Blessings for God’s Victory

Numbers 23:1-30 

    1 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”  2 And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a desolate height. 4 And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”  5 Then the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 6 So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab.  7 And he took up his oracle and said:

    “Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram,
    From the mountains of the east.
    ‘Come, curse Jacob for me,
    And come, denounce Israel!’

    8 “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
    And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?
    9 For from the top of the rocks I see him,
    And from the hills I behold him;
    There! A people dwelling alone,
    Not reckoning itself among the nations.

    10 “Who can count the dust of Jacob,
    Or number one-fourth of Israel?
    Let me die the death of the righteous,
    And let my end be like his!”

11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!”  12 So he answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak what the LORD has put in my mouth?”

    13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of them, and shall not see them all; curse them for me from there.” 14 So he brought him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.  15 And he said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.”  16 Then the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 17 So he came to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the LORD spoken?”

    18 Then he took up his oracle and said:
    “Rise up, Balak, and hear!
    Listen to me, son of Zippor!

    19 “God is not a man, that He should lie,
    Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
    Has He said, and will He not do?
    Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

    20 Behold, I have received a command to bless;
    He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
    21 “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob,
    Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel.
    The LORD his God is with him,
    And the shout of a King is among them.

    22 God brings them out of Egypt;
    He has strength like a wild ox.
    23 “For there is no sorcery against Jacob,
    Nor any divination against Israel.

    It now must be said of Jacob
    And of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’
    24 Look, a people rises like a lioness,
    And lifts itself up like a lion;
    It shall not lie down until it devours the prey,
    And drinks the blood of the slain.”

    25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!”  26 So Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘All that the LORD speaks, that I must do’?”  27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks the wasteland. 29 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar.

God gave words to Balaam’s tongue to speak.  Though Balak tried to use the prophet to bring victory, God’s victory was what the prophet had to utter with truth and authority.  He told the king that he could not curse whom God has not cursed or denounce whom He had not denounced.  God’s people were to have the victory by the Lord’s pronounced and predetermined will.  Instead of cursing, he abundantly blessed the people of the LORD.  Balak took him to another place, thinking that would make his will come true with a curse on Israel.  He was wrong.  God put a word in his mouth to remind the pagan ruler that God is true and cannot lie, He does not go back on His spoken will laid out in eternity, but will absolutely follow through on everything He said and says and will say (Numbers 23:19).  He will make good the blessings already pronounced on His people, and no effort of man can change that.  He delivers from bondage, gives victory, and is the only wise and sovereign King (1 Timothy 6:15, Jude 1:25).  The frustrated king then with exasperation told the man of God to neither bless nor curse, for he saw that God spoke and his wiles came to nothing against the Almighty through His servant’s lips.  This demonstrates certain blessings for God’s victory even when His enemies try to manipulate His spokesmen to gain the advantage.  He still thought to get God on his side by going to a third location, for he still did not really understand or accept defeat.  This would continue in the next chapter.  

Between a Donkey and an Angel

Numbers 22:22-41 

    22 Then God's anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the LORD took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall; so he struck her again. 26 Then the Angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam's anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
    28 Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”  29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!”  30 So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?”  And he said, “No.”
    31 Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. 33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”  34 And Balaam said to the Angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.”  35 Then the Angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
    36 Now when Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the border at the Arnon, the boundary of the territory. 37 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not earnestly send to you, calling for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?”  38 And Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you! Now, have I any power at all to say anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I must speak.” 39 So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kirjath Huzoth. 40 Then Balak offered oxen and sheep, and he sent some to Balaam and to the princes who were with him.  41 So it was, the next day, that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of Baal, that from there he might observe the extent of the people.

