Sunday, June 28, 2020

Numbers 8 - Arrangement of the Lamps, Cleansing and Dedication of the Levites

Summary https://marksbiblejourney.blogspot.com/2020/04/numbers.html
"God tells Moses to tell Aaron how  to set up the lamps in the tabernacle.  The seven lamps are to give light in front of the  lampstand.  The Lord tells Moses to prepare the  Levites for their priestly duties by a ceremonial cleansing.  The Levites are made to give a grain offering, a sin offering, and a burnt offering to the Lord to make atonement for their sins.  The Israelites set the Levites apart by presenting them before the Lord as a presentation offering, so that they may perform the Lord's work.  Afterward, the Levites can do their work at the tent of meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons.  Each Levite is to begin work and retire from work in the tabernacle at the age of 25 and 50 years old, respectively."

Numbers 8 Amplified Bible (AMP)
The Seven Lamps
8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up and light the lamps, the seven lamps will shine in front of the lampstand.’” 3 And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 4 Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand: hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work; according to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
What is the significance of the lampstand in the Bible?
*In the tabernacle, the lampstand was to be placed in the first section, called the Holy Place (Hebrews 9:2). The lamp was to be tended by Aaron and his sons so that its light never went out. The lampstand was to give forth light day and night (Exodus 27:20–21). The lampstand’s being the only source of light points directly to Christ as being the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5). Jesus is the “true light that gives light to everyone” (John 1:9) and the only way anyone can come to the Father (John 14:6).

*The most important thing to note about the lampstand is that it points to Christ, as do all the elements of the tabernacle. The Bible is from beginning to end a testimony about Christ and God’s merciful plan of redemption. Praise the Lord, He has taken His children out of the darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
  • JESUS AS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. Here, we got reminded of the Menorah or lampstand in the Tabernacle that will foreshadow the Lord Jesus as the LIGHT that can never end or be extinguished. These seven lamps that will shine in front of the lampstand will be like Jesus who will also shine His light unto the world.
"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  John 9:5

Cleansing the Levites
5 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them. 7 This is what you shall do to them to [ceremonially] cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification on them, and let them use a razor over their whole body and wash their clothes, and they will be clean. 8 Then let them take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering. 9 You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), and you shall also assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel, 10 and present the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites shall lay their hands on the Levites. 11 Aaron shall [a]present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the service of the Lord. 12 Then the Levites shall [b]lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, then you are to offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons and present them as a wave offering to the Lord.
  • CLEANSED WITH THE LIVING WATER. The Levites were ceremonially cleansed with the sprinkling of water, and then they did offering rituals before beginning their service to the Lord. Just like everybody else, they were sinners that needed 'atonement'. As people who needs atonement and forgiveness of our sins, we also have the Lord Jesus Christ that will cleanse us and wash away all of our sins.
"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”  John 7:38

"And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment." Revelation 21:6

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

14 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites shall be Mine [in a very special sense]. 15 Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), but you shall cleanse them [first] and present them as a wave offering; 16 for they are wholly given to Me from among the Israelites. I have taken them for Myself instead of [c]all who are born first, the firstborn of all the Israelites. 17 For all the firstborn among the Israelites are Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the day that I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified and set the Israelites apart for Myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the Israelites. 19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the Israelites, to perform the service of the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) and to make atonement for them, so that there will be no plague among the Israelites if they should approach the sanctuary.”
  • SET APART AS GOD'S OWN AND FIRSTBORN. What a privilege it is to be separated and be set-apart as God's own possession, for His glory and honor. Even though they were not all firstborns, God will take the whole priestly tribe of Levites to be the firstborn of all the Israelites. In our lives, we cannot choose a family to be born into-- and whoever we are, we also inherit the sin nature and the curses of sin. But we can choose to be born again, and to be surrendered to God when He encounter us and knock at the door of our hearts. With His amazing grace, we can receive the perfect atonement through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9

"For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth." Deuteronomy 14:2

20 Thus Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did [these things] to the Levites; in accordance with all that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the Israelites did to them. 21 The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and they washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron and his sons; just as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
Retirement
23 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the Tent of Meeting, 25 but at the age of fifty years, they shall [d]retire from the service of the [tabernacle] work and serve no longer. 26 They may assist their brothers in the Tent of Meeting to keep an obligation, but they shall do no [heavy or difficult] work. Thus you shall deal with the Levites concerning their obligations.”
Footnotes: Numbers 8:11 Lit wave, and so throughout the chapter.
Numbers 8:12 By laying his hands on the head of the sacrifice the offerer identified himself with it and through its death it became an atonement or covering for his sin. Because the sacrifice “covered” his sin, it placed the offerer in a right relationship with God, just as later under the new covenant the perfection and sacrifice of the Christ would cover (atone for) the imperfection and sin of those who identified with Him and accepted Him as Savior.
Numbers 8:16 Lit the first issue of every womb.
Numbers 8:25 Lit return.


After reading, I always check out the Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik (very helpful!):

 a. When you arrange the lamps: The lampstand was described and made in Exodus 25:31-40; but the lampstand by itself could give no light. It had to have lamps placed upon it that gave light. All the lampstand could do was make the light more visible.
i. The lamps were fueled by oil; and would need to be continually filled with oil to provide constant light.
b. He arranged the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand: Revelation 1:20 makes lampstands a picture of the church; the church itself does not light the world, but it does provide a "platform" for Jesus' light to be seen.

 b. Sprinkle water of purification on them: This ceremonial cleansing pictured a cleansing of sin. It was part of the new covenant as described in Ezekiel 36:25: Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean.

c. Let them shave all their body: This was also commanded in the ceremony for the purification of a leper (Leviticus 14:9). The idea was of a new start, of being made like a baby all over again - as in being born again.

 i. A wave offering would present something to God (such as a portion of meat or bread), and essentially say, "This is Yours, God." The nation came before God, and essentially said, "These Levites belong to You, LORD."

