in Israel. Cleanliness involved much more than personal hygiene; it involved being acceptable to God in what they ate, what they wore, and how they conducted themselves at home and in public. The Israelites were in the infancy of their faith, and God used familiar pictures to teach them spiritual truth. He compared sin to disease and defilement and holiness to health and cleanliness (Lev. 11—15). Unclean people were put out of the camp until they had met the ceremonial requirements for reentry.
The word "defiled" is used nine times in Numbers 5, and three kinds of defilement are described. Physical defilement (vv. 1–4). Scholars aren't agreed on what leprosy was in ancient days, and some modern translations prefer "infectious skin disease." Whatever it was, leprosy was a dreaded disease that made the victims ceremonially unclean. They had to live outside the camp, and if anybody approached them, they had to cry out, "Unclean, unclean!" (See Lev. 13.) If they were cured, they had to go through a lengthy process of cleansing before being admitted back into the camp (Lev. 14).
The second defiled group was made up of people from whose bodies fluid was being discharged (see Lev. 15). The discharge might be natural (vv. 16–18, 25–30) or unnatural (vv. 1–15, 19–24), but it still made the people unclean. Some of these discharges might be caused by venereal diseases or other infections which would make the people toxic, so isolating them helped to maintain the health of the camp.
D.Purifying the people—5—6
CHAPTER TWO Numbers 5—7 DEDICATION AND CELEBRATION— PART I W
The third group was composed of people who had touched a dead body, whether human or animal. The law concerning defilement by the dead is spelled out in Numbers 19:11–22 and Leviticus 21:1–4. The decayed carcass of an animal was likely to be contaminated and therefore able to spread disease, but even human corpses were considered unclean. Those who prepared their loved ones for burial were ceremonially
hen Mohandas K. Gandhi was the spiritual leader of India, a missionary asked him what he thought was the biggest obstacle to Christian missions in India, and Gandhi replied, "Christians."
Numbers 5
sented her to the Lord, because God alone was the Judge in this case (vv. 15–16; Lev. 5:1–13). The phrase, "before the Lord," is found four times in this passage (Num. 5:16, 18, 25, 30), and the name of the Lord is mentioned twice in the oath (v. 21). The offering was the humblest possible gift, the kind a poor person would bring, and it was presented without oil and frankincense. The couple stood before the Lord as the poorest of the poor.
unclean for a week and had to go through ritual cleansing before being received back into the camp.
Although health and hygiene were involved in these laws, their basic purpose was to teach the Jews the meaning of separation and holiness. Israel was to be a clean people and this was accomplished by obeying God's Word in every area of life. God's people today need to take this to heart: "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1).
Second, the priest took water from the laver and dust from the tabernacle floor and mixed them in a clay vessel (v. 17). Perhaps the dust was a reminder of man's humble origin (Gen. 2:7) as well as his ultimate destiny—death (Ps. 22:15). Third, the priest loosened the woman's hair, letting the tresses fall as if she were in mourning (Num. 5:18). A woman's hair is her glory and covering, and in this act, she was presenting her glory to the Lord and hiding nothing from Him (1 Cor. 11:15). At the same time, the priest put the offering into her hands.
When our Lord ministered on earth, He ignored the laws of uncleanness and touched lepers (Luke 5:12–15), people with issues touched Him (8:43–48), and He even touched the dead (7:11–17; 8:49–56). The touch of the Great Physician brought healing to the victims but didn't defile the Son of God. It was only when He died on the cross that He bore our defilement and the awful "disease" of our sin (1 Peter 2:24; Isa. 53:4–6). Interpersonal defilement (vv. 5–10). The person who committed a trespass against another had to confess it and make restitution. (See Lev. 6:1–7; 7:1–10.) It wasn't enough just to confess the sin, say, "I'm sorry," and then bring a trespass offering to the priest. The offender had to pay the injured party (or a relative, or the priest) an amount of money equivalent to the loss incurred and add to it another 20 percent. In this way, the Lord taught His people that sin is costly and hurts people, and that true repentance demands honest restitution.
Fourth, the priest put the wife under oath before God (Num. 5:19) and then announced the curses attached to the oath (vv. 20–22). She submitted to God's righteous judgment by saying, "Amen, amen," which means, "Let it be so." Fifth, the priest then wrote the curses on a scroll and washed them off into the bitter water (v. 23). Sixth, the woman then drank the water (v. 24). The word "bitter," used five times in the passage (vv. 18–19, 23–24), doesn't refer to the taste of the water but the effects in her body. If she was guilty, God would send her bitter suffering.
But another factor was involved. Israel was about to confront their enemies, and there could be no unity in the army if the people were in conflict with one another because of unresolved offenses. The soldiers would be alienated from each other and from the Lord, and that could lead to defeat. True unity begins with everybody being right with God and with each other.
Seventh, as the woman drank the water, the priest took the offering from her hands and presented it to the Lord. If the woman was indeed guilty, the results would prove it. If she conceived, the baby would miscarry, or she would become barren for the rest of her life. She would feel in her body the terrible consequences of her sins and live with those consequences until the day of her death. Of course, for a Jewish wife to be childless was a tragedy, for her most important task in life was to give her husband heirs and maintain his name in Israel (Gen. 30:1–2; Ruth 4:14).3
Marital defilement (vv. 11–31). Faithfulness in marriage is a foundation stone for every society, for as goes the home, so goes the nation. In Israel, adultery not only defiled the people involved but also the land itself, and it was a sin detestable to God (Lev. 18:20, 24–29). Adultery was a capital offense. If proved guilty, both the adulterer and the adulteress were stoned to death (Deut. 22:22–24).
Now let's consider some of the issues involved in this ceremony. There's no record in Scripture that any husband ever used it or that any accused wife asked for it. Perhaps the very existence of this law proved a barrier to adultery and a warning that sin would be found out. There are clearly some built-in "roadblocks" that would make a husband hesitate to rush to the priest and ask for his wife to be tried.
Suppose a husband suspected that his wife had been unfaithful to him but he didn't have witnesses to prove it? What could he do? If his suspicions were wrong, the longer his feelings smoldered, the more damage they would do to him, his wife, and their family. If his suspicions were correct, would her sin introduce spurious issue—or even disease—into his family? To help solve this dilemma, the Lord instituted this test.
To begin with, it was a public event, performed at the door of the tabernacle, and the whole camp could know about it. Would a husband want to expose his marital problems that openly, especially when he couldn't know the results of the trial?4
Let's look at the procedure first and then consider the issues that are involved in the test.2
First, the husband brought his wife to the priest at the door of the tabernacle, along with the prescribed offering (Num. 5:15–16). This test was a public event that others could see and hear. There the priest pre-
Furthermore, what transpired there told something about the husband as well as about the wife. If the husband loved his wife and was deeply hurt by her possible infidelity, why would he want to expose her publicly?
