Numbers 4-5
Numbers 4
What I find interesting in all of this is the
amount of organization the Lord put into founding the nation. Especially
because of His holiness, and also because He was making a symbolic point
regarding approaching Him, God took great care in putting the worship and
logistics of marching and moving and packing up, etc., into a form that the
people could follow.
Often they say in leadership to give people
responsibility but not to prescribe how they have to get the job done. More
often than not, people need direction at the beginning of anything, and slowly
they become competent and independent. God is creating a nation here, so He is
giving very specific detail in very important things.
Take note of what each of the four groups
were to do. This will become more interesting when the Lord gives them their
order of marching. If you made a chart with the tabernacle in the middle and
the tribes around it, it will make sense later.
Vs. 1-20 The sons of Kohath had a great honor
and great danger. What is interesting is that Aaron and his sons went in first
and prepared everything in the Holy Place and packed it and covered it, until
it was just goatskins and poles. Then, when everything was properly concealed,
they called the sons of Kohath. If they touched or even saw any of the
furniture of the holy places, they died. Aaron and his sons had the
responsibility to protect them.
Isn't it cool that the Levites could
"retire" at 50? Actually, it didn't mean that those younger or older
couldn't help in other ways, but those people who were 30-50 carried the
tabernacle and its parts.
As a very real object lesson, God underscores
His holiness by forbidding the people to even look upon the items in the Holy
Place and Holy of Holies that represent His presence and His provision to them.
In 1 and 2 Samuel 6 (what a coincidence that in both books it's in chapter 6),
we'll see what happens when well-intentioned people disregard God's holiness
and commands regarding the ark of the covenant. All of these restrictions would
also look forward to the time when the veil would be torn, and we, as disciples
of our Lord, could stand before His throne and know His grace.
Vs. 21-28 The sons of Gershon took down all
of the hanging skins and coverings. These were not wool blankets. The panels that
made up the tabernacle and the outer court were all animal skins and probably
had some weight to them.
Vs. 29-33 The sons of Merari transported the
framework for everything.
Vs. 34-49 Notice that v. 47 specifies that
this age grouping was for bearing burdens. As I read this I'm impressed with
the detail and planning God put into this. We like spontaneity in worship, but
God also likes things to be done decently and in order. Discipline in following
Christ has fallen on hard times too; but I think you could make a symbolic
point from how God ordered the life and worship of Israel, that to follow
Christ in the harvest, we do it better if we have discipline and structure.
Numbers 5
Vs. 1-4 Now we are easing back into laws for
governing the nation of Israel. Since, for the first time, the "camp"
has now been defined, they were to enact the regulations for lepers and those
who were unclean. There was to be some area of housing, "outside the
camp," where those who were defiled could stay. Notice, particularly with
the lepers, they didn't send them away. They had to remain outside the
"city limits," but were still a part of Israel. Remember, this
emphasis on uncleanness was symbolic in the community of Israel for their need
to remain ready for the worship and service of God.
Vs. 5-10 This is a slant on a law we saw earlier in
Leviticus, when a person realized they had done something wrong and restitution
had to be made restoring money or livestock. This has a very important
connection to worship and keeping the worship of God pure. This is similar in
spirit to what Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 5:23-24, So if you are offering your gift at the
altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave
your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother,
and then come and offer your gift. God is not excited about worship from
those who have hurt others without making up and making restitution.
In the case of needing to make restitution
but the person was dead and had no family, they still had to make restitution.
It would be given to God, specifically to the priest. No statute of limitations
here. This would be used for the financial provision for the priests.
Vs. 11-31 Well, this is a strange one. The
general idea is that if a man were overcome by the spirit of jealousy, he was to go to the priest and there would
be a supernatural way of figuring out if his wife had been unfaithful. The
entire thing was spiritually instigated. It seems that God is singling out the
adulterous woman and not the man; but if a woman was caught, the man she
committed adultery with would also be caught. There was a law for dealing with
adulterers. This provision deals with the detection of marital defilement; and
it works off the idea that the man, being the head of the family, would be
roused by this supernatural impulse.
Whatever it was that would happen to the
woman was awful and also visual. It wasn't a "scarlet letter," but
instead a life-long disability that would not look very appealing. It would be
a visual warning to the entire people not to be unfaithful, either to each
other, or to God. God identifies Himself as jealous for Israel. Just as a note,
later in Numbers, the people will be enticed to worship Baal sexually. At the
end of Joshua (22:17), Phinehas mentions that there was still evidence of that
sin among the people. That suggests to me, that God allowed some physical
disability to be associated with that sin to keep it as a warning before the
people.
Don't ask me why I think v. 28 is funny. So
what if you're an innocent 50-year-old woman. As a result of your husband's
jealousy and this ritual, you're going to be rewarded! And get pregnant!
I'm not sure what your impressions and
observations will be, but I'll make a couple of general ones.
First, note the large amount of text and
attention given to this. It must have been important.
Second, to take it to the priest, once they
were in the land, meant a "road trip." So this was a serious thing
and this was the only valid way to work through this sort of a problem. The man
had to do the right thing and take her to the tabernacle to the priest.
Along with this issue, the people were to
take all severe matters to the priest, because he carried the Urim and Thummim
as a way of finding the will of God.
Third, inherent in this entire law, was the
symbol of God being the husband and Israel being His wife. What is clear in
this law is that any unfaithfulness will be found out and punishment will
follow. When God says that He is a jealous God, it brings the symbol of
marriage to mind.
