How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New 24
Numbers
Introduction:
In the Hebrew, the book of Numbers is titled Bemidbar, meaning ‘in the wilderness’. The English title ‘Numbers’ is derived from the Greek Septuagint Arithmoi, which means the same.
It deals primarily with the Israelites’ journey away from Mount Sinai to the banks of the Jordan River. Moses was Spirit-filled to write the book in 1405 BC. It also offers a comparative contrast between the first and second generations of Israelites during that trek.
Taking a census:
One month after the anointing of the tabernacle, God tells Moses to take a census of 11 of the 12 tribes of Israel, to count all males over 20 years old, to prepare them for the conquest of Canaan [the tribe of Levi was not counted in the census because their duties were delegated to the tabernacle. (See Num. 1:47 – 53.)] And the census indicated that there were 603,550 men able to do battle. (See Num. 1:1 – 46.)
Next, each of the 11 tribes took up strategic camp formations around the tabernacle to protect it. (See Num. Ch.2)
Each member of the tribe of Levi was delegated their specific duties as assistants to Aaron and his sons. Each was to perform his duties from 30 – 50 years of age. (See Num. Ch. 3 & 4.)
God shifts His focus in His instructions to Moses, by emphasizing that because He is now living amid the Israelites, no one ‘unclean’ could stay in the camp. They must stay outside of it until they have been made clean again. Jehovah also speaks about marital purity and what ritual must be performed to illuminate any transgression in that area. (See Num. Ch. 5)
We are then privy, through Moses, to see how Aaron (the High Priest), was to speak a blessing over the Israelites:
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them:
The Lord bless you, and keep you [protect you, sustain you, and guard you]; The Lord make His face shine upon you [with favor],
And be gracious to you [surrounding you with lovingkindness];
The Lord lift up His countenance (face) upon you [with divine approval],
And give you peace [a tranquil heart and life].’
So Aaron and his sons shall put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” Nu. 6:22 – 27. AMP
This would be a great time to consider the nature of ‘blessings.’ We’ve seen God’s first blessing on Adam and Eve immediately after He created them.[1] Also in the Abrahamic covenant.[2] We have also seen Jacob steal his brother Esau’s blessing.[3]
English dictionaries define a ‘blessing’ as a ‘special favor from God – promoting or contributing to happiness, well-being, or prosperity, or to favor with talent’.
Since Adam and Eve were blessed, all their descendants were blessed as well, with the entire world, to nurture us. It was Abraham’s obedience to God’s commandments, through his faith in Jehovah, that procured his blessing, whereas he, became a blessing to all peoples.[4]
This same blessing was facilitated and perpetuated through Christ:
Christ purchased our freedom and redeemed us from the curse of the Law and its condemnation by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs [crucified] on a tree (cross)”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might also come to the Gentiles, so that we would all receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit through faith. Ga. 3:13, 14. AMP
Blessings also come upon us when we stand up for Jesus:
If you are insulted and reviled for [bearing] the name of Christ, you are blessed [happy, with life-joy and comfort in God’s salvation regardless of your circumstances], because the Spirit of glory and of God is resting on you [and indwelling you—He whom they curse, you glorify]. 1 Pt. 4:14 AMP
We can even be a source of blessing to God, through our praise and worship:
Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, bless and praise His name. Ps. 100:4 AMP
Returning to Numbers, and pointing out its great importance, God once again discusses the celebration of Passover. (See Nu. 9:1 – 14.)
