Thursday Night Bible Study

Numbers 7-Numbers 9 (Click scripture reference for audio access)

"...Participation..."  •  3.29.12  •  Thursday Night Bible Study, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- These first several chapters in the book of Numbers have revealed God's heart regarding the establishment of Israel as they begin to move toward the promised land.

- At this point in the book, they are camped near Mt. Sinai, the section we will look at tonight taking place around the time of Leviticus 12.

- We have talked about their preparation, their organization, their consecration and tonight, as we delve into this next section, we'll see their participation.

- God desires that His people participate in their worship community adding in the flavor, expressing themselves as an extension of Him to one another.

Text

•  Numbers 7:1-9  :  "Now it came to pass, when Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, that he anointed it and consecrated it and all its furnishings, and the altar and all its utensils; so he anointed them and consecrated them. Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ houses, who were the leaders of the tribes and over those who were numbered, made an offering. And they brought their offering before the Lord, six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two of the leaders, and for each one an ox; and they presented them before the tabernacle. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Accept these from them, that they may be used in doing the work of the tabernacle of meeting; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.' So Moses took the carts and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites.  Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service; and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because theirs was the service of the holy things, which they carried on their shoulders." : The sight of the tabernacle would have been an amazing sight to see, especially in contrast with the desert background.

- The gold and the silver would have glinted wonderfully in the desert sun and Moses set all the furnishings apart. He put his hands upon them and set them apart for service to the Lord.

- Wherever the children of Israel went, the tabernacle, the place of meeting, was in the center of their lives. However, to have that privilege took a lot of work. This tabernacle did not set itself up!

- At that time, the tribes of Israel brought an offering before the Lord. Their offering was not quite the offering what we have seen or have thought of before.

- They brought these wagons, with 12 beasts of burden for every two of the leaders. It was a thoughtful offering from these people conceived as they considered the service of the Levites.

- When these were presented before the Lord, it seems that Moses did not know exactly what to think. God saw it and said "accept them on behalf of the Levites." God saw their heart in this.

- God made sure that it was accepted and then distributed according to or appropriate for their service, two carts for Gershon, four carts for the Merarites.

- Gershon would carry the linens which formed the curtains of the tabernacle, Merari, the long planks that provided the structure. Beauty and aesthetic, as well as simple stucture!

- I love that God allows people to serve in such ways. They do things for the body of Christ, just to provide beauty and warmth, while others concentrate on the structural components.

- God had called them to dedicate themselves towards these ends and He also knew how much they would both need to perform the task, so He gave to them accordingly.

- This was an incredibly thoughtful offering in so many ways. First, it honored God.

- Nobody could help the Levites carry things personally. God had called them specifically and the people's offering recognized and respected that.

- "God you called them to this. You did not call me to this. But you did gift me this way!"

- Second, it honored their brethren. They considered their plight as they were to carry these heavy implements. They would honor their brethren by doing what they could do for them!

- When King David was told by God that He could not build Him a house, David resigned himself, but soon began to collect all that would be needed for his son to build the house!

- That is the heart that God wants to grow in us! We may not be able to do what another person in the body of Christ is to do, but how can what we are gifted with bless them?

- The only ones that were not to be helped were the Kohathites who had to bear the holy things, the altar, the ark, etc. on their own shoulders. This will be an important consideration later.

•  Numbers 7:10-17  :  "Now the leaders offered the dedication offering for the altar when it was anointed; so the leaders offered their offering before the altar. For the Lord said to Moses, 'They shall offer their offering, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.' And the one who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah. His offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; one kid of the goats as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab." :  These next verses detail an offering of dedication or initiation to the Lord that He called for. These were items that would be prescribed for sacrifice that was about to be initiated.

- This offering would be presented on subsequent days until all of the tribes had offered.

- The first offering on the first day came from the tribe of Judah. The leader, in this case Nahshon, brought this representative offering.

- They brought a 3 pound silver platter, a silver bowl that was over a pound. Both of these were full of fine flour. The golden dish was full of incense.

- Then came the animals, the young bull, the ram and the male lamb in it's first year.

- These were used for the burnt offering, representing consecration, the goats as the sin offering and for the peace or fellowship offering, two oxen, five rams, five goats and five lambs.

- These offerings were symbolic of their tribe's inclusion into the sacrificial system that God had set up. It was a way of saying that they agreed with God and wanted to comply practically with Him.

- Chapter 7:18-83 records that this continued daily until each tribe's leader brought the same offering to the tabernacle. Verse 84-88 records the tally from among the tribes.

- What was brought was generous unto the Lord! Every offering was the same, in line with what was commanded and each was counted and remembered by the Lord. It mattered to Him.

- Ultimately, the gift that you are and the gift that you give is remembered and received by the Lord! It is not a mistake that the second longest chapter in the Bible is focused on giving!

• Numbers 7:89-Numbers 8:4 : "Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'Speak to Aaron, and say to him, ‘When you arrange the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.’ And Aaron did so; he arranged the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. Now this workmanship of the lampstand was hammered gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work. According to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand." : The God of the Universe spoke directly to Moses about the arrangement of the lamps. They were to face the front of the tent of meeting.

