In the wilderness. Studies 1-4. Numbers

In the wilderness Studies 1-4 Numbers April 2016

A. WHY BOTHER WITH NUMBERS? 1 INTRODUCTION Which Bible book are Christians most likely to give up on before they get to the end? Actually, I don t know the answer to that, but if someone were to do the survey, I suspect Numbers would rank fairly high up the list! Just the book s name is enough to turn many people away. However, Numbers is, without question, a very important Biblical book. It constitutes one fifth of the Torah, or the Law of Moses, which is the foundational revelation on which the ancient nation of Israel was built and the purposes of God for the world were established. It also contains numerous events and themes which give us important background for understanding the ministry of Jesus Christ and his church. Perhaps most famous among these is the account of Israel s rebellion when they first reached the Promised Land (Numbers 14) a rebellion that resulted in the nation having to wander in the wilderness for 40 extra years before they could finally enter their inheritance. It is this event that is in view, for example, in the Gospel accounts of Jesus testing by Satan in the wilderness for 40 days (a test that Jesus passed with flying colours, thereby proving himself to be the true Israel; see Luke 4:1 13), and in the New Testament warnings directed towards Christians who are tempted to abandon their faith in Christ (see 1 Corinthians 10:1 11; Hebrews 3:7 4:13; Jude 5). The title we give to the book, Numbers, comes from the name given to it in the Greek translation of the Old Testament made a couple of centuries before Christ. However, the name the Jews gave to this book is much more helpful for understanding how it fits into the history of God s dealings with the world: In the wilderness. This is a book about God s people outside the Promised Land, struggling with the constant temptation to doubt him and to turn away from him. It is a book that Christians living on this wilderness side of glory can well relate to! B. WHERE NUMBERS FITS IN THE TORAH As already mentioned, Numbers constitutes one fifth of the Torah. The Torah (the Law of Moses) stretches from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Deuteronomy five books in total, of which Numbers is the fourth. These five books together tell the story of God s people from the creation of the world to Israel s arrival at the edge of the Promised Land. This is how each of the books of the Law contributes to that big story: 1. Genesis traces the history of Israel from the creation of the world through the fall of humanity into sin, to God s choosing of Abraham, and the settlement of Abraham s great grandchildren and their families in Egypt as a pocket sized nation. 2. Exodus jumps forward 400 years to find the by now large nation of Israel suffering in slavery under Pharaoh. God raises up Moses through whom he miraculously rescues Israel, bringing the nation out across the Red Sea to Mt. Sinai. There he begins to give them his laws. Exodus finishes with the construction of the tabernacle (a mobile temple) upon which the glory of the Lord settles to symbolise his presence with his people. 3. Leviticus sees Israel remaining at Mt. Sinai while God gives them the sacrificial system by which his people, even though they are sinful, will be able to survive in his awesome and holy presence. 4. Numbers begins with the people still at Mt. Sinai (by this time they have been there for nearly a year). However, after some final preparations, in chapter 10 they leave Sinai, headed for the Promised Land. When they get there, there is a massive snag their aforementioned rebellion. The rest of the book then traces the time of their 40 years of wandering, and finishes when they arrive once again at the Promised Land s borders, ready to enter at last. 5. Deuteronomy closes the Torah by reiterating for what is now a new generation of Israelites many of the instructions given previously in Exodus and Leviticus, so that when they do in fact

