Numbers 18 again tells of God’s instruction to Aaron that his descendants only from all the Levites may approach the altar and other holy items in the Tabernacle.  This is important and is repeated time and again.

Certain offerings are also given to the Levites as their payment for serving the Lord.  Just as we pay our Christian ministers with a certain portion of our gifts to God, the same was commanded by Jehovah.  As in that day, today ministers may not be able to live on what is given to them.  This is when either the servants or the congregants aren’t obeying Yahweh.

Levites will have no distribution of land when they reach Canaan.  They will be taken care of by God through the contributions of the people. They did not ask for this. It was God’s idea.

Purification is important to the Jews.  Numbers 19 instructs how to use a red bull to provide ashes used in many of the purification ceremonies.  For the Hebrews cleanliness is godliness.

Purification or ceremonial cleansing is mentioned in the New Testament when Jesus accuses the Pharisees of straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.  One of the many jokes Jesus tells that we will discuss when we arrive there.  Be ready to laugh, unlike the Jewish leaders.

Purity, as discussed in these scriptures, deals with death and our contact with dead bodies. Jesus will later teach us to be clean spiritually by avoiding the death of disobedience to Him. He wants us to remain clean in spirit by refraining from the activities that He tells us to stay away from. We will see these in the New Testament.

Has God ever done something for you?  Did you show your gratitude or were you like the Israelites in Numbers 20?  Miriam has died.  While Moses and Aaron are dealing with this, rebellion breaks out again.  Moses’ anger is shown when he strikes a rock to bring water, rather than just speaking to it as Jehovah told him to.

Some look at these verses and ask why Jehovah told Moses to take the staff. If He knew that Moses would be tempted to strike the rock and disobey Him, why did he tell Moses not to bring the rod? To allow us to make our own decisions based on our free will God must give us the latitude to make our own decisions. When He removes the opportunity for temptation, His power cannot be revealed to us as He helps us avoid disobedience.

Aaron and Moses are refused entrance into the holy land because of this.  Then Edom restricts passage through their land.  The Israelites turn around.  To add insult to injury, Aaron passes away.  The forty years of wandering is spent burying those who refused to conquer the land the first time they had the chance. The mourning for Aaron lasted thirty days.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

Numbers 16 tells the story of Korah and his followers who challenged Jehovah.  The controversy appears to involve Aaron as the father of the priestly line.  The disagreement is over what God has commanded.  Often, we challenge those who claim to speak for the Lord.  Moses’ plan for a confrontation to determine the true will of Yahweh is wise.  Korah’s actions are not.

Incense is to only be burned by the priests.  These Levites can serve in the sanctuary, but only Aaron’s family serve as priests.  Korah, Dathan, and Abiram have the audacity to oppose God, but not the courage to face Moses and the Lord.  When the earth swallows these men, their families, all they own and the other 250 Levites which burned incense, the other Israelites should learn.  They do not.  Over 14,000 more die from a disease before Aaron puts himself in danger and stops the plague.

Another test of Jehovah’s will is discussed in Numbers 17.  Moses has a leader for each tribe bring a staff to him.  Guess what, all these shepherds have one.  God instructs them to be left next to the ark overnight.  What kind of wood are these made of?  Aaron’s at least was almond wood.  How do we know?  It sprouted, budded, blossomed and produced almonds.

They left it there to prove to everyone which tribe was chosen to lead the worship in and around the Tabernacle.  This terrified the Israelites because they believed they would die if they did something that Jehovah did not approve of.  Parents often feel this with their children.  They frighten them without intending it to happen.  Yahweh knew it would happen.  Sometimes fear can be an effective motivator.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

Numbers 14 continues the story from yesterday.  The people react hysterically and want to replace Moses and Aaron as their leaders.  Despite that, they prostrate themselves before Jehovah and beg Him to forgive the Israelites.

It seems amazing in our day that they would not trust Yahweh after all the plagues, the parting of the sea, the water from the stone and the other wonders He performed to prove He was powerful.  Have you ever said or done something stupid and then tried to correct it by being even more ignorant?  That’s what they did.

After God pronounces judgment on their sin, they are remorseful and want to avoid the punishment of wandering in the wilderness for forty years.  They set out into Canaan and are repelled by the current residents.  Will forty years strengthen the faith of the Israelites?

Once again in Numbers 15, they are again instructed in the procedure for sacrifices.  Sacrifice is key to the forgiveness of our sins.  Read each paragraph and think about the death of God’s ultimate sacrifice after thousands of years of temporary solutions.

Unintentional sin is dealt with by sacrifice.  Intentional sin will cause ostracism from the congregation.  Today we celebrate the forgiveness of Jehovah by forgiving the shortcomings of others.  The next story emphasizes this difference.

A man is discovered doing a simple job on the Sabbath and God’s instruction is to stone him.  All sin is serious to the Lord.  Every one of us has done something worthy of death.  As we go through the laws again, notice the ones you are guilty of and remember the punishment they carried.

Tassels seem to be something silly to be given as a reminder of the law.  God wants us to use the simple to remind us that we are sinners and only He could solve this problem.