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

b. Thus you shall do to the Levites regarding their duties: This chapter shows that Promised Land people must be cleansed, dedicated, and doing the work.


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Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Numbers 7 - Offerings of the Leaders

Summary https://marksbiblejourney.blogspot.com/2020/04/numbers.html
"On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, along with the altar and all its utensils.  Then, the leaders of Israel, the heads of their ancestral houses, presented an offering before the Lord.  These offerings were given to the Levites and were to be used to do work in the tent of meeting.  The 12 leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel also presented the dedication gift for the altar when it was anointed."

Numbers 7 Amplified Bible (AMP)
7 On the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle and had anointed and consecrated it and all its furniture, and the altar and all its utensils; he also anointed them and consecrated them [for holy use]. 2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ households, made offerings. (These were the leaders of the tribes; they were the ones who [a]were over the men who were numbered.) 3 They brought their offering before the Lord, six covered carts and twelve oxen; a cart for each two of the leaders and an ox for each one; and they presented them before the tabernacle. 4 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 5 “Accept these things from them, so that they may be used in the service of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), and give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.” 6 So Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their service [in transporting the tabernacle]; 8 and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, according to their service [in transporting the tabernacle], under the supervision of Ithamar the son of Aaron, the [high] priest. 9 But to the sons of Kohath he gave nothing, because they were assigned the care of the holy things which they carried on their shoulders [when the tabernacle was moved].
  • ULTIMATE OFFERING. In accordance to God's commands, Moses has anointed and consecrated the Tabernacle and all the furniture and utensils for holy use. Each tribe head/leader has made offerings be used in the service of the Tabernacle and to bless the priestly tribe of Levi. Since the Levites were appointed by God to serve the Tabernacle, they cannot do other work to provide for themselves. It's also like the church or the body of Christ, God commands us to tithe and do offerings out of the abundance of our hearts to bless the church community, Pastors-- which God uses for the advancement of His kingdom and to preach the Good News to all the people. Not everyone can be a Levite, not everyone can be a preacher or a Pastor or a missionary, but all of us have an important role to play in the body of Christ and in the kingdom of God. This points us to the ultimate offering-- the body of Jesus Christ that was offered and sacrificed for the forgiveness of our sins, salvation and redemption. How did the Israelites got to this point that they were able to give generously and offer abundantly to the Tabernacle? Because God has rescued and delivered them first from Egypt's slavery and oppression, to be blessed and to be brought to the Promised Land.
"Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine." Proverbs 3:9-10

"Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord." Psalm 4:5

"Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you." Deuteronomy 16:17
  • GOD OF ABUNDANCE. Eventhough the Israelites were in the middle of the wilderness, their offerings reflect the goodness, provision, abundance, prosperity and generosity upon them. We cannot outgive God. He is the unlimited source. Everything comes from Him and everything belongs to Him.
"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

10 The leaders offered the dedication sacrifices for the altar on the day that it was anointed; and they offered their sacrifice before the altar. 11 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Let them present their offerings, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.”
12 Now the one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah; 13 and his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 14 one golden bowl of ten shekels, full of incense; 15 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; 16 one male goat as a sin offering; 17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab [from the tribe of Judah].
18 On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader [of the tribe] of Issachar, presented [his offering]; 19 he presented as his offering one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 20 one golden bowl of ten shekels, full of incense; 21 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; 22 one male goat as a sin offering; 23 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar [from the tribe of Issachar].
24 On the third day [it was] Eliab the son of Helon, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Zebulun [who presented his offering]; 25 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 26 one golden bowl of ten shekels, full of incense; 27 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; 28 one male goat as a sin offering; 29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon [from the tribe of Zebulun].
30 On the fourth day [it was] Elizur the son of Shedeur, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Reuben [who presented his offering]; 31 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 32 one golden bowl of ten shekels, full of incense; 33 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; 34 one male goat as a sin offering; 35 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur [from the tribe of Reuben].
36 On the fifth day [it was] Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Simeon [who presented his offering]; 37 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 38 one golden bowl of ten shekels, full of incense; 39 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; 40 one male goat as a sin offering; 41 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai [from the tribe of Simeon].
42 On the sixth day [it was] Eliasaph the son of Deuel, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Gad [who presented his offering]; 43 his offering was one silver dish the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, and a silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 44 one golden bowl of ten shekels, full of incense; 45 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; 46 one male goat as a sin offering; 47 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel [from the tribe of Gad].
48 On the seventh day [it was] Elishama the son of Ammihud, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Ephraim [who presented his offering]; 49 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 50 one golden bowl of ten shekels, full of incense; 51 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; 52 one male goat as a sin offering; 53 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud [from the tribe of Ephraim].
54 On the eighth day [it was] Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Manasseh [who presented his offering]; 55 his offering was one silver dish the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 56 one golden bowl of ten shekels, full of incense; 57 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; 58 one male goat as a sin offering; 59 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur [from the tribe of Manasseh].
60 On the ninth day [it was] Abidan the son of Gideoni, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Benjamin [who presented his offering]; 61 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 62 one golden bowl of ten shekels, full of incense; 63 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; 64 one male goat as a sin offering; 65 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni [from the tribe of Benjamin].
66 On the tenth day [it was] Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Dan [who presented his offering]; 67 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 68 one golden bowl of ten shekels, full of incense; 69 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; 70 one male goat as a sin offering; 71 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai [from the tribe of Dan].
72 On the eleventh day [it was] Pagiel the son of Ochran, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Asher [who presented his offering]; 73 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 74 one golden bowl of ten shekels, full of incense; 75 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; 76 one male goat as a sin offering; 77 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran [from the tribe of Asher].
78 On the twelfth day [it was] Ahira the son of Enan, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Naphtali [who presented his offering]; 79 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 80 one golden bowl of ten shekels, full of incense; 81 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering; 82 one male goat as a sin offering; 83 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan [from the tribe of Naphtali].
84 This was the dedication offering for the altar from the leaders of Israel on the day when it was anointed: twelve dishes of silver, twelve silver basins, twelve golden bowls; 85 each dish of silver weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, each basin seventy [shekels]; all the silver vessels weighed 2,400 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; 86 the twelve golden bowls, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, all the gold of the bowls being a hundred and twenty shekels; 87 all the oxen for the burnt offering were twelve bulls, the rams twelve, the male lambs one year old twelve, together with their grain offering; and the male goats as a sin offering twelve; 88 and all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty-four bulls, the rams sixty, the male goats sixty, the male lambs one year old sixty. This was the dedication for the altar [of burnt offering] after it was anointed.
89 Now when Moses went into the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat (the gold cover) that was on the ark of the Testimony from between the two cherubim; and He spoke [by special revelation] to him.
Footnotes: Numbers 7:2 Lit stood over.