2 enter the land, they will be prepared to serve the Lord their God obediently and to receive his blessings. C. OUTLINE OF NUMBERS The book of Numbers itself, then, is the story of a journey an unnecessarily long and complicated journey! from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land. It takes place in three stages, with a journey between each stage, as follows (see the map below): 1. At Sinai (chapters 1 10). God prepares the nation for their journey, and also for their conquest of the Promised Land. Chapters 10 12: the journey to Kadesh, on the southern border of Canaan. 2. At Kadesh (chapters 13 20). This stage of the story begins with the Israelites spying out Canaan, and then refusing to trust God s promise to give them the land. Their punishment is to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until the generation of fighting men who had come out of Egypt died out. The rest of these chapters covers that 40 year period. Chapters 20 21: the journey to the plains of Moab, across the Jordan from Jericho. 3. In the plains of Moab (chapters 22 36). The focus is now on the next generation of Israelites as God prepares them to go in and take possession of the Promised Land. D. FURTHER READING If you would like to make the most of your study of Numbers, then I highly recommend getting hold of a suitable commentary. There are at least two worth considering: Homeward Bound: Reading Numbers Today by Martin Pakula. This is a brief, simple and practical way in to the book. Numbers (Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series) by Gordon Wenham. This is quite a bit more detailed than Pakula s book (in fact, Pakula often directs his readers to Wenham if they should want more information), but it is still very accessible. Both books are readily available. Try stores such as CEP (Youthworks), Koorong, Reformers, or Bookdepository.

3 STUDY 1 Numbers 1 10 FOR STARTERS In some places the church is thriving, while in other places it is struggling. Why do some churches seem to succeed better than others? DIGGING INTO THE TEXT: NUMBERS 1 4 Chapters 1 4 are the reason why Numbers got its name: they are all about counting the people of Israel. 1. Read Numbers 1:1 4 This first census was not to be a record of every single person in Israel. Which Israelites were Moses and Aaron commanded to count? How is this census, which begins the book, connected to the situation the nation finds itself in at the end of the book (Numbers 36:13)? 1 What is the purpose of this census? 2. Read Numbers 1:47 53 Which Israelite men were not included in the census? Why not? What does the Levites special role tell us about Israel s armies? What does the Levites special role tell us about Israel s God? The Levites were not included in the census. But count up the number of tribes that were involved (1:20 42). How many were there? Where did the extra tribe come from (see 1:10)? Why fiddle the numbers like that? 1 See also the Introduction to these studies, section B.4.

4 In chapters 2 and 3 God tells Moses and Aaron how the tribes are to be arranged whenever the nation sets up camp (see the diagram below). 3. Read Numbers 2:1 9 The layout of the Israelite camp was not just about the tribes being given a booked site for their tents. What was the ultimate purpose of organising the camp in this way (see also verses 16, 17, 24, 31, 34)? Where were the Tabernacle and the Levites positioned both in the camp and in the marching order (verse 17)? What does this symbolise? Israelite Camp ASHER DAN NAPHTHALI LEVI (Merari) BENJAMIN EPHRAIM MANASSEH LEVI (Gershon) Tabernacle LEVI (Kohath) MOSES & AARON (Priests) ISSACHAR JUDAH ZEBULUN GAD REUBEN SIMEON DIGGING INTO THE TEXT: NUMBERS 5 10 Chapter 4 contains God s instructions for the setting up, operation, packing up and transportation of the Tabernacle. The labour was to be divided among the three Levite clans, who were to work under the supervision of one Levite family the family of Aaron (who were appointed as priests). By the end of chapter 4, therefore, the logistics of Israel s journey to the Promised Land have been arranged. Chapters 5 10, then, convey a number of other things that need to happen by way of preparation before the nation can set off. 4. Read Numbers 5:1 10 In chapters 1 4, the national and military arrangements have been made. How would you classify the arrangements that are now being made in these verses?

