Numbers

Intentional Remembrance

Today we read about silver trumpets. These were to be blown only by the priests, but they signalled several things. An assembly. A move. An attack. A Festival. A new month. A burnt offering. A peace offering. This was a way to remember God and a way to ask God to intercede. Let’s take a quick look at each one and see if we can determine why it made the list.

An assembly: The whole community should be gathered together to hear or see something.
A move: God was directing the community to relocate.
An attack: Asking God to provide protection from the attack of the enemy.
A Festival: A call to a time set apart to God as Holy.
A new month: Each New Moon was a call to make several offerings to God (Num 28:11)
A burnt offering: This was an atonement for sin. It made the person/people ‘right’ with God.
A peace offering: This was done before a meal to show commitment and unity between two or more parties before God.

The trumpets were a call to gather, to be led by God, to rely on his provision, to set time apart for God, to give sacrificially to the Lord, to admit our guilt and seek reconciliation, and to be unified as a body of believers.

How much richer we would be if we were intentionally and consistently doing these things? Set reminders if you need to — certainly the Israelites did — and make these things a priority.

Be unified as you gather, seek, rely, reserve, give, and repent.

I’ll end today’s devotional with the same prayer that Moses ended Number 6:

May the Lord bless you and protect you,
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you,
May the Lord show you His favour and give you His peace.

Mar 1 | Num 6, 10 | 060/365

Necessary But Not Sufficient

Numbers 5:6 says “… if and of the people — men or women — betray the Lord by doing wrong to another person, they are guilty.”

Oftentimes we separate sin out into sin against God and sin against people. But we forget that people are image-bearers of God. He made them. And so when we sin against other people, we betray God. And by betraying God we are guilty of sin. Sin against God AND people! In a way sinning against a fellow image-bearer is actually worse, since it is offending TWO parties.

And unlike sins against God alone which require a sacrifice to cover the iniquity, sins against another person required more. The people had to give back what had been taken/cheated/etc (or its equivalent value) and add 20% on top. PLUS they had to get right with God.

What I’m saying is this: we’re going to mess up and hurt each other. But we need to go above-and-beyond to make it right. “I’m sorry” is necessary but not sufficient. We need to repair, replace, or recover. And then, once we have made it right with our brother or sister, then we can come before God to ask for forgiveness. It’s hard to grant forgiveness to someone who has not made a serious attempt to rectify the wrong.

You’ve gotta make it right before you can make it right.

Feb 28 | Num 4-5 | 059/365

On Leadership

These two chapters of Numbers are all about who is in charge of what and where they are to camp. All of which is in relation to the centrepiece of the nascent Israelite nation, the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle is the centre of the camp, it is the centre of the relocation procession, it is the moral, spiritual, social, and even legal centre. The lives of the Israelites were intertwined with the life of the Tabernacle.

And so there were many capable men enlisted to take care of it. One group of thousands of men was tasked with care and transport of the Tabernacle fabrics. Another group of thousands of men was responsible for the structural supports for the Tabernacle. And a final group of thousands of men was tasked with the care and transport of the Tabernacle furnishings.

So then, why do I say today’s devotional is about leadership?

Simple, really. Because at the end of this lengthy passage about who is responsible for what, we are told that Moses (along with his brother Aaron, and Aaron’s sons Eleazar and Ithamar) is in charge of all of the Tabernacle.

No matter how leaders delegate tasks to responsible people, those leaders are still the ones responsible for making sure those tasks are actually completed. A good leader will deal with irresponsible or lazy people over which they are responsible, but a good leader will never blame their workers for the job not being done. A good leader will take responsibility. This is what Biblical Leadership is. It is not about power and authority, but about responsibility and answerability.

What leadership have you been tasked with? Do you take it as seriously as the Lord does?

Feb 27 | Num 2-3 | 058/365

Promises

God was utterly faithful with his covenant promises and he expects the same from us. Which is probably why He is constantly upset with Israel. My father used to tell me that the only things you really have in this life are your family and your word, and the latter is how you’ll be remembered.

When people break trust, it is nearly impossible to repair. And God wants to drive this home, so Leviticus ends with a list of how to re-claim people and possessions that have been dedicated, consecrated to the Lord.

Usually this was the result of a vow. Like when Hannah asks God for a child and she says that in return she will consecrate him to the Lord. Well, once Samuel was born, she essentially turned him over to the priests to serve in the Temple for the rest of his life.

God says no take-sy back-sies, BUT if you wish to reclaim (redeem) this person or thing consecrated (set apart) for the Lord, then there will be renumeration based on age and future earning potential in that day and time. These prices were not trivial, and for animals and inanimate possession there was a 20% surcharge on top of the market value. This was something to take seriously.

