Numbers 20:6-8 – The is no better solution than to pray.

The finger-pointing of the children of Israel was not exactly new. It had happened before and all too often. We have seen them riling and accusing Moses and Aaron for the slightest of discomfort for so many times leading to this point. Even though their experience was a consequence of their own bad choice for not trusting God, they never recognize that fact. In their own eyes, they simply could do no wrong.

Now, here in their wilderness wandering, they arrived at a similar situation as they had at Rephidim. They could find no water. Immediately their grumbling propensity went careening out of control. They blamed Moses and Aaron for their predicament. The accusation was that they had led them into the wilderness to die of thirst. How ridiculous could they be? This is quite typical of people who have the spirit of entitlement. This is not how we should behave. We should instead learn to be grateful and give thanks for everything and in everything.   

In this passage before us, we once again see how Moses and Aaron responded. They had often prayed and interceded in similar circumstances. So verse 6 reads, “Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces.” In other words, they separated themselves from the problem and went before the Lord. This is something all of us, especially those of us in leadership, should emulate. There is no better person to turn to for help in any crisis. It is true that God is our refuge and our strength, our present help in times of trouble. This fact should drive us to turn to Him no matter how bleak our situation may seem.

God is who we need and who we must have with us in life’s journey. He alone has the remedy for every situation we will ever encounter. God is never stuck in a situation where He does not have a solution. Remember our God is all-knowing and all-powerful! In the situation encountered by Moses and Aaron, God said to Moses, “Take the staff; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it shall yield its water. So you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and have the congregation and their livestock drink.” He provided them with the solution. It is true that God will make a way where there seems to be no way.

The whole world today is stuck in a predicament. What is our response? We can either take our position before God and be intercessors for a world in trouble or we can join and sing a two-part harmony with the grumblers and complainers. No doubt the worldwide situation is serious and is getting worse. Like Moses and Aaron, we must separate ourselves from the common assembly and take up our praying mantle and pray for the world.  And as we pray be receptive to the solution that God will graciously provide. So we pray, “Our Father, do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever, Amen!”

Numbers 20:1-5 – Improve by learning from our past

In Numbers 20, we see that the people of Israel were now almost at the end of their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. This is indicated by the death of Miriam. In Exodus 16, when the people of Israel first left Egypt, she was a young vibrant lady. She was said to have led some women with tambourines to dance and sing of the victory of their deliverance in the Lord. Then in Numbers 12, we read of how she joined hands with Aaron and came against Moses for marrying a Cushite woman. For that, she was stricken with leprosy which the Lord healed after Moses interceded for them. Now in Numbers 20:1, we are told that she died in Kadesh in the wilderness of Sin and was buried there.

The first time the people of Israel grumbled against Moses when they needed water to drink was at  Rephidim recorded for us in Exodus 17. They put the Lord to the test in quarreling with Moses. They charged him with leading them and their livestock into the wilderness to make them die of thirst. So when Moses sought the Lord who then instructed him in Exodus 17:5-6 saying, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did as he was told, and God provided them with water to drink.

After these many years, and having gone through so much hardship, one would have expected the people of Israel to have learned not to grumble. But they had not. Facing a similar situation like the one they faced in Rephidim, they could have simply sought the Lord and He would have gladly met their needs again. But they did not. They resorted to accusing Moses and Aaron. Hear what they said in verses 4-5. “Why then have you brought the LORD’S assembly into this wilderness, for us and our livestock to die here? Why did you make us come up from Egypt, to bring us into this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink!” 

They seemed to have forgotten that where they were was a result of their choices. They were the ones who had chosen to listen to the negative reports of the 10 spies instead of Caleb’s and Joshua’s. They were the ones who had refused to step out in faith. And now they were shifting their blame to Moses and Aaron. Notice in verse 3, how they had adopted the same spirit as Dathan and Abiram. They said, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord!”

Was it not their decision not to enter the promised land when they were presented with the opportunity? Was their journey in the wilderness so much worse off than their suffering in Egypt? Didn’t God provide for their every need? Here we see the unreasonableness and ingratitude of the people in full display. They resorted to blame-shifting and exaggeration when they themselves were the cause of their own misery. They had not paused to take stork. When life comes unglue, learn to pause, stay still before the Lord and seek to identify the real cause. Don’t start blaming others. Don’t miss out on the opportunity accorded to us to make alignments to our own lives. Every experience we have is a God-given opportunity to better ourselves. Seize the moment!     

Numbers 19:11-22 – Sin must be dealt with, even if it seem small

In Numbers 19, the Lord instructed Moses and Aaron on the need for cleansing and purification for one who had come in contact with a dead body. If the person was not cleansed and purified, he would be cut off from the assembly. The uncleaned person if allowed to remain in the assembly would contaminate the Sanctuary of the Lord. In the first 10 verses, we learned how ashes were prepared from an unblemished, undefective red heifer to be mixed with water for the cleansing and purification process.

In Numbers 19:11-22, God dealt at length with the cleansing process a person needed to go through when he or she had contacted a dead body, whether intentionally or unintentionally. We will not deal with the process of what a contaminated Israelite must do when he had contacted a dead body which these verses elaborated. Instead, we will talk about the message God wants to convey to us.

Why was contamination with a dead body used to illustrate sin and impurity?  God used a dead body to illustrate to us concerning the contaminating effect of sin, regardless of how minor the sin might seem to be. Not many of us have ever seen a decaying dead body. A dead body when left alone will decay in a short while. Once decay has set in, the body will rot. That putrefaction will cause the rotten body to emit an extremely noxious and foul smell. This is the best way to see the effect of sin. If it is undealt with, like death that causes a body to putrefy, so also will sin. It will cause spiritual putrefaction. The effect of sin will be offensive to God, like the rotten smell of a dead decaying body.

Another element that has been used to illustrate the effect of sin is the yeast a person uses to bake bread. A little of it will affect a small lump of dough making it puff up. In much the same way a little sin will not just contaminate the person alone, it will also influence the whole community. This is clearly seen earlier in how the grumbling affected the whole camp of Israel.  So it must be dealt with swiftly. Just like a person needing cleansing after contacting a dead body, so also must any sin committed by us be dealt with swiftly.

Why God required such an elaborate purifying process concerning contacting a dead body is to impress on us the gravity of sin. We need to deal with the slightest presence of sin in our life so that it will not be like yeast, where a little will affect a whole lump of dough. If not dealt with, sin like a dead body can decay and emit an unwelcome result. Besides, it will contaminate and influence the whole community. That is the gravity of sin when unrepented and unresolved. So every time the Holy Spirit brings a conviction of sin, do not procrastinate, deal with it immediately. That is the way to spiritual health and vitality.      

Numbers 19:1-10 – To approach God we need to be cleansed

Israel’s holy God expects His people to be holy like Him. No unclean person was allowed into His presence. They were barred from the assembly until they were ceremonially cleansed. When a person had been contaminated, he would have to go through a cleansing process. What could be used for His cleansing? Numbers 19:1-10 described that for us. In these ten verses, God instructed Moses and Aaron to prepare the ashes of a red heifer for the purpose of cleansing and purification.

The red heifer, a young cow, must be one that was unblemished and had not had a yoke placed over its neck. Apart from having a choice heifer, the process of reducing it to ashes to be mixed with water for cleansing was also elaborate. The unblemished young cow was to be brought to Eleazar. He would bring it outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. The blood would then be ritually sprinkled toward the tent of meeting seven times. The whole carcass would be burnt in his sight as well. “Cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet material” were also thrown in to be burnt with the heifer. All who took part in the killing and the burning of the heifer were ceremonially unclean for the remainder of the day. Another person who had not been contaminated would then gather up the ashes which would be kept in a clean place outside the camp. The ashes would be used by the Israelites to mix with water for the purification of their sin.

These ten verses show us that to approach God we need to be cleansed. No one can guarantee that he or she has not been contaminated in his or her daily walk. Hence, daily cleansing is needed. That is why Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my hearts You (God) will not hear.” Only when we are cleansed can we confidently approach God. In Numbers 19:1-10, the cleansing was provided for using the ashes of the red heifer. And those ashes of the sacrificed red heifer point us to the finished work of Christ that God has provided for our daily cleansing. So The Apostle John said in 1 John 2:1-2, “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins” and in 1 John 1:9 he tells us that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And Hebrews 4:16 urges us, “Therefore, let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” Let’s do it!

 

 

Numbers 18:21-32 – Why should we give tithe?

In numbers 18:8-20, we were told how God provided for the sustenance of the priesthood. Besides supporting the priesthood, the offering of sacrifices and the redemption of the firstborn carried with them a message. It was a reminder to the people that every life belonged to the Lord. For on the night of the first Passover in Egypt, their lives were spared because God took the firstborn of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The redemption of the firstborn of Israel, both of men and animals was to be a reminder that Israel was God’s firstborn. Hence, their lives belonged to the Lord, and had to be redeemed.  

Now in Numbers 18:21-32, God gave instructions on the tithes and first-fruit offerings. Like the redemption of the firstborn, the tithings and the first-fruit offerings also carry with it a message. The former was meant to remind them that their lives belonged to God, the latter was intended to remind them that everything they possessed came from God. He was their owner and all that they had would be rightly His. It was He who gave them the promised land and everything in it. So the tithes and offerings of the first fruit were more than just to support the Levites but also to convey the message of God’s ownership of all that they possessed. In the instruction of tithes, the Levites were not exempted. They had to give a tenth of what they were given to Aaron as an offering to the Lord.

The issue of giving tithes today is a touchy one because it touches one’s pocket. Some felt that this Old Testament practice is no longer binding on Christians today. Others felt that their weekly giving constitute their tithes. It ought to be a subject of discussion for another time. But for our reflection, rather than argue about the practice, the why's and why not's of tithing, we will consider God’s intention in the instruction of tithing. Firstly, giving of tithe is our acknowledgment that God is the owner of all that we possess. All that we have and are belong to Him. Instead of seeing that we are giving to God ten percent of what we have, try to see it this way. That it is God who has allowed us to keep 90 percent of what is His. Secondly, the giving of tithe is our expression of gratitude for the life and possession He has granted to us. Thirdly, in tithing, we recognize that God in His grace has allowed us to share in His work of redeeming mankind. Let us be grateful to God and freely participate in what He wants to do through us! He has promised that there will be no lack when we tithe!

Numbers 18:8-20 – God’s support system for His ministry and ministers

In ancient Israel, being a priest was not only a risky but also a messy calling. One wrong attitude or move that violated the sanctity of the service to God or His sanctuary could mean his death. Besides, the task of killing an animal for the sacrifice was not exactly glamorous. It was not only a messy but also a smelly task. The priesthood was both a highly dangerous as well as an extremely responsible ministry. Humanly speaking, knowing what this ministry entails, who would be attracted to be a priest? Perhaps this was the reason why God had so specifically delegated a tribe and a family for the role. He did not leave the calling open for people with an inclination to the priesthood. However, as dangerous and as messy as the job would be, it must be said that serving the Lord God was and still is, a great privilege. But how should the priests and their families be supported?

In Numbers 18:8 God told Aaron summarily how he and his sons as priests would be rewarded and supported. He said, “Now behold, I Myself have put you in charge of My offerings, all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel I have given to you as a portion and to your sons as a permanent allotment.” Then in Numbers 9-19, God gave in detail what that portion entailed. In verses 9-10 God expressly said that all the meal offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings, except for those burnt on the brazen altar, would be given to the priests. He also instructed that only the male members of the priests’ families may eat of them. In verses 11-15, God said that the wave offering, the first-fruits offerings, and even those offerings the children of Israel had dedicated to God by a vow would be given to the priests. Of these, every member of their families, male or female who was ceremonially clean might partake of them.  