After reading, I always check out the Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik (very helpful!):

 a. His offering was one silver platter: Each leader brought a silver platter and a silver platter, each full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; a gold pan with incense, a bull, a ram, a male lamb, a young goat, two oxen, five rams, five adult goats, and five more lambs.
i. Each silver plate weighed about three pounds, each silver bowl about two pounds, and a gold shovel about four ounces.
ii. Clearly, this was generous giving. God must show Promised Land people how to be givers - one of the best measures of one who has moved from a slave mind-set to a Promised Land mind-set. The slave by nature is a taker, because he is often unsure of provision. Promised land people are generous, because they trust in a God who promised to meet all their needs.

 b. His offering was one silver platter: Each tribal leader brought exactly the same offering over the twelve days.
i. Clearly, this was humble giving. By requiring the same gift from every tribe, God made sure that no tribe or tribal leader glorified himself through his giving. We must resist the tendency to give in order to be seen of men. Promised land people care about God's glory, not their own.

 c. This was the dedication offering for the altar from the leaders of Israel: Each offering is recorded exactly the same way - seemingly, "wasting" space in the Scriptures. God's purpose is to draw attention to each tribes offering, though they were all the same.
i. Clearly, godly giving is always noticed by God, even if it is the same or less than many other gifts. God sees and "records" every gift given in a right heart, even if it is only worth two mites (Mark 12:42-44). Every gift from a promised-land kind of heart is noticed by God.

a. Promised land people need leadership, and they need leadership that hears from God and knows His voice.
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Sunday, June 21, 2020

Numbers 6 - Law of the Nazirites,

"When a man or woman makes a special vow, a Nazirite vow, to consecrate himself to the Lord, he is to abstain from wine and beer.  Other stipulations of the Nazirite vow are listed in this chapter.  At the end of the chapter, God tells Moses to tell Aaron and his sons how to bless the Israelites."
Numbers 6 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Law of the Nazirites
6 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘When a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, that is, one separated and dedicated to the Lord, 3 he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes. 4 [a]All the time of his separation he shall not eat anything produced from the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.
  • WINE SIGNIFICANCE. Wine always reminds me of the blood of Jesus that was poured out at the cross ("For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). I wonder if there is any connection or significance to it.
  • EXCLUSIVELY FOR GOD. It seems that a Nazirite man/woman has chosen to make a special vow to God-- but I believe it's actually God who has chosen them and set them apart. It's also like our salvation-- we may think that we have chosen to follow God and accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, but it's actually Him who has chosen us and loved us first.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:3-6

"We love Him because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1

5 ‘All the time of the vow of his separation no razor shall be used on his head. Until the time of his separation to the Lord is completed, he shall be holy, and shall let the hair of his head grow long.
6 ‘All the time that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself [ceremonially] unclean for his father, mother, brother, or sister, when they die, because [the responsibility for] his separation to God is on his head. 8 All the time of his separation he is holy to the Lord.
"A nazirite or nazarite is one who voluntarily took a vow described in Numbers 6:1–21. "Nazarite" comes from the Hebrew word נזיר nazir meaning "consecrated" or "separated".[1] This vow required the person during this time to:
-Abstain from all wine and anything else made from grapes. (Traditional rabbinic authorities state that all other types of alcohol were permitted.)
-Refrain from cutting the hair on one's head; but to allow the locks of the head's hair to grow.[2]
-Not to become ritually impure by contact with corpses or graves, even those of family members.[3]

9 ‘If a man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his dedicated head, then he shall shave his head on the day that he becomes [ceremonially] clean; he shall shave it on the seventh day [the end of the purification period]. 10 On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle). 11 The priest shall offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering and make atonement for him concerning his sin because of the [dead] body. He shall consecrate his head the same day, 12 and he shall dedicate himself to the Lord for the time of his separation and shall bring a male lamb a year old as a guilt offering; but the previous days will be void and lost, because his separation was defiled.
13 ‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the days of his separation and dedication are fulfilled: he shall bring the offering to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle). 14 and he shall offer his gift to the Lord: one male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering, and one female lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace offering, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread spread with oil, along with their grain offering and their drink offering. 16 Then the priest shall present them before the Lord and shall offer the person’s sin offering and his burnt offering. 17 He shall also offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, together with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall offer also its grain offering and its drink offering. 18 The Nazirite shall shave his dedicated head at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), and take the dedicated hair of his head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings. 19 The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened [ring-shaped] loaf out of the basket, and one unleavened flat cake and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his dedicated hair. 20 Then the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord; they are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered by lifting up; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.’
21 “This is the law for the [b]Nazirite who vows his offering to the Lord for his separation, besides what else [c]he is able to afford, according to the vow which he has vowed; so shall he do according to the law for his separation and abstinence [as a Nazirite].”
Aaron’s Benediction
22 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24  The Lord bless you, and keep you [protect you, sustain you, and guard you];
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you [with favor],
And be gracious to you [surrounding you with lovingkindness];
26  The Lord lift up His countenance (face) upon you [with divine approval],
And give you peace [a tranquil heart and life].’
27 So Aaron and his sons shall put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”
  • SOURCE OF BLESSING. As the High Priest and priests, Aaron and his sons were appointed by God to bless His people, the Israelites. They will speak the blessing, but all the blessings will come from God, as He is the ultimate source of everything. God is our Provider, and Keeper/Protector. God will also give favor and grace to His people-- He is faithful and good no matter what, because that is who He is and He never changes. What He promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-- He will fulfill throughout the generations. God is also the source of peace. Romans 8:32 says "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's love and blessing to us.
"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations," Deuteronomy 7:9