Balaam failed the test of heeding God’s clear command, for he went with Balak against God’s people when he was first told not to.  Therefore, the LORD sent His Angel to strike him down with the donkey he road on down the wrong path.  Blind to spiritual things, Balaam could not understand why the animal stopped going forward, and got very angry.  He whipped the poor animal to go back on that path until they were between two stone walls, hemmed in and headed for destruction.  When the beast laid down and was beaten more, God gave it a voice.  He spoke with the question of why Balaam was mistreating Him, and reminded Balaam that he had never done this to his owner before.  At that saying, the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes to the unseen realm where the Angel of the LORD was visible to him.  The Angel also asked why he beat the donkey.  He let him know that he’s always was perverse, twisted from God’s way, and stood in opposition to him to kill him were it not for the faithful beast carrying Balaam.  Knowing and confessing his sin, he offered to turn back, but the Angel of the LORD instead urged him on, yet with only the words given him to speak.  Balak was upset for the delay, bit Balaam made it clear he was only going to speak God’s words placed on his tongue.  They went and a sacrifice was made and they made their way to an idol worshipping place to prepare for a war against the people of the one true God.  We can learn from this example of what not to do, namely not to go along with a course opposed to God’s word and people.  We need to look to His word and Spirit to follow the clear path set before us with the cross behind and glory ahead.  This also reminds us that if we assume what is right contrary to God’s word and will, He can use the lowest to correct us toward repentance.  It is far better to all by faith with God’s guidance than by our own assessment of right and wrong as we follow the commands, examples, and principles in His scriptures.  We must learn to discern. 

Stand Firm in God’s Will

Numbers 22:1-21
    1 Then the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho. 2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. 4 So Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! 6 Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
    7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner's fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
    9 Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”  10 So Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.’ ”. 12 And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.”
    13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to give me permission to go with you.”  14 And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”  15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’ ”. 18 Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me.”
    20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” 21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

The lesson here is when God clearly commands someone like Balaam to not stand against His people, then the hearer should not waiver even when tempted.  God does not lie or tempt us to do what is opposed to His declared will.  Balaam seemed to understand that here when God first told Him, refusing to go with Balak to curse or oppose God’s chosen people.  In the end, however, God tested Balaam by telling him to go anyway, even though He had clearly already told him not to go.  He should have questioned what appeared to be leave to go, asking about God’s previous command.  We are sometimes tested (not tempted, for God tempts no one - James 1:13) to see where our loyalty of faith lies (2 Chronicles 16:9).  Do we stand firm on His words? 

Journeys and Victories

Numbers 21:10-35 

    10 Now the children of Israel moved on and camped in Oboth. 11 And they journeyed from Oboth and camped at Ije Abarim, in the wilderness which is east of Moab, toward the sunrise. 12 From there they moved and camped in the Valley of Zered. 13 From there they moved and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD:
   
    “Waheb in Suphah,
    The brooks of the Arnon,
    15 And the slope of the brooks
    That reaches to the dwelling of Ar,
    And lies on the border of Moab.”

16 From there they went to Beer, which is the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song:

    “Spring up, O well!
    All of you sing to it—
    18 The well the leaders sank,
    Dug by the nation's nobles,
    By the lawgiver, with their staves.”

And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth, in the valley that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah which looks down on the wasteland.
    21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into fields or vineyards; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the King's Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 Then Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon; for the border of the people of Ammon was fortified. 25 So Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore those who speak in proverbs say:

    “Come to Heshbon, let it be built;
    Let the city of Sihon be repaired.
    28 “For fire went out from Heshbon,
    A flame from the city of Sihon;
    It consumed Ar of Moab,
    The lords of the heights of the Arnon.
    29 Woe to you, Moab!
    You have perished, O people of Chemosh!
    He has given his sons as fugitives,
    And his daughters into captivity,
    To Sihon king of the Amorites.
    30 “But we have shot at them;
    Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon.
    Then we laid waste as far as Nophah,
    Which reaches to Medeba.”

31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 32 Then Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.   33 And they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. So Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.” 35 So they defeated him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left him; and they took possession of his land.

Israel continued on their journey towards the promised land, were de keper passage on the King’s Highway, and fought for victory against the Amorites.  They composed and sang songs of the victories, but did not directly attribute them to the LORD.  Nonetheless, they went on to another victory over Jazer given at God’s command.  They were told to not fear, but fight, being promised victory over their enemies, then taking the land for themselves.  We see a spiritual parallel in our leading by God’s Spirit in Christ for the gospel’s sake; we have victory (1 Corinthians 15:57, 1 John 5:4, Revelation 15:2), are told to fight the good fight without fear (1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7, Revelation 2:10, John 14:27).  We are to journey as in a race for a prize (1 Corinthians 9:26, Hebrews 12:1, Philippians 3:12-14), the prize of God’s Call in Christ to eternal life in His presence!  That is our promised country (Hebrews 11:16).  

Look to God’s Salvation and Live!

