Notes on Numbers
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INTRODUCTION
This is the Pilgrims
Progress of the Old Testament
but, in contrast to Bunyans allegory, it
is a story of despair and defeat and death.
.
The
Title
Numbers ( Gr. Arithmoi)
The
Author
Moses.
The
Time Factor
nearly 40 years.
The
Place
From Mount Sinai to the Plains
of Moab.
The
Contents
.. Teaching & Travelling.
The Size 2, 500 000 or 250,000 ?
The
Value
.. 1 Corinthians 10: 1-11 !!
Notable
Verse
. Numbers 6:24
.
.
OUTLINE
1:1 - 10:10
at Sinai.
The Old
Generation.
10:11
- 20:21 .To Kadesh Barnea
20:22
- 36:13
To Moab.
The New
Generation.
.
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(1) THE PILGRIMS OF THE WAY
.. ( Worshippers , Workers & Warriors !)
Redeemed
( 1:1 )
En Route & Guided ( 9:17-23)
. Numbered ( 1:2-3, Ch.26)
Blessed ( 23:8)
. Fighting (
Ch. 21)
Organized & Orderly
(24:6-7) Obedient ???
..
(2) THE PRIESTS OF THE
WAY (Numbers 3 & 4.)
Priests
.
Aaron and his sons. ( 3:10)
Sons of Levi ( Priests helpers ) ( 3:6-13)
Gershon (3:25) Kohath (3:31) Merari (3:36-37)
Coverings& Curtains Furniture Boards,
pillars, pins
(3)
THE PRECEPTS FOR THE WAY ( Numbers 15:39)
Restitution (5:5-8) Stewardship ( 7:2-88) The Lie Detector ( Ch. 5) The Nazarite Vow
(
Ch.6)
Tassels !! (
..) The Five Daughters ( Ch. 27)
. The 2 ½ tribes (Ch. 32) etc !!
.
(4)
THE PERILS ALONG THE WAY
Unsaved
Company (11:4)
Lack of Discernment (11:16-29)
. Critical Spirt (12:1-16)
Unbelief
( Ch. 13; Hebrews 3:17)
Presumption ( Ch. 14)
Rebellion (Ch. 16-17)
Enemy
attacks
(Edomites
(20:18-21) Canaanites (21:1-3) Amorites (21:23) Moabites ( Ch.22-23)
..
(5) THE PROVISIONS FOR THE WAY
Manna ( Ch.11) Quails (Ch. 11) (70 Elders 11:14-16) .. Red Heifer ((ch.19)
Water (Ch.20) Brass Serpent (Ch. 21)...Successor (Ch. 27) Cities of Refuge (ch.35)
..
(6)
THE PERSON TYPIFIED ALONG THE WAY
.. ( John 5:46)
The
Standards
( Numbers 1:52)
The
Tabernacle
..( John 1: 14)
The
Brass Serpent
(John 3:14-15)
The
Manna
. (John 6: 32-33)
The
Smitten Rock
. (1 Corinth 10:4)
The
Red Heifer
.
(Hebrews 9:13-14)
The
Star out of Jacob
.( Numb. 24:17)
The
Budding Rod
( Numb. 17:1-13)
The
Cities of Refuge
( Numb. 35:9-34)
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CONCLUSION
Get a modern translation, an easy-to-read
commentary ( like Warren Wiersbes With the Word )
and study the Book of Numbers !
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A sermon about a
little known Bible character
.
Lets Meet Hobab !!
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INTRODUCTION The apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear that many ( if not all
!) Old Testament stories were written for the benefit of Christians. Look at this passage in 1 Corinthians 10 ( NIV)
..
1For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that
our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the (
Red) sea. 2They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the
sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food ( manna) 4and drank the same spiritual drink;
..
5Nevertheless, God was not
pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert
...
6Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from
setting our hearts on evil things as they did.
10And do not grumble, as some of
them didand were killed by the destroying angel.
11These things happened to them as examples and were
written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfilment of the ages has
come. 12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful
..
And especially in the Book of Numbers we are introduced to incidents that abound in spiritual teachings and warnings for us. For example take the little-known story of Hobab
Numbers 10
( Living Bible Trans.)
29One
day Moses said to his brother-in-law, Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite,
We are on our
way to the Promised Land. Come with us and we will treat you well,
for the LORD has given wonderful promises to
Israel!
30But Hobab replied, No, I will not go. I must return to my own land
and family.
31Please dont leave us, Moses pleaded. You know the places in
the wilderness where we should camp. 32Come, be our guide and we
will share with you all the good things that the LORD does for us.
(1) THE REWARDING INVITATION As the Israelites are about to leave Mount Sinai, Moses issues an invitation to Hobab to come with them on their way to the Promised Land.