Footnotes:
Numbers 6:4 Lit All the days of his consecration and so throughout.
Numbers 6:21 Normally, the Nazirite vow was for a limited duration (usually two weeks). Samson’s Nazirite vow was special in that it seemed to have involved a lifetime commitment (Judg 13:1-16:31).
Numbers 6:21 Lit his hand can reach.



After reading, I always check out the Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik (very helpful!):

 a. To separate himself to the LORD: The vow of the Nazirite was to express one's special desire to draw close to God and to separate one's self from the comforts and pleasures of this world.

 b. To take the vow of a Nazirite: There were several remarkable Nazirites in the Bible: Samson (Judges 13:5), John the Baptist (Luke 1:15), and Paul (Acts 18:18); the vow was certainly open to women, but we have no Biblical example of a woman taking the vow, except for Manoah's wife during her pregnancy with Samson (Judges 13:4).

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

 b. He shall present his offering to the LORD: No wonder when Paul visited Jerusalem, he was invited to pay the expenses of some Christians who had taken a Nazirite vow and were ready to conclude it with this sacrifice (Acts 21:23-24). The Nazirite vow was not something that could be entered into lightly.

a. The LORD bless you: This simple desire prefaces everything. God loves to bless His people, and He loves to have leaders long that the people be blessed. This also recognizes that all blessing really comes from God; and without His blessing, all is futile.

 b. And keep you: To be kept by the LORD is blessing indeed. Some are kept by their own sin and desire, some are kept by idolatry and greed, and others are kept by their own bitterness and anger. But to be kept by the LORD insures life, peace, and success.

 c. The LORD make His face to shine upon you: To have the glorious, happy face of God shining upon man is the greatest gift one could have. To know that as God looks upon you, He is well pleased - not because of who you are, or what you have done, but because you are in Jesus Christ - there is no greater source of peace and power in life.

 d. And be gracious to you: The idea is that God shows tender mercy and care for His people.

e. The LORD lift up His countenance upon you: The priest prays God would look upon His people; when God blesses, keeps, shines, and is gracious towards His people, any look He casts towards His people is filled with nothing but blessing. His loving attention is on the believer!

    - To lift up one's eyes or face means to pay attention

f. And give you peace: The Hebrew word is shalom, which is more than the cessation of hostility - it is God's word for wholeness and goodness and total satisfaction in life. This is the abundant life Jesus promised! (John 10:10)

g. The LORD … the LORD … the LORD: The three-fold repetition of LORD does not prove the Trinity, but it certainly illustrates it.

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

Reference and credits to https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Num/Num-6.cfm © 2004 David Guzik  

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Sunday, June 14, 2020

Numbers 5 - On Defilement, The Adultery Test

Summary https://marksbiblejourney.blogspot.com/2020/04/numbers.html
"God tells the Israelites to send out all of the people with various diseases so that they will not defile the camp where they all dwell.  God tells the Israelites:  When a man or woman commits any sin against another, that person acts unfaithfully toward the Lord and is guilty.  The person is to confess the sin he has committed, and he is to pay compensation to make atonement for his sins.  God tells the Israelites that if a man's wife commits adultery or if a husband has reason to believe that his wife has committed adultery, he is to bring his wife to the priest and make a grain offering of jealousy to the Lord.  The priest performs a water ritual to determine if the woman is guilty or not."

Numbers 5 Amplified Bible (AMP)
On Defilement
5 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp every leper and everyone who has a discharge, and whoever is defiled [that is, ceremonially unclean] by [coming in contact with] the dead. 3 You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst.” 4 The Israelites did so, and sent them outside the camp; just as the Lord had said to Moses, so the Israelites did.
  • DISEASE CONTROL. After taking the census from the Levite priestly tribe for the service of the Lord's Tabernacle during travel in the wilderness to the Promised Land-- God now reminded Moses about the law and commandments regarding isolation protocols of defiled (ceremonially unclean) people like lepers, and everyone who has a discharge. Practically, it is to contain spread of any virus among the people-- while also having a spiritual significance. It is a picture of God's holiness, and how we cannot approach God with our sins and iniquities. What can wash our sins away, and what can make us whole again before the presence of God? Nothing but the blood of Jesus-- who is the perfect restitution or atonement for our sins.

An awesome quote about sin and leprosy:

5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Say to the Israelites, ‘When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind [against other people], thus breaking faith with the Lord, and that person is guilty, 7 then he shall confess the sin which he has committed, and he shall make restitution for his wrong in full, and add a fifth to it, and give it to [the person] whom he has wronged. 8 But if the man [who was wronged] has no redeemer (relative) to whom the restitution may be made, it is to be given to the Lord for the priest, besides the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for the offender. 9 Also every contribution pertaining to all the holy gifts of the Israelites which they offer to the priest, shall be his. 10 And every man’s holy gifts shall be the priest’s; whatever any man gives the priest, it becomes his.’”
  • THE NEED FOR A REDEEMER. The first step to get right with God again, is to admit and realize that we have sinned before God-- to confess the sin we have committed. That takes humility, and fear and love of the Lord. If we are spiritually blind and don't know that we have sinned, how will we know that we need forgiveness and that we need to make restitution and even atonement/redemption? In the days of Moses, God made a way for the Israelites to make restitution to get right with other people and to get right with God, because they did not have the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that time. Now, we have the perfect atonement and Redeemer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Once and for all, He has finished everything on the cross. He did what we cannot do, to be reconciled and be restored back to our fellowship and relationship with our Heavenly Father. Our sins separated us from God, but He made a way for us, He sent His one and only Son to take away and pay the penalty of our sins.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.." Ephesians 1:7
The Adultery Test
11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray (deviates) and is unfaithful to him, 13 and a man is intimate with her, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and it is kept secret, although she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act, 14 and if a spirit (sense, attitude) of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous and angry at his wife who has defiled herself—or if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has not defiled herself— 15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and he shall bring as an offering for her, a tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall not pour oil on it nor put frankincense on it [the symbols of favor and joy], because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a memorial grain offering, a reminder of [the consequences of] wickedness.
16 ‘Then the priest shall have her approach and have her stand before the Lord, 17 and the priest shall take holy water [from the sacred basin] in an earthenware vessel; and he shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it in the water. 18 The priest shall then have the woman stand before the Lord, and let the hair of the woman’s head hang loose, and put the memorial grain offering in her hands, which is the jealousy offering, and in the hand of the priest is to be the water of bitterness that brings a curse. 19 Then the priest shall have her take an oath and say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness [while married], then be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse; 20 but if you have gone astray [while married] and you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has been intimate with you” 21 (then the priest shall have the woman swear the oath of the curse, and say to the woman), “The Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people when the Lord makes your thigh [a]waste away and your abdomen swell; 22 and this water that brings a curse shall go into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh waste away.” And the woman shall say, “Amen. Amen (so let it be).”
23 ‘The priest shall then write these curses on a scroll and shall wash them off into the water of bitterness; 24 and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings a curse, and the water that brings the curse will go into her and cause bitterness. 25 Then the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy out of the woman’s hand, and he shall wave the grain offering before the Lord and offer it on the altar. 26 Then the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering as the memorial portion of it and offer it up in smoke on the altar, and afterward he shall make the woman drink the water. 27 When he has made her drink the water, then it shall come about, that if she has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, the curse water will go into her and cause bitterness and cause her abdomen to swell and her thigh to waste away, and the woman will become a curse among her people. 28 But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she will be free and conceive children.
29 ‘This is the law of jealousy: when a wife goes astray [while married] and defiles herself, 30 or when a spirit (sense, attitude) of jealousy and suspicion comes on a man and he is jealous of his wife; then he shall have the woman stand before the Lord, and the priest shall apply this law to her. 31 Further, the husband will be free from guilt, but that woman [if guilty] shall bear her guilt.’”
Footnotes: Numbers 5:21 Lit fall.
  • THE CURSE OF ADULTERY, AND UNTRUTHFULNESS. Wow, this was a rather strange ritual or test in dealing with a woman that may have been unfaithful to her husband. Here, we can see the high importance God is giving in the sanctity of the covenant marriage between a man and a woman. The priests are tasked to deal with the situation, the spirit of jealousy, and they have been equipped by God on how to go about it. There is a promise of blessing to the woman who has done no wrong and had been faithful to her husband, therefore faithful and truthful before the Lord-- but there is a curse to the woman who had committed adultery and untruthfulness and unfaithfulness before her husband and the Lord. Nothing is apart of God's knowledge, and no one can hide from God.
"Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?" declares the LORD. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the LORD." Jeremiah 23:24

"submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:21-27



After reading, I always check out the Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik (very helpful!):

 b. Put out of the camp: It wasn't that any of these things made a person, or proved them to be a notorious sinner (though that was often wrongly assumed); but leprosy, unclean discharges, and dead bodies were reminders of the effects of sin - from which Israel must separate as they prepare to march on the Promised Land.

i. Might this also be an analogy of our sin nature inherited from Adam? Even as a leper does not choose leprosy, but inherits it, so our sin nature is not chosen - but inherited from Adam. Of course, we choose individual acts of sin, but our sin nature was inherited.
ii. Clearly, at this stage in Israel's progression to the Promised Land, they have been organized and ordered by God - now, they will be challenged to purity. God is looking to make Israel a Promised Land people - and that means a purified people.

 b. In the midst of which I dwell: The great reason for this commanded separation is because God lives in the camp of Israel, so sin and its effects must be separated from.
i. God is concerned with far more than our individual acts of sin; He demands our sin nature be addressed. Only in Jesus can our sin nature - the old man - be crucified, and the nature of Jesus - the new man - be granted to us as new creations. God can't abide with the old man, but can with the new man.
ii. You can't be a Promised Land person if the ravages of sin are openly evident in your life. Certainly, Promised Land people are not sinlessly perfect; but they are not openly, obviously, walking in the sin nature - well illustrated by those set outside the camp.

 a. If any man's wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him: This unique passage deals with the problem of a spirit of jealousy in a marriage. Obviously, unfounded jealousy has spoiled many a marriage, and justified jealousy has forced attention on confronting the sin of adultery - in this passage, God gives Israel a way to deal with it.
i. "This law was given partly to deter wives from adulterous practices, and partly to secure wives against the rage of their hard-hearted husbands, who otherwise might upon mere suspicions destroy them, or at least put them away." (Poole)

 c. For bringing iniquity to remembrance: It wasn't that perhaps the wife committed adultery and didn't "remember" it; it was not for the husband or wife to remember, but for the whole community to remember the terrible nature of either adultery or false accusation.

 c. The priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall scrape them off into the bitter water: After reading the curse, and hearing the woman's agreement, the priest would write the oath on a scroll - and scrape the dried ink into the bitter water.
i. Think of what made the water bitter: Both the "holy dust" of the tabernacle floor, and the oath containing a curse to the sinner! The combination of seeing the holiness of God and the penalty to sinners truly is bitter!

f. Observations.
i. Clearly, this is evidence that God does not want couples to live in an on-going state of jealousy. He gave a mechanism how jealous feelings could either be proved or disproved, and the relationship would deal with the truth from there.
v. Surely, both the holiness of God and the perfection of His word testifies against us. We should be forced to drink a bitter cup that would destroy us. But Jesus drank it for us.
 b. The last two matters of purity - in regard to restitution and resolving jealousy - look to make Israel a pure, Promised Land people in their personal relationships. You can't be a Promised Land person if your relationships with others stink! You must make restitution and get things resolved.

