I am following a chronological Bible study, the order of which was suggested by Skip Andrews. It is supposed that this psalm refers to the sentence passed on the Israelites that they would remain in the wilderness forty years and die there, never entering their promised land, as studied in the last post on Numbers 14.
(Psalm 90:1) [A Prayer of Moses the man of God.]
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
This psalm is identified as a prayer of Moses. He began by recognizing that the Lord had been the people's resting place throughout their generations. Even when they had no real dwelling place of their own, their Lord was their resting place, refuge, and defense.
(2) Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Before the earth was ever formed, before the mountains and the dust of the earth were formed, before the inhabited world as they knew it, from eternity before time began to eternity that will continue after time has ended, always and forever, with no beginning and no end, Moses declared God to be the one true God.
(3) You turn man to destruction,
And say, “Return, you children of men.”
There are several ways to look at this verse. Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, described it as God turning man to destruction or death, and returning him to dust. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, said it appeared to be "a clear and strong promise of the resurrection of the human body" after death. My first thought and the view of still other commentaries is that God turns men to destruction to turn them back to Him. I have come to learn that is the ultimate motive of God, to bring His children back to Him, back to their only source of life and salvation. How many times does a terrible tragedy bring people to God? How many times have people had to hit rock bottom and get to the end of themselves before they turn to God? Does God cause that tragedy? Or does He just use it? That is a debate among Christians. I have people in my own family who believe God never does anything bad, so He would never cause a tragedy. But if that tragedy brought people to their only hope of salvation, was it bad? Didn't even Jesus say if your eye or arm or foot offends you, cut if off, for it is better to enter heaven maimed than to be whole in hell? (Matthew 5:29-30 and 18:8-9; Mark 9:47) If He tells us to cut off our arms to save ourselves, would He not lovingly cut them off for us to save us? I believe scripture is pretty clear that God will use any means necessary to turn us back to Him. How awesome and truly loving is that?!
The original word that was translated as "destruction" was "dakka", and it literally meant "crushed" like powder, figuratively "contrite". In fact, in the two other places in scripture where the word was used, it was defined as "contrite". I believe the true meaning is that God brings man low, in whatever form it takes, whether maimed or depressed or without anything, to bring him back to Him. Maybe it is the death of one or several people that will bring others to Him. Does God sacrifice some to save others? There was a time in my life when I believed this wasn't fair, especially considering the early death of my father. But God is always fair and just and loving, so we don't have to worry about that. Because God knows everything that has been, is now, and will be, He knows whether or not a person would have accepted Him or His son Jesus Christ. If He takes out evil people to save others, that is good. If He takes out His own people who do accept His gift of salvation, then you can be sure those people have eternal life with Him, so that is definitely good! If He apparently takes out people who just haven't come to Him yet, again He knows the heart and what would have happened, so you can be sure He will be fair and just. You don't have to figure out whether or not God is just; it's His very nature; He can't help but be! Perhaps a person dying young is fulfilling their purpose in the kingdom of God, and will have a rich reward in heaven. I think about the incident where Jesus and His disciples saw a man that was blind from birth. The disciples asked Him who it was who sinned, the man himself or his parents, that he should be blind. Jesus said that neither did, that he was blind so that the work of God could be revealed in Him at this time, when Jesus healed him.
This brings me to another revelation I've had. I know people who believe that we are all "healed", in their minds, they believe we are all physically healed, so that no time should we ever be in poor health, if only we would accept His word that we are healed. In the case of the blind man above, that just isn't true. He could never be healed until the point where God's purpose was fulfilled. That was this man's purpose for the kingdom of God! Jesus healing him at that point was an illustration of how Jesus alone can save us from hell. When Jesus comes into our lives, He heals us from death and destruction. That doesn't mean we don't die physically, so why should it mean that we have to be physically healed if we trust Jesus? In both cases, I believe it is a healing and salvation from eternal death. That's not to say that God doesn't still presently heal people; and if that is their purpose, that through their healing, people are brought to Him, then He will do it. However, sometimes people may be brought to Him through the death of a loved one, and that was His purpose for the one who died. We should not mourn for those who have gone to their reward in Heaven. We mourn our loss, but there is no need to mourn for them. When we truly understand that this world is not where we receive our rewards, but it is in heaven, we can willingly accept and delight in God's purpose for our lives. The sixth chapter of Matthew continually speaks about how people who do things for worldly praise, have their own reward, but those who do things for God will be rewarded by Him, and His reward is everlasting!
(4) For a thousand years in Your sight
Are as yesterday when it is past,
And as a watch in the night.
I believe the meaning is that a thousand years in God's sight are gone in the blink of an eye when compared to eternity. As soon as it has occurred, it is gone in the past as yesterday. A watch in the night was just a portion of the night. As a night was divided into three watches, a single watch was only a portion of the night, an even smaller portion than a 24-hour day. A thousand years to God are not only as a day, but as a small portion of a day.
(5) You carry them away as with a flood;
They are as a sleep;
In the morning they are like grass which grows up.
Those thousand years are swept away as in a mighty torrent, or perhaps it means that men who are turned to destruction (v. 3) are carried away in an instant in comparison to an eternity with God. They (the years or men's lives) are as a sleep, the sense being they pass as quickly as time during a sleep. I had difficulty with the last part of this verse. Some commentaries suggest that the lines should have been separated as "They are as a sleep in the morning" and "They are like grass which grows up". Either way, I still struggle with grass that grows. This doesn't create an image for me of time passing as quickly as the blink of an eye, but then again, grass grows visibly each day, much faster than the life of a man or a thousand years. The original word that was translated as "grows up" was "chalaph" and literally meant "slide by", by implication meaning "hasten away", "spring up", or even "change". Indeed, grass springs up and fades away quickly, especially when compared to eternity.
(6) In the morning it flourishes and grows up;
In the evening it is cut down and withers.
It's not my experience with the grass in my yard, but perhaps in the hot desert climates, grass springs up from the dew in the morning, and withers from the heat of the day and is brought or cut down in the evening. Certainly that is the meaning of this verse--in the short period of a day, what was so green and flourishing in the morning, is, at the close of the day, dried up. So it is with man's life in God's eternity.
(7) For we are consumed by Your anger,
And by Your wrath are we troubled.
This verse could be seen two different ways. It could be a continuation of the idea that man's life is but a quick flicker in God's eternity. Death originally occurred because of sin against God; therefore mankind is consumed or brought to death by God's displeasure beginning with His sentence given to Adam:
"In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” - Genesis 3:19
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. - Romans 5:12
By God's wrath, man is troubled. Since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, man has been plagued with troubles. It could also be that Moses was beginning to lament their present situation. The people were indeed to be consumed by God's anger, and would die in the wilderness, never entering their promised land.
(8) You have set our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
The causes of all trouble, consumption, and death--that is, the sins of man--are before the Lord as the evidence according to which He as a righteous Judge proceeds. Even the secret sins of man's heart are in full view of the Lord, and in accordance with these, God righteously judges man.
(9) For all our days are passed away in Your wrath;
We end our years like a sigh.
The original KJV translated this verse as, "For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told." The italicized words are ones the translators added for what they thought would be a clearer understanding. Most all the other translations were similar to what I transcribed above. When I looked at the Strong's definitions of the words in question, in each case the first meaning seems to be the most appropriate. The word translated by KJV as "spend" was "kalah" and the first definition was "end", followed by "cease, be finished, perish"; indeed it was translated as "end" or "consumed" most often in the Bible. One of the last definitions and one that is used almost the least often in scripture is "spend", so I feel very comfortable accepting the translation "end". The word that was translated as "tale" by KJV and "sigh" by most of the other translations was "hegeh" and it literally meant "muttering (in sighing, thought, or as thunder)". It was used only three times in scripture, translated as "mourning", "sound", and "tale". However, consider the root word "hagah", which means "to murmur (in pleasure or anger); by implication to ponder: - imagine, meditate..." That word was used much more often in scripture and was most often translated as "meditate"; although "mourn" and "speak" were also translations, many other words like "imagine", "study", "mutter", and "utter" were used. In keeping with the theme of the lines thus far, I believe the meaning is that man's life is ended because of God's righteous anger against his sin, and that his life passes away as rapidly as a thought or a sigh.
(10) The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their strength is labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Moses apparently stated a fact that the life of man was on average about seventy years or perhaps eighty for the stronger men. It is a fact that by Moses's time men lived a much shorter time than in the days before the flood when men lived hundreds of years. However, we will find later that Moses himself lived to be 120, Aaron was 123, Miriam was 130, and Joshua was 110 when they died. It does seem that men lived an average of 120 years in Moses's time. In Genesis 6:3, God proclaimed that the days of man would be 120 years. Why would Moses proclaim the days of man would be 70 to 80 years? This question caused Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, to state that this psalm could not have possibly been written by Moses, at least this Moses. While all transcriptions attributed it to Moses, the man of God, Mr. Clarke wrote if that were true, it would have to have been another Moses. I don't see that that must be the case. Once again, Moses could be lamenting their present circumstance. Those who were numbered in the wilderness of Sinai, from twenty years and upwards, were now condemned to die in the wilderness sometime in the next 38 years. Some would necessarily die in their 50's and 60's, but an average could certainly be 70 and probably no more than 80. At this time in Moses's life, 70-80 years could have seemed the average lifespan to him; even in our current time we would say that is the average lifespan, even though many people live past 100.
Although the days of their lives be 70 years, maybe longer by reason of strength, that strength was only through toil and sorrow, and it was soon cut off anyway, and they flew away, either intimating they disappeared as quickly as a bird flies away, or maybe referencing that they flew away to heaven. Interestingly, the word translated as "sorrow" is "aven" and means "in vain, nothingness". This reminds me of the lines in Ecclesiastes that declare all is vanity or nothingness. The sense of these lines by Moses above probably is something to the effect of "The days of our lives; what are they? Just toil and sorrow and then they are cut off!"
(11) Who knows the power of Your anger?
Even according to the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
Who can truly comprehend or measure the power of God's anger? That anger that had been expressed in His judgments against men's sins in truly awesome and powerful ways in the past? Consider the drowning of the whole world in Noah's time, the burning and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the immediate striking dead of men in the wilderness, etc. Who could possibly understand the expanse of His power under any circumstances, but Moses contemplated His power expressed in anger. Even as God was awesome, great, and powerful beyond man's comprehension, so was His wrath.
