Numbers 7 (résumé): Offerings at the Dedication of the Tabernacle

This is a long chapter with 89 verses relating the 12 days of offerings at the dedication of the Tabernacle. Initially the tribal leaders gave 6 covered carts and 12 oxen for the use of transporting the Tabernacle, and Moses gave 2 carts and 4 oxen to the Gershonites, and he gave the rest to the Merarites. None of these went to the Kohathites as they were to carry the holy things on their shoulders and didn't need carts.

Over a period of 12 days the tribal leaders brought identical gifts and offerings with one tribe per day. They brought each day a silver plate and a silver sprinkling bowl - with both filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering. Then too a gold ladle filled with incense was given plus a young bull, a ram and a male lamb as a burnt offering, 1 male goat for a sin offering, 2 oxen, 5 rams, 5 male goats and 5 male lambs as a fellowship/peace offering. For 12 days this was repeated.

And at the end of it all God spoke with Moses in the Holy of Holies and Moses heard his voice and spoke with the Lord.

Numbers 6 (summary): The Nazarite Vow

This chapter lays out the rules for a Nazarite Vow which was a voluntary commitment to dedicate oneself to God for a stipulated period of time. During the period of the Nazarite Vow the person could not drink wine which was normally drunk by all Israelites. In fact the person could not consume anything at all with grape in it. Nor could the person cut his hair during the vow, and could not go near a dead body even if one of their close relatives died. If a person died suddenly near a Nazarite then they had to shave the head and start the vow again, giving 2 doves or young pigeons as offerings. When the period of the vow was completed the Nazarite would offer to God a male lamb, a female lamb, a ram, loaves of unleavened bread, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, a grain offering and a drink offering. Then the Nazarite was to shave his or her hair and burn it on the altar before offering a wave offering of a ram's thigh and a loaf and a wafer of bread. Thus the Nazarite vow was completed and the person could resume drinking wine normally.

The chapter ends with the priestly blessing which has special significance after the Covid pandemic: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.

Numbers 5 (résumé): Laws for maintaining purity & marital fidelity

God commanded that everyone with infectious skin disease, discharges or is ceremonially unclean owing to contact with a dead body should be sent outside the camp of Israel.

If a person sinned against another he or she should make full restitution as well as paying an additional 20% fine.

If a man suspected his wife of adultery, but couldn't prove it, he should take her to the priest with a jealousy offering of Barley flour. There the priest would make her drink holy water mixed with dirt from the Tabernacle floor. If she was innocent there would be no ill effect from the drink, but if she was guilty she would have miscarriages and be barren. 

Numbers 4 (résumé): A further census of the Levites

God told Moses and Aaron to count all the men between 30 and 50 years of age in the Levite branches of the Kohathites, the Gershonites and the Merarites as it was this age group that was deemed eligible to serve in the Tabernacle. 

The Kohathites totalled 2,750 men and these were responsible for transporting the ark of the covenant, the table, the lampstand, the gold and bronze altars etc. However first of all Aaron and his sons were to cover all these sacred items because the Kohathites were not allowed to touch them or even look at them, and they had to use poles to carry them as if they even just touched them they would surely die. 

The Gershonites totalled 2,630 men and these were responsible for transporting the curtains of the Tabernacle, its coverings, hangings, cords and all the equipment used there.

The Merarites totalled 3,200 men and these were responsible for transporting the frames of the Tabernacle, its cross bar, posts, bases, tent pegs, ropes etc. 

Numbers 3 (résumé): The Levites

This chapter initially reminds us that Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the Tabernacle as the other sons Nadab and Abihu had been killed for offering a sacrifice with unauthorized fire. Now, however, God chose the tribe of Levi to assist Aaron in caring for the Tabernacle and serving God in it. The Levites were set apart from the rest of Israel and dedicated to the work of the Lord, and God counted the Levites in place of the firstborn of Israel. So God told Moses to count the Levites by their families and clans counting every male a month old or more. And the Levites were divided into 3 groups: the Gershonites, the Kohathites and the Merarites. 

The Gershonites totalled 7,500 males and were told to camp on the west side of the Tabernacle and be responsible for the Tabernacle coverings and hangings around the courtyard.

The Kohathites totalled 8,600 males and were told to camp on the south side of the Tabernacle and be responsible for the Ark of the Covenant, the gold table, the lampstand, the altars and all the vessels of the Tabernacle.

The Merarites totalled 6,200 males and were told to camp on the north side of the Tabernacle and be responsible for the frames of the Tabernacle, its cross-bars, posts, bases, posts tent pegs and ropes. 

Moses, Aaron and his sons and their respective families camped on the east side of the Tabernacle.

So God counted the 22,000 Levites as his exclusive servants in the place of the 22,273 firstborn of Israel and the difference was paid @ 5 shekels a head paid by the Israelites to Aaron and his sons. (There are some difficulties with the mathematics of this chapter)

Numbers 2 (résumé): The arrangements of the Tribal Camps

This chapter shows how God is a God of organization. The things of God can't be done any old how. People can't just do their own thing. This chapter also clearly shows that God must be at the centre of all that his people live and do.

The camp of Israel was organized by God as follows: At the centre was God and his Tabernacle surrounded by the Levites who were responsible for caring for, protecting and carrying the Tabernacle as the Israelites travelled. On the north side were the tribes of Naphtali, Asher and Dan totaling 157,600 fighting men. On the south side were the tribes of Gad, Simeon and Reuben totalling 151,450 fighting men. On the east side were the tribes of Judah, Issachar and Zebulun totalling 186,400 fighting men. On the west side were the tribes of Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh totalling 108,100 fighting men. 

This was the formation of the Israelites as God had commanded, with 3 tribes on each side, ready to march to Canaan's Land, with God, the Tabernacle and the Levites at the centre. When the Israelites moved it was the eastern tribes that moved first and the southern tribes that moved second. Then came the Levites with the Tabernacle followed by the western tribes and then the northern tribes.

New Year's Eve Service

Our New Year's Eve service was very good and lasted for 2 hours from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. As we normally do on this day the service had a variety of participants with 11 people bringing short words, 2 adolescents doing a dance and 6 people bringing songs.

After the service we had a nice family supper together and saw the New Year in together

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