Almost Four Decades of Numerical and Spiritual Stagnation -- Would the Israelites Ever Learn?

Numbers Chapter 26: The 2^nd Census; Dividing the Land; and No Inheritance for the Levites and the Old Generation

Numbers 26:1-65

Day 81 of “please stay home; please wear a mask; please keep six feet apart; and no you can’t go out to eat; no, you can’t get your hair cut; no, you can’t have church services in person; but feel free to get an abortion; go to a casino; and now, feel free to protest (even riot and loot) in large groups – we won’t touch you, and if we do, you’ll be out of jail in a few hours.”  Okay, you get my point. But heck, those 81 days are twice the number of years the children of Israel spent in the desert. So, I guess I can’t really complain. My wife is still with and My God isn’t leaving. I have a calmness in my heart as I learn more about God and His children, studying the book of Numbers.  Thanks for joining me.

The Passage

Verses 1-51 give us an account of the second census that took place after the plague we recently talked about. Again, this was for those 20 years old and up males by their fathers’ households (not equivalent to tribes please note). (That’s verse 2). However, the instructions that Moses and Eleazar passed on in verse 4 refers to “people” not just “sons” or males.

In verses 9-10, there is reference to those sons of Eliab (Dathan and Abiram) that had died, along with Korah, in chapter 16 after they had rebelled against Moses. But the sons of Korah were still alive. So, they were counted.

And in verse 51, we learn that the total number of the sons of Israel remaining at that time were 601,730. [Don’t worry, I counted the twelve figures given for the twelve households (again not tribes) and that total is correct.] The Levites were excluded from that number.

Verses 52-56 describe God’s way of dividing the land they were to possess by tribe, as an inheritance. The bigger the tribe, the bigger the inheritance and vice-versa.  The actual land to be selected would be done so by drawing of lots.

Verses 57-62 tell us that the Levites would not have any land as an inheritance. They were 23,000 in number, but they were numbered from a month old and up (verse 62). There are some other interesting things going on in those verses, but the main point is that they weren’t included in the second census as they weren’t getting any land. And this census seemed to be about that.

In verses 63-65, we also learn that no one who had left Egypt with Moses and counted in the first census were still around to be counted except for Caleb and Joshua.  They weren’t getting any land inheritance or any inheritance for that matter, since they had all died.

Thoughts on the Passage

I am amazed by the exactness of this chapter’s numbers. I also find it interesting that the Levites were not counted in either the first or this second census because they were not to get any land but more importantly, because they were not to go to war. They were counted separately at another time.

The author also talks about there not being any of the “old generation” who left Egypt with Moses and Aaron. Of course, Aaron, is dead at this point, and it is his son, Eleazar that works with Moses in this census. On the other hand, this census too was a military one as we see from the end of verse 2.

You can compare the gains and losses of each tribe’s men from the fiest census (38 years earlier) to the second census. For example, Reuben lost 6%, while Simeon lost 63%. Gad lost 11%; Judah on the other hand gained 3%. Issachar gained 18%, Zebulun 5%, and Manasseh had a remarkable gain of 64%. Ephraim lost 20% while Benjamin gained 29%, although Dan only gained 3%. Asher gained 29% and Naphtali lost 15%.

Overall, however, the numbers stained relatively the same, with mere loss of 1,820 men or 0.3%. Remember, Israel was supposed to grow and multiply. But during their 40 years they remained basically stagnant much like their spiritual condition.

It is the first and the second censuses that give the book of Numbers its name.

Matthew Henry would have us note that Moses did not count the people unless or until God told him to. This contrasts with David we did it on his own initiative and paid dearly for it. God was Israel’s King, not Moses and a census is an act of authority that would only be exercised at the command of the King.

With this census near the end of their journeys in the wilderness, God was saying these are those that are ‘registered’ to inherit the Promised Land and thus its land, according to their numbers. And remember, while this instruction was given to Moses, as he was not to get to the promised land, it was meant for him to pass on to Joshua. How hard that must have been for Moses.

In the last two verses of the chapter we see that the righteousness of God is fully present as none of the complainers and murmurers were left to go into the Promised Land. We also see that the Goodness of God to His people is fully evident in that God raised up another generation, as numerous, and through it, Israel’s name would not vanish. The inheritance of the Promise would still be given to their children.

