Introduction to Numbers

Note: I am indebted for much of this background to a wonderful companion book, “What the Bible is All About” by Henrietta Mears. I recommend it to all!

This book might be called “The Wilderness Wandering”, as it chronicles the travels of the newly freed nation of Israel for about forty years. As Pastor Ron Lewis recently preached at KPIC, the wilderness has a way of revealing impurities and bad attitudes lurking deep within our hearts. Much of this wandering was unnecessary, brought about by the complaining and unbelief of Israel. As 1 Corinthians 10 reminds us, these things “were written for our instruction”, so we must use these records to warn us against similar sins and encourage us to trust God and His Word.

The books opens with the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. The Law was given, the Tabernacle built, and the priests assigned their duties. God is a God of order, and we see God numbering and arranging the tribes and addressing duties of the priests and Levites in the first few chapters. Though these chapters may not seem as exciting to us to read as some of the narrative passages, yet in our Christian life often the details of ordering our lives and worship are not exciting but bear great fruit. From the details given in Numbers we can appreciate the wonder of God’s provision for His people: a camp with a circumference of about 12 miles, populated by 3,000,000 people, covered by a cloud by day to give them shade and a fire by night to give them light and heat, whose clothes and sandals did not wear out for 40 years, provided with food and water in the midst of an inhospitable desert. The explanation? God was in their midst!

The Israelites had no itinerary, but had to trust God to lead them step by step, much as we must follow the guidance of God in our lives one leading at a time. Their walk was marred by sin: grumbling about the food God provided, jealousy among the leadership. As they camped at Kadesh, they sent out 12 spies to report on the land they were promised. But when 10 of the spies gave a discouraging report, the people refused to take the land in unbelief, even though they were only about 11 days away from entering the Promised Land! For their fear and unbelief, that first generation was doomed to wander in the desert until they all had died; the second generation would enter the land, and the wilderness wandering would be their training. Often fear keeps us from enjoying all that God wants us to have: fear of what others will say, fear of what will happen if we put our trust completely in God.

The Israelites’ complaining and unbelief even induced Moses to stumble and sin with his mouth; this sin cost him the privilege of entering into the Promised Land. On their way to Canaan, the Israelites complained yet again, this time about the miraculous manna that God provided for them to eat. For this God sent poisonous snakes among them. Moses prayed for them, and God instructed Moses to make a bronze snake and fasten it to a pole. If anyone bitten by snakes looked on the bronze serpent, they would be healed. In the New Testament, this event is shown to be symbolic of Christ: the whole human family has felt the Serpent’s sting of death (1 Cor. 15:56; Heb. 2:14-15); the only way we can survive is by looking upon Christ who took upon himself the likeness of sinful human flesh (Phil 2:7-8). When we look upon Him in faith, we live (John 3:14-15).

Introduction to Leviticus

Details are important to God!

There is a saying “The devil is in the details”, but often God is in the details! We have just finished reading lengthy portions in the book of Exodus describing God’ detailed instructions about how to build the Tabernacle and how the priesthood was to carry on the service in the Tabernacle. Over and over again Scripture records that Moses did as God instructed him in minute detail. His obedience was rewarded when the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle! We are called to be obedient and holy in many seemingly small details of life; yet God sees and rewards - details are important to God!

As we start Leviticus, God is continuing His detailed instructions about how He should be worshiped. Though many people get bogged down in reading through the Bible in the book of Leviticus, it is actually a rich description of the various ways we approach God and fellowship with him through worship. In Genesis we see humanity ruined. In Exodus, humanity redeemed. In Leviticus, humanity worshiping. In Leviticus, holiness is emphasized as an indispensable part of our total worship to God.

Leviticus takes its name from the tribe of Levi, the tribe that God chose to service the Tabernacle and to supply priests for Israel. It is one of the five books of Moses, and its authorship is attributed to him. Its purpose was to show the Israelites how they could live in ritual and moral purity so that God could live among them and they could approach Him in worship.

One of the most important questions in life is “How may an unholy people approach a holy God?” In Leviticus we see God making gracious provision for His people to approach Him in worship. The way to God is by sacrifice and the walk with God is by separation. As Christians, we see that the sacrifices all point to the perfect sacrifice of Christ, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). There can be no fellowship between God and the sinner until sin has been dealt with; the only way is sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22).

Five offerings are described in Leviticus. They all in some way typify dimensions of the sacrifice of Christ:

1. Burnt Offering (Lev. 1): This is a total sacrifice where everything offered is totally consumed. Christ offered Himself unreservedly to God as a perfect sacrifice to God on our behalf. This comes first because no one begins with God until all has been yielded to Him. As the old hymn says, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee”. This is a voluntary offering.

2. The Grain Offering (Lev. 2): This is the sacrifice of daily devotion to God. Ass the burnt sacrifice typifies Christ in His death, so the grain offering typifies Christ in His life – we can feed on His life every day. Once we have committed all to God, we live daily for Him. Flour is the stuff “our daily bread” is made of, and we are to serve God every day with dedication. This, too, is a voluntary offering. This offering could be eaten, but only by the priest, not the worshiper. Much of our service is for the benefit of others, not ourselves.

3. Fellowship Offering (Lev. 3): In this sacrifice the Israelites would thank God for all of his blessings, beginning with salvation. Some of this sacrifice would be shared with the officiating priest and his family. The remainder of the sacrifice would be eaten by the worshiper with his family and friends, giving thanks to God. This offering depicts our fellowship with God and with one another because Christ our sacrifice is our peace (Ephesians 2:14) who has reconciled all things to Himself “by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:20).

4. The Sin Offering (Lev. 4-5): This shows us Christ on the cross in the sinner’s place. In the other offerings the offerer comes as a worshiper, but here as a convicted sinner. All the other sacrifices actually depend on this one – our sin must be removed before we can approach God.

5. The Guilt Offering (Lev. 5-6): While the sin offering atones for the state of sinfulness, the guilt offering is for specific acts of sin, intentional or unintentional, against God or man. Christ has taken care of these sins as well, but we must consciously admit our transgressions and avail ourselves of Christ’s sacrifice to make things right. The blood of the guilt offering cleanses the conscience and sends the trespasser back to the one he or she has wronged, not only with the principal but with the fifth part added. Part of our worship to God includes making things right when we have wronged others.

What a wonderful, multi-faceted blessing the sacrifice of Christ is for us! Leviticus gives us a wonderful, symbolic picture of how we can get right and stay right with our holy God in genuine worship.