I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 16:62-63 ESV)
First Presbyterian Church, Rome NY
Introduction
# Leviticus was the book of priests with most of the book giving instructions on how to properly worship Yahweh.
# Although I wouldn’t recommend reading Leviticus from top to bottom because it is a bit tedious, I do believe that it forms the basic framework for why Christ had to come as our sacrifice (savior) on the Cross.
# The beginning of the book of Numbers is exactly that, numbers. When the Israelites are preparing to move from the wilderness into Canaan Yahweh tells Moses to take a census of all Israelites who are able to go to war.
# Although I wouldn’t recommend reading Leviticus from top to bottom because it is a bit tedious, I do believe that it forms the basic framework for why Christ had to come as our sacrifice (savior) on the Cross.
# The beginning of the book of Numbers is exactly that, numbers. When the Israelites are preparing to move from the wilderness into Canaan Yahweh tells Moses to take a census of all Israelites who are able to go to war.
Overview of Chapter 1
# This is how Numbers begins:
# The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
# 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head.
# 3 From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company. (1:1-3)
#It was now 13 months after the Exodus and the Tabernacle had been built and the Law had been given.
# Yahweh commanded Moses and Aaron to take a census but it was not for taxation, it was for military purposes.
# The rest of chapt 1 deals with the numbers of the census: Reuben 46,500; Simeon 59,300; Gad 45,650; Judah 74,600; Issachar 54,400; Zebulun 57,400; Ephraim 40,500; Manasseh 32,200; Benjamin 35,400; Dan 62,700; Asher 41,500; Naphtali 53,400.
# Levites were not counted because they took care of the Tabernacle, not fought in war.
# The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
# 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head.
# 3 From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company. (1:1-3)
#It was now 13 months after the Exodus and the Tabernacle had been built and the Law had been given.
# Yahweh commanded Moses and Aaron to take a census but it was not for taxation, it was for military purposes.
# The rest of chapt 1 deals with the numbers of the census: Reuben 46,500; Simeon 59,300; Gad 45,650; Judah 74,600; Issachar 54,400; Zebulun 57,400; Ephraim 40,500; Manasseh 32,200; Benjamin 35,400; Dan 62,700; Asher 41,500; Naphtali 53,400.
# Levites were not counted because they took care of the Tabernacle, not fought in war.
Overview of Chapter 2
Encampment:
# When the Tabernacle was ready to move the 600,000 or so Israelites needed to be organized so in order to be able to do that Chapter 2 gives the tribes their marching positions.
# On each side of the Tabernacle there would be a triad of tribes. Each tribe would have its own banner and each triad its own standard.
# On the East of the Tabernacle would be the standard of Judah with the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
# On the South would be the standard of Reuben with the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad
# When the Tabernacle was ready to move the 600,000 or so Israelites needed to be organized so in order to be able to do that Chapter 2 gives the tribes their marching positions.
# On each side of the Tabernacle there would be a triad of tribes. Each tribe would have its own banner and each triad its own standard.
# On the East of the Tabernacle would be the standard of Judah with the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
# On the South would be the standard of Reuben with the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad
Encamptment continued:
# On the West would be the standard of Ephraim with the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.
# On the North would be the standard of Dan with the tribes of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali.
# The Tabernacle and the Levites would be in the middle symbolizing that Yahweh is at the heart of Israel.
# Israeli tradition holds that each tribe’s banner would have the color of the jewel from the Priest’s brest-plate and that the standard of Judah was a lion, standard of Reuben a man, standard of Ephraim an ox, and standard of Dan an Eagle.
# On the West would be the standard of Ephraim with the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.
# On the North would be the standard of Dan with the tribes of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali.
# The Tabernacle and the Levites would be in the middle symbolizing that Yahweh is at the heart of Israel.
# Israeli tradition holds that each tribe’s banner would have the color of the jewel from the Priest’s brest-plate and that the standard of Judah was a lion, standard of Reuben a man, standard of Ephraim an ox, and standard of Dan an Eagle.
Overview of Chapters 3-4
Priests and Levites:
# There was a difference between priests and Levites: All priests were from the tribe of Levi although only descendants of Aaron could be priests.
# The duties ascribed to the Levites were as follows:
# “They shall keep guard over him (the High Priest) and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle.” (3:7-8)
# There was a difference between priests and Levites: All priests were from the tribe of Levi although only descendants of Aaron could be priests.
# The duties ascribed to the Levites were as follows:
# “They shall keep guard over him (the High Priest) and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle.” (3:7-8)