Day 46 Numbers 25-27 Supplemental Notes

Numbers Chapter 25
As has happened with practically every military superpower in the history of humanity, when Israel reached its most powerful point, flagrant moral corruption, which in turn led to every manifestation of idolatry, set in i.e. "proud" Sodomites and men and women defiantly committing public acts of fornication (it was the same process that later turned wise King Solomon into a typical carnal-minded king of the world, at a cost of Israel's unity - see The Israelite Monarchy - The Division Of Israel).

"While Israel dwelt in Shittim the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate, and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of The Lord was kindled against Israel; and The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them in the sun before The Lord, that the fierce anger of The Lord may turn away from Israel." And Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Every one of you slay his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor [see also Baal-zebub and Beelzebub]." (Numbers 25:1-5 RSV)

The Levites seemed to be the least affected (Moses himself was a Levite); as they demonstrated many times before, although the Levites were the priesthood, they did not use their status as ministers of The Lord to shirk military or police duty, as in this case with Phinehas the son of Eleazar (see also The Lines Of Eleazar and Ithamar). Some have criticized his taking of life, but what Phinehas did, in obedience to The Lord's direct command, was to save life, many lives, perhaps thousands of lives, for the plague that would kill 24,000 people stopped because of what Phinehas did.

"And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the tent of meeting. When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation, and took a spear in his hand and went after the man of Israel into the inner room, and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman, through her body. Thus the plague was stayed from the people of Israel. Nevertheless those that died by the plague were twenty-four thousand." (Numbers 25:6-9 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 26
The Lord then ordered another census to be taken of the Israelite men over age twenty. A previous census, approximately 40 years earlier, had been taken the year after the Exodus (see notes for Numbers Chapter 1) which showed a military-age population of 603,550 (Numbers 1:46). That generation had almost entirely died off, deliberately ("These were those numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. But among these there was not a man of those numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had numbered the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. For The Lord had said of them, "They shall die in the wilderness." There was not left a man of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun," Numbers 26:63-65 RSV; see also A Journey Without A Destination); the census of the next generation, just prior to their entry into the promised land, showed a military-age male population of 601,730 (Numbers 26:51).

"After the plague The Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest, "Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all in Israel who are able to go forth to war." And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, "Take a census of the people, from twenty years old and upward," as The Lord commanded Moses." (Numbers 26:1-4 RSV) "This was the number of the people of Israel, six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty." (Numbers 26:51 RSV)

The Lord does nothing in vain. The purpose of the census was to determine the soon to come tribal allocations of the promised land (see Tribal Lands).

"The Lord said to Moses: "To these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance according to its numbers. But the land shall be divided by lot; according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. Their inheritance shall be divided according to lot between the larger and the smaller." (Numbers 26:52-56 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 27
The matter of Zelophehad's daughters (see the Fact Finder question below) provided two important precedents in law, both ancient (as in the case of Zelophehad's daughters themselves, and others for long after) and modern (The Lord's inheritance law as quoted below has been used as the basis for many man-made laws and even succession rules for some national kings and queens - including that of Britain)

"Moses brought their case before The Lord. And The Lord said to Moses, "The daughters of Zelophehad are right; you shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. And you shall say to the people of Israel, 'If a man dies, and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers. And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it. And it shall be to the people of Israel a statute and ordinance, as The Lord commanded Moses.'" (Numbers 27:5-11 RSV)

With the Israelites about to cross the Jordan, Joshua was formally declared the successor of Moses, who would not be entering the promised land, yet (see Why Did Christ Put Moses To Death?).

"And The Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him; cause him to stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim [see Urim And Thummim] before The Lord; at his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation." (Numbers 27:18-21 RSV)

Day 45 Numbers 22-24 Supplemental Notes

Numbers Chapter 22
Balak was the king of the Moabites (see Moab) at the time that the Israelites were about to enter their promised land, from the east, through Moab which was located east of The Jordan River. The Moabites were actually distant cousins of the Israelites; Moab was a son of Abraham's nephew Lot i.e. "Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The first-born bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day" (Genesis 19:36-38 RSV). Balaam was a "diviner" from Mesopotamia (known today as Iraq; see also Settlers and Invaders From Iraq). When Balak saw what the Israelites had been doing to all that opposed their march home, he hired Balaam ("with the fees for divination") to put a curse on them.

"Then the people of Israel set out, and encamped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many; Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel.
And Moab said to the elders of Midian [coincidentally, Moses had married a Midianite woman, the daughter of Jethro, the man who taught Moses how to live in the desert - see also The Education Of Moses] "This horde will now lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field."
So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River, in the land of Amaw to call him, saying, "Behold, a people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed."
So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam, and gave him Balak's message." (Numbers 22:1-7 RSV)

Balaam accepted the job, but while Balaam was traveling to Balak, The Lord warned the mentally ill wizard by having his donkey speak to him, an event recalled in the New Testament as well i.e. "Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a dumb ass spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness." (2 Peter 2:15-16 RSV)

"Then The Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" And Balaam said to the ass, "Because you have made sport of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you."
And the ass said to Balaam, "Am I not your ass, upon which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Was I ever accustomed to do so to you?"
And he said, "No."
Then The Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of The Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face.
And the angel of The Lord said to him, "Why have you struck your ass these three times? Behold, I have come forth to withstand you, because your way is perverse before me; and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have slain you and let her live." (Numbers 22:28-33 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 23
The Lord allowed Balaam to live, and to continue on to Balak - but he would be given to bless the Israelites, not curse them. Over and over, much to the dismay of his employer Balak, Balaam obeyed The Lord and blessed the Israelites with his "oracles" (see the Fact Finder question below).

"And Balaam took up his discourse ["oracle" in the King James - see the Fact Finder question below], and said, "From Aram Balak has brought me, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: 'Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel!' How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom The Lord has not denounced? For from the top of the mountains I see him, from the hills I behold him; lo, a people dwelling alone, and not reckoning itself among the nations! Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his!" And Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them." And he answered, "Must I not take heed to speak what The Lord puts in my mouth?" (Numbers 23:7-12 RSV)

And again:

"And Balaam took up his discourse, and said, "Rise, Balak, and hear; hearken to me, O son of Zippor: God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfil it? Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob; nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them. God brings them out of Egypt; they have as it were the horns of the wild ox. For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, 'What has God wrought!' Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down till it devours the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain." (Numbers 23:18-24 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 24
Balaam was actually prophesying by means of the Holy Spirit ("the Spirit of God came upon him, and he took up his discourse, and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened," quoted below); unfortunately, he wasted his opportunity for conversion and was later killed by the Israelites ("They warred against Midian, as The Lord commanded Moses, and slew every male. They slew the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian; and they also slew Balaam the son of Beor with the sword," Numbers 31:7-8 RSV)

"When Balaam saw that it pleased The Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and saw Israel encamping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him, and he took up his discourse, and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes uncovered: how fair are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like valleys that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that The Lord has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted." (Numbers 21:1-7 RSV)

Balaam even saw the "star" that would come out of Israel.

"And he took up his discourse, and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes uncovered: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: a star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab, and break down all the sons of Sheth." (Numbers 24:15-17 RSV)

Day 44 Numbers 19-21 Supplemental Notes

Numbers Chapter 19
Although Baptism is often regarded as a Christian invention, a prototype of baptism, with exactly the same symbolism, to exactly the same true God, was known long before (see The Origin of Baptism), as in this example ("the water for impurity, for the removal of sin") in which it was combined with a symbolic blood sacrifice i.e. Christ's blood sacrifice (see Why Blood?) is only valid for those who accept it by repenting (Christ didn't die for sinners, Christ died for repentant sinners; unrepentant sinners are going to be cast into the lake of fire). Baptism isn't about water, it's about repentance and beginning to live according to God's Way.

"Now The Lord said to Moses [see The Education Of Moses] and to Aaron, "This is the statute of the law which The Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and upon which a yoke has never come. And you shall give her to Eleazar the priest, and she shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him; and Eleazar the priest shall take some of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of her blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. And the heifer shall be burned in his sight; her skin, her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall be burned; and the priest shall take cedarwood and hyssop and Scarlet stuff, and cast them into the midst of the burning of the heifer. Then the priest [see Levites] shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterwards he shall come into the camp; and the priest shall be unclean until evening. He who burns the heifer shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water, and shall be unclean until evening.
And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the people of Israel for the water for impurity, for the removal of sin." (Numbers 19:1-9 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 20
Moses was one of the greatest servants of The Lord that has ever lived (see The Trysting Tent). But Moses was not above God's Law; it was not "the law of Moses," it was Law of God that Moses merely delivered. Although we know that Moses is going to be in the future Kingdom of God (see The Transfiguration), the spiritual promised land, Moses committed an infraction against The Lord that cost him entry into the physical Israelites physical promised land (see Why Did Christ Put Moses To Death? and Physical and Spiritual Israel). Ironically, and tragically, Moses' failure there at the waters was during his attempt to deal with the rebels who were opposing The Lord's leadership again.

"Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tent of meeting, and fell on their faces. And the glory of The Lord appeared to them, and The Lord said to Moses, "Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water; so you shall bring water out of the rock for them; so you shall give drink to the congregation and their cattle." And Moses took the rod from before The Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?" And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his rod twice; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle.
And The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." (Numbers 20:6-12 RSV)

Aaron was the first to die; The Lord chose the precise time and place in which he would pass the symbolic office of high priest (see What Is Jesus Christ Doing Right Now?) on to his son.

"And they journeyed from Kadesh, and the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor. And The Lord said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, "Aaron shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the people of Israel, because you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron shall be gathered to his people, and shall die there." Moses did as The Lord commanded; and they went up Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar [see The Lines Of Eleazar and Ithamar] came down from the mountain. And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days." (Numbers 20:22-29 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 21
The Israelites were now approaching their promised land; unlike the earlier opportunity that they threw away (see A Journey Without A Destination), this time they would enter. The people in the land and the surrounding territories presented a formidable resistance. The Edomites had just done so ("But he said, "You shall not pass through." And Edom came out against them with many men, and with a strong force. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him," Numbers 20:20-21 RSV) and The Lord had let them get away with it, for the moment, and then the king of Arad did the same. Edom and the Canaanite nations were literally playing with fire, as they would now begin to feel (see also "Strong Is He Who Has Come Down"):

"When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. And Israel vowed a vow to The Lord, and said, "If Thou wilt indeed give this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities." And The Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel, and gave over the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities; so the name of the place was called Hormah." (Numbers 21:1-3 RSV)

Despite all that The Lord had done for them, the second generation of post-Exodus Israelites were often as much whiners and complainers as their parents had been, for which they had been left to die in the desert (again, see A Journey Without A Destination). When the people rebelled, The Lord sent poisonous snakes among them, from which came a symbol, not only of the modern-day medical profession, but of Christ (see the Fact Finder question below).

"From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." Then The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against The Lord and against you; pray to The Lord, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. And The Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live." (Numbers 21:4-9 RSV)

Unlike the previous approach to enter, which it seems may have been through the south, the Israelites were now making their way north along the east coast of the Dead Sea (see The Salt Sea), whereafter they would then turn west and cross the Jordan (see The Jordan Valley). It was then, for a while, that The Lord made the Israelites undefeatable. They were, at that point, the greatest military superpower that has ever existed, before or since. Nothing could have stopped them from entering the land that The Lord had promised to Abraham because any enemy would have had to defeat The Lord Himself to prevent it.

"But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his men together, and went out against Israel to the wilderness, and came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. And Israel slew him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites; for Jazer was the boundary of the Ammonites. And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages." (Numbers 21:23-25 RSV) "And Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they took its villages, and dispossessed the Amorites that were there. Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. But The Lord said to Moses, "Do not fear him; for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon." So they slew him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was not one survivor left to him; and they possessed his land." (Numbers 21:32-35 RSV)

Day 43 Numbers 16-18 Supplemental Notes

Numbers Chapter 16
Even after the example made of Miriam and Aaron when they rebelled against The Lord (see the notes for Numbers 12), many of the Israelites still did not repent. More rebellion, this time in effect declaring that everyone was the leader i.e. "they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, "You have gone too far! For all the congregation are holy, every one of them." That incident was later in Bible History referred to as "Korah's rebellion" (see the Fact Finder question below). Whether Korah, who was a Levite, was referring to the Levites, or literally all of the Israelites in his "all the congregation are holy" was irrelevant. The Lord had plainly specified the different levels of service for the Levites.

"Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; and they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, "You have gone too far! For all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and The Lord is among them; why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of The Lord?" (Numbers 16:1-3 RSV)

Moses was not "exalting himself" - Moses didn't even want the leadership in the first place i.e. "Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person." (Exodus 4:13 RSV). But Moses obeyed The Lord's command to go and lead the people, obedience to God that the rest of the people of Israel consistently refused to do, much to their own regret when they repeatedly brought The Lord's wrath down upon themselves.

"And Moses [see also The Education Of Moses, The Trysting Tent and The Veil of Moses] said, "Hereby you shall know that The Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they are visited by the fate of all men, then The Lord has not sent me. But if The Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised The Lord." And as he finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split asunder; and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men that belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. And all Israel that were round about them fled at their cry; for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up!"
And fire came forth from The Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men offering the incense." (Numbers 16:28-35 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 17
A miraculous sign was then provided to the Israelites to show who it was that held the Shepherd's rod. That rod was later placed inside the Ark of the Covenant i.e. "And after the second veil [see Why Was It Torn?], the Tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the Ark of the Covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna [see Christ, The Bread of Life], and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the Mercyseat [see Christ's Mercy Seat] (Hebrews 9:3-5 KJV).

"The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them rods, one for each fathers' house, from all their leaders according to their fathers' houses, twelve rods. Write each man's name upon his rod, and write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each fathers' house. Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. And the rod of the man whom I choose shall sprout; thus I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the people of Israel, which they murmur against you." Moses spoke to the people of Israel; and all their leaders gave him rods, one for each leader, according to their fathers' houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. And Moses deposited the rods before The Lord in the tent of the testimony.
And on the morrow Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe Almonds. Then Moses brought out all the rods from before The Lord to all the people of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.
And The Lord said to Moses, "Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their murmurings against me, lest they die." (Numbers 17:1-10 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 18
With order again restored, the Levites were once more reminded of their specified duties and responsibilities i.e. who among them could touch the Most Holy things and who could not (see Raiders Of The Lost Ark).

"So The Lord said to Aaron, "You and your sons and your fathers' house with you shall bear iniquity in connection with the sanctuary [see also Sanctuary]; and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity in connection with your priesthood. And with you bring your brethren also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you, and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. They shall attend you and attend to all duties of the tent; but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar, lest they, and you, die. They shall join you, and attend to the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; and no one else shall come near you. And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, that there be wrath no more upon the people of Israel. And behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the people of Israel; they are a gift to you, given to The Lord, to do the service of the tent of meeting. And you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any one else who comes near shall be put to death." (Numbers 18:1-7 RSV)

Day 42 Numbers 12-15 Supplemental Notes

Numbers Chapter 12
Sibling rivalry has been known since the very beginning, when Cain murdered his younger brother Abel (Genesis 4:1-2; see also My Brother's Shepherd). As it happened, Moses was the youngest of the three children of his family; Aaron was three years older than Moses (Exodus 7:7) and Miriam was substantially older than her brothers Moses and Aaron (Miriam was the girl who followed her infant brother Moses' basket along the river). How much the age differences produced the resentment toward their younger brother is not stated, but their sibling jealousy of Moses was tragically apparent. They used Moses' wife as their excuse, but their "Has The Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?" made plain the true source of the hostility toward their brother who The Lord had assigned the responsibility of leadership.

"Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman; and they said, "Has The Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And The Lord [see YHVH, Adonai, Jehovah, LORD] heard it." (Numbers 12:1-2 RSV)

The Lord's response was swift and sure.

"And suddenly The Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting." And the three of them came out. And The Lord came down in a pillar of cloud [see also The Clouds of Heaven], and stood at the door of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward. And He said, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I The Lord make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in dark speech; and he beholds the form of The Lord [see also The Trysting Tent]. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" And the anger of The Lord was kindled against them, and he departed; and when the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron turned towards Miriam, and behold, she was leprous." (Numbers 12:4-10 RSV)

Aaron and Miriam then realized their rebelliousness against The Lord; they repented, and Miriam was healed of a disease that, back in that time, was "uncurable."

"And Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned." (Numbers 12:11 RSV) "But The Lord said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut up outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again." So Miriam was shut up outside the camp seven days; and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again." (Numbers 12:14-15 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 13
It had been little more than a year since the Exodus, but after leaving Mount Sinai in the south (see also Why Did Paul Say That Sinai Was In Arabia?), the Israelites made their way to the border of their physical promised land. Scouts were sent in, from the south, to gather both information and samples.

"The Lord said to Moses, "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the people of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers shall you send a man, every one a leader among them." So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of The Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel." (Numbers 13:1-3 RSV)

The land, exactly as The Lord promised, was very good. Unfortunately, the people's (with very few exceptions, such as Joshua and Caleb, and of course Moses) lack of faith and courage caused them to panic, needlessly, because The Lord was literally their "firepower," when told of the Canaanites.

"At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, "We came to the land to which you sent us; it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Yet the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan."
But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once, and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it."
Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we." (Numbers 13:25-31 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 14
Panic, and then rebellion, spread through the Israelites. The Lord guaranteed their victory (see also "Strong Is He Who Has Come Down"), but they not only refused their land of freedom, but actually proposed to return to their slavery in Egypt.

"Then all the congregation raised a loud cry; and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron; the whole congregation said to them, "Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why does The Lord bring us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey; would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?" And they said to one another, "Let us choose a captain, and go back to Egypt." (Numbers 14;1-4 RSV)

The Lord's response to their cowardice (note that there will be no cowards in the coming spiritual promised land either i.e. "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death" Revelation 21:8 RSV) was to condemn them to a lifetime of wandering in circles in the wilderness of Sinai (see the Fact Finder question below).

"Say to them, 'As I live,' says The Lord, 'what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness [see also The Wilderness of Sin]; and of all your number, numbered from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day a year, you shall bear your iniquity, forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.'" (Numbers 14:28-34 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 15
The Israelites then began their life in the desert of Sinai, forty years of waiting until the adults that refused entry into the promised land had died off. They were however still required to obey God's Law; those who didn't, didn't do so a second time. Example:

"While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. They put him in custody, because it had not been made plain what should be done to him. And The Lord said to Moses, "The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp." And all the congregation brought him outside the camp, and stoned him to death with stones [see Stoning], as The Lord commanded Moses." (Numbers 15:32-36 RSV)

Day 41 Numbers 9-11 Supplemental Notes

Numbers Chapter 9
The Lord instructed the Israelites to keep the Passover, a Holy Day that The Lord God would Himself fulfill as a man i.e. "I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same supernatural food and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:1-4 RSV)

"And The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, "Let the people of Israel keep the Passover [see Christ's Passover] at its appointed time. On the fourteenth day of this month, in the evening, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its ordinances you shall keep it." So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover. And they kept the Passover in the first month [see Bible Calendar and Bible Months], on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, in the wilderness of Sinai [see also The Wilderness of Sin]; according to all that The Lord commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did." (Numbers 9:1-5 RSV)

The people were guided by a miraculous cloud (see also The Clouds of Heaven)

"On the day that The Tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony; and at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. So it was continually; the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel encamped." (Numbers 9:15-17 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 10
Silver trumpets were made and used "for summoning the congregation and for breaking camp" (see The Camp).

"The Lord said to Moses, "Make two silver trumpets; of hammered work you shall make them; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation, and for breaking camp. And when both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. But if they blow only one, then the leaders, the heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you. When you blow an alarm, the camps that are on the east side shall set out. And when you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are on the south side shall set out. An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out. But when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but you shall not sound an alarm." (Numbers 10:1-7 RSV)

So the Israelites set out on a journey that lasted far longer than The Lord had originally intended for the people that He had delivered out of Egypt (see A Journey Without A Destination)

"In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle of the testimony, and the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran. They set out for the first time at the command of The Lord by Moses." (Numbers 10:11-13 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 11
As bizarre as it seems (although the Daughter of Zion has always had those who failed to appreciate the greatness of The Lord for and within themselves), the Israelites grumbled and complained about their freedom. In this example, The Lord warned them with fire from heaven, but they foolishly kept whining.

"And the people complained in the hearing of The Lord about their misfortunes; and when The Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of The Lord burned among them, and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. Then the people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to The Lord, and the fire abated. So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of The Lord burned among them. Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving; and the people of Israel also wept again, and said, "O that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at." Now the manna [see Christ, The Bread of Life] was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. The people went about and gathered it, and ground it in mills or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it." (Numbers 11:1-9 RSV)

The Lord nevertheless provided meat for them, but they apparently ate it raw, from which "The Lord smote the people with a very great plague."

"And there went forth a wind from The Lord, and it brought quails [see Birds Of The Bible] from the sea, and let them fall beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth. And the people rose all that day, and all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails; he who gathered least gathered ten homers; and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of The Lord was kindled against the people, and The Lord smote the people with a very great plague. Therefore the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving." (Numbers 11:31-34 RSV)

The Holy Spirit was active within the Israelites. When it was provided to others besides himself (see also The Trysting Tent), Moses humbly welcomed it.

"And The Lord said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. And I will come down and talk with you there; and I will take some of the spirit which is upon you and put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone." (Numbers 11:16-17 RSV) "And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, "My lord Moses, forbid them." But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all The Lord's people were Prophets, that The Lord would put his spirit upon them!" (Numbers 11:28-29 RSV)

Day 40 Numbers 6-8 Supplemental Notes

Numbers Chapter 6
While two of the most well-known men of Bible History, one in the Old Testament, one in the New Testament, lived according to Nazirite rules, either men or women could do so i.e. "either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite."

"And The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to The Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins. All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the time is completed for which he separates himself to The Lord, he shall be holy; he shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long. All the days that he separates himself to The Lord he shall not go near a dead body. Neither for his father nor for his mother, nor for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean; because his separation to God is upon his head. All the days of his separation he is holy to The Lord." (Numbers 6:1-8 RSV)

The Lord instructed His servants how to bless His people (those who listen to the Sermons here at Daily Bible Study will recognize The Lord's words of that blessing as quoted below - sermons are ended with "May The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: May The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: May The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace" (King James Version) as The Lord instructed (see Physical and Spiritual Israel).

"The Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron and his sons, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you: The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
So shall they put My Name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them." (Numbers 6:22-27 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 7
When The Tabernacle was fully set up, it still required offerings to The Lord from the people, that would be used as offerings to The Lord by the Levites. Note again how only specific Levites were allowed to move the Most Holy articles; anyone else would have been put to death by The Lord - the reason that The Ark Of The Covenant (see also Christ's Mercy Seat) could not have been looted by the Babylonians, or anyone else (see Raiders Of The Lost Ark).

"On the day when Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed and consecrated it with all its furnishings, and had anointed and consecrated the altar with all its utensils, the leaders of Israel, heads of their fathers' houses, the leaders of the tribes, who were over those who were numbered, offered and brought their offerings before The Lord, six covered wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon for every two of the leaders, and for each one an ox; they offered them before the tabernacle. Then The Lord said to Moses, "Accept these from them, that they may be used in doing the service of the tent of meeting, and give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service."
So Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites. Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service; and four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because they were charged with the care of the holy things which had to be carried on the shoulder." (Numbers 7:1-9 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 8
The setting up of the lights in the Tabernacle represented the Light of the World (see The Light Of Life and God Is Light)

"Now The Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand." And Aaron did so; he set up its lamps to give light in front of the lampstand, as The Lord commanded Moses. And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern which The Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand." (Numbers 8:1-4 RSV)

The Levites began their time of service in water (see The Origin of Baptism).

"And The Lord said to Moses, "Take the Levites from among the people of Israel, and cleanse them. And thus you shall do to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of expiation upon them, and let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves." (Numbers 8:5-7 RSV)

The lower-level Levites generally served from age 25 to 50; they thereafter supervised and taught those who did the work in their place.

"And The Lord said to Moses, "This is what pertains to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to perform the work in the service of the tent of meeting; and from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the work of the service and serve no more, but minister to their brethren in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge, and they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning their duties." (Numbers 8:23-26 RSV)