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Numbers 8-10    Listen Podcast

 

Let there be light in the Tabernacle (Numbers 8:1-4)

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
2 “Speak to Aaron, and say to him, ‘When you arrange the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.’ ”
3 And Aaron did so; he arranged the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses.
4 Now this workmanship of the lampstand was hammered gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work. According to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

In Numbers 7 (see notes) we saw the beginning of the dedication ceremony for the Tabernacle. The leaders of the 12 Tribes of Israel brought gifts for the dedication. Now the priests and Levites go to work in their newly-established Tabernacle; they begin with the lighting of the lampstand by Aaron. This is the lampstand (aka candlestick) in the Tabernacle tent described in Exodus 25:31–40 (see notes) and constructed in Exodus 37:17-24 (see notes). The Hebrew word for this candlestick is "menorah," the term often used to refer to it by Jews today.

The Levites get a good shave...all over (Numbers 8:5-26)

5 ¶ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
6 “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially.
7 Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.
8 Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering.
9 And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel.
10 So you shall bring the Levites before the LORD, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites;
11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD like a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the LORD.
12 Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites.
13 ¶ “And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them like a wave offering to the LORD.
14 Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.
15 After that the Levites shall go in to service the tabernacle of meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering.
16 For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel.
17 For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them to Myself.
18 I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary.”
20 ¶ Thus Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them.
21 And the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
22 After that the Levites went in to do their work in the tabernacle of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
23 ¶ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
24 “This is what pertains to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting;
25 and at the age of fifty years they must cease performing this work, and shall work no more.
26 They may minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting, to attend to needs, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall do to the Levites regarding their duties.”

Now it's time to consecrate the Levites. The first step was to get ceremonially sprinkled and then shave them all over. Yes, I said all over (verse 7). Verse 8 specifies the offerings to be made on behalf of these Levites at their consecration ceremony. Then we have a component of the ceremony still used today for consecration into Christian ministry, the laying on of hands. The whole congregation of Israel did so (verse 9). That's a lot of hand laying. Then the Levites lay their hands on the sacrifices to make atonement for themselves (verse 12). These Levites were consecrated to the Lord instead of the firstborn of all the Tribes (Numbers 3, see notes). Now notice the included age for service in the Tabernacle. Verse 24 says, "...From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting." You will recall from Numbers 4 (see notes), that on Tabernacle-moving day, those Levites charged with that responsibility had to be at least 30 years old for that task, and not older than 50. So, serving in the Tabernacle required one to be only 25, but moving it 30. At a later period, when the sanctuary was permanently established on Mount Zion, David employed the Levites from age 20 (I Chronicles 23:24-25, see notes). In that passage it is expressly stated that he did so because the Levites no longer had to carry the dwelling and its furniture. This remained the standard.

We find the consecration service for the priests (Aaron and his sons) in Leviticus 8 (see notes). Remember, not all Levites were priests - only Aaron's descendants. It is interesting to note that the priests were sprinkled with blood, but the Levites with water.

You must observe the Passover (Numbers 9:1-14)

1 Now 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:
2 “Let the children of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time.
3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time. According to all its rites and ceremonies you shall keep it.”
4 So Moses told the children of Israel that they should keep the Passover.
5 And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, at twilight, in the Wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.
6 ¶ Now there were certain men who were defiled by a human corpse, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and Aaron that day.
7 And those men said to him, “We became defiled by a human corpse. Why are we kept from presenting the offering of the LORD at its appointed time among the children of Israel?”
8 ¶ And Moses said to them, “Stand still, that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you.”
9 ¶ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
10 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If anyone of you or your posterity is unclean because of a corpse, or is far away on a journey, he may still keep the LORD’S Passover.
11 On the fourteenth day of the second month, at twilight, they may keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
12 They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break one of its bones. According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.
13 But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and ceases to keep the Passover, that same person shall be cut off from among his people, because he did not bring the offering of the LORD at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin.
14 ¶ “And if a stranger dwells among you, and would keep the LORD’S Passover, he must do so according to the rite of the Passover and according to its ceremony; you shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger and the native of the land.’ ”

Now we come to the first anniversary mark of leaving Egypt (verse 1), and it's time to observe Passover. If you live in the camp, you must keep the Passover on the designated day.That is so, unless you were defiled in some way or out of town; then you observed it after the complication was rectified on the fourteenth day of the following month. Click here for further information on Passover observance. The Passover Feast is the only one of the festivals that had provisions for rescheduling to accommodate those who were forced to miss the one held on the actual observance date. We see that King Hezekiah exercised this rule in II Chronicles 30 (see notes).

Here's that phrase "that same person shall be cut off from among his people" for those who declined to observe this special feast of Israel. In other words, you observed it (Jew or not) or they kicked you out of the camp - no freedom of religion there.

It is interesting that this passage also includes the non-Jewish "stranger" in the Passover observance (verse 14). However, there was a particular stipulation for the stranger in Exodus 12:48 (see notes), "And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it." To which the stranger might reply, "No thanks; I had a big meal before I left home."