(12) So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Moses prayed that the Lord instruct them to estimate their days correctly, understanding how quickly they pass, and the uncertainty of when they might suddenly end, that they might gain a wise heart. They should live wisely in God's favor looking forward to eternity, understanding that life on earth is short and uncertain. They should live every day as if it were their last, so to speak.
(13) Return, O LORD!
How long?
And let it turn You concerning Your servants.
Moses pleaded with the Lord to return to His people, showing mercy and sparing them. He wondered how long this expression of His wrath would last. He pleaded that the Lord turn from His expression of wrath against His people, withdrawing His judgment, and showing mercy to them.
(14) Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
Moses prayed that the Lord satisfy them with the answer to their prayers by showing mercy soon, literally in the morning, presumably the next morning. He asked this that the people might rejoice and be glad all their lives, remembering God's love, grace, and mercy, at this time in their lives.
(15) Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,
The years we have seen evil.
The prayer seems to be that the people be glad in proportion to their affliction. Considering all their time in captivity and their time in the wilderness, Moses was praying that their joy be so great as to make up for all their years of affliction. In fact, as stated in Romans 8:18, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us", there really is no comparison between the evils of this world and the joy and gladness in Heaven. However, I imagine Moses was praying for the people's hearts to be joyful in great measure comparable to the great misery they had endured in this present life.
(16) Let Your work appear to Your servants,
And Your glory to their children.
I believe the meaning is that Moses asked that the Lord's great work in what he prayed for at that time, God's mercy in withdrawing His judgment on His people, be done, and seen, and truly appreciated by His people. In addition, His glory, displayed in the acts of providence and grace for which Moses prayed, would be known and celebrated by their children. Put simply, Moses's prayer was that all the glory be given to God in answering his request.
(17) And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands on us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
The word translated as "beauty", "noam", literally means "agreeableness". Moses prayed that the pleasure of the Lord be upon His people, and that He would guide them in their work and endeavors. The fact that this last part was repeated suggests an intense desire that God would enable them to carry out their plans; in this case, it was surely that they be allowed to reach their promised land.
According to Albert Barnes, if this was truly a prayer of Moses, as stated in verse 1, then it was "the only one of his compositions which we have in the Book of Psalms". We had a song of Moses recorded in Exodus 15, and there is another song of his recorded in Deuteronomy 32. Whereas the original word "mizmor" translated as "psalm" literally means "song" or "poem set to notes", this particular psalm was said to be a "tephillah", meaning "intercession", "supplication", "prayer". However, this prayer was very poetic, and it seems appropriate that it be considered among the psalms. The next post will return to Numbers 15, after this intermission of poetic prayer and supplication by Moses.
Showing posts with label why does God allow bad things to happen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label why does God allow bad things to happen. Show all posts
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
The Israelites' Complaining in the Wilderness of Paran
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 11:1) And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; and the LORD heard it, and his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
In the last chapter and post, the people had just removed from Sinai and traveled three days' journey to Paran. Now we read the people complained. We aren't told exactly what they complained about, but I don't think that matters. The Lord was with them all the time; He was their guide through the wilderness; He provided their food; He was bringing them to a place flowing with milk and honey, a place they had done nothing to earn. He took care of their needs; what did they have to complain about? I used to really marvel at how ungrateful the Israelites in the wilderness were, as there will be many more instances of their complaining in the chapters to come. However, what an illustration of our own complaining in our current circumstances! Most of us have a roof over our heads, a warm bed in which to sleep, food to eat, some mode of transportation, and many more comforts that people in third world countries never dream of having, yet it seems we can always come up with something to complain about!
The Lord was very displeased about the complaining. We humans can understand that. Think of a husband who thinks he gives his all to his family, but his wife complains it's not enough. Think of the wife who feels she does everything for her family, but receives only complaints it is not good enough. Think of parents who give all to their children, but the children complain of mistreatment. There is no way to even compare the kind of blessings the Lord gives to our human efforts, so it is very understandable that the Lord would be displeased about this complaining. His anger was kindled, and His fire consumed the people who were in the outermost parts of the camp. I can hear the outcries about how a loving God could get angry and kill His own people who complained against Him. However, I believe everything the Lord did was an effort to bring His people back to Him, to have them learn to depend on Him, their only source of life. Isn't it loving and merciful to discipline a child? To allow a child to always get his way and to complain when things don't go his way does no service to him, but can make him a very obnoxious adult.
As far as why one person has to die to teach others a lesson, I have come to have peace with that. When we realize this earth is not our home, and that nothing on this earth comes close to comparing with our rewards to come, when we realize that we each have a purpose from our Creator, we can be joyful that He used us to bring about His purposes! For those who have ever wondered what purpose their life has--it may be to live a Christ-led life as an example to others. When people see the joy and peace one can have, even in the worst troubles, it can make them seek the source of that peace and joy. When we truly understand that to die off this earth is not the end, but the beginning of a glorious eternal life, we have no reason to mourn for those who are taken before their time. What about a person who is taken in the midst of wrongdoing? Does he not get the chance to repent and come to Christ? Again I have come to realize there is no need to worry about this. God knows our hearts. He knows what we have done and what we will ever do. He is a fair and just God. It's His very nature! He can't help but do the "right" thing! God is not a vengeful God just waiting to catch someone not acting right so He can show His awesome power and zap them from the face of the earth! He may show His awesome power to teach us a lesson for our own good and for our life everlasting; and if someone is taken from this world prematurely, you can bet your life the Lord will give him his just reward, and the reward he would have deserved if he had lived 50 years longer. God knows the heart, and what the heart has done and what it will do forevermore.
(2) And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched.
The people cried out to Moses, being frightened at the fire which consumed many of them, lest it should spread and consume them, too. When Moses prayed to the Lord on behalf of the people, the fire ceased. Moses was the mediator between God and the people, an intercessor, as Christ is our intercessor for our transgressions we will certainly commit.
(3) And he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.
Moses called the place Taberah, which literally meant "burning", for the obvious reason that the fire of the Lord had burned among them there.
(4) And the mixed multitude who were among them fell into a lusting; and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?"
In Exodus 12:38, we learned that a "mixed multitude" came out of Egypt with the Israelites. Perhaps some came because they could see that the Lord of the Israelites was the one true God and wanted to follow Him, but very probably many left because their own land had been laid waste by the plagues. Why would this kind of people have been allowed to come with the Israelites? I believe to again teach us a lesson. It seems the mixed multitude were the first to start complaining about not having meat to eat, but the children of Israel listened to their complaints and readily began to agree with them. Once again, the children of Israel were complaining. How easily can a few malcontents sow discord! The Bible refers to this time and again: "Be not deceived; evil communications corrupt good manners." (1 Corinthians 15:33) "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" (1 Cor. 5:6b) "Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them." (Romans 16:17). While it may have been the mixed multitude who started it, the Israelites far too easily forgot the care and blessings of their Lord! They began crying out about who would give them meat to eat.
(5) “We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic."
The people reminisced about "the good ol' days" in Egypt when they ate of an abundance of fish, cucumbers, melons, etc. Imagine whining about missing something in Egypt, from the place where they were in miserable slavery, from the terrible place from which their Lord rescued them! Once again, I used to be awestruck at the Israelites doing this, but I am quite sure each of us is quite capable of romanticizing his past and longing for it, not recognizing the current blessings of the Lord who may have rescued him from his past.
(6) "But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all, besides this manna, before our eyes."
The Israelites complained they were wasting away and half-starved because all they had was that manna! I'll have more to say about that after the next few verses:
(7) And the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium. (8) The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, baked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. (9) And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.
I believe these verses were inserted to show how unreasonable the complaints of the Israelites were. The manna was like small round seeds that fell every night on the dew. It was the color of bdellium. There is some discrepancy among Biblical scholars about what this might mean. Bdellium is defined as a fragrant yellowish transparent gum. Genesis 2:12 spoke of the gold of the land with bdellium and the onyx stone. The original word translated as "bdellium" was "bedolach", and some believe that rather than bdellium, "bdeloah" was meant, which was said to be a precious stone, perhaps like a pearl. Whether golden or like pearls, the sense is that manna was very pleasant, both in appearance, and in taste. Having the taste of fresh oil meant it was not dry and tasteless. The people didn't have to work or search for their food. It fell every night while they slept, and they had only to gather it and prepare it as they desired, and it was good! Yet they dared to complain.
(10) Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.
Moses heard the people weeping and moaning throughout their families; it seems it must have been very general throughout the camps. It seemed every man was publicly weeping at the door of his tent, not content to keep his complaining to himself. The anger of the Lord was understandably great against them. He provided their every need, but instead of gratefulness and thanksgiving, they complained and lusted for what they did not have. They even longed for what they had had in Egypt, for which they had endured so much hardship and ill treatment! From that which the Lord had rescued them, they longed to go back to! It seems unbelievable, but I don't doubt for a minute, that we can sometimes do this very thing, not recognizing the many blessings of the Lord in our lives. Even Moses was displeased with this unreasonable exhibition by the people after so many blessings of their Lord.
(11) And Moses said to the LORD, "Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me?"
Here we see that Moses's displeasure was not just because the people complained against His Lord, but also because he was burdened with leading this ungrateful lot. When you think about it, you can see that Moses demonstrated some of the same ungratefulness to His Lord as did the Israelites; he undervalued the great honor God had bestowed on him. The one thing Moses did that the people did not was to take his problem to the Lord. The people could have prayed to the Lord, thanking Him for His blessings, but that if it be His will, might they also have a little meat. It still would have shown some selfish ungratefulness, but would have been better to take their request to God, than to gin up discontent among all the people. Moses seemed to be doing his own wailing to the Lord asking why he was so mistreated by the Lord. Had he not found favor in that the Lord bestowed this great honor on him that he should be the leader of God's own people? Rather than thankfulness for that, and praying for help in this situation, as he had consulted the Lord many times before when he needed guidance, he went into a pity party of his own.
(12) "Have I conceived all this people? Have I begotten them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a nursing father bears the suckling child,' to the land which You swore to their fathers?"
Moses began to lay on the complaining and self-pity a bit thickly. He complained that these weren't his children or his responsibility, that the Lord should make him take care of them and carry them into the land that the Lord had promised, maybe even insinuating that he, Moses, was not the one who wanted them to go to this land.
(13) “Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep to me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’"
Moses now gets to the problem with which he needs help, where was he to get the meat that the people cried to him for? Note how Moses magnified his own performance. Even in the verse before this one--was he really the one who carried the children of Israel? Did not the Lord guide them, protect them, and give them food? Now he acts as though it is his burdensome responsibility to get them meat, as if he was the one who gave them manna to eat. He even acts as though it was a reasonable request, rather than reproving them for their complaining and ingratitude, and reminding them of the manna which was provided for them every day, with which they should have been content.
(14) "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me."
Did Moses forget he was not at all alone? Without God leading and providing and advising, he would have seen what a heavy burden it really could have been! Additionally, back in Exodus 18, Moses's father-in-law advised him to select rulers who could judge the smaller matters, which he did, and it was only the hard cases that were brought to Moses. However, it was true that Moses alone was the mediator between the people and God, and he was responsible for the hardest cases.
(15) "And if You deal this way with me, please kill me, out of hand, if I have found favor in Your sight; and do not let me see my wretchedness.”
Moses told God that if He continued to lay this burden on him, he asked that God kill him immediately; if God looked on Moses favorably, Moses felt He could do this for him and take him out of his misery.
(16) "And the LORD said to Moses, “Gather to 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 tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with you."
God graciously overlooked Moses's unbecoming speeches to Him, and told him to gather seventy men of the elders of Israel, men Moses knew to be the elders and officers of the people, very likely some of the rulers that had been selected according to his father-in-law's advice in Exodus 18:21. God told Moses to bring the seventy men to the tabernacle to stand with him.
How wonderful and gracious of God to not admonish Moses! God lovingly allowed a mere man to speak to Him in that way. What a wonderful example to show that it's okay to take our frustrations to God and pour our hearts out to Him! He was angry with the people who murmured and complained to each other and stirred up strife and dissent, but helped Moses in his misery when Moses had taken the problem directly to Him, the only One who could fix the problem. I am reminded of the Shunammite woman in a later passage in 2 Kings 4. The prophet Elisha promised her a son which she did, in fact, conceive and had a baby boy. When the son was older, he had an accident and died. She grabbed her son and rode directly to the man of God who had prophesied that son. When Elisha's servant ran out to meet the woman, he asked her if all was well with her and with her son. She answered ALL WAS WELL! It certainly was not well, but there was no need to complain to this man who could do nothing about it. She took her problem directly to the one who had given her the son, as far as she knew. She even complained to him that she had not asked for this son, and reminded him that she had told him not to deceive her about it, in essence, meaning not to do this cruel thing of giving her a son only to take him away. Elisha rebuked his servant who had tried to come between the woman and Elisha, saying to let her alone as he could see her soul was terribly vexed. In the end, Elisha prayed to God and the son's life was restored. In this same way, Moses's soul was vexed under the weight of his burden, but he did not spread his unhappiness and feelings of unfairness to the people; he took it directly to God, and God honored that. Job did this. When his wife told him to curse God and die because of all his afflictions, he did not. It's true that God did verbally admonish Job somewhat when he continually questioned his fate, but in the end, God blessed him mightily and gave him twice as much as he had had before. I think this proves that it's okay to complain to God in our misery! He understands our human weaknesses, but it's important to take it to Him, and if our feelings are in error, He will show us the way and help us through it.
(17) "And I will come down and talk with with you there; and I will take of the Spirit which is upon you and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone."
Once again we hear a patient and gracious God. Although Moses had spoken so boldly to God, He did not break off communication with him, but rather said He would "come down and talk with" him, possibly by some visible sign of his presence, but surely at the very least by an audible one. God told Moses He would give the same Spirit He had given to Moses and give it to these seventy men so that they could righteously judge the people, so that Moses would not have to bear the burden alone. Note that God equips those He calls with what is necessary for them to do what He has called them to do. One might argue that God had given Moses what He needed to do this job God had called him to do. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, suggested that this was a mild reproof by God to tell Moses that he had been given the spiritual gifts he needed to do the job God had called him to do, but He graciously agreed to give the same Spirit to the seventy men to help him.
(18) "And you say to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat.'"
Moses was to tell the people to sanctify themselves and prepare to meet the power of their God the next day. He was to tell them that they had wept and complained openly and audibly, and the Lord had heard them. They had wondered who would give them meat, for it had been well with them in Egypt, so the Lord was going to give them meat and they would eat.
(19) "‘You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, (20) But even a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’”
Think about what the people had suggested. Who would give them meat? Who was it who was with them continually supplying all their needs? They said that it had been well with them in Egypt, implying that it had been an injury to them for God to bring them out of bondage in Egypt. They despised their Lord among them and His continual blessings, and lusted for more. God would give them what they lusted for. It occurs to me that perhaps the Lord would match the amount of meat He would give them to the measure of their greedy excessive lust. They would have meat for a whole month until they were sick of it and vomiting it, and until it was completely loathsome to them.
(21) And Moses said, “The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand footmen, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month.’ (22) Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”
Moses spoke back to the Lord telling Him, as if He didn't know, that there were 600,000 men on foot, or footmen or soldiers ready for war, besides the women and children, and He had said He would give them meat for a month? He questions how it will be done. It's as if Moses questions God's word or His power to provide what He said He would.
(23) And the LORD said to Moses, "Has the LORD’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether My word shall come to pass to you or not.”
This does sound like a rebuke to Moses. Had His power diminished? Was the same power that parted the Red Sea, rained down manna from heaven for all the people to eat daily, and brought water from a rock for all the people to drink, now suddenly unable to give the people meat to eat for a month? God told Moses he would see whether or not what He had said would come to pass.
(24) And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle.
Moses went out to the people and told them what the Lord had said. He gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and brought them around the tabernacle.
(25) And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it came to pass, that when the spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but did not do so again.
The Lord came down in a cloud, probably the pillar of cloud that was continually among the people, and spoke to Moses. He took of the Spirit that was upon Moses and placed the same upon the seventy elders. The exact wording is particularly interesting. Did God take from the Holy Spirit that was upon Moses and distribute it among the seventy elders? My first impulse was of course not! The Holy Spirit is not a finite thing that must be cut into parts. This probably means that the same Holy Spirit God had given Moses was given to the seventy elders. However, Adam Clarke had an interesting take:
"To convince Moses that God had sufficiently qualified him for the work which he had given him to do, he tells him that of the gifts and graces which he has given him he will qualify seventy persons to bear the charge with him. This was probably intended as a gracious reproof. Query. Did not Moses lose a measure of his gifts in this business? And is it not right that he whom God has called to and qualified for some particular office, should lose those gifts which he either undervalues or refuses to employ for God in the way appointed? Is there not much reason to believe that many cases have occurred where the spiritual endowments of particular persons have been taken away and given to others who made a better use of them? Hence the propriety of that exhortation, Rev. 3:11: Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. The gracious God never called a man to perform a work without furnishing him with adequate strength; and to refuse to do it on the pretense of inability is little short of rebellion against God."
This very much speaks to me. How often I have fretted and agonized over troubles in my life, even when I believe the Lord has shown me otherwise. I must hold fast to that word of my Lord and give it all over to Him, trusting in the One who has, countless times in my life, shown Himself to be working for me. How can I possibly doubt his ability now? He loves us and works all things to the good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). Just like with Moses, God had shown His power time and time again, yet Moses seemed to doubt His ability in this; if Moses can be described as rebelling against God, how much more so would be the charge against me!
When the Spirit rested on the seventy elders, they prophesied, but did not do so again. This appears to be the best translation of this scripture. The KJV said "they prophesied, and did not cease." However, almost all other translations say that they did not do it again. Indeed the original word "yasaph" translated as "cease" in the KJV, was only used that way in this one verse. Most often the word is used to mean "more", "again", or "add". As a matter of fact, out of all the dozens, perhaps even hundreds of times it was used in scripture, the meaning was always something like adding, increasing, doing again, except for this one time when it was translated as "cease". I think it's pretty obvious the meaning was meant to be that they did not continue to prophesy. Perhaps this prophesying occurred at the moment they received the Spirit, demonstrating that they had indeed received It. However, there was no need for them to continue prophesying, as their measure of God's Holy Spirit was to be used for governing, not prophesying. On this occasion, the prophesying was just evidence that they had received the Spirit. If indeed the Lord took of the Spirit that Moses had had all along, this prophesying would certainly have been visual and audible proof to Moses that he had had all along God's Spirit to perform the duties he had been called to perform.
(26) But there remained two men in the camp, the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad, and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but they did not go out to the tabernacle, and they prophesied in the camp.
Two men, Eldad and Medad, were among the seventy elders that had been referenced above, but they remained in the camp, rather than going to the tabernacle, as had been instructed, to stand with Moses when the Lord came down to speak with him and give His Spirit to the seventy elders (v. 16-17). Why they didn't do as instructed, we are not told; perhaps it was out of modesty and humility, or a sense of their weakness and inability to do what was being asked of them. The point is, God's Spirit reached them in their camp, and they prophesied there in the camp.
(27) And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
A young man who heard Eldad and Medad prophesying in the camp, ran to tell Moses about it, thinking it must be without the knowledge of Moses and perhaps diminishing his authority.
(28) And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, "My lord Moses, forbid them."
Joshua, a servant of Moses and one of his close inner circle of men, it seems, called on Moses to forbid them from prophesying, fearing perhaps that it might lead to division or rebellion.
(29) And Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”
Moses asked Joshua if he was jealous (or zealous, as the word can also mean) for Moses's sake. Moses declared he wished all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His spirit on all of them. A similar incident occurred in the New Testament in Mark 9:38-40, when John told Jesus that he and other disciples had seen someone casting out devils in Jesus's name, and they forbade him to do it because he did not follow their group. Jesus told him not to prevent the man from doing what he was doing. After all, could mortal man perform a miracle in the name of the Lord without His spirit upon him? Could these men in the camp prophesy without God's Spirit on them? Obviously to Moses, they prophesied because of the Spirit of God, and he wished all the Lord's people could do likewise. Charles Wesley wrote a hymn about this very thing:
Moses, the minister of God,
Rebukes our partial love,
Who envy at the gifts bestow’d
On those we disapprove.
We do not our own spirit know,
Who wish to see suppress’d
The men that Jesu’s spirit show,
The men whom God hath bless’d.
Shall we the Spirit’s course restrain,
Or quench the heavenly fire?
Let God his messengers ordain,
And whom he will inspire.
Blow as he list, the Spirit’s choice
Of instruments we bless;
We will, if Christ be preached, rejoice,
And wish the word success.
Can all be prophets then? are all
Commission’d from above?
No; but whome’er the Lord shall call
We joyfully approve.
O that the Church might all receive
The spirit of prophecy,
And all in Christ accepted live,
And all in Jesus die!
*Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures, by Charles Wesley, M. A., and Presbyter of the Church of England. Bristol, 1762. 2 vols.
(30) And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
Moses and the seventy elders of Israel then left the door of the tabernacle and returned to their camp.
(31) And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth.
The Lord caused a wind to come forth bringing quails from the sea. He let them fall on the camp, as wide as a day's journey on either side of the camp, actually all sides of the camp, as they fell all around the camp. They fell about two cubits, or about a yard, above the face of the earth, easily within reach of the people.
(32) And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails; he who gathered the least gathered ten homers; and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
The fact that the people stood up for two days gathering quails, indicates that the quail did not fall to the ground, but rather fell to about two cubits above the ground, so that the people could grab them as they flew. They gathered so many that even the person who gathered the fewest gathered ten homers, over 60 bushels. The people spread them out all around the camp so that they might dry and perhaps be salted and preserved for future use. Adam Clarke supposed that they may have done as was a custom in Egypt, plucked and then buried the birds in the hot sand for a few minutes, thus preparing them for use.
(33) And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.
While the flesh of the birds was yet between their teeth, before it was even chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against them, and he struck them with a very great plague. Think of the lustful greed and gluttony of the people to collect more than 60 bushels of quail each! Consider how the Lord had told them through Moses (v. 19 above) that they would have meat until they were sick because they had despised the goodness and provision of the Lord and had longed for their days in Egypt. He had warned them they would be sick and told them why, but they were lustful anyway. God often grants the desires of our hearts, but if it be an inordinate lust for it, it may be that He grants it to teach us a valuable lesson. A couple of the psalms spoke of this incident:
He also rained meat on them like the dust,
Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;
And He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
All around their dwellings.
So they ate and were well filled,
For He gave them their own desire.
They were not estranged from their lust;
But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
The wrath of God came against them,
And slew the fattest of them,
And struck down the chosen men of Israel.
- Psalm 78:27-31
They soon forgot His works;
They did not wait for His counsel,
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
And tempted God in the desert.
And He gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul.
- Psalm 106:13-15
Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, made an interesting comparison between the Israelites here and David in 2 Samuel 23: "David longed for the water of the well of Bethlehem, but would not drink it when he had it, because it was obtained by venturing; much more reason these Israelites had to refuse this flesh, which was obtained by murmuring, and which, they might easily perceive, by what Moses said, was given them in anger; but those that are under the power of a carnal mind will have their lusts fulfilled, though it be to the certain damage and ruin of their precious souls."
Mr. Henry, in his Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote the following commentary on David's refusal of the water for which he had longed:
David once earnestly longed for the water at the well of Bethlehem. It seems to be an instance of weakness. He was thirsty; with the water of that well he had often refreshed himself when a youth, and it was without due thought that he desired it. Were his valiant men so forward to expose themselves, upon the least hint of their prince's mind, and so eager to please him, and shall not we long to approve ourselves to our Lord Jesus, by ready compliance with his will, as shown us by his word, Spirit, and providence? But David poured out the water as a drink-offering to the Lord. Thus he would cross his own foolish fancy, and punish himself for indulging it, and show that he had sober thoughts to correct his rash ones, and knew how to deny himself. Did David look upon that water as very precious which was got at the hazard of these men's blood, and shall not we much more value those benefits for purchasing which our blessed Saviour shed his blood? Let all beware of neglecting so great salvation.
Should not the Israelites have so valued the providence of their Lord?
(34) And he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who lusted.
Whether "he" referred to God or perhaps Moses, the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, which literally meant “graves of lust”, because there they buried the people who lusted. This shows that the plague did not seize all the people, but just those who inordinately lusted for the meat, or if it did seize all the people who ate of the quail, it only killed the ones with an excessive and seemingly insatiable lust.
(35) And the people journeyed from Kibroth Hattaavah to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.
The people then journeyed from Kibroth Hattaavah to Hazeroth, where they camped again. In the last chapter we were told that the people journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai to the wilderness of Paran. At the beginning of this chapter, we were told that the place where they camped was called Taberah. Kibroth Hattaavah was either the same place, renamed after the plague from lust, or perhaps it could have been a neighboring place, also in the wilderness of Paran.
Adam Clarke's words sum up this chapter nicely:
We hear of such punishments, and yet walk in the same way, presuming on God’s mercy, while we continue to provoke his justice. Let us settle it in our minds as an indisputable truth, that God is better acquainted with our wants than we are ourselves; that he knows infinitely better what we need; and that he is ever more ready to hear than we are to pray, and is wont to give more than we can desire or deserve...In no case has God at any time withheld from his meanest followers any of the spiritual or temporal mercies they needed. Were he to call us to travel through a wilderness, he would send us bread from heaven, or cause the wilderness to smile and blossom as the rose. How strange is it that we will neither believe that God has worked, or will work, unless we see him working!
(Numbers 11:1) And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; and the LORD heard it, and his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
In the last chapter and post, the people had just removed from Sinai and traveled three days' journey to Paran. Now we read the people complained. We aren't told exactly what they complained about, but I don't think that matters. The Lord was with them all the time; He was their guide through the wilderness; He provided their food; He was bringing them to a place flowing with milk and honey, a place they had done nothing to earn. He took care of their needs; what did they have to complain about? I used to really marvel at how ungrateful the Israelites in the wilderness were, as there will be many more instances of their complaining in the chapters to come. However, what an illustration of our own complaining in our current circumstances! Most of us have a roof over our heads, a warm bed in which to sleep, food to eat, some mode of transportation, and many more comforts that people in third world countries never dream of having, yet it seems we can always come up with something to complain about!
The Lord was very displeased about the complaining. We humans can understand that. Think of a husband who thinks he gives his all to his family, but his wife complains it's not enough. Think of the wife who feels she does everything for her family, but receives only complaints it is not good enough. Think of parents who give all to their children, but the children complain of mistreatment. There is no way to even compare the kind of blessings the Lord gives to our human efforts, so it is very understandable that the Lord would be displeased about this complaining. His anger was kindled, and His fire consumed the people who were in the outermost parts of the camp. I can hear the outcries about how a loving God could get angry and kill His own people who complained against Him. However, I believe everything the Lord did was an effort to bring His people back to Him, to have them learn to depend on Him, their only source of life. Isn't it loving and merciful to discipline a child? To allow a child to always get his way and to complain when things don't go his way does no service to him, but can make him a very obnoxious adult.
As far as why one person has to die to teach others a lesson, I have come to have peace with that. When we realize this earth is not our home, and that nothing on this earth comes close to comparing with our rewards to come, when we realize that we each have a purpose from our Creator, we can be joyful that He used us to bring about His purposes! For those who have ever wondered what purpose their life has--it may be to live a Christ-led life as an example to others. When people see the joy and peace one can have, even in the worst troubles, it can make them seek the source of that peace and joy. When we truly understand that to die off this earth is not the end, but the beginning of a glorious eternal life, we have no reason to mourn for those who are taken before their time. What about a person who is taken in the midst of wrongdoing? Does he not get the chance to repent and come to Christ? Again I have come to realize there is no need to worry about this. God knows our hearts. He knows what we have done and what we will ever do. He is a fair and just God. It's His very nature! He can't help but do the "right" thing! God is not a vengeful God just waiting to catch someone not acting right so He can show His awesome power and zap them from the face of the earth! He may show His awesome power to teach us a lesson for our own good and for our life everlasting; and if someone is taken from this world prematurely, you can bet your life the Lord will give him his just reward, and the reward he would have deserved if he had lived 50 years longer. God knows the heart, and what the heart has done and what it will do forevermore.
(2) And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched.
The people cried out to Moses, being frightened at the fire which consumed many of them, lest it should spread and consume them, too. When Moses prayed to the Lord on behalf of the people, the fire ceased. Moses was the mediator between God and the people, an intercessor, as Christ is our intercessor for our transgressions we will certainly commit.
(3) And he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.
Moses called the place Taberah, which literally meant "burning", for the obvious reason that the fire of the Lord had burned among them there.
(4) And the mixed multitude who were among them fell into a lusting; and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?"
In Exodus 12:38, we learned that a "mixed multitude" came out of Egypt with the Israelites. Perhaps some came because they could see that the Lord of the Israelites was the one true God and wanted to follow Him, but very probably many left because their own land had been laid waste by the plagues. Why would this kind of people have been allowed to come with the Israelites? I believe to again teach us a lesson. It seems the mixed multitude were the first to start complaining about not having meat to eat, but the children of Israel listened to their complaints and readily began to agree with them. Once again, the children of Israel were complaining. How easily can a few malcontents sow discord! The Bible refers to this time and again: "Be not deceived; evil communications corrupt good manners." (1 Corinthians 15:33) "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" (1 Cor. 5:6b) "Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them." (Romans 16:17). While it may have been the mixed multitude who started it, the Israelites far too easily forgot the care and blessings of their Lord! They began crying out about who would give them meat to eat.
(5) “We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic."
The people reminisced about "the good ol' days" in Egypt when they ate of an abundance of fish, cucumbers, melons, etc. Imagine whining about missing something in Egypt, from the place where they were in miserable slavery, from the terrible place from which their Lord rescued them! Once again, I used to be awestruck at the Israelites doing this, but I am quite sure each of us is quite capable of romanticizing his past and longing for it, not recognizing the current blessings of the Lord who may have rescued him from his past.
(6) "But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all, besides this manna, before our eyes."
The Israelites complained they were wasting away and half-starved because all they had was that manna! I'll have more to say about that after the next few verses:
(7) And the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium. (8) The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, baked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. (9) And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.
