May the mumbling commence!
Those that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength… They will rise up on wings like eagles… When the relationship was still new (like the honeymoon stage or the falling-in-love stage), Israel did exactly what the Lord asked them to do. In Numbers chapter eight, there is a recurring thought. It’s still the “just as” and “exactly like” phase. Here they are:
Numbers 8:4b The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown to Moses.
Numbers 8:20 Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.
Numbers 8:22b They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.
The lampstand’s light illuminated the area in front of the lampstand. It illuminated the path to the Presence of the Lord signified in the Ark of the Covenant. Waiting sometimes means walking the path illuminated by the light of the Lord. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
The Levites were set apart wholly to the Lord. God took all of the Levite males in exchange for the firstborn of Israel that He ransomed at the Passover in Egypt. The Levites received a sprinkle of cleansing water, and then they shaved their whole bodies and washed their clothes. Two bulls were sacrificed – one for a sin offering the other for a burnt offering. The Levites laid their hands on the bulls before sacrifice, and all of Israel laid their hands on the Levites as they devoted them to the Lord’s service. The Levites were a wave offering to the Lord. They were to help make atonement for Israel so no plague would touch them for coming near to the Lord’s Tabernacle.
In Numbers chapter nine, Israel celebrated the second Passover. Everything was okay until a problem arose due to some of the people being unclean through exposure to a dead body. “Could the unclean still participate in the Passover,” they asked Moses. Moses asked them to wait for an answer from the Lord to come to him. And the Lord spoke, “They may still observe the Passover, and they must observe all the regulations.” To observe the regulations of the Passover, the unclean would have to be outside of camp. So, the unclean must have observed the Passover together outside the camp. Maybe that’s why the Lord also included those who were on a journey at the time of Passover.
Though Israel was God’s specially chosen nation of priests, the Lord is God of all people. So God made provisions for the aliens among them who wanted to celebrate Passover too. They had only to follow the same regulations as Israel. There was not to be two sets of regulations – only one for both Israel and those alien to Israel. That would mean circumcision among other things.
When the Tabernacle was first set up, the pillar of cloud and fire that had been leading Israel settled upon the Tabernacle. Whenever the pillar rested upon the Tabernacle, they would set up camp. Whenever the pillar rose and left, they would break camp. And the recurring thought pops up again in verse 23b: “They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses.”
In Numbers chapter ten, we learn about the two silver trumpets. They were used for two basic functions – to call the people of Israel to assembly and to call the people of Israel to break camp. Assemblies were called by sounding the trumpets (when only one trumpet sounded only the leaders gathered). These assemblies were often a time of rejoicing in the Lord. The call to set out was done by a blast on the trumpets. How appropriate for us! The church of Christ is also called to gather for worship and called to scatter to be a blessing to those around us. Towns were once bathed in the sounding of the church bells that called people to worship. At Community Church, we have the buzzer to end Sunday school and call the people together for worship. And at the end of worship, there is a sending or benediction which is our sounding to scatter and bless those around us with the light of Jesus – the light that leads to the Presence of the Lord.
And a question that I had yesterday about the placing of the tribe of Gad in the offerings for the altar is potentially answered in chapter 10. It seems that the tribal order of the offerings is patterned after the way Israel breaks camp to travel. Gad is a part of the camp of Reuben. That would explain his placing in the order and the totality of the order!
Let’s remember the inseparable calls to gather and to scatter. Let’s give thanks to God through our gathered worship, and let’s continue our worship by blessing others with the Christ light in us. Christians are the lampstand that shows the way to the Presence of the Lord.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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