Leaving Mount Sinai:
Remember after the tabernacle’s construction was finished, and it was consecrated, and how God’s Shekinah glory filled it? Well, this glory, this ‘cloud’ takes on a transformation for the new journey towards Canaan:
On the day the Tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered it. But from evening until morning the cloud over the Tabernacle looked like a pillar of fire. This was the regular pattern—at night the cloud that covered the Tabernacle had the appearance of fire. Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp. In this way, they traveled and camped at the Lord’s command wherever he told them to go. Then they remained in their camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle. If the cloud remained over the Tabernacle for a long time, the Israelites stayed and performed their duty to the Lord. Sometimes the cloud would stay over the Tabernacle for only a few days, so the people would stay for only a few days, as the Lord commanded. Then at the Lord’s command they would break camp and move on. Sometimes the cloud stayed only overnight and lifted the next morning. But day or night, when the cloud lifted, the people broke camp and moved on. Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it lifted, they broke camp and moved on. So they camped or traveled at the Lord’s command, and they did whatever the Lord told them through Moses. Nu. 9:15 – 23. NLT
In the second year after Israel’s departure from Egypt—on the twentieth day of the second month—the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle of the Covenant. So the Israelites set out from the wilderness of Sinai and traveled on from place to place until the cloud stopped in the wilderness of Paran.
…the people set out for the first time, following the instructions the Lord had given through Moses… Nu. 10:11 – 13. NLT
So they set out from the mountain of the Lord (Sinai) three days’ journey; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went in front of them during the three days’ journey to seek out a resting place for them. The cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp. Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Rise up, O Lord! Let Your enemies be scattered; and let those who hate You flee before You.” And when the ark rested, Moses said, “Return, O Lord, to the myriad (many) thousands of Israel.” Nu. 10:33 – 36. AMP
Rebellion:
After the golden calf incident, up until and through the first three days of the Israelites’ journey away from Mount Sinai, the people did everything that God told them to do, through Moses, to keep a holy relationship with their holy Creator.
Now, just as they did after their liberation from the Egyptians, the Israelites begin to grumble over their conditions during this new journey to the Promised Land – again, losing faith in God’s ability to provide:
Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. Then the Lord’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp. Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped. Nu. 11:1, 2. NLT
Remember that when the Israelites began their exodus to Mount Sinai, many ‘foreigners’ who were oppressed in Egypt, left along with them. Some of these same people complained as well, even after this ‘fire’ expressed from Jehovah’s anger manifested at the people’s moaning against His benevolence:
Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” Nu. 11:4 – 6. NLT
Recall that God has been providing manna (a bread from heaven), to all the people since they first set out towards Mt. Sinai[5], and is still doing so nightly, including providing quail as well.
Moses hears all this whining. Jehovah becomes extremely angry. Moses too. He too complains to God, but it is about how he feels that he is being treated harshly. He rails on about his inability to carry the burden of the people, and how his load is too heavy. (See Nu. 11 – 15.)
God responds:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle[a] to stand there with you. I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.” Nu. 11:16, 17. NLT
However, God sends a message to the people through Moses, which clearly expresses His ire:
“And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the Lord heard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty. You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the Lord, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” Nu. 11:18 – 20. NLT
The people gorged themselves, and during their gluttony, Jehovah sent a severe plague and many of these gluttons died.
Afterwards, they made their second camp after leaving Mt. Sinai in a place called Hazeroth (unidentified on a modern map).
Aaron and Miriam (Moses and Aaron’s sister) grew angry at Moses because he married a ‘Cushite’ woman.
Cush was one of Noah’s grandsons. The land of the same name is associated with Ethiopia. Taking issue with Moses, his brother and sister complain:
They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But the Lord heard them. (Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.)
So immediately the Lord called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “Go out to the Tabernacle, all three of you!” So the three of them went to the Tabernacle. Then the Lord descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward. And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say:
“If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams. But not with my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust. I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as he is.
So why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?” Nu. 12:2 – 8. NLT
To say that Jehovah was angry with Aaron and Miriam is a vast understatement. Moses is clearly favored by Him. In response, God moved His cloud from the tabernacle. When He did so, Miriam was covered with leprosy. Aaron cries out to Moses, who cries out to God and begs Him to heal her. Jehovah relents by telling them to put her outside of the camp for seven days until she becomes ceremonially clean.
Spying out the Promised Land:
The people make a new camp in the wilderness of Paran. God gives Moses a new command:
The Lord now said to Moses, “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of the twelve ancestral tribes.” So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. Nu. 13:1 – 3. NLT
Moses gave the men these instructions as he sent them out to explore the land: “Go north through the Negev into the hill country. See what the land is like, and find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many. See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad? Do their towns have walls, or are they unprotected like open camps? Is the soil fertile or poor? Are there many trees? Do your best to bring back samples of the crops you see.” Nu. 13:17 NLT
What did they find? Next time. I will tease you be saying that the outcome will be a climactic one for the first generation of the Israelite exodus…
Goodnight and God bless.