There's an interesting deduction that might be made regarding circumcision and Passover. In the initial instructions given to the Hebrews regarding observance of Passover in Exodus 12:48 (see notes), they were adamantly instructed, "no uncircumcised person shall eat it." That is reinforced in this passage prior to the observance of their first Passover out of Egypt. We are not told in scripture that the Hebrews observed another Passover during the 38 years of wilderness wandering, but it appears that perhaps they did not, based upon Joshua 5:1-9 (see notes). In that passage Joshua is instructed to have a mass circumcision prior to entering Canaan. We are told in that passage that they did not circumcise for those 38 years of wilderness wandering. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that they did not observe Passover during that time either, because to do so would have been a violation of Exodus 12:48 along with these instructions in Numbers 9.

When the cloud moved, they moved (Numbers 9:15-23)

15 ¶ Now on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the Testimony; from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire.
16 So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.
17 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents.
18 At the command of the LORD the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the LORD they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped.
19 Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD and did not journey.
20 So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of the LORD they would remain encamped, and according to the command of the LORD they would journey.
21 So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey.
22 Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey.
23 At the command of the LORD they remained encamped, and at the command of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

The cloud over the Tabernacle was the sign of God's dwelling among them; it is known to Bible students as the Shekinah Glory. When it stayed put, they stayed put. When it moved, they moved. May I emphasize again, the Israelites were never lost; God's presence was among them and instructed them exactly where to go and when to go there. Read the article on the Shekinah Glory located to the right of this window or click here to view it in a separate window.

Two big ol' trumpets of silver (Numbers 10:1-10)

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
2 “Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps.
3 When they blow both of them, all the congregation shall gather before you at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
4 But if they blow only one, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall gather to you.
5 When you sound the advance, the camps that lie on the east side shall then begin their journey.
6 When you sound the advance the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall begin their journey; they shall sound the call for them to begin their journeys.
7 And when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but not sound the advance.
8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations.
9 ¶ “When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.
10 Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the LORD your God.”

How do you signal some two million or so people? You do so with these two silver trumpets - different sound patterns for different events (war, meetings, moving, etc.). Only the priests blew the trumpets (verse 8). You can imagine that blowing those trumpets must have been a much-envied responsibility. They also used these trumpets to signal new months and special festival days. The calendar during that period of time was based upon observation and not calculation. The priests declared the appropriate time for these events with the blowing of the big ol' silver trumpets. For more information on the observational calendar see the information box to the right or click here.

Finally...moving day! (Numbers 10:11-28)

11 ¶ Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony.
12 And the children of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys; then the cloud settled down in the Wilderness of Paran.
13 So they started out for the first time according to the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
14 ¶ The standard of the camp of the children of Judah set out first according to their armies; over their army was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
15 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar.
16 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.
17 ¶ Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set out, carrying the tabernacle.
18 ¶ And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their armies; over their army was Elizur the son of Shedeur.
19 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
20 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
21 ¶ Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. (The tabernacle would be prepared for their arrival.)
22 ¶ And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set out according to their armies; over their army was Elishama the son of Ammihud.
23 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
24 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.
25 ¶ Then the standard of the camp of the children of Dan (the rear guard of all the camps) set out according to their armies; over their army was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
26 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran.
27 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan.
28 ¶ Thus was the order of march of the children of Israel, according to their armies, when they began their journey.

Here's the day everybody's been waiting for - moving day! Finally, we're going to Canaan - to the land God promised. It's been a little over 13 months since they left Egypt, and quite a bit has been done. They are now organized into armies; their Tabernacle has been built and their unique style of worship established. They have their leaders appointed and their priests assigned. It's been boot camp for this last year, but now it's time for their first assignment. The cloud over the Tabernacle moves. Verse 13 says, "So they started out for the first time according to the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses." Notice the order in which they traveled in verses 14-28 - specific tribes in their specific places. Compare that order to the encampment chart (see chart) and notice the organized way in which they broke down their camp and moved out.

How long did the wilderness journey last...exactly?
Numbers 10:11 Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. They broke camp to head for Canaan in year 2, month 2, day 20.
Deuteronomy 1:3 Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them. They are prepared to go into Canaan in year 40, month 11, day 1.
The lapsed time was 38 years, 8 months, 11 days

Hobab heads back to Midian (Numbers 10:29-36)

29 ¶ Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.”
30 ¶ And he said to him, “I will not go, but I will depart to my own land and to my relatives.”
31 ¶ So Moses said, “Please do not leave, inasmuch as you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes.
32 And it shall be, if you go with us—indeed it shall be—that whatever good the LORD will do to us, the same we will do to you.”
33 ¶ So they departed from the mountain of the LORD on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them for the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them.
34 And the cloud of the LORD was above them by day when they went out from the camp.
35 ¶ So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said:
“Rise up, O LORD!
Let Your enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate You flee before You.”
36 And when it rested, he said:
“Return, O LORD,
To the many thousands of Israel.”

Since Israel had been encamped at Mount Sinai (aka Mount Horeb) next to the homeland of Moses' wife's family in Midian, Hobab, his brother-in-law, had been living among them. He declined an offer to travel on into Canaan with them, but Moses makes an additional appeal to him. We're not told whether this second appeal is successful, but the "Kenites" (descendants of Hobab) are mentioned on numerous occasions in Judges, I and II Samuel and II Chronicles, indicating their presence among the Israelites. So, perhaps this second appeal by Moses was effective.

Moses had some standard words he used to signal time to travel and time to rest. Look at verses 35-36, "So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: 'Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You.' And when it rested, he said: 'Return, O LORD, To the many thousands of Israel.'"