Hobab is the brother of Moses wife, Zipporah. ( Exodus 2:15-21) He is a Midianite, descendants of Abraham and his second wife, Keturah. ( Gen. 25:1)
This invitation is a reminder that we who belong to Gods people today ( the church , Spiritual Israel ) should invite others to join us on our pilgrimage to the Promised Land. Like Andrew invited Peter and like Philip told Nathaniel to come and meet the Lord Jesus . ( John 1:40-46)
Notice Moses bases his confidence upon the promise of God the Lord has given wonderful promises (vs. 29) Our Homeward journey likewise rests upon the precious promises of Him who cannot lie.
(2) THE REJECTED INVITATION Hobab said No. ( vs. 30)
Perhaps he feared dangers ahead, perhaps he simply wanted to stay with his friends , perhaps he did not want to change his life style what-ever the reason, he declined Moses invitation. And there are many reasons why people refuse to follow Christ today.
God has given us a free will to accept or refuse His provision of Salvation. And still it is, some choose to join the Christian family, others reject the Saviour. Choose ye this day whom ye will serve ! ( Joshua 24:15)
(3) THE REPEATED INVITATION ( Vs. 31) Again Moses asks pleads as the Living Bible translates it that Hobab will use his wilderness knowledge in helping the Israelites in their journeying. Whilst the Pillar of Cloud led them in the general direction, Hobab could point out where wells were to be found and enemies were camped. Divine guidance does not preclude, necessarily, the use of human resources.
..
CONCLUSION . So what did Hobab do ? We are not told.
More to the point, what lesson can I learn from this? As a Christian I need to invite others to join the Christian pilgrimage to the Promised Land.
Or, if one has yet to make that all-important decision why not accept the invitation now ?
..
|
Tribe |
Census (Chap. 1) |
Census (Chap. 26) |
|
Reuben (vv. 511) |
46, 500 |
43, 730 |
|
Simeon (vv. 1214) |
59, 300 |
22, 200 |
|
Gad (vv. 1518) |
45, 650 |
40, 500 |
|
Judah (vv. 1922) |
74, 600 |
76, 500 |
|
Issachar (vv. 2325) |
54, 400 |
64, 300 |
|
Zebulun (vv. 26, 27) |
57, 400 |
60, 500 |
|
Joseph (vv 2837) |
|
|
|
Manasseh (v. 34) |
32, 200 |
52, 700 |
|
Ephraim (v. 37) |
40, 500 |
32, 500 |
|
Benjamin (vv. 3841) |
35, 400 |
45, 600 |
|
Dan (vv. 42, 43) |
62, 700 |
64, 400 |
|
Asher (vv. 4447) |
41, 500 |
53, 400 |
|
Naphtali (vv. 4851) |
43, 400 |
45, 400 |
|
TOTAL |
603, 550 |
601, 730 |
..
.
P.S.
10:2932 Hobab was Moses brother-in-law. Raguel (same as Reuel and Jethro) was Hobabs father and therefore Moses father-in-law. Being a Midianite, Hobab was probably very familiar with the wilderness. Perhaps that is why Moses invited him to accompany the IsraelitesYou can be our eyes. Many Bible interpreters believe that this invitation showed a lack of faith on Moses part, since God had already promised to guide.
Another view is held by Kurtz, who suggests,
The pillar of cloud determined the general route to be taken, the place of encampment, and the length of tarry in each location; yet human prudence was by no means precluded with respect to arranging the encampment so as to combine most advantageously the circumstances of water, pasture, shelter, supply of fuel. In all these particulars, Hobabs experience, and knowledge of the desert, would be exceedingly useful as supplementary to the guidance of the cloud 6
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A letter from a couple of Missionaries
( 3/2005)
i
have a few Q's i can't find answers to yet. If you have time, would you
be able to answer them?
I'll try .....
1. Why is it that the Levites get the tithe and the priests only a
tithe of a tithe?
At the time this law was given there were
only 3 priests (Aaron and his two sons , Eleazar & Ithamar, the other two
sons having been slain... Numbers 3: 2-4) But the descendants of
Kohath, Gersom & Merari ...
who
served as the Priest's helpers were probably in the hundreds. There were 22,000
of Levites ( if the number is translated correctly ... but that's another
problem ! ) tho' not all of those were the right age to act as the priests'
helpers. ( Numb. 3: 39)
So you
are right ... I assumed that there were a lot less priests, but I also recognize
that the priests rely on the free-will offerings since they receive no
'salary'. Is this correct?
True ...
they were entirely supported by the tithes of the Levites ... but
they also received portions of the sacrifices brought to the Tabernacle.
Which would be a considerable amount.