Numbers 5—6
might accidentally be defiled. If that happened, he had to wait a week and on the seventh day shave his head. Since the period of dedication was suddenly over, and the hair was the sign of that dedication, the defiled hair had to go. However, the shorn hair wasn't made a part of the sacrifice as with the Nazirites who had completed their vows (v. 18).
But if he didn't love her and only wanted to hurt her, he might be embarrassed and proved wrong. A wise man would think twice before having his wife judged this way.
The husband would have to live with the consequences. If his suspicions were proved wrong, he owed his wife an apology and had to work at rebuilding the relationship. (Why wasn't he punished in some way for false accusation?) If she was found guilty, he had to live with her, wonder who her lover was, and suffer with the physical consequences of the curse and her bad reputation. She could never bear him children, but he still had to provide for her and for any children she gave him before committing her sin.
On the eighth day, the former Nazirite met the priest at the brazen altar and offered the required sacrifices: a bird for a sin offering, a second bird for a burnt offering, and a lamb for a trespass offering. This enabled the person to rededicate himself or herself to the Lord and make a new beginning. It was another opportunity to fulfill the vow made to the Lord. Believers today need to realize that no failure need be permanent. Presbyterian pastor Alexander Whyte (1837–1921) said, "The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings."
There are many perplexing questions associated with this ritual, but let's not miss the major message: God wants purity in marriage, and husbands and wives can't escape the bitter consequences of marital unfaithfulness. God can forgive adultery (John 8:1–11), and husbands and wives can make new beginnings in the Lord. However, adultery hurts everybody, and it's sometimes difficult to live with the consequences of forgiven sin.
Separation fulfilled (vv. 13–21). Nazirites who successfully completed their period of dedication came with their sacrifices to the priest and he offered them to the Lord.6 First the priest sacrificed a year-old ewe lamb for a sin offering, for the Nazirites' period of dedication didn't make them sinless. Then the priest offered a year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, which symbolized total dedication to the Lord. Along with the basket of unleavened bread, he then offered a ram for the peace offering (fellowship offering), plus the meal offering and the drink offering. The bread and the peace offering would later become part of a fellowship meal at the tabernacle which the worshipper could share with others. According to the Levitical law, the priest got his share of the offerings, for this was how he was supported.
A separated people (6:1–21) Don't confuse "Nazirite" with "Nazarene." Jesus was called a "Nazarene" because He came from Nazareth, a city despised by the people of Judea (John 1:43–46).5 The word "Nazirite" comes from a Hebrew word that means "to set apart, to dedicate." Jesus was not a Nazirite because He touched dead bodies and drank the fruit of the vine, both of which were forbidden to Nazirites.
Separation described (vv. 1–8). Nazirites were Jewish men or women who dedicated themselves wholly to the Lord to fulfill the Nazirite vow of total separation. (In the KJV, the words "separate" and "separation" are used sixteen times in this chapter.) The Nazirite vow had both positive and negative aspects: positively, it means being devoted to God; negatively, it meant abstaining from things God did not allow. Each Nazirite had a different goal in mind, but all of them wanted to glorify the Lord and obey His Word. They didn't isolate themselves from society but rather were witnesses to others of the importance of total devotion to the Lord. Their vow was for a specified period (Acts 21:23–27) and a specified purpose. Three responsibilities were involved in the Nazirite vow. First, they were not to drink wine, grape juice, vinegar, or fermented drinks, nor were they allowed to eat grapes, raisins, or even the skins and seeds of grapes! Second, they had to let their hair grow as a sign they were devoted especially to God. Since female Nazirites would already have long hair, perhaps they left it loose and somewhat unkempt as a mark of their dedication. Third, they were never to touch a corpse, even that of a close relative.
One of the most important parts of the ceremony was the shaving of the Nazirite's head and the placing of the hair on the altar fire under the peace offering. It was a special offering to the Lord because the long hair symbolized the vow the Nazirite had made to the Lord and had successfully fulfilled. Once these instructions had been obeyed, the Nazirite was allowed to drink wine.7
Nobody is saved by making and keeping a vow. Salvation is the gift of God to those who believe, not a reward to those who behave. However, there are some people who are led of the Lord to make special vows to God, not to get something from Him but to give something to Him, and as long as these vows don't contradict Scripture, they can be blessed of God (Ps. 22:25; 50:14; 61:5, 8; 76:11; 116:14). People will make vows to God just so He'll get them out of trouble (66:14; Jonah 2:9), and some of these people will forget their promises when they're safe and comfortable again. But it's a dangerous thing to make promises to God and not keep them (Eccl. 5:1–7).
A blessed people (6:22–27) The priests were given the privilege of serving at the altar and ministering in the sanctuary, but they were
Separation defiled (vv. 9–12). Nobody but God can control the circumstances of life, and a Nazirite
Numbers 6—7
in the Pentateuch) might give the impression that it contains nothing but repetition, for on twelve successive days each of the tribal leaders brought identical gifts. But we must not miss the point that God took notice of each gift, each leader, and each tribe on each successive day. In fact, each leader is mentioned twice, at the beginning of the report and at the end. We met these leaders in Numbers 1:5–16 and 2:3–32. The order is the same as that established for Israel whenever they marched to a new location.
also allowed to bless God's people in the name of the Lord. We use this blessing today, for it belongs to us as well as to Israel. The church has been blessed with "every spiritual blessing" through the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3), and we can claim this benediction through Him.
If ever a nation was blessed, it was the nation of Israel. God called them in His grace, rescued them from bondage, gave them His holy Word, gave them the Promised Land, and dwelt with them in the sanctuary, and He gave these blessings to no other nation. Of course, the greatest blessing of all was the sending of His Son through the nation of Israel, for "salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22; see Rom. 9:1–5).
While it's impossible by modern prices to calculate the value of these gifts, it's obvious that this was a very costly and generous offering. No doubt the twelve leaders got together and decided what to give, and then they gave their respective tribes opportunity to contribute. The gifts were both expensive and useful, showing generosity and practicality. The silver plates and bowls, and the gold dish (spoon, kjv), were needed for the priests' ministry in the tabernacle, as were their contents of flour and incense. Of course, the twenty-one animals for sacrifices that each leader brought would represent a considerable amount of money, a total of 252 beasts!
