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Read Numbers 12-14
Numbers 12:6-8 And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say: If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams. 7 But not with my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust. 8 I speak to him face to face clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as he is. So why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?” SIN’s division affected this specially anointed family of Moses, Aaron and Miriam. Aaron and Miriam were outwardly unhappy that Moses had married a Cushite woman. It is not known if Moses’ wife Zipporah had died. If Zipporah were still alive, Moses would be guilty of bigamy. But we don’t know. And neither was the Cushite among the nations God banned Israel from marrying. But it seems envy was the true cause of Moses’ brother’s and sister’s challenge: “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” (Numbers 12:2) Then God stepped in to affirm Moses: “Of all my house, he is the one I trust. I speak to him face to face clearly, and not in riddles!” This is God’s call on Moses’ life. From the desert’s burning bush, I AM had chosen Moses and Aaron for particular roles: Exodus 4:16 Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. The eternal God of the Living had chosen Moses to be his direct mouthpiece. Moses was a prophet hearing from God to tell Aaron. Aaron was the priest to tell the nation. Miriam, too, had her unique roles in God’s salvation plan. She was vital to protect Moses’ infant life as you can read in Exodus 2. Miriam was also a prophet who led worship: Exodus 15:20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. About 1,000 years after this, God reminded Israel of this family’s leadership: Micah 6:4 For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you. Miriam and Aaron did not meet with God as Moses did, but their roles as prophet and priest were different skills to connect Israel to God. Why were they not satisfied with God’s remarkable call on their lives? God’s face-to-face relationship with Moses is the personal relationship God enjoyed with Adam and Eve. It is the type of relationship the LORD would later have with prophets. And Jesus chose certain people to be his direct voice to the world. In Christ today, through the Holy Spirit, you are face-to-face with God, anointed to a privileged position in the world. How do you respond? Are you jealous of others or satisfied and pleased with the LORD’s call on your life? Perhaps because Miriam began to challenge Moses’ authority, she is the one God struck with leprosy. For seven days she was outside the camp as a punishment for her envy. God did forgive and restore her. Aaron and Moses will continue in their roles. Let’s be thankful for the role we have in Jesus’ church. Each Christian is vital and precious to Christ’s cause. Read Numbers 10:1-34; Numbers 9:15-23, Exodus 40:36-38; Numbers 10:35-36; Numbers 11
Numbers 11:4-6 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost — also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” THE desert was a most unfriendly place for God to send his people, don’t you think? Although they were slaves in Egypt, the Hebrews ate vegetables from gardens, fish from the sea and meat from their herds. But now they had only a sweet-tasting flat bread and little else. As indicated, their herds were not sufficient to feed them. They also lived in tents, not the type of shelter they had known. Israel ad many new rules to follow, too. This is freedom? They preferred slavery with a satisfied stomach. But wait a minute. The God of the universe is at work. He is the freedom giver, manna provider, tentmaker and rule writer. What’s he doing? When we review the Bible, we will find few people entered into God’s “born again” freedom easily. God is so far above us, we can never become close to him until we “take up our cross” with a humble heart to say, “Here I am.” Remember God’s promises so powerfully summarized in Psalm 23. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:4-6) Can you trust that through the valley is a feast of life? Yes, God calls you into his freedom toward an eternity of joy and wonder, feasting in his love. On our way there, we must recognize the valleys are strengthening times. These are times to conquer evil, to “resist the devil” and to proclaim Christ crucified, risen and ascended. We lean on him, so we will learn from him. Yes, sin can look inviting and comfortable. But even as the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye (Genesis 3:5a) we must know that resisting God’s law leads to death. In Christ, our lives are not slaves to sin. We are free to love and worship our eternal God, so we can join the feast forever! The Flowing Cup: Luke 22:18-19 “For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Read Numbers 3:14-27; 3:33-4
Numbers 3:46-47 To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, 47 collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs…49 So Moses collected the silver for redeeming the firstborn sons of Israel who exceeded the number of Levites. TO redeem is to pay the full price to buy back something you once owned. We typically understand redemption in the Bible as Jesus paying the full price for our sins. Satan has stolen mankind from God’s possession. Jesus bought us back to be God’s own with his blood. A key to God’s redemptive plan comes through the role of the firstborn. “Firstborn” refers to the order of birth in a household and among the animals one owned. It came to mean that which is the best, most excellent. This meaning of firstborn began in Genesis 4:4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift. In God’s redemptive plan, Abel’s firstborn lambs were a foremost and excellent means of sacrifice. They illustrated Jesus, the firstborn Lamb of God, would redeem our sins: Jesus firstborn of Mary: Luke 2:7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Jesus