Numbers
Sacrifice for the sin of ignorance
The Lord asked Moses to tell the Israelites when they eat food they shall set apart a portion of it for the Lord called a heave offering (vv. 17-21). If they have erred or not observed these commandments they will have to make a sin offering (vv. 22-23). The sacrifices described …
A separated people
The counterpart to cleansing (chapter 5) is consecration (chapter 6). Priestly, Levitical service was the exclusive privilege of those who belonged to the tribe of Levi but the Lord here instituted a provision whereby any man or woman of Israel who wished could take a vow before …
The Levites Assignments
In Genesis God elected a people, in Exodus He redeemed them, in Leviticus He sanctified them, and in Numbers He directed them. Numbers takes up the story where Leviticus left off. Leviticus described the believer’s worship and Numbers their walk. Leviticus covers only one month, …
God’s severe judgment on Korah’s crowd
In these verses, we find that a time of public demonstration was set where Korah and his company were to bring their censers with burning incense before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle (vv. 23-30). At that time, God would identify His holy servants. As the events of …
The Levites substitution for the firstborn
Moses, Aaron, and his sons were to make sure that the Israelites worshiped in the proper way (vv. 38-41). So they obeyed the LORD and counted the Levites by their clans. Here are the requirements made of the Levites for the first-born:The first-born were numbered from a month old …
From Mount Hor to Moab.
Israel next met resistance from the king of Arad, but soundly defeated him. The next stop was Mount Hor where Aaron died. Then they traveled south and east around Oboth. As the Israelites marched toward the promised land, “What shall we eat?” and “What shall we dri …
Moses intercedes for the people
The Jews had a long record of complaining against the Lord and their leaders. Their murmuring began on the night of the Exodus when they were sure Pharaoh’s Army was going to kill them (Ex. 14:10-14). As Israel entered the wilderness of Shur, they complained because they didn’t h …
A futile invasion attempt
God assures Moses that he has forgiven the sin of disobedience by the people, but this forgiveness does not prevent the consequences. These results are as follows:The nation wanders in the wilderness for forty years, one year for each day the spies had spent spying out the land.E …
The law concerning inheritance.
The ideal life for an Old Testament Jew was to own his own land and be able to sit under his own fig tree and enjoy it with his family (I Kings 4:25). Hebrew law gave sons alone the right to inherit. The eldest son received two-thirds of the inheritance and the other sons divided …
Dedication of the Levites
In this chapter we are examining the events that occurred in the camp of Israel at Mount Sinai on the day the tabernacle was erected. Everything that was done in the camp of Israel was ordered by the Lord. In the church today, God doesn’t speak audibly to His people as He did to …