The threefold use of the name of the Lord suggests that our God is a Trinity of persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Father is the Lord (Ps. 110:1), and so is the Son (Rom. 10:9), and so is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17). You see the Trinity in Matthew 3:16–17; 28:19–20; John 3:34–35; and 2 Corinthians 13:14, as well as many other places in the Bible. Ephesians 1:3–14 is actually a hymn to the Trinity: Father (vv. 3–6), Son (vv. 7–12), and Spirit (vv. 13–14). The pronouns in this benediction are singular, meaning that God's blessings come to us personally, but there is a plural pronoun in Numbers 6:27, "I will bless them." God blesses the nation by blessing individuals, and by blessing the nation, He blesses the world. God promised Abraham, "I will bless you … and you will be a blessing" (Gen. 12:2 niv). We bless the world by sharing God's truth, often one person at a time.
The fact that God noted and recorded each name and each gift indicates His love for and interest in the individual believer. He knows our names (John 10:3) and has recorded them individually in His heavenly register (Luke 10:20; Phil. 4:3). When we stand before the Lord, He will see us individually, "and then shall every man have praise of God" (1 Cor. 4:5) and "every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor" (3:8). Nobody will be overlooked and nobody will be lost in the crowd.
David kept a register of the names of his "mighty men" (2 Sam. 23:8–39), and Paul sent greetings and appreciation to his friends in Rome (Rom. 16), twenty-six of whom he named specifically and two that he simply mentioned. David was a great warrior, but where would he have been without his mighty men? Paul was a great apostle and evangelist, but he needed his helpers to get the job done.
We need the blessings that God lists here: to be cared for by the Lord who watches over us; to have the smile of His face upon us and the riches of His grace given to us; to have Him pay attention to us when we call; and, as the result of these things, to enjoy His peace in our hearts. Peace (shalom) is one of the great words in the Hebrew vocabulary, and it means much more than the absence of storm and trouble around us. It involves quietness of heart within us, spiritual health and spiritual prosperity, adequacy for the demands of life, and the kind of spiritual well-being that rises above circumstances. George Morrison defined "peace" as "the possession of adequate resources," which is what Paul had in mind when he wrote Philippians 4:6–20.
Just as with His ancient people, God wants His people today to be clean and separated, "unspotted from the world" (James 1:27). Campbell Morgan said that when the church was the least like the world, the church did the most for the world. We are a people blessed of the Lord, and with these blessings comes the obligation to be a blessing to others. God wants us to be a generous people, supporting the local church and helping the work of the Lord around the world as He directs us.
A generous people (7:1–89) On the first day of the first month, in the second year after Israel was delivered from Egypt, the tabernacle was erected and dedicated to the Lord (Ex. 40). On that day the twelve tribes of Israel began to bring special offerings to the Lord to be used by the priests and Levites in the tabernacle service. The people had donated generously to the building of the tabernacle (Ex. 25:1–8; 35:4–36:7), and now they were contributing to its ministry and maintenance.
Can God count on us?
E.Dedicating the tabernacle—7—8
1 This admonition is repeated in Leviticus 19:2; 20:7, 26; 21:8; and 1 Peter 1:15–16. 2 When you compare verses 16, 18–19, 21, 24, and 26, you get the impression that certain actions were performed twice, but this isn't the case. But verse 24 only states that the priest will
A cursory reading of this long chapter (the longest
Numbers 7—8
Two things are involved here: divine revelation and divinely chosen leadership. All of God's people comprise a holy priesthood (Ex. 19:6; 1 Peter 2:5, 9)1, but the Lord has given spiritual leaders to His people (Eph. 4:11–16) and these leaders should be respected and obeyed (Num. 12:6–8; Heb. 13:7–9, 17). In the church today, God doesn't speak audibly to His people as He did to Moses, but as God's people worship together, pray, and study His Word, He reveals His will. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). God spoke to Moses about three important matters: caring for the lamps (Num. 8:1–4), dedicating the Levites (vv. 5–26), and obeying His guidance as the nation marched to Canaan (9:15— 10:10).
give her the water, while verse 26 says that the woman drinks it. Verse 16 states the intent of the husband to "stand before the Lord," while verse 18 describes the official action of the priest. In verse 19, the priest puts her under oath, while in verse 21 he announces the curses attached to the oath. 3 According to the NIV, the judgment for her sin was that her abdomen would swell and her thigh waste away (vv. 21, 27). The margin reads "have a miscarrying womb and barrenness," both of which would make her childless. These judgments imply that, after the trial, the guilty wife and her suspicious husband continued normal marriage relations; otherwise, how could she conceive and miscarry or demonstrate that her womb was barren? 4 I'm not overlooking the fact that the husband's motive may be very noble, i.e., removing sin from the holy camp of Israel. But the woman wasn't stoned and the sinner removed from the camp. She continued to live in the camp, although bearing the pain of her sin. 5 Matthew 2:23 states that our Lord's title "Nazarene" was given to Him in fulfillment of what the prophets wrote, but we can find no such prophecy in the Old Testament. However, the prophets did announce that Messiah would be poor and rejected and bear reproach, and Nazareth was a city that was despised and scorned by many. When Jesus was connected with Nazareth, and even took the city's name to the shameful cross (John 19:19), He was bearing the reproach of sinners and identifying Himself with the despised and rejected of mankind. 6 For the spiritual significance of the Jewish sacrifices to believers today, see my book on Leviticus, Be Holy, published by Cook. 7 Nowhere in Scripture is wine condemned simply because it is wine. The Jews considered wine a gift and blessing from God (Ps. 104:13–15; Judg. 9:13). However, the Bible clearly condemns drunkenness (Deut. 21:20–21; Prov. 20:1; 23:20–21, 29–35; Isa. 5:11, 22; Hab. 2:15–16; Luke 21:34; Rom. 13:13–14; 1 Cor. 5:11; Eph. 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3–5).
Caring for the lamps (8:1–4) The tabernacle was divided into two parts: the Holy of Holies where God's glory rested above the mercy seat on the ark, and the holy place which was separated from the Holy of Holies by the veil. There were three pieces of furniture in the holy place: the table for the twelve loaves of bread, the golden altar of incense before the veil, and the golden lampstand with its seven lamps.2
When the tabernacle was dedicated to the Lord, God's glory moved in (Ex. 40:34–35) and God's fire consumed the sacrifices on the altar (Lev. 9:23–24). But God didn't light the seven lamps on the golden lampstand in the holy place. This was the obligation of Aaron, the high priest, for he and his sons and their descendants would have the solemn responsibility of caring for the lampstand, trimming the wicks, adding the sacred oil, and making sure the light was shining. (See Ex. 25:31–40; 27:20–21; 37:17–24; Lev. 24:1–3.)
Since there were no windows in the holy place, the only source of light was the golden lampstand that stood to the left of the incense altar before the veil. We aren't given the dimensions of the lampstand, but we are given a description. It was hammered out of one piece of pure gold, weighing about seventy-five pounds, with six branches and a central shaft. The branches were decorated with beautiful "buds and blossoms" (Ex. 25:33 niv). At the end of each of the branches and the central shaft was a lamp that burned olive oil provided by the people of Israel (27:20–21).3
CHAPTER THREE Numbers 8; 9:15—10:10* DEDICATION AND CELEBRATION— PART II W
e are still examining the events that occurred in the camp of Israel at Mount Sinai on the day the tabernacle was erected and dedicated to God (7:1; Ex. 40:2, 17). It was the first day of the first month of the second year after Israel's exodus from Egypt.
Aaron no doubt took the fire from the altar when he lit the seven lamps. From then on, it was the duty of Aaron and his sons to trim the wicks and replenish the oil each morning and evening when they offered the incense on the altar (30:7–8). Without this light, the priests couldn't see to minister in the holy place. The instructions here added one new feature: Aaron was to turn the lamps "forward on the lampstand" (Num. 8:3 niv) so that the light would shine on the table of showbread and be diffused throughout the holy place.
Everything that was done in the camp of Israel was ordered by the Lord. In the holy place of the tabernacle, before the veil, Moses would speak to God and God would speak to Moses from the mercy seat (Num. 7:89). Then Moses would pass along God's orders to the people of Israel. "So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Ex. 33:11 nkjv).
What did this lampstand signify? Since the tabernacle, its furnishings, and its service speak of the person
Numbers 8
clothes. (When consecrated to God, the priests were given special clothes to wear and weren't required to shave. See Ex. 25:5–9.)4
and work of Jesus Christ (Heb. 9), the lampstand is certainly a symbol of Jesus Christ the Light of the world (John 8:12). "God is light" (1 John 1:5), and it's only through His revelation that we can see and understand spiritual truth.
The Levites were presented to God as "living sacrifices" (Num. 8:8–14; see Rom. 12:1). The leaders of the tribes, representing the whole nation, put their hands on the Levites as an act of dedication, as though saying, "You are our substitutes, serving God on our behalf." In turn, the Levites put their hands on the two young bulls, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. It wasn't enough to purified by washing; it was also necessary that there be cleansing by blood. The burnt offering spoke of their total dedication to the Lord.
The lampstand was a reminder to the priests that Israel was called to be a light to the Gentile world (Isa. 42:6; 49:6). Unless the people obeyed God and worshipped Him as He commanded, Israel's light of witness would become dim and eventually go out. That's just what happened, and part of the blame lay with the priests (Lam. 4:13). Only God could see the priests as they ministered in the holy place, but that should have been enough to motivate them to be obedient and reverent.
Once these prescribed acts had been completed, the Levites were permitted to begin serving the Lord and assisting the priests in their various ministries at the tabernacle (Num. 8:15–26). Numbers 4:3 states that their work began when they were thirty years old, but 8:24 gives twenty-five as the age. It's probable that the Levites had a five-year apprenticeship before entering into the full ministry at the tabernacle, because there was certainly a great deal to learn. When Levites turned fifty, they were released from the more strenuous duties but were still permitted to assist the priests as needed.5
But before we pass judgment on Israel, how bright and far-reaching is the witness light of the churches? "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe, as you hold out the word of life" (Phil. 2:14–16 nkjv; see Matt. 5:14–16). Israel was represented by one lampstand, but local churches are pictured as individual lampstands, with Jesus in their midst, examining them and giving His people warning and counsel (Rev. 1:12–20). If a church's light isn't shining as it should, the Lord could remove the lampstand (2:5). He would rather that there be no church in a city than that the church not love Him and therefore give false witness.
Some practical principles relating to Christian service emerge from the consecration of the Levites. First of all, it is God who chooses, equips, and consecrates His people for spiritual service, and we must accept His will. The priests were in charge of the tabernacle ministry and the Levites assisted them. Every priest had to come from Aaron's family, and no Levite was allowed to take the place of a priest. Levites were not permitted to serve at the altar, wear the priestly garments, or enter the sanctuary (3:10, 38; 4:15–20; 18:1–7; Ex. 28:1; 29:9). These distinctions in no way disparaged the Levites or minimized the importance of their work. Later, when some of the Levites tried to invade the priesthood, God judged them severely (Num. 16—17). It was no cause for pride to be a priest and no reason for shame to be a Levite, for all that we have comes from the gracious heart of God (John 3:27; 1 Cor. 4:7). There is no competition in God's service, for "each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor" (3:5–8).
The oil for the lamps is a symbol of the Holy Spirit of God who alone can empower us to witness effectively for Christ (Zech. 4:1–4; Acts 1:8). A church that is filled with the Spirit can face opposition and continue to bear witness courageously to Jesus Christ (Acts 4:23–33).
Dedicating the Levites (8:5–16) If Aaron and his sons were the "official clergy" in the camp, serving at the altar and in the tabernacle, then the Levites were the "dedicated laity" who assisted the priests in their ministry. They were taken "from among the children of Israel" (vv. 6, 14, 16, 19) as substitutes for the firstborn males who belonged to the Lord (vv. 16–18; see 3:40–51 and Ex. 13). The Levites belonged to the Lord (Num. 8:14), and He gave them to the priests as His special gift (v. 19). The Levites cared for the tabernacle, took the structure down for each march, carried it during the march, and then erected it again in the new location.
A second principle is that those who serve must first of all serve the Lord and then serve His people. God's servants must be living sacrifices, "an offering unto the Lord" (Num. 8:13; Rom. 12:1). We serve the Lord by serving His people, but our orders must come from God. "Ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor. 4:5). No matter what task the Lord assigns to us, it is important to His work, and we must do it cheerfully and carefully.
Since they were serving God at the tabernacle, the Levites had to be set apart for the Lord. First, they were cleansed by water (vv. 5–7), but unlike the priests, were merely sprinkled and not washed all over (Ex. 29:4). It is likely that Moses and Aaron sprinkled the 22,000 Levites (Num. 3:39) collectively and not as a group. For further cleansing, the Levites were required to shave their bodies (see Lev. 14:8–9) and wash their
Finally, both the Levites and the priests were obligated to protect the sanctuary of God from intruders (Num. 8:19, and see 1:53). The priests and
Numbers 8—9
or by night, the Jews had to be ready to pack up and follow.
Levites camped immediately around the tabernacle precincts and served as a protective wall against those who wanted to invade the holy area and thus invite the judgment of God. So today, leaders in local churches must be diligent to protect the flock from those who would destroy it. "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock," was Paul's admonition to the leaders of the Ephesian church (Acts 20:28 nkjv), and he warned them that dangerous enemies would arise from both outside the church and within the congregation (vv. 29–31). God's servants must ever be on the alert and courageous to confront the enemies of God's truth.
It's interesting to note that this miraculous pillar brought light to the people of Israel but darkness to their enemies (Ex. 14:19–20). In this respect, it symbolizes the Word of God, because those who don't know Christ by faith simply can't understand what the Word is saying (1 Cor. 3:12–16). In order to know the mind of God, we must submit to the will of God, and the first step is to put saving faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8–9). Then you move out of darkness and into God's wonderful light (John 3:18–21; 1 Peter 2:9; 2 Cor. 4:6; Col. 1:13).
The priests and Levites, who lived near the tabernacle, probably assigned people to keep watch day and night so they would know when the pillar was moving. If we sincerely want to do the will of God, we must keep our eyes open and be alert at all times. The New Testament word for this attitude of alertness and expectancy is "watch" (Matt. 24:42; 25:13; 1 Cor. 16:13; 1 Thess. 5:6; 1 Peter 4:7). Jesus called Himself "the Light of the world" (John 8:12), and He promised those who followed (trusted) Him that they would never walk in darkness. It's a great privilege to "walk in the light" and enjoy fellowship with God and God's people (1 John 1:4–10). To walk in darkness means to be out of the will of God, apart from the blessing of God, and in danger of the discipline of God. Why live in the shadows or in the darkness when you can have God's smiling face shining on you (Num. 6:24–26)?
II. To Kadesh: Tempting the Lord (9:15— 12:16) A.The camp marches—9:15—10:36
Following God's guidance (Num. 9:15—10:10) The Israelites were a pilgrim people, marching through the wilderness like an army, and they constantly needed the guidance of God. Their goal was the Promised Land, and the God who delivered them from Egypt promised to bring them into their inheritance if they would trust Him and obey His will.
Knowing the will of God and doing it is vitally important to a fulfilled and fruitful Christian life. Jeremiah was correct when he said, "O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jer. 10:23). The child of God who fails to say, "If the Lord will," is destined for disappointment and failure (James 4:13–17). To assist us today in determining and doing God's will, we have the Holy Spirit within us (Rom. 8:26–27; Acts 16:6–7), the Word of God before us (Ps. 119:105), and the interceding Savior above us who providentially works on our behalf (Rom. 8:28–34). To guide Israel in their journey, God gave them the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night (Num. 9:15–23), and to announce the will of God to the people, He ordered the priests to blow two silver trumpets (10:1–10).
The silver trumpets (10:1–10).7 These two instruments were blown by the priests, not the Levites, although the Levites became the official musicians for the nation (1 Chron. 23:30; 25:1–3). These two trumpets were used, not to accompany worship, but to communicate orders quickly to the camp of Israel.8 Not only did the leaders and people have to keep their eyes open and pay attention to the pillar over the tabernacle, but they also had to keep their ears open for the sound of the trumpets.
The pillar of cloud and fire (9:15–23). This miraculous pillar first appeared at the exodus (Ex. 13:21–22), and it remained with Israel throughout their journey (Neh. 9:19).6 When the Israelites set up camp, the pillar hovered over the tabernacle at the center of the camp, reminding the people day and night that their God abode with them (Num. 9:17; this is the Hebrew word shekinah) and would guide them a day at a time, a step at a time. It must have been an awesome sight!
If Moses wanted to call an assembly of the people or the leaders, the trumpet blast would give the proper signal. Two trumpets would call the people, one trumpet would call the leaders. When it was time for the camp to move, the trumpets would give the signal for each set of three tribes to march, beginning with Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun at the east end of the tabernacle. The trumpets would also sound an alarm that commanded the soldiers to prepare for battle (Num. 31:1–6; 2 Chron. 13:13–15). Numbers 10:9 describes this trumpet blast as a prayer before God that He would give His people success in battle.
Seven times in this paragraph you find the phrase "the commandment of the Lord" (vv. 18, 20, 23). The movements of the pillar were ordered by the Lord; He didn't ask for the counsel of the leaders or the people (Isa. 40:13–14). Nor were the people of God able to predict what God would do next. The pillar might linger overnight and then move in the morning, or it might stay two days, a month, or even a year. But no matter when the pillar moved, by day
But even after the nation settled in the Promised Land, the blowing of the trumpets was important to remind them of the special festivals that were a part of their religious calendar (v. 10). The Feast of Trumpets ushered in the special religious events of
Numbers 9—10
the seventh month: the day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles (29:1ff.; Lev. 23:23–43; Ps. 81:3). The blowing of trumpets announced the special celebrations of the Jewish people, including the beginning of the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:8–12).
CHAPTER FOUR Numbers 10:11—12:16 MARCHING TO MOAB T
Like the Old Testament people of God, the children of God today are awaiting "the sound of the trumpet" that signals our gathering together to Jesus as well as God's declaration of war against a wicked world ready for judgment (1 Thess. 4:13–18; 1 Cor. 15:51–57). Until that hour, we remain a pilgrim people in this wilderness world, following His directions and serving Him faithfully.
he people of Israel camped at Mount Sinai about eleven months. They arrived there in the third month after their deliverance from Egypt (Ex. 19:1), and it was now the second month of the second year. During that time, God's law had been announced and the tabernacle had been constructed and dedicated. Moses had consecrated the priests and Levites, counted the soldiers, and organized the tribes. Israel was now a nation ready for action.
However, Israel's history for the next thirty-eight years (Num. 10:11—22:1) is for the most part a record of unbelief and failure. They were years during which the people opposed Moses and rebelled against God's will. Because of their disobedience at Kadesh-Barnea, Israel wandered in the wilderness for thirty-eight years, leaving behind a trail of graves as the older generation died off. Of that generation, only Joshua and Caleb survived to enter Canaan.
1 It's unfortunate that the phrase "the priesthood of the believer" has become so popular, because it ought to be "the priesthood of believers." It's not only that I am "a royal priest" but that I belong to a "royal priesthood." The exercising of priestly duties and privileges is a collective activity on the part of the church. Nadab and Abihu acted independently of the other priests and were slain because of their pride (Lev. 10). 2 For details about the tabernacle, see Exodus 25—31, and for an exposition of the significance of these furnishings, see my book Be Delivered, published by Cook. 3 The people provided the materials out of which the tabernacle was constructed (Ex. 25:1–8; 35:4—36:7) and also the oil for the lamps. It's likely that they also brought the flour which was used to bake the twelve loaves of bread (Lev. 24:1–9). 4 It's likely that the shaving and washing of clothes took place after the rest of the ceremony was completed. Otherwise Moses and Aaron would have to delay the ceremony a long time while 22,000 men had their bodies shaved and their clothes washed and dried, all of which demanded privacy. 5 When David organized the priests and Levites in preparation for their enlarged ministry in the temple, he lowered the age of entering service to twenty (1 Chron. 23:24, 27), apparently at the Lord's direction (28:11–19). 6 Nehemiah 9:20 adds that God's Spirit instructed the people through the Word that God gave through Moses, and that law covered most of the matters related to everyday life. No Jew ever had to seek God's will as to what he should eat, because the law told him what foods were clean and unclean. For most of the decisions God's people have to make today, we can turn to the Word of God and find precepts, principles, and promises that will guide us. In matters where we are perplexed, God will guide us if we sincerely want His will (John 7:17) and seek His will with all our heart. 7 These trumpets must not be confused with the rams' horn trumpets (shophar) that were used at Jericho (Josh. 6:20) and at Gideon's battle against Midian (Judg. 7:16–22), and that are used today in sacred services in Jewish synagogues. 8 In David's day, the number of trumpeters had increased to seven, and they blew their trumpets before the ark of God (1 Chron. 15:24). When Solomon brought the ark into the temple, there were 120 priests blowing trumpets as an act of worship (2 Chron. 5:12).
