DAY 047; TODAY’S READING: NUMBERS 5—7

February 16, 2021 by ·

OVERVIEW:

Laws concerning cleansing; laws concerning confession and restitution; laws concerning suspected immorality (jealousy); the princes’ offerings for the dedication of the tabernacle.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

The Bible tells us very specifically and distinctly that we are to “rightly divide the word of truth.” (2nd Timothy 2:15) This verse also tells us that in order to make those “right divisions”, we must see ourselves as “workmen”, employing one of the most difficult tasks known to man: “STUDY”! Through diligent “study” and hard “work”, God reveals to us the “divisions” HE has made in His word. In each book of the Bible, there are certain keys that help us to unlock the “divisions” that GOD has specifically set, what God calls the “RIGHT DIVISIONS”!

As we study Numbers, what becomes the key to unlocking the divisions God has set in this book is understanding that there are two very distinct generations of people to whom He is referring. The first group of people is the generation of people that came up out of Egypt, but because of their unbelief, were forbidden to enter the land God had promised, therefore, died in the wilderness. The other generation is the group of people who grew up in the wilderness, but were permitted to enter Canaan because they were under their parent’s authority at the time of Israel’s failure to trust God. (Deuteronomy 1:35–39) Quite simply, they were too young to make an intelligent decision about trusting God, and so God did not hold them “accountable”.

Identifying these two generations neatly divides the book of Numbers into 3 sections:

  • The “OLD” generation is covered in chapters 1–14.
  • The “NEW” generation is covered in chapters 21–36.
  • The chapters in between (15–20), record the period of transition during which the “OLD” generation DIED OFF, and the “NEW” generation GREW UP.

Whereas the first four chapters of the book of Numbers dealt with the OUTWARD FORMATION of Israel’s camp, the next five chapters deal with its INWARD CONDITION. God capsulizes the central theme of this section in chapter 5 and verse 3, saying, “…that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.” Because God was in their camp, it was to be HOLY; completely free from defilement! The New Testament equivalent is 2nd Corinthians 6:14–7:1. Because God now “DWELLS IN US” we are to “CLEANSE OURSELVES” (7:1) and “SEPARATE OURSELVES” (6:17) “from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (7:1b)

In Numbers 5, God gives the children of Israel several vital pieces of instruction:

  • Lepers were to be quarantined outside of the camp. (5:1–4)
  • Anything acquired through dishonesty must be confessed and recompensed. (5:5–10)
  • Any suspected immorality must be tested before God. (5:11–31) 

In short, God was showing THEM, and is picturing for US, the absolute necessity for purity, honesty, and truth.

Chapter 6 deals with God’s instruction concerning the Nazarite vow. The implications are:

  • When a man, or a woman, in the Old Testament wanted to be used in God’s service but did not qualify because they were not a Levite or priest, they could voluntarily take the “Nazarite Vow”. The word “Nazarite” is a Hebrew transliteration that means “dedication by separation.”
  • The Nazarite separated himself from certain hindrances to holiness in order to be wholly devoted to the service of the Lord. Although the outward characteristics of the Old Testament “Nazarite Vow” no longer apply, they point to the priority God places in the New Testament on our personal surrender and consecration in order to be used to carry out His will and mission.

Chapter 7 records the “free-will offering” of the princes of Israel, who were the representative heads of each of the tribes of Israel. Several things to note here are that the gifts were totally voluntary, and although the gifts were identical, God took an enormous amount of space to specifically and separately record each one! The New Testament equivalent is the fact that, “God loveth a cheerful giver” (2nd Corinthians 9:7), and though He doesn’t NEED our treasure, He TREASURES the fact that our heart of love for Him prompts us to give to Him! (Matthew 6:21)

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

In the NAZARITE who “dedicated” himself “by separation” – Numbers 6:1–8 (Jesus willingly dedicated Himself to serve the will of the Father, separating Himself from sin, even to death – John 6:38; Matthew 26:39, 42)

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