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Saturday, June 13, 2020

Numbers 4 - Duties of the Kohathites, Gershonites and Merarites

Summary https://marksbiblejourney.blogspot.com/2020/04/numbers.html
"Moses Aaron and the leaders of Israel registered all the Levites by their clans and ancestral houses.  The Levite men were registered from 30 years old to 50 years old.  Theses men were to do the assigned work at the tent of meeting along with transporting it and all its furnishings.  The total Levite men registered numbered 8,580; 2,750 from the Kohathite clan, 2,630 from the Gershonite clan, and 3,200 from the Merarite clan."

Numbers 4 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Duties of the Kohathites
4 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, 3 from thirty years old and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle). 4 This is the work and responsibility of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle): the most holy things.
  • THE MOST HOLY THINGS. Moses and Aaron came from the Kohathites so it made sense that they were first mentioned, and they were assigned with the 'most holy things.' I also find it interesting that those who have been listed to the census to serve God started from 30 y/o, which was the age of Jesus when he started his ministry. The Kohatithes were given the highest privilege to serve the Lord in this manner, therefore the highest responsibility too I guess. They should not accidentally or intentionally touch the most holy things, because they could die from doing so. As Christians, I believe we are also like priests who are entrusted with the most holy things of God--  the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." 1 Peter 2:9-10
5 “When the camp prepares to move out, Aaron and his sons shall come into the sanctuary and take down [a]the veil (curtain) screening off the Holy of Holies, and cover the ark of the testimony with it; 6 and they shall put on it a covering of [b]porpoise skin (fine leather), and shall spread over that a cloth of pure blue, and shall insert the carrying poles of the ark. 7 Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes [for incense], the sacrificial bowls, the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread [of the Presence] shall be on it. 8 They shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet, and cover that with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its carrying poles. 9 Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps, its wick cutters, its trays, and all the oil vessels, by which it is supplied; 10 and they shall put the lampstand and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin, and shall put it on the carrying bars. 11 Over the golden [incense] altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin, and shall insert its carrying poles; 12 and they shall take all the utensils of the service with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin, and put them on the carrying bars. 13 Then they shall clean away the ashes from the altar [of burnt offering], and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 They shall also put on it all its utensils with which they minister in connection with it: the pans, the meat-forks, the shovels, the basins, and all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a covering of porpoise skin over it, and insert its carrying poles. 15 When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all its furniture, as the camp sets out, after all that [is done, but not before], the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them [using the poles], so that they do not touch the holy things, and die. These are the things in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
16 “The responsibility of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, is the oil for the light, the [c]fragrant incense, the continual grain offering, and the anointing oil—the responsibility of all the tabernacle and everything that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”
17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 18 “Do not cut off (eliminate, destroy) the tribe of the families of the Kohathites [who are only Levites and not priests], from among the Levites [by exposing them to the sin of [d]touching the most holy things]. 19 But deal with them in this way, so that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his [specific] work and to his load [to be carried on the march]. 20 But the Kohathites shall not go in to see the holy things, even for an instant, or they will die.”
Duties of the Gershonites
21 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 22 “Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ households, by their families. 23 From thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall number them; all who enter for service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting. 24 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in carrying [when on the march]: 25 they shall carry the tent curtains of the tabernacle, and the Tent of Meeting, its covering and the covering of porpoise skin (fine leather) that is on top of it, and the curtain for the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), 26 and the hangings of the courtyard, and the curtain for the entrance of the gate of the courtyard which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their tent ropes, and all the equipment for their service; and all that is to be done, they shall [e]perform. 27 Aaron and his sons shall direct all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, all they have to carry and all they have to do. You shall assign to them as a duty all that they are to carry [on the march]. 28 This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle); and their duties shall be [f]under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron, the [high] priest.
  • FROM SLAVES TO GOD'S PEOPLE. From being a slave that is without dignity, freedom or even identity and security-- the Israelites were now a people of God, and they are now with 'dignity' (
    the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect). God is raising them up with different roles and different skills for the service of God-- the Levites as a priestly tribes, and the other tribes as leaders and warriors, etc. God has many great plans and purposes for them-- and the ultimate plan/purpose is the 'coming' of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from among these 12 Tribes of Israel. In the wilderness, they had to trust God and obey Him, while enduring much hardship on their way to Promised Land. They had to trust God as their Provider, and Deliverer.
"For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
Duties of the Merarites
29 “As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households; 30 from thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle). 31 This is what they are assigned to carry [on the march], according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting: the boards [for the framework] of the tabernacle and its bars and its pillars and its sockets or bases, 32 and the pillars around the courtyard with their sockets or bases and their pegs and their cords (tent ropes), with all their equipment and with all their [accessories for] service; and you shall assign each man by name the items [g]he is to carry [on the march]. 33 This is the work of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their tasks in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), [h]under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron, the priest.”
34 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families (clans) and by their fathers’ households, 35 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who enters the service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle); 36 the men who were numbered by their families were 2,750. 37 These were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all who did service in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the Lord [i]through Moses.
38 The men who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families (clans), and by their fathers’ households, 39 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle); 40 the men who were numbered by their families, by their fathers’ households, were 2,630. 41 These were numbered men of the families of the sons of Gershon, everyone who served in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), whom Moses and Aaron numbered just as the Lord had commanded.
42 The men who were numbered of the sons of Merari, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, 43 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle); 44 the men who were numbered by their families were 3,200. 45 These are the men who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered in accordance with the commandment of the Lord through Moses.
46 All the men who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted by their families (clans) and by their fathers’ households, 47 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who could enter to do the work of service and the work of carrying in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle); 48 the men that were numbered were 8,580. 49 According to the commandment of the Lord through Moses, they were numbered, each assigned to his work of serving and carrying. Thus they were numbered by him, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Footnotes:
Numbers 4:5 Lit the veil of the curtain.
Numbers 4:6 The meaning of the Hebrew word is not certain; some scholars have suggested that the material is instead a fine leather of unspecified origin.
Numbers 4:16 Or incense of spices.
Numbers 4:18 The Kohathites would die if they touched the holy things unless some provision was made for them.
Numbers 4:26 Lit serve.
Numbers 4:28 Lit in the hand of.
Numbers 4:32 Lit the duty of their loads.
Numbers 4:33 Lit in the hand of.
Numbers 4:37 Lit by the hand of.