As disciples it is easy to slip and pursue
all sorts of things besides our Lord and His will in the harvest. God
understands; but staying close to Christ, in His Word, in the company of other
disciples, helps us to stay focused and faithful to the One who loves us and
commissions us to share His love.
Mark 12:18-37
Vs. 18-27 We know this story. The Sadducees
didn't believe in the resurrection and were trying to get Jesus to give some
answer they could ridicule. Oddly enough, most of the priests were Sadducees.
Apparently this question had worked well with the scribes and Pharisees, making
them look foolish in the eyes of the public. This was a question like,
"how many angels can stand on the head of a pin?" To even answer this
question made you look silly.
V. 25 So Jesus gave them new information that
showed their lack of understanding of the Scripture and of the spiritual life
after death. All of this made perfect sense, and in the sight of the people the
Sadducees were reeling from this unexpected insight and answer.
Vs. 26-27 Here was the knock-out. Not only
didn't they know the power of God; but again, in a very simple and obvious
text, they showed that they didn't know the Scriptures. The interesting thing
with this illustration is that the Sadducees argued about the interpretation of
the law. The story Jesus used was about Moses, but it was about him before the
law was given and it taught theology. The Sadducees weren't expecting this
passage of Scripture or what it taught.
What stands out to me is that they knew neither the Scriptures nor the power of
God. How many Christians is this true of? When Jesus said they didn't know
the Scriptures, He wasn't saying they didn't know any of it, but they didn't
have the relationship with God that made sense of it all and that makes the
Word alive and unified. So many Christians don't know enough of the Bible to
get beneath the surface and find the living pulse of God, much less be led by
the Spirit through the day. Many others know the verses, but there is no love
of Christ that makes the Word a light for their lives and to a lost world.
So where do we need to see the power of God?
If it is not in the harvest, seeing the lost saved and becoming fully devoted
followers of Christ, I'm afraid all we're looking for is a carnival show or a
"feel good" experience, like the people mentioned in Matthew 7:21-29.
Vs. 28-34 Although Luke (Luke 20:39) alludes
to this scribe, Mark gives us "the rest of the story." It shows that
there were some men of spiritual understanding who had open hearts. This scribe
was moved by the wisdom and understanding of Jesus' answer. Although the
scribes were mostly Pharisees, this man's interest went beyond the political,
and he was truly spiritually motivated.
Vs. 29-31 Jesus is putting Deuteronomy 6:4-5
together with Leviticus 19:18. The two commandments are really a summary of the
Ten Commandments. The first four have to do with God and the last six with our
neighbor. Paul uses this teaching in Romans, saying that love your neighbor fulfills the law.
V. 34 The sincerity and truth of this
encounter stopped the conflict. The opponents of Jesus were humiliated, and
when they saw that Jesus actually complimented the scribe, they had nothing
more to say.
Vs. 35-37 Generally, the common people
understood that the title, the son of
David, referred to the Messiah. The leaders seem to have reduced this
understanding to the Messiah being "only" the son of David. They
apparently felt that David was superior to the Messiah.
Notice again how Jesus shows in a very clear
insightful passage of Scripture that the Messiah was God and superior to all,
and that the leaders didn't understand the Scripture at all. Notice too that
the people rejoiced in this clear teaching.
As we follow the Lord in the harvest,
teaching His Word, we need to follow His example. We need to know the
Scriptures so well that we can simply and clearly show people the power of God
and the truth of His Word.
Psalm 48
(Another of the psalms of the sons of Korah)
None of us likes hard times. I really, really
don't like them. But think of this. If it is true that they wrote in and around
the dangerous and stressful times of the Assyrian threat to Jerusalem under
Hezekiah, look at the praise that came out of that dark time. Even the psalms
of David reflect the joy and wonder of being delivered by God from threat,
danger and death.
You can understand that this kind of great
deliverance not only was an amazing thing to Jerusalem, but if the Assyrian
army just lost 185,000 men, especially during a time they were making a play to
become the world empire of the day, all other nations would not only notice,
but they would be afraid to approach Jerusalem, even for a visit. Israel was in
the news all over that world. When the ambassadors from Babylon visited
Hezekiah after his illness in 2 Kings 20, I'm sure they approached Jerusalem
with awe. You can sense some of this awe of the nations in this psalm.
Imagine what God will produce in us if we are
in the harvest with Christ, battling for the souls of the lost, ourselves in
danger, following in faith, relying on God, living to bring Him glory by
bearing much fruit and so proving to be disciples of our Lord.
Vs. 1-3 Since the ridicule of the Assyrians
was brought to the gates of Jerusalem, Zion is being exalted as the throne of
God and the city of God.
Vs. 4-8 In
the city of the Lord of Hosts, all remained calm; but the kings who came
against Israel were all humbled.
Vs. 9-11 God's steadfast love was promised to Abraham, that through Israel all the
nations of the world would look toward Israel to be blessed.
Proverbs 10:26
And let them also be tested
first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. (1 Tim.
3:10) The words in 1 Timothy make a good application to this proverb.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year
Bible, click on this link http://oneyearbibleonline.com/weekly-one-year-readings/?version=47&startmmdd=0101. This version is set
to the ESV but you can reset this to a different version or different language.
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are
following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple,
following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship
culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging
each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make
disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here
or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some
explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My
comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on
Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups
will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with
and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the
harvest.
If you would like a complete description of this model
of being and making disciples you can find it in my book: Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is
still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's
keyed to the NIV, so the result is the commentators are constantly telling you
what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in
fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is
encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the
comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding,
that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only
to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it. Send
comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like documents containing an entire month
of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download
these to use on your computer or to print.
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