- Remember that this was the only light source in the tabernacle and God was particular about where that light was stationed. It's interesting because you and I are represented in the lampstands.

- God chooses where you are and arranges us to shed light in the direction that suits Him! He is the One arranging where you will shine for HIm!

•  Numbers 8:5-12 : "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially. Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering. And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel. So you shall bring the Levites before the Lord, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites; and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord like a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the Lord. Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites."  : The Levites had been chosen by the Lord to minister in the tabernacle, for Moses and for the people. This is their consecration ceremony, their initiation into the ministry.

- They were to be cleansed ceremonially, including a washing, a shaving and a change in clothing. They were to be clean. They were chosen, but still needed the blood of a bull for their sin.

- The Levites were not sinless. They were called by grace and would work under the covenant! Being a minister does not keep you from sin!

- When they came to the tabernacle, the people were to symbolically lay hands on the Levites and then to offer them as a wave offering, considering them separated for the ministry.

• Numbers 8:13-22 : "And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them like a wave offering to the Lord. Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. After that the Levites shall go in to service the tabernacle of meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering.  For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel. For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them to Myself. I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel. And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary.' Thus Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them. And the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. After that the Levites went in to do their work in the tabernacle of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them."  : God had picked the Levites. The people were to acknowledge this and participate in ordaining them.

- They were to serve in the tabernacle as a gift to Aaron and his sons, to do the work of the tabernacle and to make atonement for the children of Israel. This was their job description.

- Whenever Aaron felt overwhelmed by his job, I know that he was glad to see these people!

- The idea here is that ministry is not something that God declares over a person alone. He calls that group of people to submit to that leadership and His divine choice.

- Leadership in a church body is a sacred item, not one to be taken lightly. God does the choosing, the church then comes alongside and lays their hand on the one God has chosen.

- After the Levites purified themselves and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them, they got to work.

•  Numbers 8:23-26  :  "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'This is what pertains to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting; and at the age of fifty years they must cease performing this work, and shall work no more. They may minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting, to attend to needs, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall do to the Levites regarding their duties.'" : The Levites were set apart for the service of tabernacle and it seems from this verse that they were to have 5 years of training.

- In the previous account, we saw that they could work from 30. Here it says 25, indicating a time of internship. At the age of fifty, they were to work no more in the heavy lifting, but could serve.

•  Numbers 9:1-5  : "Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 'Let the children of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time. According to all its rites and ceremonies you shall keep it.' So Moses told the children of Israel that they should keep the Passover. And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, at twilight, in the Wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did." : The Passover commemorated their deliverance from Egypt.

- Now, here in the wilderness they were to commemorate it by going through the ceremonies that God had prescribed for them in Exodus 12. God always wants His people to remember!

- You might think, "How could they ever forget?" Sadly, we do! This is why we come to church and take communion. We need to be reminded of what is important in this life!

• Numbers 9:6-14 : "Now there were certain men who were defiled by a human corpse, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and Aaron that day. And those men said to him, 'We became defiled by a human corpse. Why are we kept from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the children of Israel?' And Moses said to them, 'Stand still, that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you.' Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If anyone of you or your posterity is unclean because of a corpse, or is far away on a journey, he may still keep the Lord’s Passover.  On the fourteenth day of the second month, at twilight, they may keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break one of its bones. According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it. But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and ceases to keep the Passover, that same person shall be cut off from among his people, because he did not bring the offering of the Lord at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin. ‘And if a stranger dwells among you, and would keep the Lord’s Passover, he must do so according to the rite of the Passover and according to its ceremony; you shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger and the native of the land.’" : This group had a desire to celebrate the passover but had come near a corpse. This was likely a death in the family. They wanted to participate, they just didn't know if they could!

- When they came to Moses, even he did not know, but sought the Lord for the answer.

- God made an exception here for such a scenario, allowing them to have a "makeup" passover the following month and decreed that anyone without such an excuse would be cut off.

- Notice also that any stranger or foreigner among them could participate, but had to follow the same rules. Even here, the Lord invites those of faith, non-Jews to participate!

•  Numbers 9:15-23  :  "Now on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the Testimony; from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents.  At the command of the Lord the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped. Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not journey. So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of the Lord they would remain encamped, and according to the command of the Lord they would journey. So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey.  Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey. At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed; they kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses." : God directed the movement of His people whether over days or weeks. The people of Israel lived by His direction, seeking daily whether they would move or not.

- Each morning when they awoke, it was time to look up and see if this was the day that God would require something different of them. This kept them ready, always expecting change.

- We do not have a cloud or a pillar of fire. This worked for a group that existed in one location. The body of Christ today lives all over the world, living in different time zones and different cultures!

- Thank God for His Word and thank God for His Holy Spirit. And thank God for men and women who see their lives through this filter: Lord are you moving me to an action or a place today?

- Those are the blessed ones, who seek daily their Lord's direction!

Conclusion

- In whatever capacity that you are able, with whatever gift you possess, God calls us to participate with Him in what He is doing.

- Whether we do so reminded of another's service, in recognition of it in another, or as we recall what God has done for ourselves, we are to put our faith in action.

- As you go away tonight, ask the Lord where He might extend Himself through you. Ask, then go and do likewise!