Finally, Henry reminds that herein is also shown the Truth of God, in performing His promise made to Caleb and Joshua. They were to be “preserved from falling in this common ruin.” We must remember that in all of things God allows, God has perfect control of who is impacted by death and who lives. We need to be fully aware of that.

What are our takeaways here? Simply these:

1. God is our King.

2. He keeps His word and His promises.

3. He loves us more than we deserve.

4. He warns us more than we deserve.

5. The rest is indeed up to us.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

One way or another, God wanted His 'first-borns' from all Israel, but see how generous He was.

Numbers Chapter 3: The Organization of the Priests – Part 1

Numbers 3 – The Levite Census, their Ministry

Today marks the completion of our five weeks (35 days) of self-isolation due to the coronavirus outbreak and our government’s response to it. Some places around the world have re-opened; others have not. Here in Ontario, Canada where I live the premier has promised to put a re-opening plan together but there is no word as to when that will be ready and when it will be implemented.  Meanwhile it is cold (minus 1 Celsius this morning and minus 7 with the wind factor) and thus we can’t even go out and do some work in the garden.  So, we press on – inside.  And studying God’s Word. 

The Passage

This chapter begins God’s instructions for how the Levites are to be organized to get their work done within their own ‘camp’ arrangement.
Chapter 3:1-39 describes the separate census as related to the Levites and their ministry.
Chapter 3:40-51 describes the ‘substitution of the Levites for the first-born’ and we repeat it here for further study and comments below:

⁴⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and ^[a]make a list of their names. ⁴¹ You shall take the Levites for Me, I am the Lord, instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel.” ⁴² So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded him; ⁴³ and all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward, for their numbered men were 22,273.

⁴⁴ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁴⁵ “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the Lord. ⁴⁶ For the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites, ⁴⁷ you shall take five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty ^[b]gerahs), ⁴⁸ and give the money, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons.” ⁴⁹ So Moses took the ransom money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Levites;⁵⁰ from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365. ⁵¹ Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons, at the ^[c]command of the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Footnotes:

1. Numbers 3:40 Lit take the number
2. Numbers 3:47 I.e. A gerah equals approx one-fortieth oz
3. Numbers 3:51 Lit mouth

Thoughts on the Passage

I would be remiss if I were not to mention that each of the sub-groups of the Levites had been given special responsibilities with respect to the tabernacle and with respect to Aaron’s needs, as their overseer. You can check those out by reading verses 1-38 of the chapter. In Numbers 3:39 we learn that there were 22,000 Levite males from one month of age and upwards.

In verse 40, God wanted Moses to number the ‘first-born’ males of those 22,000. Those belonged to God. He would accept them rather than all the ‘first-borns’ of all the Israelites. The same was the case for cattle. God would have as His all the cattle of the Levites, as a substitute for all the first-born cattle of all the Israelites. Some may argue that God was easing His original terms here. Perhaps He was.

In verses 42-43 we learn that the ‘first-borns’ of all the males in Israel (not just the Levites) totalled 22,273. That’s 273 more than the number of Levite first-born males one-month of age and older (vs 40). So, by the old system God would have had 273 more first-borns given to Him. He would be short-changed.  Hold that thought.

We need to point out that once the Levite first-borns were counted, a similar census needed to be done again for the other tribes of Israel. You will remember that in chapter 1 of Numbers the males that were counted were from age twenty years and up. Now, these non-Levite first-borns had to be counted from age one month and up in order to be able to compare apples with apples (or first-borns with first-borns).

Before we go on, let us point out David Guzik noticing a discrepancy in the numbers and writing:

The total of 22,000 Levites given in verse 39 does not tally with the totals of the individual Levite clans given in verses 22, 28, 34 which come to 22,300. The discrepancy is most easily explained as textual corruption in verse 28. The number of Kohathites may originally have been 8,300. 3 (Hebrew sls) could quite easily have been corrupted into 6 (ss)." (Wenham)

Robert Jamieson suggests some other reasons for the difference, but in essence ends up including Guzik’s reason as a possible cause, when he writes:

The omission of the three hundred is variously accounted for--by some, because they might be first-born who were already devoted to God and could not be counted as substitutes; and by others, because in Scripture style, the sum is reckoned in round numbers. The most probable conjecture is, that as Hebrew letters are employed for figures, one letter was, in the course of transcription, taken for another of like form but smaller value.