Interestingly in verses 15-18, God wanted the firstborn of the Israelites and any unclean animals to be redeemed. A price of five shekels was the redemption price. They would be given to the priests in support of them. Note that the clean animals of the firstborn offered would be sacrificed on the altar and their blood appropriately sprinkled on the altar. The flesh of the sacrificed animals would be eaten by the priests and their families. The fat, however, must be burnt on the altar as a sweet aroma to the Lord. Verse 20 specifically said that the priests would not be given any portion of the land for an inheritance. Why? because God Himself would be their inheritance. What a delightful honor!  

Herein is the principle of support for the people who give themselves full-time to the ministry. They must wholly give themselves to serve the Lord and His people, for God will take care of them. God expects the people whom they serve to give faithfully to the ministry so that they can be supported. This will free the full-timers from worries and not be distracted. They can then pay attention to the work and not be worried about where their means will come from. However, those who give their service to God as a full-time vocation to serve His people must not be overly worried about their support. God Himself will be their inheritance. He will ensure their support. When both the clergy and the laity trust the Lord and do their parts, there will not be any lack in the ministry of the ministers. What a glorious way to see the ministry thrive!          

Numbers 18:1-7 – Be diligently responsible in our God-given duties

In Numbers 17, the LORD’S choice of Aaron for the priesthood was confirmed and made obvious by the budding of his rod. The rod with his name on it not only budded but also blossomed and yielded almond fruits. When the congregation saw it, a sense of holy fear came over them. For the first time, they understood that it was a fearsome thing to fall into the hand of God. They realized that no one could presume on God. They probably came to realize their thinking that everyone had equal right to approach God’s presence was flawed. So in fear they exclaimed in Numbers 17:12-13 saying, “Behold, we are passing away, we are perishing, we are all perishing! Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, must die.” They even ask a rhetorical question, “Are we to perish completely?”

Here is an indication that they had realized that not everyone was called to the role that God had assigned to the priest. From whatever had happened, we are made to see the need of having a balanced perspective of God. We must know that while God is gracious and merciful, He is also at the same time a God of wrath. While He would deal with us graciously, we cannot afford to take Him for granted and be careless about holy living. We must not live life wantonly and expect God to overlook our sin.  

As a follow-up to what happened, God gave instructions on the assignments of the priest and Levites to allay the undue fear of the people. In Numbers 18:1-7, instruction was given to Aaron concerning him and his sons’ role as priests. They were responsible to approach the Lord to minister in the sanctuary before God on the people’s behalf. God also delineated the task of the Levites. They were assigned to assist Aaron and his sons in taking care of the Tabernacle. They were not to do the work of the priest and draw near to the sanctuary and touch any of the holy furnishings. They were called to assist the priest and must not think they could do the work that was assigned only to the priest. To violate God’s instructions concerning this would mean death not only for the Levites but also the priest. God gave the Levites to Aaron as a gift to assist in his ministry. He also reminded Aaron that the priesthood was also a gift from Him. It was not something he or his sons had earned.

However, from the passage, we can see that while the priesthood was a privilege it also came with responsibility. God would hold Aaron and the priesthood accountable for any violation of the sanctuary. Today in the ministry of the church, there is no specifically assigned priest because all of us have excess to the Father through the ministry of Christ, our great high priest. But here in the church, the full-time leaders are given the task to help people regarding their relationship with God. They are called not only to guard but also to guide the people into wholesome godly living.  

Here are three lessons from these seven verses for us in today’s church. Firstly, that it is God who assigns our ministry according to His gift to us. Hence, we must be diligent in our service, in whatever capacity He has assigned us. Secondly, we must faithfully discharge our duties. And it is wise for us not to meddle with any assignment that is not assigned to us so that chaos in the ministry can be avoided. Thirdly, when all of us do what have been assigned to us, there will be an adequate safeguard in the fellowship. The contribution of everyone goes to making the growth of the ministry to be balanced and unimpeded. So let us be responsible for whatever we need to do.