Numbers 21:1-9 

    1 The king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners. 2 So Israel made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.” 3 And the LORD listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called Hormah.
    4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6 So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
    7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
    8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

Israel had victory after vowing to do what they were told to do, to wipe out the idolatrous nations living in the land promised by God to His people.  But just a bit further on they again were discouraged and complained as the blamed God and His deliverer.  The LORD then sent poisonous snakes to kill many of them because of their lack of trust (faith) and obedience without complaining.  When again they came seeking forgiveness in order to be saved from certain death, God provided a simple solution which showed the root of their problem; He told Moses to make a fake snake, put it on a pole in the air, and told the people to merely look at it and be saved from death.  It was no magic or powerful talisman, but the act of trusting obedience was the answer.  By believing the simplicity of the way of their deliverance and responding by receiving that word from God as true and absolutely reliable, they would not die.  This example is given in John 3:14-15 of trusting the gospel of Christ’s work on a cursed tree (Galatians 3:13) which was a Roman cross, and looking at Him for deliverance from a certain spiritual death for eternity.  He was lifted up to die in the place of all He calls to Himself in order to pay the price, and by God-given trust (faith - Ephesians 2:1, 6, 8) we are saved from the serpent’s bite of rebellious sin at Eden which courses through the veins of every child of Adam and Eve who is born as we look to Him on that cross as promised.  Jesus is no serpent, but He defeated the serpent and took the place of the curse of disobedience to die the death we should suffer, promising a resurrection from death to life in both a new spiritual birth and a future glorification in body out of the grave as He demonstrated for us first (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, James:18)!  We therefore only need to look to God’s salvation and live.  As the serpent was raised so that His people would trust God, so we look to Christ on the cross for His work of salvation.  Trust and obey - there is no other way (Acts4:12).  

Denied Right of Ways

Numbers 20:14-29 

    14 Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. “Thus says your brother Israel: ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us, 15 how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. 16 When we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King's Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.’ ”
    18 Then Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.”  19 So the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.”  20 Then he said, “You shall not pass through.” So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.
    22 Now the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: 24 “Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; 26 and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there.” 27 So Moses did just as the LORD commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.

Here we see two denied right of way incidents.  The first was Edom not allowing Israel to pass through their land despite nearing witness to God’s deliverance and the people’s hardships along the way to His promised land.  This old feud between the brothers Jacob (Israel) and Esau (Edom) over the despised and sold birthright and only partially-resolved relationship passed to their descendants.  The descendants of Israel were not allowed to go that way, and God then added to the dismay by pronouncing that Aaron would now be denied the right of way into that promised country by death due to rebellion and contention against God at the incident of Meribah.  Aaron handed over his priestly clothing and gave them to his son, then went up on the mountain and died.  Israel would journey on a different way as God led.  We see the consequences of sin as well as the sovereign direction of God here.  Similar incidents from Acts show the sin and consequences of Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5:3, 5, 9-10), as well as Paul being denied the right of way (Acts 16:6-7) to Asia.  There is grace and forgiveness for sin, but there are also consequences which may deny the right of way to us. 

Consequences of Failing Faith

Numbers 20:1-13 

    1 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there. 2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them.
    7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him.
    10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
    12 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”  13 This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them.

Moses failed to believe and act in faith to follow God’s instruction to honor and glorify Him before His people.  He was angry because of the contention over his deliverance and wandering in the desert.  They seemed to forget God’s salvation from the harsh bondage of Egypt (Exodus 1:14, 2:23, Deuteronomy 6:12, 8:14) and that it was God who led them, not Moses.  They really were blaming the Lord, not His chosen leaders, and shamed His name.  They claimed to have rather died in punishment!  The LORD therefore instructed Moses to speak to a rock for water to come out, holding the rod of deliverance used through the Red Sea.  Moses took the rod to the rock as commanded, but his anger caused him to disbelief and disobedience by hitting the rock with the rod as if his effort and frustration would bring water instead of glorifying the one who gives water for life.  We can also work the gospel in our effort and even frustration of anger when others blame God for all the bad circumstances instead of seeing His working through those trying times.  Fortunately, we who are in Christ will not be denied entrance to the promised land in eternity as Moses was denied entering the earthly kingdom.  His grace is seen in His glory, and His glory is in His grace for all He calls with forgiveness and mercy.  Yet will He find faith when the final judgement is at hand (Luke 18:8)?  Let us then strive to honor our Deliverer by faithfully following all the gospel teaches us in order to hallow His name before all.  His word is life and godliness for us (2 Peter 1:3) to live by, and so must be followed as written.  We dare not do it our way as Moses did and earn wood, hay, and stubble only (1 Corinthians 3,12-15). 

Purification From Uncleanness

Numbers 19:1-22 

    1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. 3 You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him; 4 and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting. 5 Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned. 6 And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. 7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 9 Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them.
    11 “He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13 Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him.   14 “This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days; 15 and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. 16 Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
    17 “And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel. 18 A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave. 19 The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean. 
    20 ‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. 21 It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening. 22 Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’ ”

There were specific laws on how to identify and treat unclean people.  Those priests who shed blood and cleaned up the ashes of the sacrifices had to bathe and wash their clothes, waiting until evening to be considered clean again.  Touching a dead person had a seven day waiting period, most likely in case there was a disease passed which took time to manifest itself; God provided laws and regulations to protect His people who knew nothing of bacterial infections, and also to teach them holiness (to know God’s standards of sin and righteousness).  The very ashes of the sacrifices taken outside the camp were used to purify the ones who had been made unclean, along with running water and hyssop.  This reminds us of Christ sacrificed outside the city (Hebrews 13:11-12) who was offered hyssop (but with vinegar instead of water).  He makes His people clean by His sacrifice of blood as He suffered outside the camp, taking on our uncleanness.  The fact is that we are all born unclean and our sinful hearts only magnify the sin throughout our lives; we have a fallen sin nature which means we have all touched the unclean and remain so apart from Christ.  We are unclean and cut off from the assembly of saints until made clean forever by that one time eternal sacrifice, unless we reject Him by refusing to repent and believe His sacrificial work (Hebrews 10:26).  We who are called to Him are mercifully given grace to see and believe (John 6:29, 44)! 

Tithe Inheritance

Numbers 18:21-32 

    21 “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 22 Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. 23 But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ ”
    25 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, a tenth of the tithe. 27 And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress. 28 Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the LORD from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the LORD'S heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. 29 Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the LORD, from all the best of them, the consecrated part of them.’ 30 Therefore you shall say to them: ‘When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. 31 You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting. 32 And you shall bear no sin because of it, when you have lifted up the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy gifts of the children of Israel, lest you die.’ ”

The Levitical priests received ten percent of Israel’s possessions as their inheritance, for they had no other inheritance of land as the other tribes of God’s people.  Yet these Levites still had to give a tenth of that tenth to God’s work in offerings, and that from the best of what they had received.  They were not to keep the best for themselves, nor hold back giving what they had been given.  We are now to minister the gifts we have been given to others as to God (1 Peter 4:10), giving from what riches we have been entrusted with, the gospel. We are also to give to those in need as well as those who serve the church with the gospel.  Above all, the pattern and example of the tithe to and from the priesthood applies similarly to us as priests to our God in all we have, giving back to Him.  But we are not to “profane the holy gifts” as the warning is given here, but use all lawfully for His work and glory. 

Priests, Provision, and Devotion

Numbers 18:1-20 

    1 Then the LORD said to Aaron: “You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear the iniquity related to the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood. 2 Also bring with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you while you and your sons are with you before the tabernacle of witness. 3 They shall attend to your needs and all the needs of the tabernacle; but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, lest they die—they and you also. 4 They shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle; but an outsider shall not come near you. 5 And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, that there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel. 6 Behold, I Myself have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; they are a gift to you, given by the LORD, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 7 Therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.” Offerings for Support of the Priests
    8 And the LORD spoke to Aaron: “Here, I Myself have also given you charge of My heave offerings, all the holy gifts of the children of Israel; I have given them as a portion to you and your sons, as an ordinance forever. 9 This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering and every sin offering and every trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons. 10 In a most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you.  11 “This also is yours: the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.  12 “All the best of the oil, all the best of the new wine and the grain, their firstfruits which they offer to the LORD, I have given them to you. 13 Whatever first ripe fruit is in their land, which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
    14 “Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.
    15 “Everything that first opens the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the LORD, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16 And those redeemed of the devoted things you shall redeem when one month old, according to your valuation, for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17 But the firstborn of a cow, the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the LORD. 18 And their flesh shall be yours, just as the wave breast and the right thigh are yours.  19 “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD with you and your descendants with you.”
    20 Then the LORD said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