If Guzik is correct, then the figure in verse 43 is the one we need to use – 22,000.

In verses 46-47 God wanted Moses to collect as ‘ransom’ five shekels for each of the 273 first-borns that were in excess of the 22,000 males. One question that arises in my mind is how one determines which ones specifically were the 273 that would not be accounted for by the 22,000 first-borns of Levites, and from whose fathers Moses needed to collect the ransom. It appears that Robert Jamieson may have an answer for us when he writes:

Every Israelite would naturally wish that his son might be redeemed by a Levite without the payment of this tax, and yet some would have to incur the expense, for there were not Levites enough to make an equal exchange. Jewish writers say the matter was determined by lot, in this manner: Moses put into an urn twenty-two thousand pieces of parchment, on each of which he wrote "a son of Levi," and two hundred seventy-three more, containing the words, "five shekels." These being shaken, he ordered each of the first-born [of the non-Levites]to put in his hand and take out a slip. If it contained the first inscription, the boy was redeemed by a Levite; if the latter, the parent had to pay.

This money was collected and given to the chief priest, Aaron, and his sons (vs. 48). And verse 49 says that Moses took the money from those that “were in excess” – but it is not clear of what they were in excess of. We do know that ransoms had been paid for those first-borns not in excess from the Levites. (Confusing, I know.). Verse 50 says he collected 1,365 shekels (5 X 273) and he gave it to Aaron and his sons as God had commanded (vs. 51).

In closing our study of Numbers 3, let us absorb the words of Matthew Henry which he penned at the end of his commentary on this chapter:

The church is called the church of the first-born, which is redeemed, not as these were, with silver and gold, but, being devoted by sin to the justice of God, is ransomed with the precious blood of the Son of God.

What more could we ask for? And it isn't by drawing 'lots'.  

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Never thought an O.T. census would mean so much.

Numbers 1:1-54 The First Census

Day 33 of self-isolation. Protests to end the shutdowns are increasing as people realize they’ve been duped, and we have over-reacted to this particular virus, as serious as it is. Most of us see light at the end of the tunnel. Most important for the Christian right now is to discern what God is saying to the world and to each of individually. We press on. Thanks for joining me in the study of Numbers.

The Passage

Verse 1 provides the time in history that this census occurred.

Verses 2-5a provide a description of how the counting is to take place and who is to be counted.

Verses 5b-16 provide the names of those who would have stood with Moses, who are called from their congregations, as the heads of divisions of Israel.

Verses 17-19 describe how Moses worked with these men to register everyone that was to be counted.

Verses 20-43 give a listing of all those counted under each tribe.

Verses 44-46 remind us that those counted were only males who were 20 years old and up, and able to go to war.  Their number in total was 603,550.

Verses 47-49 describe how the Levites were not to be counted.

Now the rest of the chapter:

⁵⁰ But you shall appoint the Levites over the ^[a]tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings and over all that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it; they shall also camp around the ^[b]tabernacle. ⁵¹ So when the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle encamps, the Levites shall set it up. But the ^[c]layman who comes near shall be put to death. ⁵² The sons of Israel shall camp, each man by his own camp, and each man by his own standard, according to their armies. ⁵³ But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there will be no wrath on the congregation of the sons of Israel. So, the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the testimony.” ⁵⁴ Thus the sons of Israel did; according to all which the Lord had commanded Moses, so they did.

Footnotes:

1. Numbers 1:50 Lit dwelling place, and so throughout the ch
2. Numbers 1:50 Lit dwelling place, and so throughout the ch
3. Numbers 1:51 Lit stranger

Thoughts on the Passage

I find it interesting that these instructions from God came to Moses as he was in the “tent of meeting”. You can read more about that here: the tent of meeting.

Now it appears that the census was only of males twenty years of age and up and able to fight in an army. That no females were included may be a concern to many today, but that was not the case at the time. God wanted them to know (for He didn’t need a census to tell them) how many able-bodied men they had that could fight for Israel, preparing them perhaps for what was ahead. Matthew Henry points out that by virtue of counting all those “who were able to go out to war” (verse 3), the aged, those with bodily infirmities or chronic diseases, blind, or lame, were also excluded. God was interested in primary Israel for what was ahead.