5 Note that sending unclean people outside the camp was only a temporary measure. The laws given in Leviticus (especially Lev 11 15 & Num 19) describe how unclean people could be ritually cleansed and therefore included in the life of the nation again. But as Israel marches towards the Promised Land, what will be constantly happening? What will this communicate? Chapters 5 and 6 contain further instructions regarding personal purity. However, in chapter 7 the focus turns to the Tabernacle, which would be the place where the purifying sacrifices would be offered. In this chapter, each tribe in turn makes gifts of utensils for use in the Tabernacle, and oxen and carts for transporting the tabernacle, as well as providing animals for the sacrifices God commanded for the Tabernacle s consecration. With the Tabernacle provided for and put into commission, in chapter 8 the time comes to consecrate those who will serve the work of the Tabernacle the Levites (the priests had already been consecrated in Leviticus 8 9). 5. Read Numbers 8:5 6 & 15 20 What (or who) did the Levites represent, and what did it therefore mean that they were given wholly to God (verse 16)? If the Levites represented the rest of Israel, what did that mean about their work? How should the rest of Israel view the Levites work? What value should they place on it? 6. Read Numbers 9:15 23; 10:11 13; 10:35 36 What is the point of all that detail about the cloud lifting or remaining? When the Israelites finally did start moving, what was the point of Moses little declarations (10:35 36)? DIGGING INTO THE TEXT: SUMMARY 7. Read Numbers 1:54; 2:34; 3:42; 4:49; 5:4; 8:3 4; 8:20; 9:4 5; 9:23 What is the consistent refrain throughout chapters 1 10? What is the picture of Israel that this refrain paints?

8. Read Numbers 6:22 27 Where will ideal Israel s blessing come from? What is God s commitment to them? 6 LISTENING TO NUMBERS TODAY I hope you have noticed some or all of these themes in Numbers 1 10: a. God is at the centre of everything; his people belong to him and gather around him. b. God is holy; so his people must be holy as well. c. God is powerful; he is the great king in his people s midst who will fight for them and lead them to the Promised Land. d. God is good; every blessing his people have comes from him. e. God is gracious; he provides what his people need so that they can live in his presence to worship him. f. God s ideal people are those who willingly obey him. That s certainly a lot to take in! Reflect on the following two passages together as a group, and then take some time during the week to meditate on the passages listed at the end. 9. Read Revelation 21:10 14 & 22 27 What is the Promised Land God is leading us to? How does it remind you of Numbers 1 10? How is it better? How does looking forward to this future encourage or challenge you in the present? 10. Read 1 Peter 1:13 2:3 Peter views Christians as people who have experienced a new Exodus and are now wandering in an alien wilderness while they look forward to their promised heavenly inheritance (see 1:3 4). What attitude should we have to our present circumstances? How should we be living at the present time? What attitudes or behaviours do you need to change or strengthen so that you become more like the ideal the person God has called you to be? Take some time at home to reflect on the following passages as well: John 1:10 18 2 (a) God s people belong to him; (d) God blesses his people Ephesians 1:3 14 (a) God s people belong to him; (d) God blesses his people Ephesians 4:11 13 (e) Jesus is gracious Revelation 19:11 16 (c) Jesus is powerful 2 Note that in the original language made his dwelling among us (verse 14) is literally tabernacled among us.

7 STUDY 2 NUMBERS 11 12 FOR STARTERS Bible trivia time: Who do you think was the most important person in the Old Testament (apart from God!)? Give reasons for your choice. DIGGING INTO THE TEXT After the wonderful high of chapters 1 10, in chapters 11 12 we come back to earth with a thud! The almost monotonous refrain of chapters 1 10 had been: The Israelites did everything just as the LORD commanded Moses. Chapters 1 10 bring us the nation of Israel at its very best the ideal people of God willingly obeying him and following him as their king. And God promised that their obedience would be more than met by his blessing upon them. Chapter 10 finishes with a little cameo appearance by Moses Midianite brother in law, whom Moses invites to join Israel in going to the Promised Land saying, We are setting out for the place about which the LORD said, I will give it to you. Come with us and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel (10:29). Moses is confident in both the LORD s goodness, and the LORD s power to do what he has promised. But no sooner have the Israelites packed up their tents and set off for Canaan, than they have a dramatic change of heart! Numbers 11 12 is filled with complaining. In fact, it is just a series of three complaint stories. Briefly identify what the complaints are about: Who is complaining? What are they complaining about? 11:1a 11:4, 10 12:1 2 COMPLAINT #1 1. Read Numbers 11:1 3 What do you think their hardships might have been? Read Deuteronomy 1:2. How long was the journey across the desert that lay ahead of them? What does this tell you about their complaint what sin motivated it? What is God s response? What role does Moses play?