After reading, I always check out the Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik (very helpful!):

a. Take a census of the sons of Kohath: Among the males of the family of Kohath, only those between thirty and fifty were allowed to actually do the work of the sanctuary. In some ways, this was thought to be the "prime" of a man's life (combining both wisdom and physical strength) and God wanted the best from the family of Kohath.

 a. When the camp prepares to journey: On the way to the Promised Land, the tabernacle furniture would have to travel and be carried great distances. But first, it must be packed properly to ensure its safe travel. Since the furniture itself was holy, it had to be covered and packed by Aaron and the priests before the sons of Kohath could get to it.

 a. This is what they must carry as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting: They had the job of packing and transporting the boards and pillars of the tabernacle; this was important work, because of all the precious metals used, the weight of the tabernacle was some 19,000 pounds.

 a. According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered: We remember that this census was commanded by God and had a definite purpose in His plan.

b. Each according to his service and according to his task: Each of these had a role to play in doing the work of tabernacle, and God made them all dependent on each other to do that work.
 ii. Paul says the church is to work like a body - many parts, looking different, doing different jobs, meeting different needs, some more visible, some less, but all essential - and all with the same DNA code.

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Friday, June 12, 2020

Numbers 3 - Levites to Be Priesthood

Summary https://marksbiblejourney.blogspot.com/2020/04/numbers.html
"Aaron's sons were Nadaab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.  Nadab and Abihu died because they disobeyed God's direct order as priests.  Ithamar and Eleazar marry and have children.  Also, the line of priests can be traced back to them.  The Levites are assigned to Aaron and his two remaining sons to help with the duties related to the tent of meeting.  Levi was Jacob's third born son.  Levi's sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.  Clans originated from each of Levi's sons based on the children and wives that they had.
    Gershon's sons:  Libni and Shimei
    Kohath's Sons:  Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel
    Merari's sons:  Mahli and Mushi
    The clans of Levites became known henceforth as:
    Libnite and Shimeite clan from Gershon
    Amramite, Izharite, Hebronite, and Uzzielite clans from Kohath
    Mahlite and Mushite clans from Merari
There were 22, 000 Levite males one month old or more that Moses and Aaron registered.  God also tells Moses to register every firstborn male of the Israelites one month old or more.  The total Israelite first born males were 22,273.  The Levites were taken to serve all off Israel as the tent of meeting and tabernacle keepers.  They had many priestly duties.  The Levites can be likened to a sacrifice as they are responsible for redeeming people and the atonement of sins.  As a result, God commanded that there be a redemption price for the number of first born Israelite males greater than the whole Levite clan.  The was 273 more firstborn Israelites than the males of the Levite clan.  This had a redemption price of 1365 shekels.  This "redemption price" money went to Aaron and his sons in order for them to carry out their priestly duties."

Numbers 3 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Levites to Be Priesthood
3 Now these are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day when the Lord spoke [by special revelation] with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whom Aaron [a]consecrated and ordained to minister in the priest’s office. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died in the presence of the Lord when they offered strange (unholy, unacceptable, inappropriate) fire before the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests [b]in the presence and under the supervision of Aaron their father.
  • CONSECRATED, ORDAINED. Everything and everyone that pertains to the service of God needs to be consecrated, or made holy, because God is Holy. The Levites were specially chosen to serve the Lord, in behalf of the other 11 tribes of Israel. Each tribe, and each person was precious and belongs to God, but not everyone can be a priest or a High Priest. To us, in the body of Christ, not everyone can be a Pastor or a minister of God, because we all have a different calling or a role to play in the advancement of the kingdom of God.
"There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

"But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way." 1 Corinthians 12:20-21,27-31

5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them before Aaron the priest, so that they may serve him. 7 They shall carry out the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, doing the service of the tabernacle. 8 They shall also take care of all the furnishings and utensils of the Tent of Meeting, and [attend to] the duties of the Israelites, doing the service of the tabernacle. 9 You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons [as servants and helpers]; they are to be given wholly to him from among the Israelites. 10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall observe and attend to their priesthood; but the layman (non-Levite) who approaches [the holy things] shall be put to death.”

  • GOOD STEWARDS. The Levites were called to be great stewards of the Tabernacle, because it is holy, and it is where God will dwell or manifest His presence. It's amazing how even the simplest things like 'taking care of all the furnishings and utensils' inside the Tabernacle was mentioned and/or emphasized by God, signifying that 'every' work was important to God. As Christians, we are also called to be good stewards of every blessing or calling that God has given us-- for His glory and honor.
11 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of and as a substitute for every firstborn, that is, the first that opens the womb among the Israelites. So the Levites shall be Mine, 13 for all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and animal. They shall be mine; I am the Lord.”
  • A PERSONAL GOD. When God spoke to Moses and the Israelites, He was very personal-- "I have taken the Levites", "the Levites shall be Mine", "all the firstborn are mine", "I consecrated for Myself all the firstborn in Israel." Wow! Indeed, everything belongs to God, because everything comes from God. Even to His Son Jesus, God was personal-- and even to us, who have believed and accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, God is a personal God and He knows everything about us.
  • JESUS AS THE HIGH PRIEST AND THE FIRSTBORN. The Levites as a priestly tribe and God claiming the firstborn as His own, was a perfect picture or foreshadowing of who Christ Jesus is.
"But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine." Isaiah 43:1

"When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17

14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 “Number the sons of Levi by their fathers’ households, by their families (clans). You shall number every male from a month old and upward.” 16 So Moses numbered them just as he was commanded by the word (mouth) of the Lord. 17 These are the [three] sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 These are the names of the [two] sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei; 19 and the [four] sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; 20 and the [two] sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers’ households.