And Moses was, of course, to have help in taking this census. Now when God says you need help, you need help. Don’t try to do it all by yourself. God will provide the help you need if you sincerely ask for it and are patient. In this case, God even names the individuals of each tribe that are supposed to help Moses. Chuck Smith says the names of those men chosen that day were very important and thus he writes:

So, let's take a look at the names of these men. In verse five Elizur is the first one and Elizur means, "my God is a rock." In verse six, Shelumiel; his name means "at peace with God." In verse seven, Nahshon means "a diviner." In verse eight, Nathaneel means "the gift of God." In verse nine, Eliab means, "my God is Father." In verse ten, Elishama means, "my God has heard" and then also in verse ten, Gamaliel means, "my God is a rewarder." And in verse eleven, Abidan means, "my Father is judge." In verse twelve, Ahiezer means "brother of health." In verse thirteen, Pagiel means "event of God." Verse fourteen, Eliasaph means "God addeth" and then the last guy, Ahira doesn't have too good a name. It is "brother, his brother is evil." So, he probably had an older brother that wasn't of too good a reputation, so he picked up the name "his brother is evil."

Imagine that, “God knew their names” and what they were like, just as He knows your name and my name, and He knows what we are like.

The text actually gives us the number of the men counted that day by tribe. Chuck Smith tells us that one needs to note how each tribe either grew or decreased in number throughout the forty years in the wilderness. We will be able to arrive at those numbers for comparison purposes when we get to the second census in the book. But for those that are impatient may I refer you to this link: men by tribe just before entering Canaan.

David Guzik speaks to this:

At the end of the Book of Numbers - 38 years later - this census is repeated. The total number of available soldiers will be almost the same - only a loss of some two thousand. But the numbers of each tribe change significantly, and there is meaning in what happened to each tribe over these critical 38 years.

David Guzik also makes some most interesting points about this census. He says it is the first step in “taking the promised land”. And when you are in the wilderness (your personal wilderness), you can come up with hundreds of schemes to get out of it – but only God’s way works. Guzik says God wanted them numbered by families because the strength of Israel was determined by looking at the strength of individual families. And that is true about the Church today – it is only as strong as we keep our individual families, in the faith. Some of us are not doing that well, are we?

Verse 46 tells us the number of able-bodied young men over 20 able to fight in an army for the Israelites was 603,550. And the Levites were excluded from that number. They had a different role to perform for God and the Israelites.

One may also ask why all the numbers of the tribes ended in 100’s or in the case of Gad’s tribe in the 50’s. There were no tribe numbers that went to units or tens. Matthew Henry suggests that earlier Moses had divided the people into 100’s and 50’s and appointed rulers over them as stated in Exodus 18:25. And thus when census time came, it was easier to count them by the number of rulers.  Makes sense to me.

Verses 50 and 51 tell us that the Levites had full charge and full responsibility for the tabernacle wherever it was moved to and wherever it was set down.  And they did the moving. They were to dismantle it and to put it together again.

Matthew Henry provides some reasons as to why God wanted the census taken. He suggests the following:
1. To prove the accomplishment of the promise He made to Abraham, that God would multiply his seed.
2. To put a difference between the true Israelites and the mixed born among them. (Only true Israelites were counted.)
3. To prepare the entire congregation for easier marching as well as to facilitate the administration of justice among them.

In verse 52, God instructs how the different tribes are to arrange themselves in the camp. They were to stick together by tribe. The Levites, however, were to be protected by these armies and in turn protect the tabernacle as they camped all around it.

Guzik reminds us that God counts things. He counts the stars and has a name for each one (Psalm 147:4; Isaiah 40:26). God even counts and knows the number of hairs on your head! (Matthew 10:30). “He who counts the stars and calls thenm all by their names, leaves nothing unarranged in his own service.” (Spurgeon)

And Moses got the sons of Israel to do all of this as God had commanded.  So, we have a good start. There was obedience to God and to the leader He had appointed, Moses.  Whatever could go wrong? Stay tuned.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

"Make Sure You're Clean Before You Serve Me" Says God

Exodus 30: The Altar of Incense; Atonement Money; the Anointing Oil; and the Incense itself.

Exodus 30:1-38: In chapter 30 of Exodus, God gives detailed instructions for each of the items listed in our heading. Please read your preferred version of Scripture in parallel. Below we simply highlight some of the key features of the chapter for our study.