I believe these verses were inserted to show how unreasonable the complaints of the Israelites were. The manna was like small round seeds that fell every night on the dew. It was the color of bdellium. There is some discrepancy among Biblical scholars about what this might mean. Bdellium is defined as a fragrant yellowish transparent gum. Genesis 2:12 spoke of the gold of the land with bdellium and the onyx stone. The original word translated as "bdellium" was "bedolach", and some believe that rather than bdellium, "bdeloah" was meant, which was said to be a precious stone, perhaps like a pearl. Whether golden or like pearls, the sense is that manna was very pleasant, both in appearance, and in taste. Having the taste of fresh oil meant it was not dry and tasteless. The people didn't have to work or search for their food. It fell every night while they slept, and they had only to gather it and prepare it as they desired, and it was good! Yet they dared to complain.
(10) Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.
Moses heard the people weeping and moaning throughout their families; it seems it must have been very general throughout the camps. It seemed every man was publicly weeping at the door of his tent, not content to keep his complaining to himself. The anger of the Lord was understandably great against them. He provided their every need, but instead of gratefulness and thanksgiving, they complained and lusted for what they did not have. They even longed for what they had had in Egypt, for which they had endured so much hardship and ill treatment! From that which the Lord had rescued them, they longed to go back to! It seems unbelievable, but I don't doubt for a minute, that we can sometimes do this very thing, not recognizing the many blessings of the Lord in our lives. Even Moses was displeased with this unreasonable exhibition by the people after so many blessings of their Lord.
(11) And Moses said to the LORD, "Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me?"
Here we see that Moses's displeasure was not just because the people complained against His Lord, but also because he was burdened with leading this ungrateful lot. When you think about it, you can see that Moses demonstrated some of the same ungratefulness to His Lord as did the Israelites; he undervalued the great honor God had bestowed on him. The one thing Moses did that the people did not was to take his problem to the Lord. The people could have prayed to the Lord, thanking Him for His blessings, but that if it be His will, might they also have a little meat. It still would have shown some selfish ungratefulness, but would have been better to take their request to God, than to gin up discontent among all the people. Moses seemed to be doing his own wailing to the Lord asking why he was so mistreated by the Lord. Had he not found favor in that the Lord bestowed this great honor on him that he should be the leader of God's own people? Rather than thankfulness for that, and praying for help in this situation, as he had consulted the Lord many times before when he needed guidance, he went into a pity party of his own.
(12) "Have I conceived all this people? Have I begotten them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a nursing father bears the suckling child,' to the land which You swore to their fathers?"
Moses began to lay on the complaining and self-pity a bit thickly. He complained that these weren't his children or his responsibility, that the Lord should make him take care of them and carry them into the land that the Lord had promised, maybe even insinuating that he, Moses, was not the one who wanted them to go to this land.
(13) “Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep to me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’"
Moses now gets to the problem with which he needs help, where was he to get the meat that the people cried to him for? Note how Moses magnified his own performance. Even in the verse before this one--was he really the one who carried the children of Israel? Did not the Lord guide them, protect them, and give them food? Now he acts as though it is his burdensome responsibility to get them meat, as if he was the one who gave them manna to eat. He even acts as though it was a reasonable request, rather than reproving them for their complaining and ingratitude, and reminding them of the manna which was provided for them every day, with which they should have been content.
(14) "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me."
Did Moses forget he was not at all alone? Without God leading and providing and advising, he would have seen what a heavy burden it really could have been! Additionally, back in Exodus 18, Moses's father-in-law advised him to select rulers who could judge the smaller matters, which he did, and it was only the hard cases that were brought to Moses. However, it was true that Moses alone was the mediator between the people and God, and he was responsible for the hardest cases.
(15) "And if You deal this way with me, please kill me, out of hand, if I have found favor in Your sight; and do not let me see my wretchedness.”
Moses told God that if He continued to lay this burden on him, he asked that God kill him immediately; if God looked on Moses favorably, Moses felt He could do this for him and take him out of his misery.
(16) "And the LORD said to Moses, “Gather to 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 tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with you."
God graciously overlooked Moses's unbecoming speeches to Him, and told him to gather seventy men of the elders of Israel, men Moses knew to be the elders and officers of the people, very likely some of the rulers that had been selected according to his father-in-law's advice in Exodus 18:21. God told Moses to bring the seventy men to the tabernacle to stand with him.
How wonderful and gracious of God to not admonish Moses! God lovingly allowed a mere man to speak to Him in that way. What a wonderful example to show that it's okay to take our frustrations to God and pour our hearts out to Him! He was angry with the people who murmured and complained to each other and stirred up strife and dissent, but helped Moses in his misery when Moses had taken the problem directly to Him, the only One who could fix the problem. I am reminded of the Shunammite woman in a later passage in 2 Kings 4. The prophet Elisha promised her a son which she did, in fact, conceive and had a baby boy. When the son was older, he had an accident and died. She grabbed her son and rode directly to the man of God who had prophesied that son. When Elisha's servant ran out to meet the woman, he asked her if all was well with her and with her son. She answered ALL WAS WELL! It certainly was not well, but there was no need to complain to this man who could do nothing about it. She took her problem directly to the one who had given her the son, as far as she knew. She even complained to him that she had not asked for this son, and reminded him that she had told him not to deceive her about it, in essence, meaning not to do this cruel thing of giving her a son only to take him away. Elisha rebuked his servant who had tried to come between the woman and Elisha, saying to let her alone as he could see her soul was terribly vexed. In the end, Elisha prayed to God and the son's life was restored. In this same way, Moses's soul was vexed under the weight of his burden, but he did not spread his unhappiness and feelings of unfairness to the people; he took it directly to God, and God honored that. Job did this. When his wife told him to curse God and die because of all his afflictions, he did not. It's true that God did verbally admonish Job somewhat when he continually questioned his fate, but in the end, God blessed him mightily and gave him twice as much as he had had before. I think this proves that it's okay to complain to God in our misery! He understands our human weaknesses, but it's important to take it to Him, and if our feelings are in error, He will show us the way and help us through it.
(17) "And I will come down and talk with with you there; and I will take of the Spirit which is upon you and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone."
Once again we hear a patient and gracious God. Although Moses had spoken so boldly to God, He did not break off communication with him, but rather said He would "come down and talk with" him, possibly by some visible sign of his presence, but surely at the very least by an audible one. God told Moses He would give the same Spirit He had given to Moses and give it to these seventy men so that they could righteously judge the people, so that Moses would not have to bear the burden alone. Note that God equips those He calls with what is necessary for them to do what He has called them to do. One might argue that God had given Moses what He needed to do this job God had called him to do. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, suggested that this was a mild reproof by God to tell Moses that he had been given the spiritual gifts he needed to do the job God had called him to do, but He graciously agreed to give the same Spirit to the seventy men to help him.
(18) "And you say to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat.'"
Moses was to tell the people to sanctify themselves and prepare to meet the power of their God the next day. He was to tell them that they had wept and complained openly and audibly, and the Lord had heard them. They had wondered who would give them meat, for it had been well with them in Egypt, so the Lord was going to give them meat and they would eat.
(19) "‘You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, (20) But even a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’”
Think about what the people had suggested. Who would give them meat? Who was it who was with them continually supplying all their needs? They said that it had been well with them in Egypt, implying that it had been an injury to them for God to bring them out of bondage in Egypt. They despised their Lord among them and His continual blessings, and lusted for more. God would give them what they lusted for. It occurs to me that perhaps the Lord would match the amount of meat He would give them to the measure of their greedy excessive lust. They would have meat for a whole month until they were sick of it and vomiting it, and until it was completely loathsome to them.
(21) And Moses said, “The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand footmen, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month.’ (22) Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”
Moses spoke back to the Lord telling Him, as if He didn't know, that there were 600,000 men on foot, or footmen or soldiers ready for war, besides the women and children, and He had said He would give them meat for a month? He questions how it will be done. It's as if Moses questions God's word or His power to provide what He said He would.
(23) And the LORD said to Moses, "Has the LORD’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether My word shall come to pass to you or not.”
This does sound like a rebuke to Moses. Had His power diminished? Was the same power that parted the Red Sea, rained down manna from heaven for all the people to eat daily, and brought water from a rock for all the people to drink, now suddenly unable to give the people meat to eat for a month? God told Moses he would see whether or not what He had said would come to pass.
(24) And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle.
Moses went out to the people and told them what the Lord had said. He gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and brought them around the tabernacle.
(25) And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it came to pass, that when the spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but did not do so again.
The Lord came down in a cloud, probably the pillar of cloud that was continually among the people, and spoke to Moses. He took of the Spirit that was upon Moses and placed the same upon the seventy elders. The exact wording is particularly interesting. Did God take from the Holy Spirit that was upon Moses and distribute it among the seventy elders? My first impulse was of course not! The Holy Spirit is not a finite thing that must be cut into parts. This probably means that the same Holy Spirit God had given Moses was given to the seventy elders. However, Adam Clarke had an interesting take:
"To convince Moses that God had sufficiently qualified him for the work which he had given him to do, he tells him that of the gifts and graces which he has given him he will qualify seventy persons to bear the charge with him. This was probably intended as a gracious reproof. Query. Did not Moses lose a measure of his gifts in this business? And is it not right that he whom God has called to and qualified for some particular office, should lose those gifts which he either undervalues or refuses to employ for God in the way appointed? Is there not much reason to believe that many cases have occurred where the spiritual endowments of particular persons have been taken away and given to others who made a better use of them? Hence the propriety of that exhortation, Rev. 3:11: Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. The gracious God never called a man to perform a work without furnishing him with adequate strength; and to refuse to do it on the pretense of inability is little short of rebellion against God."
This very much speaks to me. How often I have fretted and agonized over troubles in my life, even when I believe the Lord has shown me otherwise. I must hold fast to that word of my Lord and give it all over to Him, trusting in the One who has, countless times in my life, shown Himself to be working for me. How can I possibly doubt his ability now? He loves us and works all things to the good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). Just like with Moses, God had shown His power time and time again, yet Moses seemed to doubt His ability in this; if Moses can be described as rebelling against God, how much more so would be the charge against me!
When the Spirit rested on the seventy elders, they prophesied, but did not do so again. This appears to be the best translation of this scripture. The KJV said "they prophesied, and did not cease." However, almost all other translations say that they did not do it again. Indeed the original word "yasaph" translated as "cease" in the KJV, was only used that way in this one verse. Most often the word is used to mean "more", "again", or "add". As a matter of fact, out of all the dozens, perhaps even hundreds of times it was used in scripture, the meaning was always something like adding, increasing, doing again, except for this one time when it was translated as "cease". I think it's pretty obvious the meaning was meant to be that they did not continue to prophesy. Perhaps this prophesying occurred at the moment they received the Spirit, demonstrating that they had indeed received It. However, there was no need for them to continue prophesying, as their measure of God's Holy Spirit was to be used for governing, not prophesying. On this occasion, the prophesying was just evidence that they had received the Spirit. If indeed the Lord took of the Spirit that Moses had had all along, this prophesying would certainly have been visual and audible proof to Moses that he had had all along God's Spirit to perform the duties he had been called to perform.
(26) But there remained two men in the camp, the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad, and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but they did not go out to the tabernacle, and they prophesied in the camp.
Two men, Eldad and Medad, were among the seventy elders that had been referenced above, but they remained in the camp, rather than going to the tabernacle, as had been instructed, to stand with Moses when the Lord came down to speak with him and give His Spirit to the seventy elders (v. 16-17). Why they didn't do as instructed, we are not told; perhaps it was out of modesty and humility, or a sense of their weakness and inability to do what was being asked of them. The point is, God's Spirit reached them in their camp, and they prophesied there in the camp.
(27) And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
A young man who heard Eldad and Medad prophesying in the camp, ran to tell Moses about it, thinking it must be without the knowledge of Moses and perhaps diminishing his authority.
(28) And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, "My lord Moses, forbid them."
Joshua, a servant of Moses and one of his close inner circle of men, it seems, called on Moses to forbid them from prophesying, fearing perhaps that it might lead to division or rebellion.
(29) And Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”
Moses asked Joshua if he was jealous (or zealous, as the word can also mean) for Moses's sake. Moses declared he wished all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His spirit on all of them. A similar incident occurred in the New Testament in Mark 9:38-40, when John told Jesus that he and other disciples had seen someone casting out devils in Jesus's name, and they forbade him to do it because he did not follow their group. Jesus told him not to prevent the man from doing what he was doing. After all, could mortal man perform a miracle in the name of the Lord without His spirit upon him? Could these men in the camp prophesy without God's Spirit on them? Obviously to Moses, they prophesied because of the Spirit of God, and he wished all the Lord's people could do likewise. Charles Wesley wrote a hymn about this very thing:
Moses, the minister of God,
Rebukes our partial love,
Who envy at the gifts bestow’d
On those we disapprove.
We do not our own spirit know,
Who wish to see suppress’d
The men that Jesu’s spirit show,
The men whom God hath bless’d.
Shall we the Spirit’s course restrain,
Or quench the heavenly fire?
Let God his messengers ordain,
And whom he will inspire.
Blow as he list, the Spirit’s choice
Of instruments we bless;
We will, if Christ be preached, rejoice,
And wish the word success.
Can all be prophets then? are all
Commission’d from above?
No; but whome’er the Lord shall call
We joyfully approve.
O that the Church might all receive
The spirit of prophecy,
And all in Christ accepted live,
And all in Jesus die!
*Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures, by Charles Wesley, M. A., and Presbyter of the Church of England. Bristol, 1762. 2 vols.
(30) And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
Moses and the seventy elders of Israel then left the door of the tabernacle and returned to their camp.
(31) And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth.
The Lord caused a wind to come forth bringing quails from the sea. He let them fall on the camp, as wide as a day's journey on either side of the camp, actually all sides of the camp, as they fell all around the camp. They fell about two cubits, or about a yard, above the face of the earth, easily within reach of the people.
(32) And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails; he who gathered the least gathered ten homers; and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
The fact that the people stood up for two days gathering quails, indicates that the quail did not fall to the ground, but rather fell to about two cubits above the ground, so that the people could grab them as they flew. They gathered so many that even the person who gathered the fewest gathered ten homers, over 60 bushels. The people spread them out all around the camp so that they might dry and perhaps be salted and preserved for future use. Adam Clarke supposed that they may have done as was a custom in Egypt, plucked and then buried the birds in the hot sand for a few minutes, thus preparing them for use.
(33) And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.
While the flesh of the birds was yet between their teeth, before it was even chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against them, and he struck them with a very great plague. Think of the lustful greed and gluttony of the people to collect more than 60 bushels of quail each! Consider how the Lord had told them through Moses (v. 19 above) that they would have meat until they were sick because they had despised the goodness and provision of the Lord and had longed for their days in Egypt. He had warned them they would be sick and told them why, but they were lustful anyway. God often grants the desires of our hearts, but if it be an inordinate lust for it, it may be that He grants it to teach us a valuable lesson. A couple of the psalms spoke of this incident:
He also rained meat on them like the dust,
Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;
And He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
All around their dwellings.
So they ate and were well filled,
For He gave them their own desire.
They were not estranged from their lust;
But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
The wrath of God came against them,
And slew the fattest of them,
And struck down the chosen men of Israel.
- Psalm 78:27-31
They soon forgot His works;
They did not wait for His counsel,
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
And tempted God in the desert.
And He gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul.
- Psalm 106:13-15
Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, made an interesting comparison between the Israelites here and David in 2 Samuel 23: "David longed for the water of the well of Bethlehem, but would not drink it when he had it, because it was obtained by venturing; much more reason these Israelites had to refuse this flesh, which was obtained by murmuring, and which, they might easily perceive, by what Moses said, was given them in anger; but those that are under the power of a carnal mind will have their lusts fulfilled, though it be to the certain damage and ruin of their precious souls."
Mr. Henry, in his Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote the following commentary on David's refusal of the water for which he had longed:
David once earnestly longed for the water at the well of Bethlehem. It seems to be an instance of weakness. He was thirsty; with the water of that well he had often refreshed himself when a youth, and it was without due thought that he desired it. Were his valiant men so forward to expose themselves, upon the least hint of their prince's mind, and so eager to please him, and shall not we long to approve ourselves to our Lord Jesus, by ready compliance with his will, as shown us by his word, Spirit, and providence? But David poured out the water as a drink-offering to the Lord. Thus he would cross his own foolish fancy, and punish himself for indulging it, and show that he had sober thoughts to correct his rash ones, and knew how to deny himself. Did David look upon that water as very precious which was got at the hazard of these men's blood, and shall not we much more value those benefits for purchasing which our blessed Saviour shed his blood? Let all beware of neglecting so great salvation.
Should not the Israelites have so valued the providence of their Lord?
(34) And he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who lusted.
Whether "he" referred to God or perhaps Moses, the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, which literally meant “graves of lust”, because there they buried the people who lusted. This shows that the plague did not seize all the people, but just those who inordinately lusted for the meat, or if it did seize all the people who ate of the quail, it only killed the ones with an excessive and seemingly insatiable lust.
(35) And the people journeyed from Kibroth Hattaavah to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.
The people then journeyed from Kibroth Hattaavah to Hazeroth, where they camped again. In the last chapter we were told that the people journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai to the wilderness of Paran. At the beginning of this chapter, we were told that the place where they camped was called Taberah. Kibroth Hattaavah was either the same place, renamed after the plague from lust, or perhaps it could have been a neighboring place, also in the wilderness of Paran.
Adam Clarke's words sum up this chapter nicely:
We hear of such punishments, and yet walk in the same way, presuming on God’s mercy, while we continue to provoke his justice. Let us settle it in our minds as an indisputable truth, that God is better acquainted with our wants than we are ourselves; that he knows infinitely better what we need; and that he is ever more ready to hear than we are to pray, and is wont to give more than we can desire or deserve...In no case has God at any time withheld from his meanest followers any of the spiritual or temporal mercies they needed. Were he to call us to travel through a wilderness, he would send us bread from heaven, or cause the wilderness to smile and blossom as the rose. How strange is it that we will neither believe that God has worked, or will work, unless we see him working!
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Consecration of the Levites
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 8:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Speak to Aaron, and say to him, ‘When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.'"
In the last chapter and post there had just been a formal dedication of the tabernacle and the altar. Rich and elaborate offerings had been presented by the twelves princes of the tribes of Israel on twelve consecutive days. The last verse of chapter 7 stated that when Moses went into the tabernacle after the twelve days' of offerings to speak with the Lord that he heard His voice speaking to him from the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony, and this is what He said. He told Moses to speak to Aaron about what was evidently the first lighting of the seven lamps of the candlestand. When Aaron lighted the lamps the seven lamps would give light over what was in front of the candlestand, that being the part of the tabernacle where the showbread table stood.
(3) And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Aaron did as the Lord commanded to Moses that he do. He lit the lamps of the candlestand. That difficult language of the phrase "over against" was used in many places in scripture and always meant "in front of". It's the light that shone over and out from that side of the candlestand which was its front facing the showbread table.
(4) And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, to its shaft, to its flowers, was beaten work; according to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the candlestick.
The work of the lampstand was of solid hammered gold in a pattern of branches, bowls, and flowers that had been instructed by the Lord to Moses in Exodus 25:31. Moses had made it (or oversaw the making of it) just as the Lord had instructed.
(5) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (6) “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them."
Again the Lord spoke to Moses telling him to pull the Levites out from among the children of Israel and ceremonially cleanse them in the following manner:
(7) "And thus shall you do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean."
Moses was to follow these instructions to cleanse the Levites. First he was to sprinkle "water of purifying" on them. It is very interesting to note that the original word "chattath" that was translated as "purifying" literally means "sin". They were sprinkled with water of sin to purify them from sin. Then they were to clean themselves by shaving their bodies and washing their clothes.
(8) “Then let them take a young bullock with its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil, and another young bullock shall you take for a sin offering."
Then they were to take a young bull with the grain offering that always accompanied a burnt offering, and another young bull was to be offered for a sin offering.
(9) “And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation, and you shall gather together the whole assembly of the children of Israel together."
The Levites were to be brought to the tabernacle, and the entire congregation of the children of Israel were to be brought together so that what was to follow might be done in the presence of all.
(10) "And you shall bring the Levites before the LORD, and the children of Israel shall put their hands on the Levites; (11) And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD."