Moses writes to us in chapter ninety of Psalms. Time means nothing to Yahweh. The lifespan of humans is nothing to Him. Seventy or eighty years is the best we can muster against His eternal existence. We must count our days and respect the small amount of time we have here. It is up to Him to make our work here valid and useful.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

Not long after they start for the promised land, they begin to complain in Numbers chapter 11.  A fire is kindled and kills some on the edges of the camp.  The complaint is about the manna that comes every morning, but they want something else.  They wish they had onions and garlic as well as meat and fish.

The people aren’t the only ones whining.  Even Moses expresses his displeasure with the living conditions.  Pastor’s, have you ever had a congregation that can’t be pleased?  Ladies and gentlemen, is your spouse never pleased with anything you do?  This is the position Moses was in.

God asks for seventy men to be appointed to help with the leadership.  Jehovah gives the same spirit that He gave Moses to these men.  This is an extension of the help that Jethro recommended being set up in Exodus.

Yahweh promises to provide meat for everyone.  The man of faith, Moses, cannot understand how it can be done.  All their animals could be butchered and not enough would be available.  The answer is quail.  Quail are everywhere.  The relief is not long-lived, because God sends a plague that kills many.   Their overeating may have been the trigger for the disease because Kibroth-hittavvah, the name given this place, means graves of gluttony.

Numbers chapter 12 tells a story of sibling rivalry.  Aaron and Miriam begin to complain about their younger brother.  Jehovah intervenes by giving the sister leprosy.  The punishment lasts seven days.

Many wonders why nothing was done to punish Aaron.  It may be because he was chosen by Yahweh to speak for Moses when he claimed he could not speak for God.  It may also be that the problem started with Miriam.

In Numbers 13 it is time to send a team to scout out their new homeland.  Twelve men are chosen. This is one of the tribes. They spent forty days exploring and came back with some spectacular produce.  There was no doubt this was a land of milk and honey.  The problem was the current occupants.

They were large and in charge.  Ten of the spies did not believe they could take the land.  Joshua and Caleb knew Jehovah would deliver the land to the Israelites.  Tomorrow a decision is made.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

Numbers 8 talks about something that might seem insignificant to us.  The lampstands in the Tabernacle.  Why was this important?  Jesus tells us He is the light of the world.  Light was precious to the Israelites.   Lamps or candles were used inside and after the sunset as well as on cloudy or dreary days.  Most of the time, the wilderness was hot and bright.  At night it was cold and scary.  They needed lamps inside, and therefore this stand is very important.

Another strange custom to us is the purification of the Levites.  This tribe was to be the priests that served in the Tabernacle and later the Temple.  This custom could be likened to the ordination of ministers in most Christian churches today.  An ordinary human is dedicated by the assembly to be a special servant of the people and to God.

Two years have now passed in Numbers 9 since the Israelites left Egypt.  It is the second celebration of the Passover.  The question of some of the congregation observing the feast came about when they were unclean due to a dead body.  God gave them the instruction to cleanse themselves per the law and present the sacrifices on the fourteenth of the second month.

The pillar of cloud and fire is discussed at length here.  The obedience of the Children of Israel to stay put or move depending on these signs is specifically mentioned.  This visible sign of God’s will could be followed.  Obedience to other instructions was not kept.

Trumpets begin Numbers chapter ten.  They were used to summon the people, just the leaders or announce the time to move out of camp.  After this, we read about the Israelites breaking camp after almost two years and finally making their way to Canaan.

The Israelites moved out in the order that God had instructed them.  The thousands of people and animals took a while to get moving.  The tents were taken down, including the Tabernacle of meeting.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

Numbers 7 seems a lot like the Twelve Days of Christmas.   ^“His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; ⁸⁰ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ⁸¹ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ⁸² one male goat for a sin offering; ⁸³ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering.” This is repeated twelve times for each of the tribes of Israel.

Repetition is the sincerest form of flattery.  They are not flattering each other with this.  The honor is extended to Jehovah for leading them from Egypt into the land of Canaan.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

We begin Numbers 5 with a discussion of physical cleanliness.  Restitution for theft is then taken up.  Punishment for wrongdoing isn’t all God commands.  He also declares that we should treat each other fairly.  Returning what does not belong to us and adding extra to it isn’t a new idea.

Sacrifices for jealousy are explained.  Where is the sacrifice and punishment for the man who is unfaithful to his wife?  The proof that this is a male-dominated society is shown in many of these teachings.

The Nazarite vow is described in Numbers 6.  It is a vow that is made for special service to God.  John the Baptist in the New Testament is one example.  Samson in the book of Judges is another.  Nazarites must avoid wine or any grape products even raisins or the skin or seeds of the grape.  Nothing fermented can be drank and the hair must not be cut for the duration of the vow.

Being around a dead body or cutting the hair resets the time of the agreement.  The number of days begins again after the cleansing ceremony is performed.  The hair is the symbol of the commitment made to God, much as the wedding ring represents the marriage covenant.

The chapter ends with the proper blessing for the priests to give to the people.  “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

The responsibilities of the Levites are enumerated again in Numbers 3.  The worship through offerings and sacrifices would be difficult.  The moving of the sanctuary would require a lot of people.  They also served as the leadership of the Israelites at this time, before a King was appointed.

The dedication of the first born and the Levites who took their place is also mentioned here.

Numbers 4 specifies the divisions of the Levites and their occupations in the transportation and worship services of the children of Israel.  Once again Jehovah is specific in what He wanted each Levite to do.  The count was also made as the Lord requested.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger