Wandering in the Wilderness: Reflections from the book of Numbers
3500 years to Covid-19
Lesson Two (Chapters 3 and 4)
To see the video of this lecture: https://youtu.be/r5WB0g8K-H8
Lesson Two: Leadership duties
A. Introduction
1. Greetings
Shalom to each of you here on the Zoom call and those who will watch this class lecture on YouTube later. Our usual program during these talks is to conduct an overview of the Bible section in the first 20-25 minutes and then let everyone on the call into a conversation about all the themes or ideas that I will bring up for the last 30 minutes or so. Further discussion happens even deeper in our D-Groups that happen next week or maybe some will conduct a D-Group on Shabbat.
Last week we began a new study on the book of Numbers in Torah. Why Numbers? The Hebrew for this book, taken from the first line of the text, is Bamidbar. Translate: “In the wilderness.” Dear friends, if anything describes the year 2020 for many of us here in Australia, and around the globe, it’s the uncertainty and wilderness-type considerations that this book will highlight. The Hebrews were never made to live in the wilderness any more than we in Australia were made to live forever under COVID-19 and under travel restrictions. Wherever you live and are watching this lecture, you have experienced any number of stresses that are not normal, or at least, they were not normal before 2020. Thus, I see our entire experience as being ‘in the wilderness.’ What lessons can we learn from the Jewish people’s wandering? That’s what the next few months will highlight. Let’s jump into this after prayer.
[Prayer]
I’m going to recommend that you who are watching this on YouTube should read the next two Bible chapters before you listen/ watch the rest of this. They are chapters 3 and 4. Then press play on your machine and re-join us. Thanks.
2. Overview
[For those online, see this book overview from The Bible Project (https://youtu.be/tp5MIrMZFqo)] We saw how this book breaks into three major geographic and chronological sections. The first is found in chapters 1 through 10. Geographically we were at Sinai at the time. That’s where we are in this our 2nd class today.
3. Three Theses
One more flashback. We saw three major considerations that Moses addresses over and over in the book. You will find them throughout our study. First, as Jewish people today still think, the goal of our wandering was a settled place, then titled ‘Canaan’ and today titled ‘Israel.’ Wildernesses are ok for trekkers or adventurers, but that’s not the long-ranged plan of God for us Jewish people. The second major thesis is the centrality of God, in location, in guidance, in physicality, in the structures he establishes from Tabernacle on. We are a community often on the march, but we are never to forget the centrality of the Almighty. The third major thought concerns authority. We have the One who gave us Sh’nei luchot at Mt Sinai, and to whom we often have to return for further clarification and advice.
Watch for those three theses each week, although some weeks they won’t be that visible, but usually they are front and centre.
B. Today’s study
1. Three teams of Levitical folks
The third chapter begins with this phrase, “Aleh toldot” “These are the generations of Aaron and Moses…” Two things to note.
1) The phrase אֵ֛לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֥ת sounds very familiar. Have you seen that before? Do you know what this might represent? 13 times in the Older Testament this phrase is used. 12 in Torah. I believe these are the words at the top of a stone tablet, with genealogical records that follow. Like Ancestry.com for the locals at the time. (Genesis 6.9, 10.1, 11.10, 11.27, 25.12, 25.19, 36.1, 36.9, 37.2, Exodus 6.16, 6.19, Num. 3.1, Ruth 4.18) In other words, this section was originally not written on papyrus, but rather on some stones and is part of the compilation into Moses’ account we call Torah.
That is significant to me as I ponder the authenticity and the historicity of the text. This is ancient. These were very accurate. It’s like finding a birth certificate to prove something or what DNA testing does to many who use it.
2) The other thing to note is that Aaron is listed first. That only happens 6 times in the Bible, and every time it’s about their genealogical listing, that is, primogeniture. (Ex. 6.20, 6.26, Num. 3.1 (here), 26.29, 1 Chr. 6.3, 23.13. It’s clear that Moses is highlighting his brother’s importance and influence, his genealogy taking precedence etc. We have studied and learned that Aaron’s family, with his four sons, are the foundation of the priestly clan within Judaism, and putting Aaron first, before Moses, gets this ball rolling.
A couple other things to note. Verse 3; the priests are anointed. The Hebrew of course is the word Mashach, from which we get the word Messiah. The anointing of the priests at the time of their ordination qualifies them publicly to lead the Jewish people. It’s yichus which allows their candidacy; it’s the anointing which launches them into action.
The word in verse 3 for ordained is a compound word. It’s male yad, מִלֵּ֥א יָדָ֖ם or to fill the hand. Also, in verse 4, the length of the son’s work was ‘during the lifetime of Aaron’, but the Hebrew is “on the face of Aaron’ meaning while Aaron was watching. I like the dramatic word rather than the simple chronological one.
Now we see an historical rewind. Levi is the 3rd son of Jacob and we have already seen his mention omitted in the counting in chapter 1 of the book. He is replaced as is Joseph. Joseph gets a double portion and Levi gets nothing. Except that Levi gets an entire credential that seriously outshines all the other sons. His is both the Levitical family and through Aaron the entire priestly family.
In verse 7 we read וְשָׁמְרוּ אֶת-מִשְׁמַרְתּi “they shall perform the duties” The Hebrew carries the idea of guarding or keeping. Shomer like a policeman today in Israel. The watchman who keeps his eye out. Psalm 121, “He that keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.” So, it’s not only a single act done on one day or another. It’s a verb that sounds like a laboratory scientist keeping accurate records and controls. Maintenance is in view, as if the tradition is going to last longer than any daily, weekly or annual activity.
In verse 9, נְתוּנִ֨ם נְתוּנִ֥ם wholly given. The Hebrew often uses a double word to emphasize the dimension or the seriousness, the extent or the importance of something.
The choice of Aaron and his sons is highlighted in verse 10 with the contrast of who is disallowed from the actions in the Ohel Moed. Zur is the Hebrew word. We translate it ‘layman’, but the word carries other connotations as well. strange, foreign, alien, one of a different kind; unauthorized, illegitimate the ordinary Israelite, the non-Levite, those from the other 11 tribes are ‘the other team’ in regard to the Tabernacle.
Verse 10-14 God chose the Firstborn in Egypt a year before. In the same way the Pharaoh was willing to sacrifice his first born and all the first born in Egypt, God has chosen the Jewish people and specifically the firstborn to be His. But that would make for unusual burdens on the families and the military and the priesthood, so God designed a payback/redemption system. The pidyon haben, the redemption of the Firstborn, has been part of the Jewish religion since our earliest days.
I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, (.12)
They are mine. They belong to God, he says. And what God will do is to maintain the Levitical servant family who serve the Lord and their priestly cousins.
He numbers them (.15) and lists them tribe by tribe. Gershonites 7,500. Kohathites 8,600 (perhaps), Merarites 6,200. That totals 22, 300. But the total in verse 39 is 22,000 even. Commentators work on that, but the omission of a single consonant makes the numbers work. Most agree this number should be 8,300 and that makes the numbers sync.
Then after the Levitical count off, there is a census of the firstborn Israelites. Turns out there are 22,273 firstborn which means there is a problem. Pakula says, “verses 44-51 explains what is to be done, to make up for the missing 273 Israelites whom God owns; money is to be paid for each of them to redeem them.” (page 26)
Chapter four outlines the exact workload of each of the Levites including packing up the gear for the Tabernacle, transporting the gear, and such. Remember the Levites served the priests who alone were allowed and even commanded to offer the sacrifices and pour the blood, to keep the oils burning and the incense aflame, etc.
As the chapter 4 concludes the arrangement of the houses of Levi was fixed, again as we have said, with God in the centre. Don’t (ever) miss this. Our lives are settled and arranged well when God is in control. I often ponder how big that centre is.
Let me explain.
Most of you on this call are believers in Yeshua. And we have been taught to keep the Lord at the centre of our hearts and lives. Listen, a dot in the middle of this plate is mathematically and officially the centre, but it’s barely noticeable. I think we get in trouble when we make God the momentary centre but dismiss him all the rest of the day/ week/ month/ life. I know it’s only an illustration, but how much of the life of your plate is housing the Lord of your plate? Is it a drop of a moment of prayer this morning? Is it a weekly gathering with others? Is it 3 or 5 times a day in prayer and Bible reading? Is it that he subsumes your thought life and considerations? That’s the goal.
I need to mention the hauling of the gear, as some of you will know the story in 2 Sam chapter 6. Uzzah dies because he reaches out and grabs the ark of the covenant. Touching the holy thing seems to be out-of-bounds and it is. Some argue that he was doing a good thing and God was really not fair. But the issue of course is what had God already said about carrying the ark?
Weirsbe says, “the Gershonites and the Merarites had wagons for carrying their burdens, but the Kohathites had none. (7.1-9) The sacred furniture of the tabernacle had to be borne on the shoulders of the sanctified servants of God. When David had the ark brought into Jerusalem, he didn’t obey this rule, and it led to the death of Uzzah (2 Sam. 6) The Kohathites were burden-bearers, but their burdens were precious, very important to the people, and appointed by the Lord. Certainly they considered it a privilege to carry the sacred furnishings of the sanctuary on their shoulders through the wildnerness. (page 27)
2. No one knows what tribe
Last week in our post-lecture conversation, several on the Zoom calls discussed the issue of tribes today. What tribe am I from? What about prophecy about Messiah and tribes? So today we will put this information in the lecture section. The only Jewish people who know from what tribe they come are the Levitical folks. And the information is not tied into their DNA necessarily, but in their name. Last names such as Lewis, Lewinsky, Levitch, Levinsohn, Lewinsohn, Levitt, and Levi itself help us identify the Levites. Of course, due to women taking men’s names until the latest generations, caused some of this information to be lost.
Similarly the Aaronides, the priests themselves, also carry that information in their family name. Cohen, Kahn, and the like are almost always identifiable as priests, and thus Levitical tribal folks.
Land-based tribes reconfigured every 50 years in Bible days in the year of Jubilee, but we haven’t practiced that one since the Diaspora (70 CE), and the last 2,000 years haven’t been helpful for family records being maintained. The Levites were not land-based.
Thus there are at least two problems. Since no one knows from what tribe they come, how will we recognize the Messiah who has to be a descendant from the tribe of Judah? And how will that be verified? Also what about the tribes in the book of the Revelation? (Chapter 7)
Rambam, the great Moses Maimonides from the 12th Century, wrote in Letter to Yemen about this conundrum and said, “Holy Spirit will reveal it to us.” That may be true, and certainly what we hope that God by his Spirit will reveal Jesus to the Jewish people, but the way genealogies are verified is not by spiritual thinking or guesswork. There has to be a record. That’s why Matthew and Luke wrote genealogies in their gospels. A person today may rock up and claim to be from Judah or Issachar or Dan, but unless there are historical records, that claim will ever be disputable.
Thus, I believe Messiah had to come and be questioned about his yichus before AD 70. After that the records were in question. Validation is impossible in these days. Remember the Pharisees challenged the blind man about Jesus saying, “as for this man, we don’t even know from where he comes.” (John 9.29) That wasn’t a statement of geography but of genealogy.
The other challenge from the lack of tribal identity in these days is Revelation chapter 7. If there will be 12,000 folks from each of the 12 listed tribes, and if there are no such tribes (except for Levi) today, who are the other 132,000?
I wrote about that 15 years ago when I lectured in our Bible gathering and was teaching on Revelation. Here is that chapter alone. https://bit.ly/7Revelation
Since we don’t have the records then reality says we cannot take Revelation 7 literally. What else it might mean I cover in that manuscript above, but to say there will be only 12,000 of each tribe is not sensible, and impossible to quantify. It’s a definite different read of the book that I love reading. A literal reading of Revelation is I believe out-of-bounds.
Stay with us during these weeks and learn with the others how you can stay on track in 2020 and beyond. And in the D-Groups, you will work this out with others, as a community on the march.
I hope to see you next Friday 10 am Sydney time, as we study chapters 5 through 7, and learn about blessings, jealousy and separation. Hope to see you then, and until then, please have a safe and kind battle for God’s kingdom wherever you live. Shabbat shalom!
The three theses:
1) The goal of our wandering was another place: Israel
2) God is to be central to our marching and in our living
3) Authority of the Lord and his anointed is not to be missed
Actual text:
Num. 3:1 Now these are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 these then are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he1ordained to serve as priests. 4 a But Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered strange fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron.
Num. 3:5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “ Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7 “They shall perform the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do a service of the tabernacle. 8 “They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9 “You shall thus a give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the sons of Israel. 10 “So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that a they may keep their priesthood, but the 1layman who comes near shall be put to death.”
Num. 3:11 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So, the Levites shall be Mine. 13 “For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the LORD.”
Num. 3:14 Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 “Number the sons of Levi by their fathers’ households, by their families; every male from a month old and upward you shall number.” 16So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, just as he had been commanded. 17 these then are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. 18 These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei; 19 and the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel; 20 and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ households.
Num. 3:21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites. 22 Their numbered men, in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, even their numbered men were 7,500. 23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward, 24 and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael. 25 Now the duties of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting, 26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords, according to all the service 1concerning them.