8 COMPLAINT #2 2. Read Numbers 11:1 10 This is not the first time the Israelites have complained about food. In Exodus 16:1 3 there is a similar incident. However, on that occasion, the issue was that the people had no food at all. Now it isn t that they have no food, but that they re bored with the lack of variety. What sin motivated their complaint (verse 4; see also verse 34)? In their complaint, they talk about their fond memories of Egypt. But read Exodus 3:7 8. What are they forgetting about Egypt, and what are they forgetting about their current 11 day journey? 3. Read Numbers 11:11 15 What is Moses response to their complaint? What is wrong or unwise in what he says? What two issues in particular does Moses bring to God (verses 13 & 14)? 4. Read Numbers 11:16 35 How does God answer the two issues Moses raised? Was it a good thing for Moses that God granted his request? Why/why not? Was it a good thing for the people that God granted their request? Why/why not? What does this tell us about God?

9 COMPLAINT #3 5. Read Numbers 12 Miriam and Aaron s complaint was not ultimately about Moses Cushite wife. That was just a smokescreen. What was really bothering Miriam and Aaron (verse 2)? Miriam and Aaron s complaint wasn t completely baseless. In chapter 11, seventy other people prophesied, and back in Exodus 15:20 Miriam herself was called a prophetess. And then, way back in Exodus 6:28 7:2 it was Aaron who did the actual speaking to Pharaoh, not Moses. So the Lord God has spoken to others and not just to Moses. What sin motivated Miriam and Aaron s complaint? Note that Moses doesn t come to his own defence (verse 3). But the Lord hears and defends his servant in no uncertain terms. What is different about God s relationship with Moses from his relationship with all the rest (verses 6 8)? What happens after God has defended Moses? What is Moses role in this? SUMMARY List everything that has gone wrong with Israel since leaving Sinai. After the ideal picture of Israel in chapters 1 10, what does this tell us about the human heart? What role does Moses play in the three episodes? What does this tell us about his significance in Israel?

10 LISTENING TO NUMBERS TODAY In Numbers 11 12, Moses proved himself to be very effective as a mediator between God and his wayward people, and in 12:6 8 God himself gave Moses a pretty impressive personal endorsement! 6. Read Hebrews 1:1 3 & 3:1 6. How does Moses compare with Jesus? 7. Read Hebrews 2:1 4. What does Jesus superiority to Moses imply for us? In Numbers 11:29 Moses expressed his deep desire that all of God s people would come under the power and influence of God s Spirit. On the day of Pentecost that desire became a reality, and it continues to be a reality for everyone who puts their trust in the Lord Jesus today (Acts 2:38 39). 8. Read Galatians 5:16 26. What is the fruit that the Spirit produces in us, and how does that differ from the experience of the Spiritless Israelites in Numbers 11 12? Are there any of those sins of the Israelites that you struggle with and need to commit to God for eradication by his Spirit?

11 STUDY 3 NUMBERS 13 14 FOR STARTERS At the time of the Reformation, many Christians used to go to church every day of the week. Is that a good idea? Why/why not? DIGGING INTO THE TEXT Numbers 13 14 represents probably the lowest point in the whole of the Torah. God s wonderful promise to Israel to bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey and to give it to them as their permanent possession is on the verge of being fulfilled. And yet 1. Read Numbers 13:1 3 & 17 25 Concerning the Promised Land, in verse 2 the Lord emphatically states: I am giving [it] to the Israelites. Why, then, did he send men in to explore the land? (Note that nowhere are they referred to as spies.) How much of the land did they get to see (see map), and what did they find there? The narrator focuses quite a lot of attention on Hebron, even though the explorers saw much more of the land than that. Read Genesis 13:14 18 & 23:17 20. What was significant about Hebron, and why does it receive so much attention in the story of the exploration of the land? 2. Read Numbers 13:26 29 How does the explorers report here match up with what the narrator has already told us in verses 21 25? 3. Read Numbers 13:30 33 Why was Caleb so confident that they could take the land? How do the other explorers respond to Caleb s confidence? What do their fear and unbelief lead them to do?

