12/4/2011
· The Book of Numbers picks up the historical narrative of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt
· Military Organization (Num. 1:1–2:34)—This section describes the preparation for the journey from Mount Sinai to Canaan .
· Chapter 1 -- The first task was to get a count of all males 20 years and older (excluding Levites) for military purposes. The total number of fighting men was 603,550.
o Human reason for the numbering: Logistics for running the camp and the march
o Spiritual religion for the numbering: To show the people how mighty they had become before the Lord
o To show the people evidence that the promise made to Abraham re his seed being as numerous as the sands of the sea was being fulfilled.
· Chapter 2 -- Order-of the Camp
· God appointed a specific place for each tribe to pitch their tents about the Tabernacle.
· Human reasons for the placements:
o To teach that God is a God of order, not confusion
o To prevent envy and strife regarding getting the "best" position.
· Spiritual reasons for the placements:
o Around the Tabernacle so that the presence of God would be in the center of their life
o So that the "gates of their tents" would always face the Living Presence of God.
o So that they would see God each time they got up each day and entered the world.
· Priestly Organization (Num. 3:1–4:49)—Special instructions were given also for a census of the Levites not included in the military census. The Levites’ solemn duties emphasized the vital role they performed in the worship of God.
· Chapter 3 -- Separation and Number of the Levites
o Here we have the appointment of Aaron and his sons as the Priests of Israel.
o All this taught that each has a service to do in God's service....and that none of us can do another's service
· Chapter 4 -- Service and Number of the Levites
o The organization of the camp is completed in this chapter with instructions for the care of the Tabernacle
o Everyone in the tribe of Levi from 30-50 years old had a service....
o Teaching us that we have an obligation to serve the Lord in our prime years of life.
· Special Instructions (Num. 5:1–6:27)—Instructions were given regarding ceremonial cleanness (5:1-4), compensation for offenses (5:5-10), marital fidelity (5:11-31), Nazirite vows (6:1-21), and blessings (6:22-27).
· Chapters 5 and 6 -- Legislation for the People
o 1. Law of the Leper (5:1-4)
§ Numbers 5:2 "Command the children of Israel
§ Not only was this good preventive medicine, but it looked forward to the New Jerusalem....Rev 21:27 "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defiles."
o 2. Law of Trespass against a Fellow (5:5-10)
§ This law concerns restitutions for sins committed against another person. It is characterized by confession of the sin.
o 3. Law of Husband and Wife (5:11-31)
§ This concerns the judicial procedure for a wife suspected of adultery.
o 4. Law of the Nazarite (6:1-21)
§ A Nazarite was a man or woman who consecrated themselves wholly to the Lord for a definite period of time.
o 5. The Priestly Blessing on Israel
§ After establishing all the laws for the people of Israel
§ Their basis for blessing is obedience to the will of God.
· Special Consecrations (Num. 7:1–8:26)—Instructions were given for consecrating sacrifices (7:1-89), lamps for the tabernacle (8:1-4), and ceremonial cleansing of the Levites (8:5-26).
· Chapter 7 -- Dedication of the Altar
o Now that the Tabernacle was completely set up, the Princes of Israel came to the Tabernacle to make offerings for the dedication of the Altar. The Princes of Israel were those, who by birth were heads of the tribes, or portions of tribes.
o There are some interesting aspects of the offering.
§ They bought things to be used in God's service. Silver bowls, cups, dishes, gold spoons
§ They bought things that were useful immediately
§ All the princes bought exactly the same offerings (indicating equal standing in the service of God)
o When all the offerings were made, God indicated His acceptance by speaking to Moses from above the mercy Seat.
· Chapter 8 -- Consecration of the Levites
o We covered this to some degree in our study of Leviticus. The Levites were chosen by God to serve in the Tabernacle. It was a special duty and was to be done by those fully qualified and consecrated to God.
1. TAKE YOUR COMMITMENTS SERIOUSLY (NUMBERS 6:1-8)
o God did not command it; it was purely voluntary. But if any of His people wanted a closer walk with Him, this is what they could do.
1 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to dedicate himself to the LORD, 3 he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh or dried grapes. 4'All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.
o Wine, in Scripture is a symbol of earthly joy; it is to cheer the heart. The whole point here is that the Nazarite was to find their joy in the Lord.
5'All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long.
o The Nazarite must be willing to bear shame for God.
o His long hair would indicate that he was willing to share that position with Christ who said (Ps 22:6) "But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people."
6'All the days of his separation to the LORD he shall not go near to a dead person. 7'He shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. 8'All the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD.
NASB
o A Nazarite must not touch a dead body.
o You see, the world is the place of death.
o We can say that death is the deepest mark that is on this world today.
o Death is the seal of a sin-cursed earth.
o It is the judgment which God pronounced.
o It was because of sin that death came into the world.
o In order to deal with death, sin must be dealt with, because the wages of sin is death.
o The Nazarite was not to touch a dead body.
o He was to be separate from the world.
o The Lord was to be first in his life.
2. REDEDICATE YOURSELF WHEN NEEDED (NUMBERS 6:9-12)
9'But if a man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his dedicated head of hair, then he shall shave his head on the day when he becomes clean; he shall shave it on the seventh day. 10'Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting. 11'And the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him concerning his sin because of the dead person. And that same day he shall consecrate his head, 12 and shall dedicate to the LORD his days as a Nazirite, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering; but the former days shall be void because his separation was defiled.
NASB
o God is very earnest about having a vow to Him kept.
o If the Nazarite was defiled, he was to bring a sacrifice.
o God does not require a vow, but when a vow is made, He expects it to be kept, and it is a serious matter if it is broken.
o A great many people today will not make a vow to God because they are afraid they may not keep it.
o People are afraid to put it on the line with God.
o They are afraid to pledge something financial, for example, because they might see they want and buy that instead.
o So they don't want to commit themselves about something to God.
o This is one reason people miss out on blessings today.
3. HONOR GOD FROM START TO FINISH (NUMBERS 6:13-15)
13'Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall bring the offering to the doorway of the tent of meeting. 14'And he shall present his offering to the LORD: one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering and one ewe-lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering and one ram without defect for a peace offering, 15 and a basket of unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers spread with oil, along with their grain offering and their libations.
NASB
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