In contrast, the first ten chapters of Numbers have recorded the activities of a nation obeying the Lord. "And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they" (1:54) is a theme often repeated in these chapters (2:34; 3:16, 51; 4:49; 5:4; 8:3, 20, 22; 9:5, 23). In obeying God, Israel had everything to gain and nothing to lose, yet they refused to trust Him and follow His commandments. It's not until Numbers 26 that the picture changes, when Moses takes a census of the new generation and prepares them to enter the land, conquer the enemy, and claim their inheritance.
Let's consider three scenes in the life of Israel as the nation began its journey, and let's learn what it means to know God's will and do it.
Marching at God's command (10:11–36) The cloud over the tabernacle moved, the priests blew the trumpets, the priests and Levites dismantled the tabernacle, and the people prepared to march. They had been comfortable while at Sinai, living in the same place for nearly a year and not having to face the rigors of a daily march. God's great victory over Egypt was fresh in their minds, and each morning when they gathered the manna, they were reminded of God's gracious provision for their every need.
But their inheritance wasn't Mount Sinai; it was the Promised Land, "the land of milk and honey" that God had promised His people. It was time for them to move. The more comfortable we become, the less we welcome change, and yet there's no growth without challenge and there's no challenge without change. Comfort usually leads to complacency, and complacency is the enemy of character and spiritual growth. In each new experience of life, one of two things happens:
Numbers 10—11
the ark of the Lord? And didn't God speak to Moses personally and reveal His will to him? Then why draft a human guide when they had so much help from heaven?
either we trust God and He brings out the best in us, or we disobey God and Satan brings out the worst in us.
Marching in order (vv. 11–28). The tribes already had their leaders (Num. 1) and knew the marching order (Num. 2), so all that the priests had to do was sound the trumpets and signal when each tribe should move out and join the procession. The ark of the covenant led the way, carried by the Levites and following the pillar of cloud (10:33–36; Neh. 9:12; Ps. 78:14). The ark was the throne of God (80:1; 99:1 niv), and the Lord was sovereign over His people. He led the way. "You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron" (77:20 nkjv).
But divine providence doesn't minimize or destroy human ability or responsibility. Israel didn't need Hobab to tell them where to march or where to camp; God would do that. But Hobab's knowledge of the land would assist them in making other decisions as they moved from place to place. Charles Spurgeon said: "We ought to learn from this, I think, that while we ever seek the guidance of God in providence, yet we may frequently find direction and guidance in the use of our own common sense, our own discretion with which the Lord has endowed us."2 We don't "lean on" our own understanding (Prov. 3:5–6), but neither do we ignore it. God wants us to act intelligently as well as believingly, and the spiritually minded Christian knows how to use both heart and mind in discerning God's will (Rom. 12:2).
Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun were at the head of the march, followed by the Gershonites and Merarites carrying the tabernacle proper. Next were Reuben, Simeon, and Gad, followed by the Kohathites bearing the tabernacle furniture at the heart of the procession. It was the safest place for those valuable furnishings. The tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin came next, and then Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. The "mixed multitude" that did not belong to any tribe brought up the rear (Num. 11:4; Ex. 12:38).
But let's not miss the main thrust of what Moses did: He invited others to come with Israel to enjoy the blessings God had prepared for them. The church today is a pilgrim people in this world (1 Peter 1:1; 2:11), traveling toward heaven, and it's our privilege to invite others to come along with us. The journey isn't easy, but God is blessing His people now and will bless them forever. How many have we invited lately?
Where each tribe marched in the procession wasn't an option; it was an obligation, an order from Almighty God. If the tribe of Dan or Asher grew tired of being at the end of the march and asked to take the lead, Moses would have refused their request, for the will of God in this matter wasn't negotiable. The people of Israel weren't on a pleasure trip, looking at the scenery. They were an army invading enemy territory and commanded by the Lord of Hosts. Each tribe was a division in the Lord's army (Num. 28; "divisions," niv), and each division had to be in its proper place.
Glorifying the Lord (vv. 33–36). The suggestion here is that Moses and Aaron marched ahead of the tribes, just behind the ark. Each time the pillar of cloud signaled a move and the tribes were assembled, Moses prayed to God for guidance and victory, and when the nation stopped to camp, he prayed that God's presence would again rest with His people at the tabernacle. The ark would be put into the Holy of Holies and the pillar of fire would rest over the tent.3
Inviting others to come (vv. 29–32). Hobab was Moses' brother-in-law, the son of Raguel, who was also know as Reuel and Jethro (Ex. 2:15—3:1).1 It's likely that Jethro was now dead and Hobab was head of the family. Moses wanted his in-laws to travel with Israel and enjoy the blessings God had promised His people, but Hobab declined the offer. He preferred to stay in his own land with his own people. Why should he sacrifice comfort and security for an unknown future?
No matter how many times the Israelites started and stopped in their journey, Moses repeated these prayers.4 He wanted the people to know that God, not Moses, was in charge of the nation, and that Israel was an army that depended on the Lord for victory. Like the invocation and benediction at a church worship service, these prayers became familiar to the Jews, but these brief prayers were essential to Israel's well-being as a nation. Moses put God first in the life of the people, and had the Jews paid attention to this, they would have avoided the sins that later brought them so much sorrow.
But Moses knew that Jehovah was with Israel and that the future lay with those who trusted Him and obeyed His laws. Perhaps that's why Moses added a special challenge to his invitation: because of Hobab's knowledge of the terrain, he could assist Israel in its wilderness journey. Hobab must have agreed to the proposal, because years later we find his descendants living with the Israelites (Judg. 1:16; 4:11). Certainly they were better off being a part of the people of God.