firstborn of the church: Romans 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Jesus the firstborn of creation: Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Jesus the firstborn is head of the church: Hebrews 12:23-24 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Jesus firstborn from the dead: Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood. God also calls Israel his firstborn. He formed Israel to be his foremost nation in the world. Out of Israel came the Redeemer. In Leviticus, God named the Levite men aged 20-50 as firstborn to redeem Israel’s firstborn for Tabernacle service. When the Levites were short 273 men to fully redeem all Israel’s firstborn, God set a price of five sanctuary shekels for each person. We might think, “273 is close. Isn’t that good enough?” But there is no partial payment in God’s redemptive plan. To redeem is to fully buy back. Be thankful God so loves you, he has set determined the foremost and most excellent way to buy you back from death. Read Numbers 9:1-12; Numbers 1-2
Numbers 9:1-2 A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. In the first month of that year he said, 2 “Tell the Israelites to celebrate the Passover at the prescribed time.” & Numbers 9:6 But some of the men had been ceremonially defiled by touching a dead body, so they could not celebrate the Passover that day. They came to Moses and Aaron that day 7 and said, “We have become ceremonially unclean by touching a dead body. But why should we be prevented from presenting the Lord’s offering at the proper time with the rest of the Israelites?” & Numbers 2:34 So the people of Israel did everything as the Lord had commanded Moses. Each clan and family set up camp and marched under their banners exactly as the Lord had instructed them. AS you read Numbers 2, you’ll certainly understand why this book is so named. These details help us understand that Israel was a significant nation God was teaching, so they could learn to live as his people. To become one nation in I AM’s purpose, Israel needed to learn God’s laws and then live into them with one mind. Learning and living into God’s laws would assure God’s protection and provision. The census numbers also were to count the fighting men available to conquer the Promised Land. This is a significant number! Once God had established Israel as a nation in the desert, they could go as a nation to their new home. God is a Father moving his children to a new home. Correct worship was central to Israel’s unity. The first anniversary of the Passover was the right time to worship God as one nation. Together, Israel celebrated God’s grace and power to save them. But some could not celebrate the Passover because they had attended to a dead body. One who did so was considered unclean for a time – God’s quarantine to protect against infectious diseases. The unclean who questioned their access to the Passover had a proper fear of God. They had seen or heard of Nadab’s and Abihu’s deaths. They had learned they could not trifle with their approach to the Holy God. So they asked a good question. The LORD taught the correct way for them to honor the Passover celebration. The learned to worship correctly. They lived more closely with God. The third verse today truly is about learning and living with God. This is a very special moment in Israel’s history. So the people of Israel did everything as the Lord had commanded Moses. As God’s story continues, there will be few moments when Israel so completely learned and lived God’s law. Let’s use this verse to measure our own lives. Are we learning from God? Are we living into what we learn? Consider, too, the church God has formed from sin’s slavery. Does the holy universal church learn and live into God’s truth? Let’s be sure we submit to God’s Word to be a unified church. Let’s remember his love and sacrifice for our souls. Let’s strive to fully obey our God, who instructs us on our journey to heaven. Learning and living God’s Word secures his provision and protection for us now and forever. Read Numbers 3:1-13, 8:16-18, 8:5-15,19; 8:23-26; 8:20-22; Numbers 7-8:4
Numbers 8:16 “Of all the people of Israel, the Levites are reserved for me. I have claimed them for myself in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites; I have taken the Levites as their substitutes…18 Yes, I have claimed the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel. 19 And of all the Israelites, I have assigned the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They will serve in the Tabernacle on behalf of the Israelites and make sacrifices to purify the people so no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary.” THE Levites are to be the firstborn of Israel. What does this mean? And why does it matter? “Firstborn” simply means the one born first in a household or first born to an animal. To understand the Levites as firstborn, we return to remember the Passover, the 10th and final plague in Egypt. Recall that God’s avenging angel killed Egypt’s firstborn children and animals. But he spared the firstborn of each household among the faithful Israelites, who marked their doorposts with a lamb’s blood. The LORD God, who saved Israel’s firstborn, then claimed the firstborn of each household as his own. He then could command each household in the camp to send their firstborn to serve the Tabernacle. Instead, God designated the entire tribe of the Levites to be a substitute for Israel’s firstborn to care for God’s holy dwelling. Thus, the Levites become God’s firstborn in Israel. And the firstborn children of the other tribes are released from Tabernacle care. Why does it matter? God is very passionate that his people remember the Passover. The Passover displayed God’s power, majesty and holiness. It pointed to the LORD’s salvation plan to redeem Israel from Egypt. This firstborn substitution also pointed to the day when the Father’s own firstborn Son, Jesus, would be our substitute on a cross to redeem us from sin’s death. The Levites’ substitution role in the Tabernacle served, then, to remind Israel of God’s grace to redeem them from slavery. The substitution teaches the Christian today that God planned for our salvation from eternity past. He is a Planner who promised his plan in Eden. The plan becomes more visible through his people in the desert journey. Read the other scripture passages for today, and learn how the Israel began to worship the LORD. Numbers 7 signifies how Israel’s 12 diverse tribes are beginning to become one nation under God to worship their God only. Exodus 4:22 “Then you will tell Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son. 23 I commanded you, Let my son go, so he can worship me. But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!’” Read Leviticus 8-10