4. Read Numbers 14:1 4 What was the effect of the explorers report? What is the people s attitude to God now? 12 What is the outcome of this changed attitude towards God (verse 4)? 5. Read Numbers 14:5 10a How do Joshua and Caleb respond? What do they rebuke the Israelites for? How do the Israelites take Joshua and Caleb s rebuke? 6. Read Numbers 14:10b 19 How does God respond to their rebellion? Is his promise to give Abraham s descendents the land now under threat? On what basis does Moses plead with God for mercy? 7. Read Numbers 14:20 38 Is Moses prayer successful? In the end, what will God give to the people (compare verses 26 35 with verses 1 4)?

13 8. Read Numbers 14:39 45 After seeing God s glory and hearing God s verdict on them, the people appear to be repentant (verses 39 40). But what makes their repentance hollow? What (if any) is the difference between this rebellion and the rebellion at the beginning of the chapter? The incident described in Numbers 13 14 has left a big mark on our Bibles. It became a significant point of warning to the people of Israel in subsequent generations of what will happen to those who rebel against God and reject his goodness and power. It would be worth reading Psalm 95 at home (if you re familiar with the Anglican prayer book, then you ll already know this Psalm backwards!). For now, this study will finish by reflecting on the great New Testament exposition of Psalm 95 and through that, of Numbers 13 14 an exposition found in the book of Hebrews. LISTENING TO NUMBERS TODAY 9. Read Hebrews 3:7 4:13 Where does the writer say that the Israelites in Numbers 13 14 went wrong? What warning does the writer see in this for us? What does he encourage us to do? Why? What does Hebrews 4:12 13 have to do with all of this? Where do you see yourself being most tempted to do what Israel did? How will you make sure that doesn t happen?

14 STUDY 4 NUMBERS 15 20 FOR STARTERS Most people in our society don t trust in the Lord Jesus. Why not? What would God need to do to change that? DIGGING INTO THE TEXT Numbers 15 20 is a long passage, corresponding with a long period of time in the wilderness. In fact, the punishment God handed Israel in chapter 14 that Israel would wander in the wilderness for 40 years until the first generation had died out is served in these chapters. Chapter 20 comes at the beginning of the fortieth year, and the chapter narrates the deaths of two of the very last members of that first generation: Miriam, Moses sister, and Aaron, his brother. Not that these chapters tell the full story of those 40 years! In fact, there is very little detail given about what actually happened with Israel during that time where they went and what they did. Instead, what is given to us is a response to the rebellion of chapter 14 and a preparation for the entry of the next generation into the Promised Land. The big question hanging over the passage is this: After such a great rebellion, what hope is there for Israel? And the answer can be summed up in one word: Priests! THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF THE PRIESTHOOD (NUMBERS 15 16) 1. Read Numbers 15:1 7, 17 21 Numbers has sometimes been unfairly labelled the junk room of the priestly code. Chapter 15 an apparently random selection of laws is one of the big reasons for this! But there are clear hints in the text as to why it is here. Compare verses 2, 18 and 21 with the events of chapter 14. How are they connected? Why is the next generation given these specific laws about offering food and animals as an aroma pleasing to the Lord? 2. Read Numbers 15:22 25, 30 31 What must the next generation do if they unintentionally fail to do what God says? What is the priest s role in this? What happens if anyone knowingly goes against what God has commanded?

