TODAY’S READING: NUMBERS 8-10
OVERVIEW:
Consecration of the Levites; observance of the second Passover; the Lord’s guiding presence in the cloud and fire; the two silver trumpets; the children ofIsraelleave Sinai.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
As we move into Numbers 8, God unfolds to us the consecration of the Levites. God reveals that before these priests were to render their service to God, they were first to be cleansed (8:7).
There were three different aspects of their cleansing:
- The sprinkling of water upon them.
- The shaving of all hair from their flesh.
- The washing of their clothes.
God also wants His New Testament priests (all believers – I Peter 2:9) to be cleansed before offering to God their deeds of service. As with the Levites of Numbers 8, we too, are cleansed:
- By the sprinkling of water upon us . . . Heb. 10:22 –“having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
- By the cleansing (shaving) of all filthiness of the flesh…II Cor. 7:1 – (those deeds of the flesh that are as much a part of us as our very hair).
- By the washing of our clothes. . . Eph.5:26– “the washing of water by the word.”
Just as the Levites acceptance with God was on the basis of the SIN offering and the BURNT offering (8:8-12), so our acceptance with God is based solely on the atoning offering for sin provided by the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:6).
Just as the Levites were to be presented before the Lord and completely surrendered to Him (8:13-16), we too, are commanded to “present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Rom. 12:1).
In chapter 9, God deals with the issue of FELLOWSHIP and GUIDANCE. In 9:1-14, God covers the celebration of the first anniversary of the Passover, which speaks of fellowship. In9:15-23, God explains the pillar of cloud and fire, which speak of guidance. The Passover, of course, relates to the New Testament believer in the Lord’s Supper, where we, like Israel, are put in remembrance of God’s work of redemption, and thus, fellowship, through the blood of the Passover Lamb (I Cor. 5:7). The pillar of cloud and fire which provided guidance to the Old Testament saints is representative of the indwelling Spirit in the New Testament believer in Christ. Just as the children ofIsraelwere to make no plans on their own, but were to be totally dependent upon God’s guidance for their every move, so we are to be completely surrendered to the Spirit of God to provide our guidance through His filling.
In chapter 10, Moses is told to make two trumpets. These trumpets, like the pillar of cloud and fire, were for guidance. Whereas the cloud and fire gave guidance for the eye, the trumpets provided guidance through the ear. The trumpets were used for four specific purposes:
- To be a summonsing call to ASSEMBLE the people.
- To be a signal to ADVANCE the people.
- To be a sounding blast at a time of war to ALARM the people.
- To be a melodious song to provide a continued AWARENESS (memorial) to the people of the sacrifices of God.
The sounding of these trumpets point prophetically to:
- The summonsing call to ASSEMBLE thechurchofJesus Christat the rapture (I Thess.4:16).
- The signal of ADVANCE as our corruptible, mortal bodies put on incorruption and immortality (I Cor.15:52).
- The sounding ALARM inZion(Joel 2:1) as God declares war in the Tribulation Period (Rev. 8-9).
- The melodious song ever-sounding in our ears through out eternity as a memorial of God’s glorious sacrifice on our behalf through His Son.
As God prepares the camp ofIsraelto move onward from Sinai on their journey toCanaan, it may be beneficial to your understanding to see how God actually organized each tribe and people around the Tabernacle as designated in Numbers 2.
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
In the PASSOVER – Num. 9:2 (I Cor. 5:7; John1:29)