Numbers 28 – Connecting with God

Saint Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, so poignantly said, “God, you have created us for Yourself, and our heart is restless till it rests in you.” God had created us for fellowship and communion with Him. That is the drift of Numbers 28 - communion with God. People seek all means to find communion with God. But the truth is this: not every means will connect us with Him. For the people of Israel, to connect and stay connected with God, they had to follow the prescription given in Numbers 28-29. 

In these chapters, God prescribed not only the daily sacrifices and offerings required, but he also stipulated what they need to do weekly as well as what they need to do annually. Then he also specified the seasonal feasts and festivals for them to connect and celebrate life with Him. The daily, weekly, annual, and seasonal sacrifices and communal celebrations and meals were needful. They facilitate their communion with each other and with God, who not only wants us to have fellowship with Him but also fellow believers.    

There are much that could be drawn from the description of the different sacrifices, and we will only deal with what is relevant and not the detail of it. Firstly, we learn that connecting with God is not a casual thing. It must be entered into with much cost and seriousness. A simple calculation will tell us that to approach God there was an enormous cost. Just think of the number of animals required to facilitate the connection. We need to count the cost and be willing to pay them. And as our Lord has said, we must daily “take up the cross, deny ourselves and follow after Him.”

Secondly, the daily, weekly, and annual sacrifices tell us that communion with God must be a continuous one and not just a once-in-a-while experience. It must be a daily, weekly, as well as an annual experience. Daily we must connect with God through personal devotion, meditation, and Bible studies. Weekly we need to set aside time to celebrate the Sabbath experience. It should be a time dedicated to rest, rejuvenate, and be refreshed in Him.

Thirdly, we must not forget the seasonal celebrations. We must remember key events on the church calendar and take time to commemorate and celebrate God. Some of the more important occasional celebrations are Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday, and celebrating the first coming of Christ. We celebrate not for the sake of celebration but to fellowship and connect with God. Communion with God requires time and cost. So make time to commune with God and be willing to pay the cost! Nothing is more worthwhile than connecting with God!

 

Numbers 27:15-23 – Make Jesus the Shepherd of our lives.

Knowing that he would soon depart, Moses pled with the Lord to appoint a man to lead the congregation of people of Israel. His specific request was for God to appoint someone “who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” More than asking for a leader for Israel, Moses was in fact asking the Lord to provide a king for the people. How so? The words he used here were the same words that the elders of Israel used when they went to seek David and asked him to be their king. In 2 Samuel 5:2 the elders who came to David in Hebron said to him, “Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and in.” The elders even reminded David of what the Lord said to him that, “You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a ruler over Israel.”

Even as a King, David was not a good shepherd all the time. While he had a measure of success, he also had his fair share of shortcomings and failures. Remember he took one of his own soldiers' “ewe” lamb and had that soldier murdered. He was to be the shepherd of the people, but he did not execute his role as perfectly as he should. But there would come one who would be the perfect King and Shepherd. Remember what Jesus said of Himself in John 10. He referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd. And as the Good Shepherd He would  lay “down His life for the sheep.” 

In answering Moses’ request, the Lord told him to commission Joshua. He was to make him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation of Israelites to lay hands on him. Moses was to transfer some of his own authority to him. However, notice that Joshua would need the assistance of Eleazar, using the Urim to seek the Lord’s direction for the people. Though Joshua eventually led the people into the promised land and allotted to each tribe their land, yet he was nowhere like Moses, whom the Lord spoke face to face. All these Moses did as he was directed so that the people would not be without a leader.  

Like the children of Israel, it is not enough to have a capable human leader to lead us, we need a perfect shepherd king to guide and rue over us. He is none other than Jesus our Lord and King. He wants to reign in our life. We must seek each day to enthrone Him as the King of our lives. For when we seek first His Kingdom, meaning His kingly rule over our lives, the provision we need in our lives will be added unto us. It is needful to have a leader to guide us in our journey, but be sure to have Jesus as the Lord, King, and Shepherd of our lives!  

 

Numbers 27:12-14 – The consequence of unbelief

The total handover to the second generation would soon take place. The scenes in the last 10 verses of Numbers 27 were in preparation for that to happen. God first dealt with Moses by revisiting the incident of the water at Meribah recorded in Numbers 20.  It was there that the people once again grumbled and accused Moses and Aaron of misleading them. They were at Meribah with not a single drop of water to spare. So the people grumbled and sarcastically asked Moses and Aaron, were they not promised a fruitful land of grains, figs, wine, and pomegranate? They were insinuating that their experience could not be better than what they had in Egypt, the land of bondage where they left.

In that incident Moses approached God and was instructed to speak to the rock and provision of water would issue from it. But instead of just speaking to the rock, Moses took the staff and struck the rock twice, and mockingly asked shall water issue from this rock? It was an act of unbelief on Moses’ part. Since he did not trust God before the people, God needed to deal with Him. The Lord took him to task telling him that since he did not honor Him, he would be barred from entering the promised land.  