Here is
the LIving BIble Translation ( not the paraphrase )
8The LORD gave these
further instructions to Aaron: "I have put the priests in charge of all
the holy gifts that are brought to me by the people of Israel. I have given
these offerings to you and your sons as your regular share.
................ the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings
........ 11"All the other offerings presented
to me by the Israelites by lifting them up before the altar also belong to you
as your regular share.
...... 12"I
also give you the harvest gifts brought by the people as offerings to the
LORD--the best of the olive oil, wine, and grain. 13All the
firstfruits of the land that the people present to the LORD belong to you.
15"The
firstborn of every mother, whether human or animal, that is offered to the LORD
will be yours. But you must always redeem your firstborn sons and the firstborn
males of ritually unclean animals. 16Redeem them when they are one
month old. The redemption price is five pieces of silver, each piece weighing
the same as the standard sanctuary shekel.
( i.e. Firstborn children and unclean animals were
not to be sacrificed on the altar to the LOrd but redeemed by a 'cash'
payment. c.f. 1 Peter 1:18)
17"However, you may not
redeem the firstborn of cattle, sheep, or goats. They are holy and have been
set apart for the LORD. Sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat
as an offering given by fire, very pleasing to the LORD. 18The meat
of these animals will be yours, just like the breast and right thigh that are
presented by lifting them up before the altar. 19Yes, I am giving
you all these holy offerings that the people of Israel bring to the LORD. They
are for you and your sons and daughters, to be eaten as your regular share.
This is an unbreakable covenant between the LORD and you and
your descendants."
( God had abundantly provided for
the priests and their families by this means.)
..................................................................
Though I read in one version 'no other salary' (Num.18:20) which to my
mind
again says that they shouldn't be taking on extra work away from the
ministry God has placed them in - anything that would make them anxious
to
have to 'earn their own living' or take them away from prayer &
study of
the Word for example. How do you see this?
Such was
the Old Testament law. But bear in mind it was O.T. The New TEstament
reminds us that
a
Christian is to provide for his family. And sometimes that may necessitate a
second job ! (1 Timothy 5:8)
The O.T.
laws are spoken often spoken of as being "forever" ( KJV) or
" a lasting ordinance" ( NIV) ...like the Passover (
Ex. 2:14 ) and the " fire on the altar " ( Lev. 6:13) etc. etc. ... but 'forever' only meant until the
Messiah came and fulfilled these O.T. shadows. ( Matthew 5:17-18 ) And He did
fulfil them.
The same
applies to the laws in Numbers 18. There are spiritual lessons for us here but
we are not bound by these O.T. laws. ( Colos. 2: 16-17; Luke 16:16)
Even
later in Israel's history ... ... it seems this law in Numbers 18 was
amended. Or superseded . When the Jews returned from
Babylon there were no Levites back in Jerusalem !
( Ezra 8:15.) Other priestly helpers were eventually
enlisted . ( Ez. 8:20) Nor were the priests and Levites living
in the cities appointed to them in Numbers 35:6-7.... most of which had been
destroyed by the Assyrians and then the Babylonians.
............................................................
2. Why is that priests can't own property? It was teaching them to rely
upon the Lord.
How
would you see that applying today for instance? The pastor is bound to rent or
to live with fellow believers in their homes or to be given a place of his own?
It does not apply to us today ...
but it is a reminder that all Christians are spiritual priests (1
Peter 2:9) offering up spiritual sacrifices ( Heb. 13:15-16, etc )
and that " here we have no abiding city " ( Hebrews
13:14) There is no New Testament law against the things you
mention. All of which makes me want to preach on
this passage in Numbers !!!
e.g
.
INTRODUCTION ... The
value of O.T. study
(1) Christ is our Only HIgh Priest... (
Hebrews 4:14 )
(2) Like the Levites, we are
"taken" out of the world and " given" to Him.
( vs. 6) ( John
17:9)
(3) Like the
Levites , we are redeemed ! ( 3:44-46) ( 1 Peter 1:18-19)(4)
(4) Like the Levites, we are chosen
to serve the Lord . ( 23) ( John 15:16)
(5) Like
the Levites, the Lord cares and provides for us. ( 21) ( Philippians 4:19 )
(6) Like
the Levites , we are to support the Lord's work. ( 26) ( 1 Corinth.
16:2)
CONCLUSION ... Are you a spiritual Levite ?
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I'm sure
there is more here that a bit of study would unravel.
But I desist.
D.P.
. ........................................................................................
And heres another
sermon on an odd text
.
The Tassels & the Snails
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INTRODUCTION
Sometimes the oddity of a subject will impress itself
upon the listener
and you dont get an odder subject than this !!