15 The rest of chapter 15 gives two examples of the seriousness of obeying God s commands: one negative and the other positive. The negative example concerns a man who was discovered knowingly doing something that was forbidden (breaking the Sabbath commandment). The Lord directed that he be stoned to death. The positive example is something God provided for his people so that they could have a constant reminder with them wherever they went of the importance of doing what God says. They were to attach blue tassels to the hems of their clothes as symbols of God s law. Chapter 16, then, gives us a much larger and more serious case of disobedience by the next generation. 3. Read Numbers 16:1 40 The rebels complain that Moses and Aaron are power hungry by setting themselves above the rest of the people (verse 3). But what is it the rebels really want (verses 8 11)? What is the connection between the rebels sin and what God was teaching them in chapter 15 (see 15:25)? Why was their rebellion so foolish (see 15:30 31)? Why was God at first going to destroy the whole community (verse 21; remember chapter 15)? Why did he relent? What did God s comprehensive destruction of the rebels teach Israel (verse 40)? Why was this important? 4. Read Numbers 16:41 50 What is the people s response to God s judgment on Korah and his fellow rebels? How is God stopped from wiping them out entirely (verses 46 48)? How does that underline the lesson of Korah?

16 Numbers 17 records a third story that makes the same point as the two stories in the previous chapter (that is, as the stories of the rebellion of Korah, and the rebellion of the assembly). God performs an amazing miracle to confirm that Aaron is his chosen man to make atonement for the people, and that Israel s life and survival depends on him and his sons, the priests. Numbers 18 contains laws that will ensure that the Tabernacle functions appropriately, with only authorised people involved (18:1 7), and then stipulates how the people who serve in the Tabernacle are to be adequately provided for: first the priests (18:8 20) and then the Levites (18:21 32). Chapter 19, then, contains instructions that would be very important for Israel to observe during their 40 years in the wilderness (and also later on). The whole purpose of the wilderness wanderings was so that the first generation would die out. So what should the rest of the people do when they inevitably came into contact with a dead body and so became ceremonially unclean? God graciously provides them with a DIY cleansing ritual, available 24/7, where they mix the stockpiled ashes of a sacrificed heifer into some water and get a ceremonially clean friend to sprinkle the mixture on them using a branch of hyssop, before washing themselves and their clothes. The holiness of God and his people demanded that defilement always be cleansed, and cleansed quickly. Because ritual defilement was spread by touch (19:22), if it wasn t dealt with promptly, then the whole nation would soon become unclean and would have to be rejected by God. OVERVIEW OF NUMBERS 17 19 THE END OF AN ERA (NUMBERS 20) 5. Read Numbers 20:1 13 The first month (verse 1) refers to the first month of the fortieth year after coming out of Egypt. 3 So the death of Miriam at the beginning of the chapter and the death of Aaron at the end indicates that the first generation the generation that rebelled on the edge of the Promised Land in chapter 14 has by now almost completely died out. What, then, is significant about this event, in which the next generation grumbles about a lack of water (see Exodus 17:1 7)? What does Moses do to warrant God s judgment of him (compare verse 8 with verses 9 11)? If the next generation was just as bad as the previous one, then on what basis were they going to be able to enter the Promised Land? 3 We can work this out if we assume that the events of Numbers 20:22 29 happened only a few months later. Numbers 33:37 38, then, gives us the year.

17 LISTENING TO NUMBERS TODAY After reading the events of Numbers 15 20, we could be forgiven for thinking that the Israelites in the wilderness were a uniquely foolish group of people: they saw such incredible displays of God s power and yet turned away from him. Surely, in their shoes, we would never have rebelled like that! 6. Read Romans 1:18 25 & 3:9 18. Is there any difference between the difficulties we face in trusting and obeying God and the difficulties ancient Israel faced? The need for prompt cleansing from defilement was God s way of showing Israel that sin is contagious it is transmitted human to human. 7. Read Luke 5:12 13 & 7:11 15. What was radically different about Jesus relationship to sin and defilement? Why is this important for us? 8. Read Acts 13:38 39 In what important way is the forgiveness Jesus offers better than the forgiveness the Israelites could receive? 9. Read Hebrews 9:11 15 4 What things about Jesus mean that he can offer us complete forgiveness? 10. Read Hebrews 10:19 25 Since we know all this about Jesus, what should we do? What is preventing you from spurring one another on and encouraging each other more faithfully and effectively? 4 If you have time, also read Hebrews 7:11 28.