This passage looks at the priests and their provision with their duties in service of the Lord in His temple.  The Aaronic priesthood was to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary and priesthood, that is, the intercession for sins by offering sacrifices.  Their provision was what was not consumed in the fire of the offerings, given as their inheritance in place of land as the other children of God’s people had.  God Himself was the priest’s provision, but they had the various parts of the sacrifices as well since they bore the weight of the sins for the people.  This is similar to those who serve God’s people in Christ now, living from the offerings and bearing the weight of the gospel ministry (1 Corinthians 9:13-14).  The priests of Aaron were told that every devoted thing is Israel was theirs; we have everything in Christ now, devoting ourselves to Him and His work (Luke 17:10) as we are called to do.  We are each devoted in purity and holiness as living sacrifices to minister the gospel, and those who serve as elders and pastors are doubly worthy and responsible (1 Timothy 5:17) in serving others with His word and work in the burdens of life.  Our inheritance then is eternal in the heavens, not in kingdoms around us now (1 Peter 1:3-4, Romans 12:1-2), for all who are in Christ are His priests (Revelation 1:6, 5:10).  Let us then minister as we are called, devoted to Him. 

Testimony Bringing Life from Death

Numbers 17:1-13 

    1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father's house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man's name on his rod. 3 And you shall write Aaron's name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father's house. 4 Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you.” 6 So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 7 And Moses placed the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.
    8 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.
    10 And the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Aaron's rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; just as the LORD had commanded him, so he did.
    12 So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! 13 Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD must die. Shall we all utterly die?”

To stop the complaints against God’s chosen leaders, He had all the heads of the twelve families write their names on sticks and pit them in the tabernacle along with the stick of God’s man, Aaron.  The Lord would make the dead stick of His chosen vessel bring forth life in the form of flowering buds to show it by His power what was impossible by man or nature.  However, the Lord went over and above mere budding of a rod; He made Aaron’s stick not only blossom overnight, but also produce almonds!  This rod was kept as a testimony against the rebellious and put into the ark eventually as an ongoing reminder of complaining against God’s choosing who He will, and that He had the right and power to stop the rebellious with death or life.  Here it was life instead of death.  He could have put the disbelieving and disobedient to death, but brought life through an intercessor, Aaron, with the sign of a blooming dead stick instead.  Only then did the people fear God and His judgement when they faced life when death was deserved.  We who are brought to Christ also face certain judgement to death for our rebellion against our Lord God by our sin and it’s nature within, yet are shown life in His death which atones and intercedes for us from within the veil of God’s presence and merciful grace.  Let us therefore serve Him with reverence and godly fear (Hebrews 12:28), knowing what we deserve for our complaining rebellion against His word and will. 

Complaining, Blaming, and Atonement

Numbers 16:41-50 

    41 On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.” 42 Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting.
    44 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces.
    46 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD. The plague has begun.” 47 Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped. 49 Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident. 50 So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped.

The day after the children of Israel rebelled and suffered the consequences, they blamed the leaders for killing the people whom God had executed judgement upon.  As the mob approached Moses and Aaron, the LORD covered the tabernacle with the cloud of His presence.  They saw God’s glory as He told Moses and Aaron to stand clear of the congregation about to be consumed by plague.  They fell prostrate on the ground as they heard this, and immediately offered incense as with prayer in Revelation 8:3-4.  Moses stood to intercede with atonement before they were all consumed; he stood between the dead and the living.  Fourteen thousand and seven hundred died in that plague by that time he interceded.  Then Aaron returned to the tabernacle to do his duty there.  We see how our sin demands judgement, but also how atonement can save us.  Jesus Christ is the one who is our eternal High Priest who alone can intercede forever for us.  We are saved from sin’s just due by Him alone. 

Rebellion and Recompense

Numbers 16:1-40 

    1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; 2 and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. 3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?” 4 So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face; 5 and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him. 6 Do this: Take censers, Korah and all your company; 7 put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses is the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!”  8 Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9 Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; 10 and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? 11 Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?”
    12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up! 13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like a prince over us? 14 Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!”  15 Then Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them.”  16 And Moses said to Korah, “Tomorrow, you and all your company be present before the LORD—you and they, as well as Aaron. 17 Let each take his censer and put incense in it, and each of you bring his censer before the LORD, two hundred and fifty censers; both you and Aaron, each with his censer.” 18 So every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of meeting with Moses and Aaron. 19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.
    20 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”  22 Then they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the congregation?”  23 So the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’ ”  25 Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.” 27 So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children.
    28 And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. 29 If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. 30 But if the LORD creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the LORD.”
    31 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. 33 So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. 34 Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also!”  35 And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.
    36 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 37 “Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to pick up the censers out of the blaze, for they are holy, and scatter the fire some distance away. 38 The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the LORD, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel.” 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned up had presented, and they were hammered out as a covering on the altar, 40 to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the LORD, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the LORD had said to him through Moses.

The rebellion by those of Korah against God’s appointed ones began with calling all the people holy and accusations against Moses and Aaron.  They accused Aaron and Moses of pridefully making themselves more important and powerful over the people, forgetting that God had called them and put them in those positions as shepherd leaders.  Others joined in, refusing to come to Moses when called and accusing them of not reaching the promised land quickly enough for them.  Moses was given the solution by God’s own hand, one of swift judgement on the rebellious.  The earth opened as an earthquake and they fell into the long pit to stop their complaining.  Then it closed back over them and all they owned.  The others who presumed to offer incense their own way to worship and appease God contrary to His appointment ran away in fear and screaming, but were burned alive just as the strange fire they were offering up.  These sinned against their own souls as it is written here.  The remaining incense censers were made into a memorial to remind others in the future who would rebel against God’s appointed authorities and commands.  Even now many choose to rebel against His word and refuse to submit to the authority of the gospel of God’s word in Jesus the Christ.  They despise authorities (2 Peter 2:10) and continue in the cosmic rebellion of sin rather than submit to His authority.  There will be an end aftermath of a burning pit for those refusing to turn, yet God now waits to offer the chance to repent and obey the gospel by accepting the truth and believing His word (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Peter 4:17).  This is the work to be done (John 6:29), that we believe His word and live accordingly.

Sin, Sabbath, and Reminders

Numbers 15:22-41 

    22 “If you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments which the LORD has spoken to Moses— 23 all that the LORD has commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day the LORD gave commandment and onward throughout your generations— 24 then it will be, if it is unintentionally committed, without the knowledge of the congregation, that the whole congregation shall offer one young bull as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one kid of the goats as a sin offering. 25 So the priest shall make atonement for the whole congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, for it was unintentional; they shall bring their offering, an offering made by fire to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their unintended sin. 26 It shall be forgiven the whole congregation of the children of Israel and the stranger who dwells among them, because all the people did it unintentionally.   27 “And if a person sins unintentionally, then he shall bring a female goat in its first year as a sin offering. 28 So the priest shall make atonement for the person who sins unintentionally, when he sins unintentionally before the LORD, to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. 29 You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwells among them.
    30 ‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.’ ”
    32 Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. 34 They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him.  35 Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 So, as the LORD commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died.
    37 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 38 “Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. 39 And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, 40 and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. 41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.”

The remainder of this chapter speaks of the consequences of sinning unintentionally or presumptuously (intentionally), of breaking the sabbath, and of setting reminders to look to God’s commands of His word and not forget to obey because of the consequences of sin which is so easy to slide into.  When sinning without actively seeking and planning to do so, there was atonement by sacrifice to cover the disobedience to the Lord with the death of animals and their blood.  But planning and choosing to sin resulted in disbarment and excommunication from His people, for the perpetrator did the deed against Him and His people, which is rebellion and hatred of the Lord’s word and will.  He had to bear his own guilt with no sacrifice to cover him.  Breaking the sabbath, however, resulted in death.  It is interesting that Christ’s sacrifice now eternally covers all our sin by His death and its blood, and that He says the sabbath is made to serve man, not man to serve the sabbath or be punished (Mark 2:27).  We find our rest in Him who created and re-created us (Hebrews 4:9-10, 2 Corinthians 5:17).  The Israelites hung tassels on their robes to remind themselves of God’s word commanded to them lest they fall into sin’s deceitfulness, whole we have His word explained more completely, His Spirit in us, and each other to remind of sin and how it easily misleads us (Hebrews 3:13).  We have then forgiveness in Christ by His sacrifice and find rest knowing we have peace with Him (Romans 5:1) and through Him as He works in us by His righteousness and will (Philippians 2:12-13) according to His word.

Grain and Drink Offerings

Numbers 15:1-21 

    1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving to you, 3 and you make an offering by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering or in your appointed feasts, to make a sweet aroma to the LORD, from the herd or the flock, 4 then he who presents his offering to the LORD shall bring a grain offering of one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of oil; 5 and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering you shall prepare with the burnt offering or the sacrifice, for each lamb. 6 Or for a ram you shall prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-third of a hin of oil; 7 and as a drink offering you shall offer one-third of a hin of wine as a sweet aroma to the LORD. 8 And when you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering, or as a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or as a peace offering to the LORD, 9 then shall be offered with the young bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil; 10 and you shall bring as the drink offering half a hin of wine as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD. 11 ‘Thus it shall be done for each young bull, for each ram, or for each lamb or young goat. 12 According to the number that you prepare, so you shall do with everyone according to their number. 13 All who are native-born shall do these things in this manner, in presenting an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD. 14 And if a stranger dwells with you, or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would present an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD, just as you do, so shall he do. 15 One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. 16 One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you.’ ”
    17 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land to which I bring you, 19 then it will be, when you eat of the bread of the land, that you shall offer up a heave offering to the LORD. 20 You shall offer up a cake of the first of your ground meal as a heave offering; as a heave offering of the threshing floor, so shall you offer it up. 21 Of the first of your ground meal you shall give to the LORD a heave offering throughout your generations.

Laws for grain and drink offerings are explained here, this time for when they enter the promised land.  These were after a burnt offering or a sacrifice for sin, and were to show gratefulness for the atonement for their sin by the Lord their God.  That is the way to show gratitude for the promises of the new land as well as forgiveness for trespasses against the Holy One.  They were to offer up from the produce of the land as well, again showing thanksgiving.  We must always be thankful for our atonement of saving grace in Christ even more as living sacrifices!

The Wages of Sin

Numbers 14:26-45

    26 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. 28 Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: 29 The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. 30 Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. 31 But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. 32 But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. 35 I the LORD have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ ”
    36 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, 37 those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.
    39 Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!”  41 And Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. 42 Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.”  44 But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah.

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  The Israelites had rejected God’s promise of His ever faithful and true word by lying about the promised land out of fear, and refused to fight the necessary battles to enter into it.  They could not see that it was the Lord who fought the battles, not them, and He who would give the victory as promised.  It was a serious lack of faith with severe repercussions.  They were forbidden to enter the land after their disbelief of sinful rejection.  Their punishment was one year of wandering about in the desert for each day that they were spying out the land they gave the intentionally bad report on.  When they later desired to go in anyway after the sentence was pronounced, they were warned not to. They did anyway and were severely defeated.  We must not be as these who drew back in disbelief, but join those in trust to obey on God’s terms according to His word - the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He fought the battle to conquer sin and death for us, something we could never accomplish (Romans 5:12-13, 8:2).  We enter into paradise which is the kingdom of God through His son and not our efforts to be perfect or pleasing by fighting on our terms.  He alone is the way to God, the truth of all promises, and life which never ends in His presence.  Let us enter (Hebrews 4:11) in obedience to that gospel. 

Rejection of God and Intercession

Numbers 14:1-25 

    1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.” 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
    6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”  10 And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.
    11 Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
    13 And Moses said to the LORD: “Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’ 17 And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, 18 ‘The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’ 19 Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”
    20 Then the LORD said: “I have pardoned, according to your word; 21 but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD— 22 because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, 23 they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. 24 But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. 25 Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.”