(1) THE PURPOSE OF THE
TASSELS
(a) The Command of the Lord
Numbers
15:37 The LORD said to Moses, 38 "Speak to the
Israelites and say to them: 'Throughout the generations to come you are to make
tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. 39
You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the
commands of the LORD , that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by
going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. 40 Then you will
remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. 41
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the
LORD your God.' "
(b) The Additions of the Rabbis The Rabbis taught there had to be 8 threads , and 5 knots so the numerical value of the tassel ( 600) coincided with the number of Mosaic laws ( 613) !
(c ) The Cord of Blue This would remind the Israelites that these laws came from the God of Heaven ! It was a memory-jogger !
(d) The Source
of the Blue Dye It came from the gland of a
shellfish (a snail) found on the shores of the Mediterranean. The colour is
sometimes referred to as blue-purple.
(
Interpreters Dict. of Bible. p.450)
The Jewish flag
has two blue stripes each
side of a blue Star of David
on a white
background.
(2) THE PROPHECY
OF THE SNAILS
Articles on the Internet tell of the re-appearance of these snails after disappearing for about 1,400 years. This, it is claimed, is a sign of the nearness of the Lords return. It will be possible to prepare the garments of the High Priest (which included blue ..Exodus 28: 6,15, etc.) ready for him to offer sacrifices in a rebuilt Temple. So they say. To which we reply (a) The Sources of this story of the snails are doubtful. No reputable Christian magazine speaks of it, only sensational pop-prophecy ones. (b) The idea of a rebuilt Temple and re-introduction of animal sacrifices is contrary to New Testament teaching. We have a High Priest, even Jesus, and no animal sacrifices are needful any more. God is finished with the Old Testament rituals. Even if the Jews of today did rebuild a Temple and appoint a High Priest, so what ? It is no longer a part of Gods plan.
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(3) THE PRIDE OF THE
PHARISEES
Matthew 23:
1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2"The
teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you
must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for
they do not practice what they preach
4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but
they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5"Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their
phylacteries wide
and the tassels on their garments long;
That which was meant to turn mens minds toward God and His laws had become an object to focus attention upon ones self. One cannot but think of another memorial , the Lords Supper, which has been distorted by some churches into an elaborate ritual. Bells and incense and chanting and costly robes and golden chalices all far removed from the simplicity of the Gospel and the original intention of the ordinance
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(4) THE POWER OF THE SAVIOUR
.
In Capernaum , on
the way to the home of Jairus to heal his dying daughter, a woman presses
through the large crowd ( Mark 5:24) and touches the Lord Jesus
.
Luke 8: 44 She came up
behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45"Who
touched me?" Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and
pressing against you."
46But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has
gone out from me."
47Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came
trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why
she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48Then he
said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."
(a) The Desperation of the Woman. She had tried all other sources of healing to no avail. Now she reaches out to the Lord Jesus. And touches Him. But she is unclean according to the law of Moses. ( Leviticus 15:19) What she is doing could mean her death by stoning ! Notice she touches the edge of his cloak the Greek word translated edge is tassel ! (The same Greek word used in Matthew 23:5 !)
(b) The Discernment of the Saviour . Although she touched Him from behind ( vs. 44) he knew ! So it is today . Many may crowd around Him ( vs 45) and speak of His wonderful teachings but few reach out and touch Him by faith. Notice, He did not say to the woman, The tassel healed you but Your faith ! (vs.48)
(c ) The Despair of the Father . Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue. He knew the Law ! And to see this unclean woman touch Jesus meant that Jesus was unclean too ! ( Leviticus 15:21) But not so in the case of our Lord Jesus. Instead of Him being contaminated by her touch, she is made clean by Him ! And He goes and restores Jairus daughter to life. Gods Grace is greater than the Law of sin and death. ( Romans 5:20)
.
CONCLUSION And all who reach out to Him in sincerity can still know His healing touch. Not, perhaps for bodily affliction always, for that awaits Resurrection Day for those who know Him as Saviour, but for the healing of the sin-sick soul. As the hymn-writer put it
Oh, touch the hem of His garment!
And thou, too, shalt be free!
His saving power this very hour
Shall give new life to thee!
She only touched the
hem of His garment
As to His side she stole,
Amid the crowd that gathered around Him,
And straightway she was whole.
Refrain
Oh, touch the hem of
His garment!
And thou, too, shalt be free!
His saving power this very hour
Shall give new life to thee!
She came in fear and
trembling before Him,
She knew her Lord had come;
She felt that from Him virtue had healed her,
The mighty deed was done.
Refrain
He turned with
Daughter, be of good comfort,
Thy faith hath made thee whole!
And peace that passeth all understanding
With gladness filled her soul.
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