[1] Gn. 1:28
[2] Gn. 22:15 – 18.
[3] Gn. 27:18 – 41.
[4] Gn. 12:1 – 3.
[5] Ex. 16:31 – 36.
Building Better Americans 140
How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New 23
Leviticus
Introduction:
The book of Leviticus is not a very popular read. There isn’t a lot of forward-moving dialogue. It all takes place while the Israelites are still camped near Mount Sinai.
Leviticus is a book of rules that are germane for the priests (all from the tribe of Levi, thus the name of the book), and for the Israelites to be able to live alongside the presence of God.
It is a guide for how to live as a holy people, especially within the realm of how to worship Jehovah in a holy manner. These guidelines allow one to connect with God during worship.
As with the books of Genesis and Exodus, God directly inspired Moses to write it. It teaches that sin offends God and removes you from His presence and blocks your ability to rightly discern the word of God. Yet the sinner is given the opportunity to approach the priesthood and engage in holy rituals in the tabernacle, to redeem their holiness.
And that mostly involved the sacrifice of unblemished animals. The sin price was paid by the blood of the sacrifice – a life for the life that was tainted by sin. A substitution if you will. This was augmented with sacrifices of prayer, giving, praise, and worship.
Becoming familiar with this complex system also gives the modern-day Christian an appreciation of the grace of God, for the final sacrifice of His Son, and why it was necessary.
It also gives the Christian a greater thankfulness for having a direct connection to God and redemption, through Christ, without having to resort to rituals.
Nevertheless, these ancient sacrifices drove home to the Israelites what was necessary for them to be in right standing with God, i.e., to show the worshiper their need for His restoration, to be able to approach Him in an ongoing relationship.
There were five types of sacrifices:
- Burnt: utilizing cattle, sheep, goats, or birds. To be completely burned to affect a complete consecration / atonement. (See Lv. Ch. 1). (See also Heb. 9:22, 10:5-7, 12:24; Eph. 5:2 & 27, 7:25 – 27, regarding the final sacrifice of Christ).
- Grain: using flour, cakes, roasted grain – to be combined with olive oil and frankincense. It was given to acknowledge that God was the source of the giver’s sustenance. There was a ‘memorial’ portion that was burned, and that which was not, was for the priest’s consumption. It was the only bloodless sacrifice. (See Lv. Ch. 2 & 6:19 – 23.)
- Peace / Fellowship /Freewill / Thanksgiving offering: Any unblemished herd animal was acceptable. It was burned and consumed as a communal meal to celebrate the giver’s peace and communion with God. The fatty portions (the choice parts) were totally burned on the altar, as to convey giving the giver’s best, to Jehovah. (See Lv. Ch. 3 & 7:11 – 34.)
- Sin offering: a blood sacrifice designed to cleanse one from unintentional sin. The sinners’ offerings are divided into 3 groups:
- For the High Priest: required the blood of a sacrificial bull which was then discarded except for the fatty parts which were burnt.
- For the congregation: required the blood of a young bull.
- For the leaders and commoners: required the blood of a male goat. (See Lv. Ch. 4 & 6:24 – 30.) In addition, this offering was also performed during Passover, Feast of Weeks, Feast of Trumpets, Feast of Booths, the Day of Atonement, and when consecrating priests.
- Reparation / Guilt offering: a blood sacrifice of a ram, to atone for defrauding God or another human being, or, for abusing His or their property and included a reparative fine. (See Lv. Ch. 5 & 7:1 – 10.)
A permanent fire was kept in the tabernacle courtyard to provide for continual sacrificial access.
At this juncture, Aaron and his sons were consecrated into their priestly offices (See Lv. Ch.8 & Ex. 35 – 40.) Moses addresses Aaron:
“This is the thing which the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” Moses said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and present your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and for the people; and present the offering of the people and make atonement for them, just as the Lord has commanded.” Lv. 9:6, 7. AMP
Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them, and came down [from the altar of burnt offering] after presenting the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings. Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory and brilliance of the Lord [the Shekinah cloud] appeared to all the people [as promised]. Then fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell face downward [in awe and worship]. Lv. 9:22 – 24. AMP
I’ll bet that sealed the deal for the congregants!
A most unfortunate event:
Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective [ceremonial] censers, put fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange (unauthorized, unacceptable) fire before the Lord, [an act] which He had not commanded them to do.And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord said:
‘I will be treated as holy by those who approach Me, and before all the people I will be honored.’”
So Aaron, therefore, said nothing. Lv. 10:1 – 3. AMP
God give all His instructions to Moses for how the people must behave, especially those who represent Him in His own house (tabernacle). He had laid out in great detail how the priesthood should function. We don’t know if they got the fire from a forbidden source, or were intoxicated (God Himself immediately warns Aaron and his younger sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, to refrain from drinking liquor before entering the tabernacle):
Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the Tent of Meeting, so that you will not die—it is a permanent statute throughout your generations—and to make a distinction and recognize a difference between the holy (sacred) and the common (profane), and between the [ceremonially] unclean and the clean; and you are to teach the Israelites all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them through Moses.” Lv. 10:8 – 11. AMP
Clean v. Unclean:
Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.
“Of all the land animals, these are the ones you may use for food. You may eat any animal that has completely split hooves and chews the cud. You may not, however, eat the following animals that have split hooves or that chew the cud, but not both. The camel chews the cud but does not have split hooves, so it is ceremonially unclean for you. The hyrax (small herbivorous mouse / shrew) chews the cud but does not have split hooves, so it is unclean. The hare chews the cud but does not have split hooves, so it is unclean. The pig has evenly split hooves but does not chew the cud, so it is unclean. You may not eat the meat of these animals or even touch their carcasses. They are ceremonially unclean for you.” Lv. 11:1 – 8. NLT
We must also consider the nature of animal husbandry during the nomadic lifestyle of the Israelites at that time. Many of these animals ate nasty stuff and were undoubtedly prone to disease. After all, it was approximately 1400 B.C., and there were over 600,000 Israelites marching through the wilderness with no sanitation, refrigeration, insect repellent, or clean environments for raising animals.
Consider the pig. It will eat just about anything. However, the modern-day pig is raised in pens where they don’t get the opportunity to ingest anything at will. And today’s butchery is advanced and clean.
God goes on to limit the ingestion of marine life to that which only sport fins and scales. Again, with poor sanitation, clams, oysters, lobsters (bottom feeders) would be prone to disease. He also forbade eating carrion birds because they ate dead meat and blood-filled corpses.
However, you get a green light for eating locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers. O boy! (See Lv. 11:9 – 23.) But no rodents or reptiles. (See Lv. 11:29, 30.)
All carcasses were considered unclean except for those that were ritually sacrificed.
All these instructions were given to create a holy people in a holy relationship with their holy God.
For I, the Lord, am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God. Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy. Lv. 11:45 NLT
To better facilitate that, Jehovah also addresses the caretaking of one’s health, especially with regards to minimizing the spread of disease. (See Lv. Ch. 12 – 15.)
Not to have a repetition of deaths like Aaron’s older sons, God gives Moses highly detailed instructions regarding how to properly conduct the ceremony of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, (the only atonement for intentional sin). It was to occur only once a year for cleansing the entire nation of Israel from sin, to foster a holy environment for keeping the presence of a holy God.
It required a strict obedience to the ritual which commanded that the High Priest alone (Aaron) enter the most holy place of the tabernacle (the only day in an entire year to have access). Then there were the sacrifices:
He shall take from the congregation of the Israelites [at their expense] two male goats as a sin offering and one ram as a burnt offering. Then Aaron shall present the bull as the sin offering for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting. Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord, the other lot for the scapegoat. Then Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell for the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement on it; it shall be sent into the wilderness as the scapegoat. Lv. 16:5 – 8. AMP
One of the goats was sacrificed in a ritual of purification (sin offering), the second (the scapegoat) was to have Aaron transfer by hand, the sins of the people, and then it was set free in the wilderness to witness the taking away of the last year’s sin of the people. (See Lv. 16:20 – 22).