The people complained of their circumstances and blamed the Lord for deliverance from the bondage of Egypt.  How could they do this?!  They feared the battles ahead, not trusting God’s word of promise to deliver them with His victory and strength; they imagined that they had to do it in their own ability, which of course they knew was lacking.  They were ready to pick another leader and return to where they had been whipped and mistreated as slaves, not where they had the blessings of the Pharaoh of Joseph’s time.  They were looking for comfort and lacked faith for the future land prepared and promised where God was leading them.  Joshua and Caleb tried to intervene, telling how good the land was despite the slanderous report of the others.  These warned of the sinful rebellion and disbelief by encouraging Israel to trust God and persevere, but their words fell on hard hearts and deaf ears.  God’s glory appeared over the tabernacle as the Lord spoke to Moses of their sin and wanted to smite them all and start over with faithful Moses, yet Moses was focused on His honor and spoke of God’s name before the other nations who would then not glorify Him if their deliverance and His promise was for naught.  The Lord’s long suffering grace and abundant mercy were at stake in their eyes.  Moses interceded.  God heard.  He forgave His wayward sons and daughters, but promised none of these would ever see the promised land because of their rejection of Him.  But He also promised to fill the earth with His glory (Habakkuk 2:14) through His deeds among the people before the world.  Then they moved on.  We can learn from this history of rebellion what to do instead, that is, to trust God in all circumstances (Philippians 4:12) and to fight the good fight (Joshua 10:25, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7) based on that unwavering faith in His promises and work according to God’s Word.  For we have an intercessor in the heavens ever pleading our case, Jesus Christ the Son of God.  Amen.

Fearful Spies of Bad Report

Numbers 13:1-33

    1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.” 3 So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4 Now these were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; 5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; 6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; 8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun; 9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 11 from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; 12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.  16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.
    17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
    21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.
    26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”
    30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”  31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

The spies sent as advance scouts for Israel into the promised land God prepared for them were not loyal to God, Moses, or their own people.  Leaders from each familial tribe were handpicked and told to be of good courage on the possibly perilous mission.  They were to get the lay of the land and numbers of the opposing forces, and to bring back some fruit of the land to taste it for themselves.  After forty days, they returned with grapes, pomegranates, and figs, but were less than courageous.  Their fear of the opposition outweighed their faith in God for victory and faithfulness in their report as a testimony to their unbelief.  It was a land of milk and honey as promised, but they focused on the giants and armies instead.  But Joshua and Caleb reported otherwise; Caleb urged Moses to push the people forward and take what God provided as promised.  He believed and trusted the Lord above what his eyes could be made to see by a mind of doubt and despair and a fear to engage in the battle.  The other spies gave a bad report by exaggerating the opponents; they said they were overwhelmingly large and powerful, and that God’s people had no chance.  These fearful spies won over the majority by fear through lies, while Caleb and Joshua tried to remind them that God gives victory as promised.  Even now there are those facing battles for truth and righteousness in the church where compromise and fear of the multitudes and their bad report of victory in Christ is put down.  We have the truth of the gospel of Christ and His word for victory; Why then believe those who misrepresent and mislead from it (1 Corinthians 15:57-58)?  Let us not join those those who fear men and conflict over engaging in obtaining the prize. 

Discrimination, Pride, and God’s Wrath

Numbers 12:1-16 

    1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said,

    “Hear now My words:
    If there is a prophet among you,
    I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision;
    I speak to him in a dream.
    7 Not so with My servant Moses;
    He is faithful in all My house.
    8 I speak with him face to face,
    Even plainly, and not in dark sayings;
    And he sees the form of the LORD.
    Why then were you not afraid
    To speak against My servant Moses?”

    9 So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother's womb!”  13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!”  14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.” 15 So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again. 16 And afterward the people moved from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

Here is an example of how discriminating judgement out of pride earns God’s wrath on that sin, and how faithful and humble obedience is the answer.  The brother and sister of Moses looked down on his foreign wife from Ethiopia, but the humble Moses did not defend himself from their sinful behavior.  Instead, God Himself spoke up for him and called them out.  He reminded them that He was the one who calls and enables a prophet, that Moses was faithful and spoke face to face with Him, and that they therefore should be quite fearful to challenge God’s man in these things.  God’s wrath made Miriam suddenly break out in leprosy as the cloud lifted off the tabernacle of meeting, but not Aaron.  Perhaps she started the discriminatory accusations initially, perhaps Aaron as priest was simply spared; we do not know, but do see Aaron pleading for his sister and confessing their foolishness of sin.  Moses interceded and the LORD relented from permanent judgement.  He compared her insults with those of a man’s daughter who spits in his face, and let her remain leprous for a week to consider her sinful attitudes and actions as the consequence.  When she was allowed back into the camp of His people, they then moved on.  We learn how the evil of pride and discrimination deserve the anger of God, how blaspheming God’s servants has consequences, and how merciful the LORD God is to teach us while showing grace and mercy when we so sin.  This example should sober us to treat others in love and equality, and to honor those who serve Him (1 Timothy 5:17-19, 1 Peter 5:5).