B.The people complain—11
Complaining to God's servant (11:1–35) So sinful is the human heart that it's prone to forget God's blessings, ignore God's promises, and find fault with God's providence. "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" (Ps. 107:8, 15, 21, 31)
Bible students disagree over whether Moses was right or wrong when he asked Hobab to be Israel's "eyes" as they traveled in the wilderness. After all, wasn't the nation being led by the pillar of cloud and
The Jews complain (vv. 1–3). History repeats itself. Three days after the great praise service by the Red Sea, the Jews complained against Moses and God because
Numbers 11
have an appetite for spiritual things, and eventually their true allegiance is revealed (1 John 2:18–19).
they didn't have water to drink (Ex. 15:22–27). Now, three days after leaving Sinai (Num. 10:33), the Jews complained again. It takes faith to be able to accept God's providential leading (Rom. 8:28), and Israel's faith wasn't very strong.
The Jews experienced a miracle six mornings a week when the "bread of heaven" (Ps. 78:24; 105:40) fell in the camp and provided all the nourishment they needed for the day. Perhaps influenced by the mixed multitude, many of the Jews got tired of their diet and tried to improve on God's recipe (Num. 11:8). They wanted instead the food they had enjoyed in Egypt. They forgot the bondage of Egypt and remembered only the things that pleased the flesh!
Since the people had been camped in one location for nearly a year, perhaps the demands of the journey discouraged them, along with the monotony of the terrain. The NIV translates Numbers 11:1, "Now the people complained about their hardships." Whatever the cause, God heard their sinful words, became angry, and killed the ungrateful people.5 "The fire of the Lord" could describe lightning (Ex. 9:23–24), and the fact that the judgment fell on people dwelling in the outskirts of the camp indicates that perhaps the "mixed multitude" was the cause of the complaining (Num. 11:4). How often in my own pastoral ministry I've seen verse 2 demonstrated: The people who complain the most about God and their spiritual leaders end up coming to those leaders for help! How gracious Moses was to intercede on their behalf, and how like our Lord Jesus Christ! "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). More than once when Israel sinned, it was the intercession of Moses that stayed God's hand of judgment. On one occasion, Moses even offered to die so that Israel might be spared (Ex. 32:30–35).
How tragic it is when professed believers in churches crave substitutes from the world instead of desiring the heavenly manna of the Word of God (John 6:66–69; Matt. 4:4). In trying to attract and please the "mixed multitude," churches have turned their sanctuaries into theaters and their ministries into performances, and worship has become entertainment. Paul had to deal with this crowd in his day (Phil. 3:17–21), so it's nothing new. However, it's a serious thing to complain against the Lord, attack His servants, and ask for "religious substitutes" that satisfy our fleshly desires. These murmurers in Israel were eventually judged by God and used by Paul as a warning to the churches today (1 Cor. 10:10). "Do all things without murmurings and disputings" (Phil. 2:14). An unthankful heart makes it easier for people to commit all kinds of sins (Rom. 1:21ff.). Moses laments his calling (vv. 10–15). Moses had been singing triumphantly about the Lord (10:35–36), but now he is lamenting bitterly the work God called him to do. Few things discourage God's servants more than people criticizing them unjustly and complaining about the blessings the Lord has given.7 This is the first of two occasions when the attitude of the people caused Moses to sin (see 20:1–13). Knowing as we do how ungrateful and hardhearted the people of Israel were, we wonder that Moses wasn't discouraged more often!
The mixed multitude complains (11:4–9). This is the only place in the Old Testament where the Hebrew word asapsup is used, and it describes a "rabble," the "riffraff" that accompanied the Jews when they left Egypt (Ex. 12:38).6 Why they left Egypt isn't explained. Some of them may have been afraid that more judgments were coming and the safest course was to go with the Jews (9:20). Some servants and slaves may have seen in Israel's departure an opportunity to get out of Egypt while people were busy burying their dead. Others may have had good intentions, but because they had no faith in the Lord, their hearts were never changed (Heb. 4:1–2).
Whatever their origin, the "mixed multitude" caused Moses and the people of Israel a great deal of trouble, and a similar group is creating problems for God's servants and people today. In the Parable of the Tares (Matt. 13:24–30, 36–43), Jesus taught that wherever the Lord "plants" His true children, the devil comes along and plants counterfeits. Satan is an imitator and an infiltrator (Jude 4; 2 Peter 2:1–2), which explains why Paul warned the church about "false brethren" (Gal. 2:4; 2 Cor. 11:26), false ministers (v. 13ff.), and a false gospel (Gal. 1:6–9).
It's sad to see a great man of God ask God to take his life because he feels that his divine calling is a heavy burden by which God has afflicted him and made him wretched. Moses lost his perspective and got his eyes off the Lord and on himself, something that's easy to do in the difficult experiences of life. His "I am not able" (11:14) reminds us of when God called Moses and assured him of His help (Ex. 3:11–12). But at least Moses took his burden to the Lord and accepted God's counsel (1 Peter 5:7).
Moses receives God's help (vv. 16–35). The Lord helped Moses solve two difficult problems: how to pastor so many people and how to provide meat for all the people. Both problems stemmed from Israel's sojourn in Egypt where they developed appetites for the diet of their masters. The Jews forgot the slavery and remembered only the "free" food.
Over these many years of ministry, I've learned that it isn't enemies outside the local church who do the damage but counterfeiters who get inside the church fellowship (Acts 20:28–30; 3 John 9—11). These intruders might march with the church crowd and act like they are God's people, but they don't
As for the first problem (vv. 16–17, 24–30), God
Numbers 11—12
dience to His word (Ex. 16:4; Deut. 8:3). In rejecting the manna, Israel really rejected the Lord (Num. 11:20 niv), and it was this rebellious attitude that invited the judgment of God. This reminds us that the way we treat God's Word is the way we treat the Lord Himself. To ignore the Word, treat it carelessly, or willfully disobey it is to ask for the discipline of God (Heb. 12:5–11). Instead of feeding on the things of the world that bring death, let's cultivate an appetite for the holy Word of God (Job 23:12; Ps. 1:1; Jer. 15:16; Matt. 4:4; Luke 10:38–42; 1 Peter 2:1–3).
commanded Moses to select seventy godly elders to assist him in the spiritual oversight of the camp. Moses already had leaders to help the people settle their personal disputes (Ex. 18), but these new leaders would have more of a spiritual ministry to the people. After all, the heart of every problem is the problem in the heart, and unless people's hearts are changed by the Lord, their character and conduct will never change.
Sixty-eight of the seventy men gathered at the tabernacle, and God gave them the power of the Spirit so they could assist Moses in his work.8 Their worship of God was evidence that they truly had received the Spirit (see Acts 2:11; 10:44–46; 19:1–7; Eph. 5:18–20). Why Eldad and Medad were not in the meeting isn't explained, but since they weren't disciplined by God, we assume their absence wasn't a serious matter. At least they didn't miss out on any of the blessing. Joshua was upset about their receiving the Spirit but Moses was grateful. He seems to have regained his usual composure and attitude of generosity when he said, "Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!"
