Ichthus77

Numbers 20-22

Bible Narrative Project

There is a lot going on in these chapters. Miriam dies, more rebellion due to lack of water (“if only we had died!”–how quickly we forget), Moses disobeys God when he strikes the rock rather than speaking to it and so will not enter the Promised Land with the people, Edom makes them go around instead of passing through, Aaron dies (it’s so weird how both Aaron and Moses go up to a mountain and die…like they can just check out at will), they are victorious over Arad but turn around and complain again, which results in a plague of serpents and Moses lifting up the bronze serpent so that whoever looked at it survived, which is typological of Jesus being lifted up on the cross. How cool would it be to find a copy of the Book of the Wars of the Lord? They go on to defeat Sihon and Og. When they come upon Balak, he sends for the pagan prophet Balaam (an animal diviner) to curse Israel, since he is afraid he cannot defeat them militarily. (NASB note: One of Balaam’s non-Biblical prophecies is preserved in an Aramaic text from Deir Alla in the Jordan Valley dating to c.700 B.C.) At first God does not let him go w/ Balak’s messengers because he doesn’t want Balaam to curse Israel, but when they come a second time God lets him go, but only if he speaks the words God gives him. God knows his true intentions and so blocks his way, he has a disagreement with his talking donkey, who sees the angel that the animal diviner cannot see until God opens his eyes (God is poking fun at his animal divination, the way he mocked the gods of Egypt). The angel reminds him not to curse Israel as Barak wants him to, but to say only the words God gives him.

Numbers 16-17

Bible Narrative Project

Forgot to include chapter fifteen in the last one. Hmm. There are some laws, perhaps to reestablish Moses’ authority and restore order to the people. A people cannot survive wilderness wandering if they are all doing their own thing, as was the dude gathering wood on the sabbath. He wasn’t just gathering wood, he was being deliberately defiant and rebellious, out of unity with the people. (Jesus was not…he was caring about people…which was not forbidden on the sabbath, though it had come to that by Jesus’ time.) There are no jails, and so such rebellion is checked with death. Same deal with the rebellion of Korah and his allies, who had high duties in the tabernacle, but wanted more. The people blame Moses for their deaths and God shows up to stop them with death but again Moses acts on behalf of the people and instructs Aaron as priest on their behalf, to stop the plague. If that wasn’t enough to show that Moses and Aaron are “for the people” God shows them who he chooses as priest by making Aaron’s rod bud instead of the other potential priests. The laws in the chapters that follow fully outline the duties of the priesthood, who are “for the people”.

Numbers 14-15, Psalm 90

Bible Narrative Project

Forgot to include chapter 13 in the last one. The spies of the Promised Land (Canaan) are out for forty days (setting the pattern for their wanderings–one day for every year), and all but Joshua and Caleb come back with bad reports that twist the truth, exaggerating the Nephilim live in Canaan. It takes serious guts for Joshua and Caleb to speak up, and God shows up right on time before the people could stone them. Moses, like Abraham, argues with God not to punish them, and God listens, but says Israel will be wandering until the generation of the spies (besides Joshua and Caleb) dies off, and those spies immediately died of plague. Only their children, who they complained would become prey, will enter the Promised Land. In the morning the people ignore the ‘wandering’ part, change their minds and want to take Canaan. Moses says they will be defeated, don’t go–but, again, they ignore him, and they are defeated. Duhh? Like I’m not that stubborn.

Forgot to mention unintentional sin (15:22)…kind of like breaking a law one doesn’t know is on the books. It isn’t talking about unknowingly violating your own conscience, which is impossible.

Numbers 11:16-13

Bible Narrative Project

Pretty awesome that Moses is not threatened by what the Spirit was doing through Eldad and Medad, in great contrast to grumbling of Miriam and Aaron. God knew what he was doing putting Moses in charge. After that is settled, they move to the wilderness of Paran, poised to take the Promised Land. Poised, but not quite ready.

Numbers 10:11-11:15

Bible Narrative Project

Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law, wants to go his own way, but Moses asks him to stay and be their eyes in the wilderness, and he does (see Judges 1:16). “So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.” Moses sounds like Job here. It’s lonely at the top. Seems like people in leadership always have to deal w/ moaners and groaners. Imagine if your family was struggling to the point of homelessness, and your family kept blaming you for it. Now imagine it’s not just your family, but a whole nation. That would completely suck. But just like Job, instead of quitting, he cries out to God. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, taught Moses delegation back in Exodus 18 just before arriving at Sinai. Apparently upon leaving Sinai, Moses is still needing to learn to ask for human help. It has to be kind of hard to ask for human help from people who constantly complain, when you are in relationship with such an almighty God. But that is exactly what God prescribes (of course he also gives them so much meat it makes them sick).

Numbers 9-10:10

Bible Narrative Project

So, if we were reading this strictly chronologically, the passover celebration would have come before the census in chapter one. Interestingly, it is only their second (the first one celebrated while still in Egypt) and it will be their last until they arrive in the Promised Land. I like that even foreigners can participate (however, they have to be circumcised first, Ex. 12:48).

That the bones of the lamb are not broken is said to prefigure Christ not having any bones broken.

King David is still following the rules about the trumpets when he is king, but he expands it to the whole orchestra when worshipping during feasts.

Numbers 6:22-8:26

Bible Narrative Project

The idea that Levites had tabernacle duties starting from the age of 25 and ending at the age of 50, just because they were born in the tribe of Levi, sort of reminds me of … socialism … or something like it.

Numbers 3-4

Bible Narrative Project

The Levites encamped around the tabernacle–sons of Gershon to the west, sons of Kohath (to whom were given the care of the most holy things) to the south, sons of Merari to the north, sons of Moses and Aaron (to whom were given the priestly duties; Kohaths through Amram, Ex 6:20) to the east.

Numbers 1-2

Bible Narrative Project

Before setting out for the Promised Land they draw up a military roster which excludes the Levites, who have tabernacle duty. By the way, Numbers is this book’s Greek title, but the Hebrew title is more apt: “in the wilderness” … it chronicles their 40 years of wandering.

Leviticus 8:1-10:20 (See also Appendix Exodus 29:1-37)

Bible Narrative Project

My NASB study Bible notes go into what all the steps in the sacrifice symbolized, which set them apart from pagan agricultural sacrifice rituals. From the outside this all might seem like communalized obsessive-compulsive disorder, but then…so would some of the teaching methods of the public school system. Repetition helps us remember what is most important…and it also indicates what is most important to us. The repetition of obsessive-compulsive disorder is disordered repetition–the wrong things are taking addictive priority.