Journal Through the Bible: Week 22 Thursday

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Numbers chapter 12

This is a short chapter, but it is fraught with peril. It is also difficult to determine exactly what was transpiring in Moses' life at the time.

Athough it wasn't bad enough that the people of the congregation of Israel grumbled about everything their leader did or did not do (which sounds exactly like many church congregations today), even Moses's older brother and sister grumbled about him. Jealousy and sibling rivalry are nothing new either.

It appears that Moses' family did not like his wife, the "Ethiopian" woman that he had married. There is no further mention of Zipporah by name in Old Testament scripture so it is possible that this obscure reference to an "Ethiopian" woman, which can also mean a Cushite woman (from the family of Cush, grandson of Noah, who settled in the northeastern part of Africa) could be Zipporah and this family squabble is about her. After the circumcision episode in the inn (see Exodus 4:24-26) it is possible that she went back home to her father, Jethro, who then brought her and her sons to Moses when he was back in the neighborhood, encamped around Mount Sinai. Remember that we just read a couple of days ago that Moses asked his father-in-law to go to the Promised Land with the Israelites but Jethro said he was content in his own home. If indeed the "Ethiopian" is Zipporah it is clear that she did not meet the expectations of Miriam and Aaron!

If the reference is not to Zipporah it means that Moses married another woman sometime within the year after the exodus, a very busy year of his life: one where he spent most of his time conversing with God which seems to leave little time for wooing and winning a wife. If this was indeed a second marriage for Moses, and the text does tend to make it sound as though it was, she had to have met the strenuous qualifications for marrying into the Levitical family of which Moses was a part. There is never any record of children from a second marriage, and there would be one, because Moses was the great genealogical recorder who gave us his family tree in Genesis and Exodus all the way up from its roots in Adam!

Does God make any promises in this chapter?

• When addressing Aaron and Miriam from the door of the tabernacle God promised that He would speak directly via dreams and visions to any prophets He had chosen but He promised that He would speak directly to Moses. Miriam was temporarily cursed with leprosy and was shut out of the camp for presuming too much.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• Verse 3 references Moses' meekness as being the meekest man on earth. This would be a type of Christ, the truly meekest man who ever walked the earth.
• Moses is the type of Christ when he intercedes for the guilty. In this case it was his sister, Miriam.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• Judgment awaits those who speak against God's anointed. In this chapter it was Miriam speaking against Moses. In the future it will be those who speak against Jesus. In both cases, the offenders are shut out of God's dwelling place. In the passage it is the camp. In eternity it is Heaven and the New Earth.

Does God issue any commands?

• After Aaron and Miriam criticized Moses and his wife God commanded the three siblings to come to the tabernacle to meet with Him.

Journal Through the Bible: Week 22 Wednesday

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Numbers chapter 11

When we travel we might make complaints to the customer service department of whatever travel company is in charge of our reservations. In the case of the Hebrews the One making their travel arrangements was God and He was not pleased when they complained!

The first part of the chapter states that the people complained and God sent a fire into the camp. There isn't a reason stated why they were complaining. They just were. Evidently they did not like the travel schedule since that is what is mentioned immediately following in the preceding chapter.

The next complaint was about the food. They were tired of the manna and looked back fondly at the food of Egypt which they had "freely." I guess that part about being enslaved slipped their minds. This complaint also ultimately caused the death of many people.

The germ spread so quickly throughout the camp, as disgruntlement always does. The complaints of the people led Moses to complain to God about being responsible for the welfare of all the people, a job that he tried to refuse from the moment he heard about it at the burning bush. Moses became so distraught that he asked God to kill him if he had to continue sole responsibility for everyone.

Does God make any promises in this chapter?

• God promised help for Moses. 70 men were to be appointed. When God came down upon them they prophesied!
• God promised the people meat, but since their request came as a result of disrespect toward God the promise to deliver was going to turn into a curse. They were going to eat meat for a month.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• Not that I could identify, however, it clearly teaches about the Holy Spirit.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• Not that I identified.

Does God issue any commands?

• After Moses's discouraged pleas God told him to pick 70 men who were elders of the people so that they could receive the same spirit that was upon Moses to enable them to bear some of the burdens of the people.
• The LORD told Moses to tell the people to sanctify themselves so that they would be prepared to receive the meat God would bring them.

Journal Through the Bible: Week 22 Tuesday

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Numbers 9:15-10:36

It is time for the Israelites to finally move! After approximately a year of camping around Mount Sinai the cloud/pillar of fire that had settled over the tabernacle lifts and the people begin their journey toward the Promised Land once more. They walk in formation with the tribe of Judah leading the way and the tribe of Dan acting as rear guard. The three family divisions of the tribe of Levi: Gershon, Merari, and Kohath, are interspersed among them. Since Gershon and Merari were responsible for the actual tabernacle tent materials they walked ahead of those from Kohath so that they might have the tabernacle pitched before the men of Kohath arrived with the furnishings.