While the beginning of chapter 30 sounds like a repeat of what we have at the beginning of chapter 27 – instructions for building the altar, it is not. The first altar was five cubits square and three cubits high.  This one is much smaller at one cubit square and its height only two cubits. This one was placed right in front of the veil to the holy of holies and it was to be used by the priests alone.  And there were instructions about what Aaron had to do, and what he could not do, on this altar. He was to burn fragrant incense on it daily as well as make atonement on it annually with the blood of the sin offering.

Then verses 11 to 16 provide rules for taking a census of the people. [Actually some see this as a bit enigmatic as the Israelites were forbidden to take a census. Literally, the word for census used here is ‘sum’. David Guzik says this was an occasion when God did allow a census. He puts forth the idea (which I like) that only God to whom Israel belonged could order a census, but if anyone else wanted a census it implied that what they counted was theirs (or as in David’s case much later, a lack of faith) and thus such a census would make the people subject to the plague.] This included the requirement that each person was to pay a ‘ransom’ for himself to the Lord. Doing this would prevent any plagues among them. The rich and the poor were to pay the same amount that also was specified. It applied equally to everyone who was numbered that was twenty years old and up. (And we can assume here that this only involved males and not seniors, given what we know from other references to family members or census taking in the Old Testament.)

Finally, the money collected was to be given over to the service of the tent of meeting. Here is our cue that we are not to begrudge the money spent on our place of meeting with God as a congregation. And Guzik suggests that it was not a model for our giving, as it was a “flat tax” more symbolizing the cost of our own redemption. As such, it is of equal value to God, as all of us are created equal and redeemed so. In all other offerings, each one is required to participate in accordance with what he or she is blessed with.

Verses 17 to 21 give instructions for the constructing of a washbasin (some think it was rather big like a bathtub) that the priests had to use in the washing of their hands and feet whenever they entered the tent of meeting or when they approached the altar to minister. They had to do this in order not to die. This too was to be a statute throughout all generations. It seems God demands cleanliness in those that serve Him. It is a reminder to us who are in His service (as we all should be) that we are to cleanse ourselves daily of the impurities of life before commencing our service for God.

Verses 22 to 33 provide instructions on the recipe for the holy anointing oil as well as to how it was to be used. With it, all the furniture that God wanted made for the entire structure of the tent of meeting was to be anointed and consecrated. And Aaron and his sons were also to be anointed and consecrated with it. Then comes the double-warning: first nothing else, and more importantly, no one else, was to be anointed with this special oil; and second, no one was to make any other oil just like this using the same proportions (i.e. recipe). If one broke either of these commands, they “shall be cut off from his people”. There was no doubt this was a holy oil and had to be treated as such.

In the concluding verses of the chapter (34-38) God indicates He wanted special incense made, again following a specific recipe of spices. This gave a perfume that was salted, pure, and holy. God wanted some of it in the tent of meeting where He was to meet with the priests for the people. And again, it came with the same warnings as the anointing oil. Several commentators make reference to the incense as being symbolic of the fact that prayer for us is most important – that while we cannot see God with our eyes (as the Israelites could not be in holy of holies), we can be drawn through our prayers (symbolized by the aromas of the incense) to focus on what God was saying and doing and requiring of us.

Both the oil and the incense were not to be imitated as the work of the Holy Spirit is not to be imitated. Woe to us if we misuse the holy things of God for our own purposes, or pleasure, or gain, or as Guzik suggests, if we make these holy things commonplace.

Finally, Matthew Henry suggests that given the fact that a phrase like, “The Lord spoke unto Moses,” is used in this chapter alone three times (verses 17, 22, 34) “intimates that God did not deliver these precepts to Moses in the mount, in a continued discourse, but with many intermissions, giving him time either to write what was said to him or at least to charge his memory with it.”  As I study Exodus and other otherwise difficult books in the Old Testament, I find myself in agreement with him.

The complex and detailed instructions in all these matters is indicative of the God we worship today – a God of great interest in the details of our being and our doing. And while some can focus on His warnings as being those of a strict disciplinarian, we need to rejoice in the fact that He cares so much about our well being. It’s all in our perspective. Rejecting God because He appears to be authoritarian has incredible consequences. Accepting God because He wants the best for us has amazing benefits.

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