Week 9 - Numbers 1-15

This week we continue on with the story of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness but this time in the book of Numbers.

Numbers 1-2

This book is so named because the people are numbered twice, with a

census 2 years after leaving Egypt, and then a second one just before entering

the Promised Land. This was a counting of the men who were 20 years and

older, who were eligible to fight in the army, which totaled 603,550, not including

the Levites (who served God and His Tabernacle).

Chapter 2 lists the camping order of the tribes, with the Levites and the

Tabernacle of meeting located at the center, and three tribes lined up to the east

(186,400), three tribes to the south (151,450), three tribes to the west (108,100),

and three tribes to the north (157,600).

If you were to fly over this camp from the rising sun (the east), you would see

this multitude encamped, somewhat like the shape of the cross lying on the

ground, with the Presence of God at the central junction point.

Numbers 3-4

The Levites, and his descendant families are numbered, with all the

responsibilities of each family detailed in regards to their service to God with the

Tabernacle, and their various priestly duties.

Numbers 5-6

These chapters focus on the sanctity of vows before God. It includes

instructions for the priests in determining the truth regarding alleged marital

infidelity. It also outlines the vow of the Nazirite, which speaks of a person who

has totally dedicated themselves to God, whether it is for life, or for a set period

of time.

Numbers 7

Each tribe brings an offering for the dedication and service of the Tabernacle,

given over the course of 12 days, and presented to the Lord in the same order

that the tribes camped, as listed in chapter 2.

Numbers 8-10

Chapter 8 - All the Levites are sanctified for service to the Lord, and they are

called out as a tribe in belonging to God, in substitution for every firstborn male

throughout Israel.

Chapter 9 - Israel celebrates the first Passover after leaving Egypt. The

nation camps or moves, based upon the presence of God on the Tabernacle of

meeting. When His presence rises above the Tabernacle, they break camp and

follow where He leads, and when His presence rests upon the Tabernacle they

stay encamped where they are.

Chapter 10 - A pair of silver trumpets are crafted for communicating

messages to the tribes, and the leaders of the tribes. The presence of the Lord

rises up, the nation breaks camp, and the tribes follow the cloud of the Lord in

departing from Sinai, and in traveling towards the promised land

Numbers 11-13

These are chapters of discontent, grumbling, and complaining against God.

The people complain against God and Moses for lack of meat, and God sends

them quail beyond measure, so that they become utterly repulsed by it. Moses

complains to God for making him responsible for such a contentious people.

Then, God brings them to the land of Canaan, and the 12 spies bring back a

report of great wealth and fruit in the land, but ten of them also report about the

fearsome and mighty inhabitants, and they cause the whole nation to rebel

against God, and refuse to go in to the land that God wanted to take them into,

which had been promised as an inheritance to Abraham’s descendants forever.

Numbers 14-15

The multitude of the people rebelled against God and Moses, and in spite of

the pleading of Joshua and Caleb, they refused to go into the land God had led

them to. It’s an incredible thing to contemplate all of the miracles God had done

in the sight of these people, not only in rescuing them out of slavery to Egypt,

and taking them through the Red Sea, but in many miraculous ways the previous

year. Yet they were blind to the love and power of God, and so God condemned

all of the adults to die in the wilderness before their children would be taken into

the promised land. This would be accomplished over the next 38+ years, while

God continued to lead and provide for them. Why do you think God took 40

years to let those rebellious and ungrateful people gradually die off, rather than

just striking them all dead in judgement, and then taking the children in at that

time?