C.Aaron and Miriam criticize Moses—12
Delaying because of God's discipline (12:1–16) People in places of spiritual leadership know that problems usually come in clusters of twos or threes. Why? Because Satan is alive and busy (1 Peter 5:8–9) and sinful human nature fights the holy will of God (Gal. 5:16–17). Just about the time the Lord helps you settle one crisis, another one appears.
The false accusation (vv. 1–3). Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were a team sent by God to help lead the nation of Israel (Mic. 6:4). God had used Miriam to save her younger brother's life (Ex. 2:1–10), and she was also a prophetess who led the Jewish women in praising God (15:20–21).10 Aaron was the elder brother in the family (Ex. 7:7), appointed by God not only to assist Moses in confronting Pharaoh (4:10–17) but also to serve as the first high priest. Everybody in Israel knew that Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were God's chosen servants, but that Moses was the leader.
Moses wasn't the only servant of God to face this problem of "spiritual exclusiveness." John the Baptist faced it (John 3:26–30), and so did Jesus (Luke 9:46–50) and Paul (Phil. 1:15–18). However, Joshua felt that Moses and God were losing something by allowing these two men to receive the Spirit. The first time we meet Joshua in Scripture, he is leading the army of Israel in victory over the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8–16). Then we see him on Mount Sinai with Moses (24:13; 32:17), and now we learn that he is Moses' servant (Num. 11:28). Later, he will become Moses' successor.
Three pieces of evidence lead to the conclusion that Miriam was the leader in this family rebellion: she is mentioned first in Numbers 12:1; the verb "spoke" is feminine in form, and Miriam alone was disciplined by the Lord. She didn't begin her assault by accusing Moses of usurping authority but by differing with him over his wife. (Most people who accuse God's servants rarely give the real reasons for their disagreements.) It's likely that Zipporah had died and Moses had taken a new wife, and perhaps Miriam felt threatened by her. Also, when the Lord sent the Spirit upon the seventy elders, Miriam may have felt an erosion of her own authority.
The second problem had to do with finding enough meat to feed the nation (vv. 18–23, 31–35; see Ex. 16:1–13). The Jews certainly weren't going to slaughter their flocks and herds because that would have left them destitute. By sending a wind, God brought quail right to the camp, three feet above the ground, and the Jews spent two days and a night capturing and killing the birds.9 Ten homers (Num. 11:32) would be about sixty bushels of meat! But God told them they would have enough meat to eat for a month (vv. 19–20).
As long as Moses didn't marry a woman from one of the Canaanite nations, his marriage was acceptable to the Lord (Ex. 34:12–16). In Scripture, "Cush" usually refers to a people who lived near Egypt, but the KJV wrongly translates the Hebrew word "Ethiopia." For that reason, some have taught that the new wife belonged to a different race and therefore was unacceptable. According to William S. LaSor, "There is no evidence, either in the Bible or in extrabiblical material, to support the view that Ham or any of his descendants was negroid."11
When God really wants to judge people, He lets them have their own way (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28). "So He gave them what they asked for, but He sent a plague along with it" (Ps. 106:15 nlt). The Jews began to devour the meat, happy that their craving was being satisfied, but then God's judgment struck and many of them died (Num. 11:33; Ps. 78:23–31; 1 Cor. 10:10). Moses called the place "the graves of lust," and those graves were a monument to the danger of praying, "Not Thy will but my will be done."
Miriam finally got around to her real complaint: Was Moses the only spokesperson for God? Didn't Miriam and Aaron also have the right to
The Lord had warned Israel that the way they treated the daily manna would be a test of their obe-
Numbers 12
declare God's Word? In questioning Moses' authority and God's will, Miriam and Aaron were acting just like the people of Israel! However, Moses didn't answer them or try to vindicate himself; he left his defense to the Lord. This was one evidence of his meekness; meekness is not weakness: it's power under control.12
1 It wasn't unusual in that time and place for people to have more than one name. Some think that Reuel was his given name and Jethro his official title as a priest. Jethro means "excellence." 2 Charles H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 7, 161. 3 Some Bible students feel that the cloud not only led Israel but also spread out over the people each day, sheltering them from the hot sun as they marched. The NIV translates verse 34, "The cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp." See Psalm 105:39 and 1 Corinthians 10:1. 4 David must have meditated on these words of Moses because he used some of them in the opening verse of Psalm 68. The psalm glorifies God for His wonderful work of delivering and guiding His people, and by faith David claimed God's help in conquering his own enemies. 5 Often at the beginning of a new era in salvation history, God judged sin in a dramatic way to warn His people. Other examples are Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10), Achan (Josh. 7), Uzzah (2 Sam. 6:1–7), and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). 6 While the Hebrew word used in Exodus 12:38 is different from the one in Numbers 11:4, the idea is the same: people of various races who were not Jewish and therefore not children of the covenant. 7 Some of God's greatest leaders had their times of discouragement, including Joshua (Josh. 7), Elijah (2 Kings 19), David (Ps. 42), Jeremiah (Jer. 12:1–4; 15:15–18), and Paul (2 Cor. 1:8–11). 8 Verse 25 doesn't suggest that Moses had "less of the Spirit" after this event than before. The Holy Spirit is a person and is spirit, and therefore is not divisible. God didn't "divide up" the Spirit among seventy-one men. He gave to the elders the same Spirit that empowered Moses. 9 It took only a brief time each morning to gather enough manna to sustain them for the day, but the Jews were willing to spend two days and a night getting meat to satisfy their carnal appetites. Unspiritual people in churches spend time, money, and energy on things that satisfy their own desires, but they would never make those sacrifices just to please God and do His will. 10 Miriam is one of ten women in Scripture who were called prophetesses: Deborah (Judg. 4:4), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), Isaiah's wife (Isa. 8:3), Anna (Luke 2:36), and the four daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:9). 11 "Cush" in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. 1, 839 (Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans, 1979). Because of this fact, Moses' marriage has no relationship to the question of interracial marriages. 12 If Moses was a meek man, why did he tell us? Isn't this a sign of pride? The Hebrew root of the word translated "meek" is simply "to be bowed down." Some translate it "burdened," referring to all the troubles Moses had to carry (11:14). Others think that an inspired "editor" added this verse at a later date, but we have no evidence to prove it. In his writings, Moses was honest enough to record his sins and failures, and we accept what he wrote, so why can't we accept a statement about his godly character? Paul wrote in a similar way in 2 Corinthians 10:1, 11:5, and 12:11–12.