In the same way our word, our vow, our promise should be solid and meaningful. If we say we will do a thing, we have an obligation to actually do that thing. And not just because of the legacy that creates, or what people will think of us, but because we are called to be like the Lord. And He is faithful to the end.

Let’s be faithful in all our dealings as the Lord Himself is faithful.

Feb 26 | Lev 27; Num 1 | 057/365

The Stand-In

Just a quick note today; It is fascinating to me that when God visits destruction upon the land of Egypt by sending an angel of death to take the lives of all the firstborn sons, He told the Israelites how to avoid this fate. By marking their doorposts. And so these firstborn sons were spared.

And after this, the Lord said that all firstborn sons were to be offered to Him (and obviously purchased back with another offering), recognizing that the most valuable “first fruits” were the Lord’s.

On an apologetic note, this isn’t because God finds males to be more valuable than females, it’s merely because the PEOPLE at that time (and for a great many years to follow, sadly) valued the males more than the females, and the firstborn were the elite of that group as well.

Anyhow, here again we see foreshadowing of Jesus, as the Lord no longer requires the firstborn male of each family be offered to Him. Instead the Levites (the priests) will stand in for the firstborns.

Hmmm… a firstborn priest who will stand in our place. Very interesting!

Don’t take for granted the price paid to purchase you! God loves you very much. And go share that love with someone else this weekend!

Numbers 8:1-9:14, Leviticus 1:1-3:17 | 047/365

Digging Deeper

Leviticus often gets a bad rap for being “boring”. Disagree. Leviticus is drastically underrated. Numbers, however, I am fully ready to admit can seem like a slog at times. Today’s passage is a prime example of just that. Upon first reading this can be a dry, repetitive list seemingly without any purpose. But I think there are several things we can pull out of today’s chunk. This is sort of a potpourri, but next year I’ll go deeper on one of them. haha

1) The Tabernacle and its furnishings have been set aside for the Lord, but now they are anointed for that purpose. Much like the Levites themselves are anointed before the people for service to the Lord, so too are the instruments of that service. Why would this ceremony be necessary?

2) When God speaks to Moses, He speaks from the Place of Atonement, the Mercy Seat atop the Ark. This underscores not God’s holiness, justice, or provision… but His mercy. Why is that what He chooses to highlight?

3) All 12 tribes come on consecutive days to bring the exact same offering. And each is counted out in meticulous detail. Why is it important that all members of the community of faith are contributing to the work of the faith with the same devotion and giving?

4) The tribes of Judah, Issachar, Zubulun, Reuben, and Simeon are the first to bring their offerings. These presentations do not follow birth order… so what (if anything) is the significance to this order? Perhaps worth noting that the first 5 tribes are all the direct descendants of Jacob’s first wife, Leah. What does this signal about marriage?

5) Of all the tribes, Judah is first to offer. What do we know about the future of the tribe of Judah that might make this noteworthy?

We could still look at the animals, ages, genders, weights, materials, contents, etc. What I’m saying is: don’t settle for a surface reading. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training to equip us for every good work.

Numbers 7 | 046/365

Jesus’ Reflection

The Tabernacle is ready and so they go about setting it up. And it is amazing to me how all the furniture in the Tabernacle already points us to Jesus.

The Wash Basin was for the cleansing and sanctification of the priests, in the same way Jesus washed away our sins on the cross.

The Altar represented the judgement for sin, but Jesus took that judgement on Himself.

The Incense represented the priest’s intercession before God on behalf of the people. Jesus interceded in the most complete and final way.

The Showbread, of which there were 12 (representing the 12 tribes of Israel) was a reminder of God’s provision and care for his people. Jesus provided a way to escape death.

The Lampstand shone a light on the Showbread at all times. Jesus is the light of the world.

The Ark of the Covenant contains the 10 Commandments (representing God’s law and holiness), the Manna (representing God’s love and provision), and Aaron’s budding staff (representing God’s total power over life and death), and the Ark itself represents God’s covenant with the people. And we can see how this points to Jesus. He fulfilled God’s law because He was holy, He embodied love and provided a path to life everlasting, and conquered the grave in the process.

And the Mercy Seat atop the Ark represents God’s mercy. And truly there is nothing more merciful than sacrificing your life to save the life of another, especially an enemy — as we ALL are before we come to a knowledge of our sin.

When you read the Old Testament through the lens of Jesus, it is remarkable to see how everything God is doing points us to the future King. Be blessed today, friends.

128k.ca