The Levites were to be brought before the Lord at the tabernacle and the children of Israel were to place their hands upon them. Some commentaries suggest that it was only the princes and elders of the tribes that placed their hands on the Levites, as it would be impossible for every last Israelite to do that. However, as there were many Levites, I can see that there would be room for many more than just the princes and elders to take part in this. The people took part with Aaron in offering the Levites to the Lord that they might execute the service of the Lord. John Wesley, in his Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, reminded us that by putting their hands on the Levites, the people "signified their transferring that right of ministering to God from the first-born in whose hands it formerly was, to the Levites, and their entire resignation and dedication of them to God's service."
It is interesting to note that the original word "nuph" that was translated as "offer" in verse 11 is the same word that has been previously translated as "wave" as in wave offerings. Some Biblical scholars believed that while Aaron could not physically wave the Levites back and forth, he perhaps made that side to side motion himself and the Levites in turn imitated his motions, thus offering themselves to the service of the Lord. Whether they actually waved back and forth or not, I believe at the very least it was as Matthew Henry wrote in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "not that they were actually waved, but they were presented to God as the God of heaven, and the Lord of the whole earth, as the wave-offerings were. And in calling them wave-offerings it was intimated to them that they must continually lift up themselves towards God in his service, lift up their eyes, lift up their hearts, and must move to and fro with readiness in the business of their profession. They were not ordained to be idle, but to be active and stirring."
(12) "And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks, and you shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites."
The Levites in turn were to place their hands on the heads of the bullocks transferring their sins to them so that by the bulls' sacrifice, atonement would be made for the Levites. One bull was offered for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. The Levites' sins had to be atoned for before they could be employed in the service of the Lord.
(13) “And you shall set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering to the LORD."
After atonement was made for them, the Levites were presented to Aaron and his sons to do service and assist the priests. Again "nuph" was used, indicating a wave offering. Whether or not they waved back and forth or to and fro, they were presented 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."
By following the instructions laid out in verses 6 through 13, Moses would separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites would be considered the Lord's to do His service.
(15) "And after that the Levites shall go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and you shall cleanse them and offer them for an offering."
After that the Levites would be able to go into probably what was just the court of the tabernacle to do the service of the tabernacle; only the priests were allowed to go into the sanctuary. They probably weren't cleansed and offered again after they came into the courtyard, but "so shall you cleanse them..." and then they could go into the court of the tabernacle to do its service.
(16) “For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them to Me instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel."
The Levites were wholly given to the Lord from the children of Israel. God took them as His own instead of the first-born as He before stated in Numbers 3:41.
(17) "For all the firstborn of 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 for Myself."
God reminded them why it was that all the firstborn of both man and beast were His. On the day that He struck all the firstborn of the Egyptians, He protected His people and saved alive their firstborn. Back in Exodus 13:2, the Lord ordered all the firstborn of both man and beast to be sanctified to Him, claimed as His own and set apart for His own use.
(18) "And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel."
In a sense the Lord gave up His right to all the firstborn, and accepted the Levites in their place. It's not that the Lord was given any "rights"; He has the "right" to ALL people and animals! I find it so interesting that God always did things according to what would seem fair and equitable to us humans. Even an even exchange for Levites in place of the firstborn wasn't completely equal, so He had the 273 more firstborn than Levites redeemed (Numbers 3:46). This is really amazing when you think about it! The supreme God of the universe has every right to anything He wants because all are His alone as His own creations, but He makes things fair in our eyes. Who are we that God needs to "play fair" with us? But it proves how just our Lord truly is, and why we can completely trust Him in everything!
I can hear all the dissents as I write this about how fair it is for a child to die from cancer or any such similar unfair cases! For one, this world is not our home; we truly are passing through. Death hurts the ones left behind much more than it does the one who died. God didn't cause cancer or cause a person to torture and kill another. It may be true that He allowed it, but good always comes to those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). It took awhile after a long process of healing, but I have come to realize that my Daddy dying at a young age from cancer helped to bring me to my Lord. And I would certainly give my life for my child! This world will always be plagued with troubles, so if going through some brings eternal life to others, isn't that our purpose on this pit stop called Earth? This is something I have only recently come to understand. Jesus's great commission was to go and teach all the nations what He had taught. While some people go out into the world and preach, and that is their calling and purpose, perhaps some others of us may have the purpose of letting Christ shine through even in our afflictions, and thus bringing others to Him. Why do some have to suffer more than others? Even in that I have come to have peace. Because our Lord is so just and fair, you can bet that those who have given more will be rewarded more! That doesn't mean in this world, but in our home to come.
(19) “And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an 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.”
The Lord gave the Levites who were His own as a gift to Aaron and his sons, to do the service of the tabernacle for all the children of Israel. The service of the tabernacle was something all the Israelites were responsible for having done, so in that respect, the Levites were doing their service. The Levites were to make atonement for the children of Israel in that they would perform the services which were required to be done by the children of Israel, thus the Levites were the atonement for the souls of the Israelites, that there be no wrath from God upon the children of Israel (Numbers 1:53). The Levites were to keep charge of the tabernacle that there be no plague among the children of Israel when they might come nearer to the sanctuary than they should or touch things that they should not touch.
(20) And 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.
Moses, Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel did as the Lord had commanded to Moses that they do regarding the Levites.
(21) And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.
The Levites were purified by the sprinkling of purifying water, shaving themselves, and washing their clothes as instructed in verse 7 above. Aaron offered them as an offering before the Lord "for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD" (verse 11 above). The bulls for a sin offering and a burnt offering to the LORD (verse 12 above), made atonement for the Levites. Thus they were cleansed and ready to do the work of the tabernacle.
Matthew Henry pointed out that Aaron offered the Levites to God in verse 11, and then God gave them back to Aaron in verse 19. He wrote, "Whatever we give up to God, He will give back to us unspeakably to our advantage. Our hearts, our children, our estates, are never more ours, more truly, more comfortably ours, than when we have offered them up to God."
(22) And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons; as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
After that the Levites went into the court of the tabernacle to do the service of the tabernacle in the presence of Aaron and his sons, the priests, and by their direction. Just as the Lord had commanded through Moses they do, so they did.
(23) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (24) "This is that which is the Levites'; from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to perform the service of the tabernacle of the congregation."
The Lord then spoke to Moses, telling him what pertained to the Levites, that from 25 years of age and upward they would go into service of the tabernacle. The original word translated as "perform" was that word "tsaba" earlier explored that means "to muster as an army", "to serve", and "to go forth to war"; theirs was spiritual warfare.
Numbers 4:3 and 4:47 specifically said that it was from age thirty that the Levites came to do the service of the tabernacle. Biblical scholars suggest that either they went in at age 25 to learn the rites of service that they would perform beginning at age thirty, or as Dr. John Gill wrote in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, "what Aben Ezra proposes" (Jewish biblical commentator and philosopher of the Middle Ages)..."at thirty years of age a Levite entered into the service of bearing and carrying burdens; and at twenty five years of age he entered into the service of the tent or tabernacle, where he was employed in lighter service, such as opening and shutting the doors of the sanctuary, keeping out strangers and unclean persons, and singing the songs of the sanctuary; but was not concerned till thirty years of age in carrying the vessels of the sanctuary on the shoulders, as the Kohathites; or in taking down and setting up the tabernacle, loading and unloading the wagons, as the Gershonites and Merarites; which is the business assigned unto them, and spoken of in Num. 4:22, where the age of thirty years, and upward, is mentioned, as the time of their entrance on it, Num. 4:23."
(25) "And from the age of fifty years they shall cease performing this work, and shall work no more."
They were to work in the service of the tabernacle until the age of fifty, at which time they were to do no more of the heavy service of it. Some of the old commentaries I study pointed out that the phrase that was translated as "cease performing" literally meant "return from the warfare", once again indicating that while the Levites did not go to war, they did fight a spiritual war.
(26) "But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites regarding their charge."
The Levites over fifty years of age would still minister with their brothers in the tabernacle, by assisting their brothers with advice, counsel, and direction. They surely sang psalms, and perhaps another element of keeping the charge of the tabernacle, would have been to guard the door to keep those who should not come in from entering. Over the age of fifty, they were in no way disgraced, but rather were able to rest from the heavy labor and were still relevant in the service of the tabernacle. God ended His instructions by declaring that what He had described before was what Moses was to do regarding the service of the Levites.
Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wisely surmised, "If it required so much legal purity to fit the Levites for their work in the tabernacle, can we suppose that it requires less spiritual purity to fit ministers of the Gospel to proclaim the righteousness of the Most High, and administer the sacred ordinances of Christianity to the flock of Christ? If these must be without spot, as the priests before without blemish, and these were only typical men, we may rest assured that a Christian minister requires no ordinary measures of holiness to prepare him for an acceptable and profitable discharge of his office. If the Christian ministry be established to prepare men for the kingdom of God, of the holiness of which the purity of the camp was but a faint emblem, how can any man expect to enter that place of blessedness, who has not his heart sprinkled from an evil conscience, and his body washed with pure water; his life and conversation agreeable to the sacred precepts laid down in the Gospel of Christ? If the law of Moses were more read in reference to the Gospel, the Gospel itself and its requisitions would be much better understood."
(Numbers 8:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Speak to Aaron, and say to him, ‘When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.'"
In the last chapter and post there had just been a formal dedication of the tabernacle and the altar. Rich and elaborate offerings had been presented by the twelves princes of the tribes of Israel on twelve consecutive days. The last verse of chapter 7 stated that when Moses went into the tabernacle after the twelve days' of offerings to speak with the Lord that he heard His voice speaking to him from the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony, and this is what He said. He told Moses to speak to Aaron about what was evidently the first lighting of the seven lamps of the candlestand. When Aaron lighted the lamps the seven lamps would give light over what was in front of the candlestand, that being the part of the tabernacle where the showbread table stood.
(3) And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Aaron did as the Lord commanded to Moses that he do. He lit the lamps of the candlestand. That difficult language of the phrase "over against" was used in many places in scripture and always meant "in front of". It's the light that shone over and out from that side of the candlestand which was its front facing the showbread table.
(4) And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, to its shaft, to its flowers, was beaten work; according to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the candlestick.
The work of the lampstand was of solid hammered gold in a pattern of branches, bowls, and flowers that had been instructed by the Lord to Moses in Exodus 25:31. Moses had made it (or oversaw the making of it) just as the Lord had instructed.