In Numbers 25:12-13, God was refreshing Moses’ mind to remind him that he would not be entering the promised land. God told him saying “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was….”  Although the death of Moses would only be carried out in Deuteronomy 31, God was using the incident to talk about the certainty of it. God had no intention of lifting the sentence. He was only deferring it till later. This is the consequence of the sin of unbelief and self-glorification. Yes, even for leaders such as Moses. God is no respecter of man, not even for His choice servant. He does not play favorites.

Here God underscores the gravity of the sin of unbelief because it takes a person’s focus off Him to self. Unbelief makes one doubts the ability of God to fulfill what He has promised. When we are not trusting God, we exaggerate fear. And when we are successful, our unbelief makes us think that we are successful because of our own ingenuity and so take the credit and deny God of what belongs to Him. In so doing we rob God of the glory due to His name. Here’s a wise word from Charles Spurgeon: Unbelief will destroy the best of us, Faith will save the worst of us. So choose faith over unbelief. It’s the only wise choice!    

 

 

Numbers 27:1-11 – Taking faith actions to effect change

Number 27:1-11 give an account of how the daughters of Zelophehad altered the course of their lives because of their belief in the faithful God. What they did prove that they knew that their God was faithful and just. They, however, did not ignore the fact that their father had sinned and offended God and had paid for it with his life. But they refused to remain as victims of their circumstances. Many would have just lamented, complained about their condition, and maligned God for being unfair. Refusing to resign to their circumstances and just sang “Que Sera, Sera, whatever will be will be”, these five girls approached Moses for a solution.

What they did also tells us that they did not live for the present but were forward-looking. They had faith that God would lead them into the promised land and anticipated the land to be distributed to each family and tribe. Knowing that they had no male in the family to stake their claim, they started seeking a solution before they entered the promised land. Since their father was also a descendent of Israel, they felt he should have a share of the inheritance. Taking the motto, “if it had to be, it is up to me” they took steps and approached the leadership for a solution. 

The five daughters, namely Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah approached Moses, in the presence of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting, seeking a solution to a situation not of their own making. They were seeking an answer for why the family should be disadvantaged just because their father did not have a son to succeed him.

One thing we can say about these five ladies was that they had faith that they would be God’s instrument of change. So they courageously approached the leaders to make the change. What they did benefitted not only themselves but also others with similar problems. The administration on the land distribution to families without a male heir was altered to make land distribution more just and equitable to disadvantaged families.

The lesson to learn here is not to resign to life as if we can do nothing about it. We need to know that we have a God who is reasonable and approachable. No matter how disadvantaged we feel our situation may be, our greatest recourse is the Lord. We can approach Him and present our situation to Him. Blessing always flows when we dare to confront the wrong and seek to do what is right. When we step out in faith, we can effect changes for the glory of God!      

 

Numbers 26:1-65 – The call to be faithful

Numbers 1:46 showed a total of 603,550 men in the first census taken of Israel’s men 20 years and above and ready for military service. For that generation, God had declared they would not possess the promised land because of their unbelief. Forty years had elapsed, that generation had already perished in the wilderness. Numbers 26:63-65 confirmed that all of them had died in the wilderness except for Caleb and Joshua. A new generation had grown up. After the judgment of the plague following their scandalous escapade and harlotry at Shittim described in Numbers 25, the Lord instructed Moses to take another census. All men ready for military service and 20 and above were again counted. Numbers 26:51 recorded a total of 601,730 men. The difference between the two censuses was not huge.

The difference between the first census and the second was only 1,820 men. This figure speaks of the mercy and faithfulness of God. Despite the sin of the previous generation resulting in more than half a million deaths in the wilderness, God did not allow the population of the males in Israel to be depleted. He had kept faith with Abraham and maintained the number. The army of Israel was still quite a formidable size with all the capacity to inherit the promised land. He did not give up and discard His plan for the children of Abraham just because one generation had failed Him. He continued to work in the lives of the subsequent generation to bring to fruition His promise to them. No wonder the Psalmists so loudly proclaimed that “His faithfulness and love endure forever.” His refusal to give up on the sons of Israel despite their unfaithfulness is a great encouragement to us, who also trust in Him. We alone know the numerous times we have failed Him, yet He did not give up on us. He allowed us to be disciplined by the consequences of our sins and failure, but He still forgives and restores us when we repent. What a gracious God!

Comparing the difference of the total numbers of each tribe between the first and the second census, most of the tribes show small decreases, except for the tribe of Simeon. In the first census, their total reflected 59,300. Now in the second census, the total was 22, 200 men. The population was drastically reduced by more than half. Why the telling difference? Remember Zimri the Simeonite, who took Cozbi, a Midianite woman to the family to consummate his marital relationship. That incident was likely an indication that the tribe of Simeon took the lead in the sin at Shittim. Hence more of them were judged in the plague.

In verses 52-56, Moses was told to apportion the land to each tribe based on the proportion to the population of the tribe. As to the locality, it would be by drawing lots. There was a separate census taken of the Levites. The male Levites were counted from one month onwards and not above 20 years because they were not required to do military duty. Besides, they were not allotted land like all the other tribes.

Once again, we are reminded of the faithfulness of God. May this chapter again be a call for us to stay faithful to God. Though God is faithful, we must not take His faithfulness for granted. Being a Holy God, He needs to deal with our sin. We will have to bear the consequence for every sin we commit. A moment of pleasure is not worth the amount of pain one must reap consequently. So we must live wisely and not as fools.  We must seek to know and understand what the will of God is for our life.  

Numbers 25:10-18 – Zeal will keep us going forward with God

These verses describe how Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, was honored by God because he chose to stand up for Him at a time when no one would. During this time, the compromise of the sons of Israel was getting from bad to worse. Their act was getting more outright and blatant. The first generation’s leadership did not deal with what was wrong decisively. So the subject in question, Zimri, a Simeonite could have detected the leadership’s reluctance to deal with the blatant harlotry of the Israelites with the pagan women and their gods. Abetted by the leadership’s indecisiveness, he was emboldened to engage in his indiscreet craving. He brazenly took Cozbi, a Midianite woman to his family to consummate his marital relationship. He did not expect anyone would take him to task for his insolence. This always happens when the leadership fails to take appropriate action to deal with wrongs to guard the truth and honor of God.  

However, Zimri’s estimation of the situation was wrong. All it took was one clear-minded man who was not afraid to step up to jealously guard the honor of God. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, took a spear and followed that shameless couple into the chamber and there he pierced them through their bellies and killed them. The faithful act of Phinehas averted the wrath of God from the sons of Israel. The plague that God sent to judge the people of Israel was stopped. By then 24,000 Israelites had already been killed.  For what Phinehas did, he was rewarded. God made a covenant of peace with him. He even promised that the priesthood would descend from his line perpetually. Phinehas was acknowledged for being jealous for God and daring to do what was right to atone for the sons of Israel.  

According to verses 16-18, the primary issue was not so much the sex as it was the idolatry that ensued. Under the counsel of Balaam, the people of Moab and Midian used sex to entice the sons of Israel into idolatry. That was why God forbade them from marrying foreign women.  Israel’s real sin was abandoning their God. They were literally tricked into it.  

What Phinehas did teaches us much about being zealous for God.  He was so consumed with his zeal for God that he could not stand idly by and watch his own people dishonoring their God. It would also take zeal for us to pursue and fulfill God’s plan in our life. It is what will enable us to agonize deeply in prayer and enable us to break chains and scale great heights for the glory of God. Zeal will keep us unyieldingly faithful to God to fulfill His purpose. Be zealous for God!

Numbers 25:6-9 – Live courageously and zealously for God

Moses and the congregation did not take decisive action as instructed by God. Instead, they were found weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting. Because the punishment was not swift enough, God sent a plague to discipline them.  Meanwhile, the people of Israel continued in their immorality and even committed it more blatantly. Remember forty years earlier, at the foot of Mount Sinai when Moses went up to meet God to receive the Ten Commandments, they played the harlot with the golden calf they built to worship. In their reveling then, they were engaged in sexual orgies. And now forty years later, towards the end of their journey, they again played the harlot at Shittim. This time it became more blatant. They did it with the foreign women.

Immorality is one inclination that men have found hard to control ever since the fall. Today illicit sex has been greatly glamorized by magazines, TV, shows, soap operas and drama series, etc. Aware of it or not, mankind, to a large extent, has become numb to the wrong of adultery and fornication. These acts have been muted by being referred to as an affair instead of a downright sin. Many people, even seasoned believers, had fallen prey to it in a moment of unguardedness. This is one area every serious believer needs to be alert and be watchful over, with great diligence. The Bible constantly warns us to guard our life against lust, especially the pursuit of sexual pleasure. So if we aim to please the Lord all our life, take God and His word seriously. Here is one good piece of advice from Paul recorded in 2 Timothy 2:22, “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”   

In Numbers 25:6-9, we see one of the sons of Israel brought a Midianite woman for his relatives. It was obvious what they intended to do. Of all the people only one person had the presence of mind to do what was needful to avert the discipline of God. That man was Eleazar’s son Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron. When he saw what was happening, Verses 7-8 said, “…he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body.” It was his courage and zeal that had brought the judgment of God to a halt. By then 24,000 had already died by the plague.   

The courage of Phinehas should be applauded. The sin committed here was in the full view of the congregation, including Moses. Yet this young priest was the one who had the courage to do what was right. He not only did what was difficult but also what seemed dangerous. Are we courageous enough to acknowledge we are on God’s side and be numbered among the minority in the world? The second thing Phinehas had was zeal. He was so consumed by the zeal of God that he could not stand God being made a mockery by the people.  He was so zealous for God that he did what was needful to right the wrong. Do we possess such zeal for the Lord? We can see this as a call for us to live and act courageously and zealously for God in a world where wrong seems right. Be faithful and stand up for God in our fallen world!