21 Of Gershon were the families of the Libnites and of the Shimeites. These are the families of the Gershonites. 22 The males who were numbered, every male from a month old and upward totaled 7,500. 23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west, 24 and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.

Duties of the Levites
25 Now the responsibilities of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting involved the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the curtain for the doorway of the Tent of Meeting, 26 and the hangings of the courtyard, the curtain for the doorway of the courtyard which is around the tabernacle and the altar, its tent ropes, and all the service [c]concerning them.
27 Of Kohath were the families of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kohathites. 28 The males who were numbered, every male from a month old and upward totaled [d]8,600, attending to the duties of the sanctuary. 29 The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, 30 and the leader of the fathers’ households of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31 Now their responsibilities involved the ark, the table [on which the bread of the Presence was placed], the lampstand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the curtain, and all the service concerning them. 32 Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, was chief of the leaders of the Levites; he supervised those who performed the duties of the sanctuary.
33 Of Merari were the families of the Mahlites and the Mushites; these are the families of Merari. 34 The males who were numbered, every male from a month old and upward totaled 6,200. 35 The leader of the fathers’ households of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. The Merarites were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 Now the appointed responsibilities of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets or bases, and all the equipment, and all the service concerning them, 37 and the pillars around the courtyard with their bases and their pegs and their cords (tent ropes).
38 Now those to camp before the tabernacle toward the east, before the Tent of Meeting, toward the sunrise, were to be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for whatever was required of the Israelites; and the [e]layman (non-Levite) who approached [the sanctuary] was to be put to death. 39 All the men of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the [f]command of the Lord, by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 22,000.

Firstborn Redeemed
40 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the Israelites from a month old and upward, and [g]make a list of their names. 41 You shall take the Levites for Me instead of and as a substitute for all the firstborn among the Israelites. I am the Lord; and you shall take the cattle of the Levites instead of and as a substitute for all the firstborn among the cattle of the Israelites.” 42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded him; 43 and all the firstborn males from a month old and upward as numbered were 22,273 [273 more than the Levites].
44 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Take the Levites [for Me] instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. And the Levites shall be Mine. I am the Lord. 46 For the ransom (redemption price) of the 273 of the firstborn of the Israelites who outnumber the Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels apiece, per head, you shall take them in terms of the sanctuary shekel (the shekel is twenty gerahs), 48 and give the money, the ransom (redemption price) of those who outnumber the Levites to Aaron and to his sons.” 49 So Moses took the ransom (redemption) money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Levites; 50 from the firstborn of the Israelites he took the money in terms of the sanctuary shekel, 1,365 shekels. 51 Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons at the command of the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Footnotes:
Numbers 3:3 Lit filled their hand.
Numbers 3:4 Lit before the face.
Numbers 3:26 Lit of it.
Numbers 3:28 Some suspect that this count should be 8,300 which, when added to the 7,500 of v 22 and the 6,200 of v 34 gives the total of 22,000 in v 39. Unless the figure there was rounded, the number here may have been a copyist’s error (omitting just one letter between two that are the same in Hebrew).
Numbers 3:38 This ban against “the layman” or “the unauthorized” from coming near the sanctuary (the sacred tent, the tabernacle proper) should not be construed as discrimination against people who were not Israelites. It included everyone except the ordained descendants of Levi of the house of Aaron. The tabernacle proper was made up of two small rooms which no one except the priest or priests who had the assignment was ever to enter. The congregation entered the outside enclosure (the courtyard) only. This was true also of the later temples. Neither Jesus nor any of his disciples or Paul ever entered the sanctuary. When Jesus “taught in the temple” or “entered into the temple,” the Greek word invariably indicates that He was in the temple enclosure (hieron) and not in the sanctuary (naos). A violation of this ban is recorded in 2 Chr 26:16-21. King Uzziah attempted to enter the sanctuary to burn incense. While he was being confronted and restrained by Azariah the priest and eighty others he broke out in leprosy. He remained a leper for the rest of his life.
Numbers 3:39 Lit mouth.
Numbers 3:40 Lit take the number of.


After reading, I always check out the Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik (very helpful!):   

c. The sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests: It is important to realize that the priests were only one small family among the Levites; to be a priest and a Levite were not the same thing at all. Only those who were descendants of Aaron could be priests.

c. To do the work of the tabernacle: In some ways, being a priest was far more visible and perhaps "glamorous" than being a Levite. But the service of the Levites made the work of the priests possible, and was seen by God as having equal value.
i. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death: If a Levite grew jealous, and decided they wanted to do the work of a priest, it was strictly forbidden - it was an affront to God's order and organization.

 a. I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn: The firstborn belonged to God; a firstborn lamb from a ewe would be given to the LORD. God didn't want human sacrifice, so He took the tribe of Levi as Israel's firstborn.

 b. Moses, Aaron, and his sons, keeping charge of the sanctuary: God's order and organization extends to certain jobs for certain people to do. The families of the Levites had certain callings they were to fulfill. There was no one man or family to do everything; God made them dependent on one another to accomplish the work.

 a. Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel: The firstborn - which was always thought to be the best and the favored - always belongs to God; so instead of giving the firstborn of Israel to God in sacrifice, the tribe of Levi was "given" to God as in place of each of the firstborn sons of Israel.

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