This Day of Atonement was also referred to as a ‘Sabbath of solemn rest’. (See Lv. 16:29 – 31.)
Next, God prohibits the ingestion of blood:
‘Any man from the house of Israel, or any stranger living temporarily among you, who eats any blood, against that person I shall set My face and I will cut him off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them]. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life [which it represents].’ Lv. 17:10, 11. AMP
All sacrificial animals were to have the blood drained and placed on the altar. Non-sacrificial animals’ blood was to be drained and poured into the earth before eating the flesh. (See Lv. 17:13)
The blood was a substitutional life for the dead life of the sinner – analogous to the final blood sacrifice of Christ.
Jehovah then turns His focus to sexual immorality. First, He commands Moses to tell the people what He expects from them:
“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord.” Lv. 18:2 – 5. NLT
This is God’s universal message. If you obey Him, you will have eternal life, (for the Christian, through Christ).[1]
God begins with a prohibition of sex within the family, (incest), that is outside of the marital bed. (See Lv. 18:6 – 17.)
Rightly so. First, it is a genetics lesson. Interbreeding within a close familial gene pool often produces offspring with mental or physical deformations. Second, there is often psychological trauma associated with these types of liaisons.
He forbids homosexuality (See Lv. 18:22) and bestiality (See Lv. 18:23).
Finally, Jehovah gives His children the BIG picture with regards to the vital necessity to adhering to His commands:
“Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for the people I am driving out before you have defiled themselves in all these ways. Because the entire land has become defiled, I am punishing the people who live there. I will cause the land to vomit them out. You must obey all my decrees and regulations. You must not commit any of these detestable sins. This applies both to native-born Israelites and to the foreigners living among you.
All these detestable activities are practiced by the people of the land where I am taking you, and this is how the land has become defiled. So do not defile the land and give it a reason to vomit you out, as it will vomit out the people who live there now. Whoever commits any of these detestable sins will be cut off from the community of Israel. So obey my instructions, and do not defile yourselves by committing any of these detestable practices that were committed by the people who lived in the land before you. I am the Lord your God.” Lv. 18:24 – 30. NLT
God then basically takes the Ten Commandments and concentrates upon the application of them in a communal setting, e.g., leaving food behind when harvesting to be gleaned by the poor, paying people fairly and timely for their work, to not hinder those who have special needs, show no special favor, to come to a person’s aid if their life is threatened, to refrain from witchcraft, etc. (See Lv. Ch. 19)
Chapter 20 of Leviticus mandates the punishments that must be administered to the people who have been found in violation of those sins described in Chapter 18.
The 21st chapter concerns itself with what may desecrate a priest, making them unfit for service. The 22nd shows the priest how to prevent that. Chapter 23 gives further clarification of the five feasts the Israelites were to celebrate each year. Chapter 24 returns to how to properly handle the holy objects in the tabernacle.
God then presents the practice of the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee. The Sabbath took place every seven years, for which the land was to remain fallow, to impress upon the Israelites’ their dependence upon Him for their sustenance.
The Year of the Jubilee was celebrated every 50 years. All property sold due to impoverishment was to be returned to the original owner, slaves had the option of being freed, and again the land was to remain fallow. God guaranteed that the harvest in the previous year would be abundant enough to carry them over. (See Lv. Ch. 25)
Chapter 26 revisits His discipline towards His children who do not comply with the statutes laid down in the book. And God, in His final chapter, discusses ‘vows’, and the rules surrounding them.
In its essence then, the book of Leviticus reveals God’s grace in offering atonement / redemption through the proper application of holy worship with our holy Creator. It demonstrates the vital application of worship and its holy largesse, so as not to become just a rote habit…
Stay tuned for the book of Numbers!
Goodnight and God bless.
[1] Mt. 5:19; Jn. 3:36