Num. 3:27 Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites and the family of the Izharites and the family of the Hebronites and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites. 28 In the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, performing the duties of the sanctuary. 29 The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the southward side of the tabernacle, 30 and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Kohathite families was 1Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31 Now their duties involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, ethe altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all the service concerning them; 32 and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was the chief of the leaders of Levi, and had the oversight of those who perform the duties of the sanctuary.
Num. 3:33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. 34 Their numbered men in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, were 6,200. 35The leader of the fathers’ households of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the northward side of the tabernacle. 36 Now the appointed duties of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its equipment, and the service concerning them, 37 and the pillars around the court with their sockets and their pegs and their cords.
Num. 3:38 Now those who were to camp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel; but the layman coming near was to be put to death. 39 All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the command of the LORD by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were a22,000.
Num. 3:40 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and 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 a22,273.
Num. 3:44 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 1gerahs), 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 1command of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Num. 4:1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “Take a census of the 2descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ households, 3 from thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting. 4 “This is the work of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of meeting, concerning the most holy things.
Num. 4:5 “When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down a the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it; 6 and they shall lay a covering of porpoise skin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue, and shall insert its poles. 7 “Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall also spread a cloth of 1blue and put on it the dishes and the pans and the sacrificial bowls and the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread shall be on it. 8 “They shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet material and cover the same with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its poles. 9 “Then they shall take a 1blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps and its snuffers, and its trays and all its oil vessels, by which they serve it; 10 and they shall put it and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin, and shall put it on the carrying bars. 11 “Over the golden altar they shall spread a 1blue cloth and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin, and shall insert its poles; 12 and they shall take all the utensils of service, with which they serve in the sanctuary, and put them in a 1blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin, and put them on the carrying bars. 13 “Then they shall take away the ashes from an altar and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 “They shall also put on it all its utensils by which they serve in connection with it: the firepans, the forks and shovels and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles. 15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects a and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
Num. 4:16 “The responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is a the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil — the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”
Num. 4:17 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 18 “Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites. 19 “But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load; 20 but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.”
Num. 4:21 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 22 “Take a census of the sons of Gershon 2also, by their fathers’ households, by their families; 23 from thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall number them; all who enter to perform the service to do the work in the tent of meeting. 24 “This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in carrying: 25 they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering of porpoise skin that is on top of it, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting, 26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the gate of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service; and all that is to be done, they shall perform. 27 “All the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their loads and in all their work, shall be performed at the 1command of Aaron and his sons; and you shall assign to them as a duty all their loads. 28 “This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their duties shall be 1under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Num. 4:29 “As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families, by their fathers’ households; 30 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tent of meeting. 31 “Now this is the duty of their loads, for all their service in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle and its bars and its pillars and its sockets, 32 and the pillars around the court and their sockets and their pegs and their cords, with all their equipment and with all their service; and you shall assign each man by name the items 2he is to carry. 33 “This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
Num. 4:34 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers’ households, 35 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting. 36 Their numbered men by their families were 2,750. 37 These are the numbered men of the Kohathite families, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the 1commandment of the LORD through Moses.
Num. 4:38 The numbered men of the sons of Gershon by their families and by their fathers’ households, 39from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting. 40 Their numbered men by their families, by their fathers’ households, were 2,630. 41 These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Gershon, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD.
Num. 4:42 The numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari by their families, by their fathers’ households, 43 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting. 44 Their numbered men by their families were 3,200. 45 These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the 1commandment of the LORD through Moses.
Num. 4:46 All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers’ households, 47 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who could enter to do the work of service and the work of carrying in the tent of meeting. 48 Their numbered men were a8,580. 49 According to the commandment of the LORD 2through Moses, they were numbered, everyone by his serving or carrying; thus, these were his numbered men, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
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Bibliography
Budd, Philip, Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 5. Numbers. Word, Waco, 1984.
Hertz, Rabbi Dr JH, The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, Soncino, London, 1978.
Pakula, Martin, Numbers: Homeward Bound, Aquilla Press, Sydney, 2006.
Weirsbe, Warren. Be Counted. David C. Cook Publishing, Colorado Springs,1999.
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D-Groups for this week
1) Tuesday 11 am Sydney time. Led by James Howse
2) Monday 10 am Sydney time, led by Rebekah Bronn
3) Thursday 7 pm, Sydney time, led by James White
(Contact our office for zoom details)
If you’d like to host a D-Group either online or in person, please contact bob@jewsforjesus.org.au for further details. It’s time to step up. Ponder this—who will be in your D-Group?
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