- Numbers
- Chapters
- 1:
- 1-3, 45-54
- , 3:
- 1-13
- 40-51,
- , 10:
- 1-10
- 33-36
- The Israelites are
- numbered
- (census) +Tribe of Levi is set apart
- Levites dedicated instead of the Firstborn
- "Second" Passover
- Cloud & Fire
- 2 Silver trumpets
- Key Verses and Themes
- Chapter 1
See discussion questions below.
- Chapter 3
- Levites instead of Firstborn:
- Num. 3:1 1-12, 40-41
- In
Exod. 13:1-2
, we saw God command for himself all firstborn males, both of man and beast, but the Levites are substituted for them here.
Refer to the discussion questions for more.
- Chapter 9
- Second Passover:
- Num. 9:10-11
God sets a "Second" Passover for those who cannot observe it at its set time.
See discussion questions.
- Cloud & Fire:
Num. 9:15-23
Reminder of God's constant presence amongst the Israelites again, and also Israel's adherence to His command.
See discussion questions.
- Chapter 10
- Ark moving:
- Num. 10:35-36
What Moses declared as the Ark moved with the Tabernacle.
References to the New Testament & our Church practices
- No specific references this week, but as always,
refer to the discussion questions!!!
- Discussion Questions
Numbers 1
If there were just over 600,000 fighting-aged men at the time, how many total Israelis?
Scholarly estimates say about 2-3 million total, probably closer to 3 million (think how many kids they would have). Think about this in terms of their journey! It would take weeks to pass a certain point because of how large they are, and logistically keeping this many people alive and safe on a journey like this truly requires God’s constant presence and care!
Something we skipped in reading as well is that the tribe of Judah was the largest, at 74,600 fighting-aged men.
What do we learn about the Levites at the end of the chapter?
They are not included in the census, God commands for them to be exempt from military service because the Levites are to serve in the tabernacle. No other tribe is thus allowed to serve in the Tabernacle, whether as priests or caretakers or other duties, as we will see in chapter 3.
How did the Israelite encampment look? They had to encamp in this fashion:
The Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites were three clans of the tribe of Levi, named after Levi’s three sons, Kohath, Gershon, and Merari, who are also grandsons of Jacob. Notice that Judah is front and center, and behind are Moses, Aaron, and the Priests. This is explained in chapter 2 and expounded on later on.
- Numbers 3
LEVITES INSTEAD OF FIRSTBORN:
If the Levites are replacing the firstborns of all the Israelites now, then God changed His mind, right?
- In
Exod 13:1-2
, we learned that “all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”. So why the change now?
- Recall the gold calf incident in
Exod. 32
; we said to keep something in mind for later… which group of people all stood on Moses’s side when he said “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me”?
It was the Levites! So the Levites are consecrated in place of the firstborn now because of their righteous zeal during the gold calf fiasco…
This apparent “change” is an unfolding of God’s plan, which is to convey to us a
shift from natural order (firstborn) to spiritual order (Levites).
So as to reveal to us that those that are faithful are chosen over natural heirs. This serves a few purposes:
Trying to get the Israelites to understand that faith and zeal trumps natural order.
To later argue against Jewish objections:
If God replaced the firstborn with the Levites, why be surprised that He later replaced the Levites with Christ’s priesthood, or the Jews with the Gentiles-turned Christian?
So the apostles and saints are chosen as God’s true inheritance because of the zeal of their faith.
Trying to get US NOW (i.e. current day Christians) to understand faith and zeal trumps natural order!
For points 1 & 3, many Jews thought that because they were born Jews and God’s chosen people, they were “Holier than Thou” and better than all others; often thinking they were guaranteed Paradise. Us Christians think that because we're born Christian and God’s chosen people… we’re better than all others and guaranteed Heaven.
This should wake us up! Take your faith seriously and show zeal! Or else don’t be surprised if one day Christianity dies out in Europe and America and lives in Asia and Africa, or if the Assyrian Church of the East’s main members are Indian (for example).
- AFTER READING CHAPTER 3:
- ***What’s in the other chapters?***
- Chapter 4-8-
Levite duties and practices, details on specific offerings & vows:
These chapters are mostly instructional, dealing with things pertaining to the Levites, as well as describing the Nazirite Vow, a type of vow men would take to live a certain way for a period of time.
- Numbers 9
SECOND PASSOVER:
What does God tell Moses concerning the people who were defiled and could not keep the Passover?
*Quick side note, the passover in this chapter is the 3rd one (2nd year anniversary of the original Passover).
God told Moses to tell them to keep the Passover in the next month, which was the 2nd month
(remember, Jewish calendar starts in Spring like the Assyrian one)
. They were to observe the Passover in the same exact way as if it were the 1st month. It’s like if we had an Easter Sunday 1 month after the true Easter Sunday, observing it the same exact way.
It’s a condescension to human weakness while not compromising God’s Holiness. This Passover can be referred to as the “Second Passover”, i.e. again if we did Easter and then a Second Easter one month later.
What’s the significance of this “Second Passover”?
Again, it shows God’s condescension to human weakness, allowing those who could not observe the true Passover to still observe it later, remembering God’s deliverance of the Israelites and still upholding the everlasting command.
But for us, this preaches repentance and God’s grace. The conditions that warrant the second passover were
A.
- being defiled by a corpse, and
B.
being far away.
If we miss our Passover, who is Christ, because of “death” (defilement by corpse) or “distance” (wandering from God), we can still return to Him. This death is death in sin, because “the wages (result) of sin is death”
Romans 6:23.
Being far off applies to the Gentiles who came to God later, and again sinners and those who don’t know/believe in God.
Those who come to celebrate the Passover late (2nd month) still share in God’s salvation all the same, just at a different time. God’s patience for us is shown here, calling to mind
- 2 Peter 3:9
. So, repentance is never too late as long as life remains.
- CLOUD & FIRE:
What can we learn about the Israelites strict adherence to the Cloud & Fire?
- See
V.22
, “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”.
Meaning the Israelites, with Moses leading, trusted fully in God to guide their journey, not doubting God no matter how long it took.
For us, the Church fathers explain that the “cloud” is God’s occasional concealment or veiling, where He appears to not answer us, or to be hiding His divine plan from us. We must remain faithful in this time, not doubting nor making rash decisions. This calls to mind the Q&A question from a while back about “what do when struggling with your faith”. You must ⇒
Psalm 27:14
The fire is God’s shining light, which when it occurs, shines forth and reveals His truth, His plans, His glory, etc., leaving no doubt in our minds. It encourages us and reassures us. It’s when God performs a miracle, or His judgement on a person/people/nation occurs.
So we, as a Church and as individuals, must rely on God’s timing, through faith and perseverance.
- Numbers 10
What is the purpose of the 2 silver trumpets?
The trumpets were for calling the congregation, directing the movement of the camps, and for wars and feasts. 1 trumpet blowing would signal for the leaders of the tribes to come see Moses, both trumpets blowing meant the whole congregation had to gather to Moses. So too a bishop can call his priests, or call the entire assembly of the Church to hear him.
- This Week's Study
Prepare for weeks 5 and 6... :)