Leviticus 8:12 Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, anointing him and making him holy for his work. & Leviticus 10:1-3 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the Lord by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. 2 So fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said, 'I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all the people.” And Aaron was silent. THE Bible often records displays of God’s glory. Words that help define God’s glory include abundance, wealth, treasure, honor, dignity, splendor, brightness, majesty and infinite perfections. These two scriptures show two very different ways God displays his glory to Israel. As we first consider Aaron’s anointing as Israel’s High Priest, we can see God’s glory in his abundant grace. Remember in Exodus 32 that Aaron formed a golden idol to please Israel’s demand for a god to worship. While Moses was on the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments and instructions for Aaron’s priestly garments, Aaron was listening to and doing evil. He then irresponsibly blamed the people for making him violate God’s first and second commands. It seems God would have displayed his glory of infinite perfection and majesty with Aaron’s swift death at that point. But God chose to preserve and elevate Aaron to the high office. Perhaps this was God’s way to help Aaron understand God’s mercy to save, even from great sin. God’s bountiful grace demonstrated the splendor of his love toward the chosen priest. Our God abundantly forgives. But then came Nadab’s and Abihu’s swift death for a seeming trivial violation of God’s commands. It seems they were careless with the coals and incense, but it is enough to know they the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. It is enough to know they were wrong. They sinned. In all the language up to this point regarding the Tabernacle, each person involved had done exactly as the LORD commanded. As we’ve mentioned, there was no room for any mistake in God’s holy dwelling. The Tabernacle was God’s glory – abundance, majesty, brightness, perfection, dignity - come from heaven to earth. Any small change in God’s holy place is unholy and must be judged. God said it this way: Leviticus 10:3 “I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all the people.” This is a lesson they must know as their journey continues. Aaron had to accept God’s justice and continue his work in submission to the LORD. Aaron will know God’s more perfectly as he ministers to Israel. Isaiah 40:5 “Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!” Exodus 39:33 And they brought the entire Tabernacle to Moses: the sacred tent with all its furnishings, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases… 43 Then Moses inspected all their work. When he found it had been done just as the Lord had commanded him, he blessed them.
MOSES inspected the completed Tabernacle with all its furnishings – about 50 different items, including the priests’ clothes. Moses not only approved the construction, he blessed the workers. To bless is to add value. Because he represented God, Moses’ approval added value to Bezalel’s and all the craftsmen’s lives. Perhaps Moses spoke as Jesus did in one of his parables, “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’” (Matthew 25:23) All those appointed and gifted to God’s work would rejoice they had pleased the LORD God, wouldn’t they? Think of it. God called, commanded and equipped these individuals to build the LORD’s worship space and his dwelling place on earth! Everything they built pointed to God’s holiness. Their good work was worship unto the LORD. This is a model for our lives in the church today. As the Holy Spirit has called you to faith, he has gifted you to be a builder in the kingdom of God. The apostle Paul wrote of people specially appointed to build God’s church: Ephesians 4:11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. In other scriptures, Paul and others speak of the many gifts in the church to be used for building it into unity. The Spirit gifts each Christian in some way to build. On some days God calls you to respond with the gift of love. Another day he appoints you to forgive. Or someone needs help you can offer in some physical or spiritual way. On other days, he invites you, just as he did to Bezalel and the others, to do something you’ve never done. God invites you to obey in faith, trusting his guidance to complete the work. Perhaps he appoints you to teach a Sunday school class or pray for someone you don’t really know. Maybe someone will ask you to lead a Bible study or help someone with a disability. A family in crisis might need a meal. In each place you use God’s gifts, you demonstrate God’s holiness. Think of it. In this way you are one of God’s chosen “craftsmen”. He dwells within you to appoint you to his good work designed to display his holiness on earth. Galatians 6:4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. |
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January 2025
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