Question: Did Moses convince his father-in-law to go with them or did Jethro (Hobab) return to Midian?

Does God make any promises in this passage?

• God promised that the blowing of the trumpets would be a sign of remembrance. They would be remembered by God and He would save them from their enemies.

Does this passage teach anything about Jesus?

• There are no direct mentions of the Angel of the Lord (who is believed to be a theophany) but as the pillar of fire/cloud that leads the people Jesus would be present in that cloud since He and the Father are one.

Does this passage teach anything about yet-future events?

• One of the things that the silver trumpets did was to let the people know that their departure was at hand. That is exactly what will happen to the people of God awaiting Christ's return. The trump will sound, the dead in Christ will arise first, then those who are alive will be caught up in the air to meet him. The sound of the trumpet means departure is imminent!
• Another purpose of the trumpets was as a sign of remembrance by God. He promised that the blowing of the trumpet would remind Him that He would save them from their enemies. That is exactly what will happen in the future. The trumpet will blow and God's people will be saved from their enemies: Satan, sin, death, hell, and the grave!

Does God issue any commands?

• Through the movement of the cloud God told the people when to move and when to set up camp.
• God told Moses to have two silver trumpets made for calling the assembly together, calling just the tribal representatives to meet, for sounding an alarm, or for bringing attention to the fact that the pillar of cloud/fire had moved and departure was imminent, and on the solemn holy days when the sacrifices were being offered. 

Journal Through the Bible: Week 22 Monday

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Numbers 8:1-9:14

The Levites are consecrated for service and the second Passover is commemorated. It was the first anniversary of the people's freedom from bondage in Egypt!

Does God make any promises in this passage?

• None specified, but it is inferred that obedience brought blessings. This can be assumed because the man who refused to observe the Passover brought a curse, or punishment, upon himself. He would be cut off from the people.

Does this passage teach anything about Jesus?

• The lighting of the candlestick is a wonderful picture of Christ and His churches. In Revelation chapter 1 John saw Jesus in heaven walking among similar candlesticks that represented 7 churches in Asia. The churches are to be the pillar and ground of the truth (I Tim. 3:15) that shine the light of the gospel into men's hearts so that they may hear the good news that Jesus has atoned for sins and made a way for men to be friends with God once more.
• Each individual Christian, who are also to be members of a local church to help them shine brighter, are to be the lights of the world (Matt. 5:14 - see blog header above), that let their light so shine before men that they will see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven (see Matt. 5:16). This was originally God's intended purpose for the Hebrew nation. Their placement on the kings' highway and the situation of their capital city of Jerusalem (the city on the hill) was to be a shining testimony of God's goodness to His people so that the Gentiles would want the blessings that were granted to the Israelites. These are the people to whom Jesus was preaching in Matthew chapter 5.
• Jesus was the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). The Levites were the substitution of the firstborn of the people, Jesus was the substitute for all who are also called the firstborn in Romans chapter 8 (those who are called according to his purpose: just like the firstborns and then the Levites! Romans 8:28). Remember that it was the firstborns of Egypt that had died and God had preserved the firstborns of Israel alive because of the Passover blood over the door. God had bought them for His service!
• Aaron, the High Priest, was a picture of Jesus, our High Priest. All of the Levites who were sanctified for service were given to help Aaron complete the work. So are all of the sanctified believers given to Christ to help him complete the work on earth. (It wasn't angels that were given the task of spreading the good news. It was people!)
• The Passover was a picture of redemption through the blood of Jesus. It was first celebrated by the people prior to the death of the Egyptian firstborns.

Does this passage teach anything about yet-future events?

• Much of the tabernacle furniture will be represented in Heaven, including the candlestick. (Revelation 11:4, for example)

Does God issue any commandments?

• God commanded the lamps on the candlestick to be lighted. 
• The Levites were to be cleansed and ordained for service in the tabernacle including through the giving of sacrifices on their behalf. They were to belong to the LORD in the stead of the firstborns
• God called the Levites who were between the ages of 25 and 50 to the service of the tabernacle and the congregation. At age 50 they were to retire from active service but could help their brethren keep the charge of service. (Perhaps this meant that they could help with some of the lesser tasks but were not required to help with the ceremonies or the loading and bearing of the tabernacle burdens as described in the previous chapters.
• The Children of Israel were told to keep the Passover in the wilderness of Sinai on the first anniversary of their freedom from Egypt. There were a few questions about who could partake in the Passover and God clarified the instructions concerning the ordinance.