(5) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (6) “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them."
Again the Lord spoke to Moses telling him to pull the Levites out from among the children of Israel and ceremonially cleanse them in the following manner:
(7) "And thus shall you do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean."
Moses was to follow these instructions to cleanse the Levites. First he was to sprinkle "water of purifying" on them. It is very interesting to note that the original word "chattath" that was translated as "purifying" literally means "sin". They were sprinkled with water of sin to purify them from sin. Then they were to clean themselves by shaving their bodies and washing their clothes.
(8) “Then let them take a young bullock with its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil, and another young bullock shall you take for a sin offering."
Then they were to take a young bull with the grain offering that always accompanied a burnt offering, and another young bull was to be offered for a sin offering.
(9) “And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation, and you shall gather together the whole assembly of the children of Israel together."
The Levites were to be brought to the tabernacle, and the entire congregation of the children of Israel were to be brought together so that what was to follow might be done in the presence of all.
(10) "And you shall bring the Levites before the LORD, and the children of Israel shall put their hands on the Levites; (11) And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD."
The Levites were to be brought before the Lord at the tabernacle and the children of Israel were to place their hands upon them. Some commentaries suggest that it was only the princes and elders of the tribes that placed their hands on the Levites, as it would be impossible for every last Israelite to do that. However, as there were many Levites, I can see that there would be room for many more than just the princes and elders to take part in this. The people took part with Aaron in offering the Levites to the Lord that they might execute the service of the Lord. John Wesley, in his Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, reminded us that by putting their hands on the Levites, the people "signified their transferring that right of ministering to God from the first-born in whose hands it formerly was, to the Levites, and their entire resignation and dedication of them to God's service."
It is interesting to note that the original word "nuph" that was translated as "offer" in verse 11 is the same word that has been previously translated as "wave" as in wave offerings. Some Biblical scholars believed that while Aaron could not physically wave the Levites back and forth, he perhaps made that side to side motion himself and the Levites in turn imitated his motions, thus offering themselves to the service of the Lord. Whether they actually waved back and forth or not, I believe at the very least it was as Matthew Henry wrote in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "not that they were actually waved, but they were presented to God as the God of heaven, and the Lord of the whole earth, as the wave-offerings were. And in calling them wave-offerings it was intimated to them that they must continually lift up themselves towards God in his service, lift up their eyes, lift up their hearts, and must move to and fro with readiness in the business of their profession. They were not ordained to be idle, but to be active and stirring."
(12) "And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks, and you shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites."
The Levites in turn were to place their hands on the heads of the bullocks transferring their sins to them so that by the bulls' sacrifice, atonement would be made for the Levites. One bull was offered for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. The Levites' sins had to be atoned for before they could be employed in the service of the Lord.
(13) “And you shall set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering to the LORD."
After atonement was made for them, the Levites were presented to Aaron and his sons to do service and assist the priests. Again "nuph" was used, indicating a wave offering. Whether or not they waved back and forth or to and fro, they were presented 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."
By following the instructions laid out in verses 6 through 13, Moses would separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites would be considered the Lord's to do His service.
(15) "And after that the Levites shall go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and you shall cleanse them and offer them for an offering."
After that the Levites would be able to go into probably what was just the court of the tabernacle to do the service of the tabernacle; only the priests were allowed to go into the sanctuary. They probably weren't cleansed and offered again after they came into the courtyard, but "so shall you cleanse them..." and then they could go into the court of the tabernacle to do its service.
(16) “For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them to Me instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel."
The Levites were wholly given to the Lord from the children of Israel. God took them as His own instead of the first-born as He before stated in Numbers 3:41.
(17) "For all the firstborn of 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 for Myself."
God reminded them why it was that all the firstborn of both man and beast were His. On the day that He struck all the firstborn of the Egyptians, He protected His people and saved alive their firstborn. Back in Exodus 13:2, the Lord ordered all the firstborn of both man and beast to be sanctified to Him, claimed as His own and set apart for His own use.
(18) "And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel."
In a sense the Lord gave up His right to all the firstborn, and accepted the Levites in their place. It's not that the Lord was given any "rights"; He has the "right" to ALL people and animals! I find it so interesting that God always did things according to what would seem fair and equitable to us humans. Even an even exchange for Levites in place of the firstborn wasn't completely equal, so He had the 273 more firstborn than Levites redeemed (Numbers 3:46). This is really amazing when you think about it! The supreme God of the universe has every right to anything He wants because all are His alone as His own creations, but He makes things fair in our eyes. Who are we that God needs to "play fair" with us? But it proves how just our Lord truly is, and why we can completely trust Him in everything!
I can hear all the dissents as I write this about how fair it is for a child to die from cancer or any such similar unfair cases! For one, this world is not our home; we truly are passing through. Death hurts the ones left behind much more than it does the one who died. God didn't cause cancer or cause a person to torture and kill another. It may be true that He allowed it, but good always comes to those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). It took awhile after a long process of healing, but I have come to realize that my Daddy dying at a young age from cancer helped to bring me to my Lord. And I would certainly give my life for my child! This world will always be plagued with troubles, so if going through some brings eternal life to others, isn't that our purpose on this pit stop called Earth? This is something I have only recently come to understand. Jesus's great commission was to go and teach all the nations what He had taught. While some people go out into the world and preach, and that is their calling and purpose, perhaps some others of us may have the purpose of letting Christ shine through even in our afflictions, and thus bringing others to Him. Why do some have to suffer more than others? Even in that I have come to have peace. Because our Lord is so just and fair, you can bet that those who have given more will be rewarded more! That doesn't mean in this world, but in our home to come.
(19) “And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an 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.”
The Lord gave the Levites who were His own as a gift to Aaron and his sons, to do the service of the tabernacle for all the children of Israel. The service of the tabernacle was something all the Israelites were responsible for having done, so in that respect, the Levites were doing their service. The Levites were to make atonement for the children of Israel in that they would perform the services which were required to be done by the children of Israel, thus the Levites were the atonement for the souls of the Israelites, that there be no wrath from God upon the children of Israel (Numbers 1:53). The Levites were to keep charge of the tabernacle that there be no plague among the children of Israel when they might come nearer to the sanctuary than they should or touch things that they should not touch.
(20) And 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.
Moses, Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel did as the Lord had commanded to Moses that they do regarding the Levites.
(21) And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.
The Levites were purified by the sprinkling of purifying water, shaving themselves, and washing their clothes as instructed in verse 7 above. Aaron offered them as an offering before the Lord "for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD" (verse 11 above). The bulls for a sin offering and a burnt offering to the LORD (verse 12 above), made atonement for the Levites. Thus they were cleansed and ready to do the work of the tabernacle.
Matthew Henry pointed out that Aaron offered the Levites to God in verse 11, and then God gave them back to Aaron in verse 19. He wrote, "Whatever we give up to God, He will give back to us unspeakably to our advantage. Our hearts, our children, our estates, are never more ours, more truly, more comfortably ours, than when we have offered them up to God."
(22) And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons; as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
After that the Levites went into the court of the tabernacle to do the service of the tabernacle in the presence of Aaron and his sons, the priests, and by their direction. Just as the Lord had commanded through Moses they do, so they did.
(23) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (24) "This is that which is the Levites'; from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to perform the service of the tabernacle of the congregation."
The Lord then spoke to Moses, telling him what pertained to the Levites, that from 25 years of age and upward they would go into service of the tabernacle. The original word translated as "perform" was that word "tsaba" earlier explored that means "to muster as an army", "to serve", and "to go forth to war"; theirs was spiritual warfare.
Numbers 4:3 and 4:47 specifically said that it was from age thirty that the Levites came to do the service of the tabernacle. Biblical scholars suggest that either they went in at age 25 to learn the rites of service that they would perform beginning at age thirty, or as Dr. John Gill wrote in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, "what Aben Ezra proposes" (Jewish biblical commentator and philosopher of the Middle Ages)..."at thirty years of age a Levite entered into the service of bearing and carrying burdens; and at twenty five years of age he entered into the service of the tent or tabernacle, where he was employed in lighter service, such as opening and shutting the doors of the sanctuary, keeping out strangers and unclean persons, and singing the songs of the sanctuary; but was not concerned till thirty years of age in carrying the vessels of the sanctuary on the shoulders, as the Kohathites; or in taking down and setting up the tabernacle, loading and unloading the wagons, as the Gershonites and Merarites; which is the business assigned unto them, and spoken of in Num. 4:22, where the age of thirty years, and upward, is mentioned, as the time of their entrance on it, Num. 4:23."
(25) "And from the age of fifty years they shall cease performing this work, and shall work no more."
They were to work in the service of the tabernacle until the age of fifty, at which time they were to do no more of the heavy service of it. Some of the old commentaries I study pointed out that the phrase that was translated as "cease performing" literally meant "return from the warfare", once again indicating that while the Levites did not go to war, they did fight a spiritual war.
(26) "But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites regarding their charge."
The Levites over fifty years of age would still minister with their brothers in the tabernacle, by assisting their brothers with advice, counsel, and direction. They surely sang psalms, and perhaps another element of keeping the charge of the tabernacle, would have been to guard the door to keep those who should not come in from entering. Over the age of fifty, they were in no way disgraced, but rather were able to rest from the heavy labor and were still relevant in the service of the tabernacle. God ended His instructions by declaring that what He had described before was what Moses was to do regarding the service of the Levites.
Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wisely surmised, "If it required so much legal purity to fit the Levites for their work in the tabernacle, can we suppose that it requires less spiritual purity to fit ministers of the Gospel to proclaim the righteousness of the Most High, and administer the sacred ordinances of Christianity to the flock of Christ? If these must be without spot, as the priests before without blemish, and these were only typical men, we may rest assured that a Christian minister requires no ordinary measures of holiness to prepare him for an acceptable and profitable discharge of his office. If the Christian ministry be established to prepare men for the kingdom of God, of the holiness of which the purity of the camp was but a faint emblem, how can any man expect to enter that place of blessedness, who has not his heart sprinkled from an evil conscience, and his body washed with pure water; his life and conversation agreeable to the sacred precepts laid down in the Gospel of Christ? If the law of Moses were more read in reference to the Gospel, the Gospel itself and its requisitions would be much better understood."
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