Session 12: Numbers 1-10 (Numberings, Organization, Grumblers, Promise, Levites, Order)

If you desire an email of this session for ‘Thinking through the Bible’, send your request by email to carlsonpj@gmail.com. You may also request a full set of notes on the Pentateuch if you want to read more than this summary of the session presented on Sunday morning. Those who attend the sessions on Sunday mornings benefit the most by reading the Book of the Bible as if they were living at the time of the Book we are covering in the session.

INTRODUCTION

If you are following the chronological chart, it gives the approximate date as 1,500 B. C. The first Passover is shown to take place around 1,400 B.C. This is followed by the ‘Exodus’ covered in the Bible Book by that name. Now we are entering into the ’40 Years in the Wilderness’ covered in the Book of Numbers.

It has been said that it took God only one night to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took forty years to get Egypt out of Israel. In Exodus, Israel is redeemed and established as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation; and in Leviticus Israel is taught how to fulfill their priestly call. They have been led from the land of bondage in Exodus and into the refuge of God in Leviticus. They move from deliverance to dedication; we can also think of it as being delivered to serve.

Numbers is the Book of wanderings. Most of the Book describes Israel’s experiences in the wilderness. The Hebrew name for the Book is translated ‘in the desert’. This is a fitting description of God’s Story, since it describes the nation’s experience during forty years in the desert. Our English name comes from the Greek, which is somewhat inappropriate because ‘Numbers’ actually describes only a few of its chapters. There are two numberings of the Israelites: at Mt. Sinai (ch. 1) and on the plains of Moab (ch. 26).

Leviticus covers only one month, but Numbers stretches over almost thirty-nine years, when the nation goes through the painful process of rebellion and irresponsible decisions. Numbers records Israel’s movement from the last twenty days at Mt. Sinai (recorded in Leviticus), the wanderings round Kadesh Barnea, and finally the arrival in the plains of Moab in the fortieth year.

NUMBERS 1-10

 


Locate Kadesh Barnea

 

God’s Story related in Numbers easily falls into three main sections: Mt. Sinai Encampment (chs. 1-10); Sinai Wilderness Journey (chs. 11-21); Moab Plains Encampment (chs. 22-36). It begins with the old generation (1:1-10:10), moves through a transitional period (10:11-25:18), and ends with the new generation at the entrance to the land of Canaan (chs. 26-36).

The theme of divine judgment because of unbelief is prominent in Numbers, which records the failure of Israel to believe in the promise of God and the resulting judgment of wandering in the wilderness for forty years. The turning point in the Book is seen in chapter 14, when Israel heeded the warnings of the fearful spies and rejected God by refusing to go up and conquer the Promised Land. God judges Israel according “to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection [opposition]” (Numbers 14:34).

God’s Story in Numbers is more than a warning against unbelief and disobedience, however. Throughout it testifies to the grace and mercy of God. The divine presence and guidance is seen in the daily provision of manna for food and in the rock which provided water for the people to drink. A clear illustration of divine mercy is seen in the provision of the bronze serpent as the means of healing those who had been bitten by poisonous snakes (Numbers 21:4-9).

What kind of God is this that balances His relationship with people with judgment and mercy? 

Sharing:

• The spies entered Canaan and found giant men and giant grapes! They focused on the bad rather than the good. They did not believe they could conquer the land with the number of people they had. Their disbelief was actually directed toward God.
• Spies were sent into enemy territory as a good military strategy.
• God knows how to balance justice and mercy. He knows how to administer discipline without mistakes.
• If God were like us, He would kill everyone who disbelieved. God deals justly while still showing mercy.
• God is a God of privilege and accountability – all we need to do is obey, which is our responsibility.
• God’s attributes of longsuffering and patience is demonstrated toward His unbelieving nation.
• Our view of God determines our lifestyle. We create God in our own image, and design Him in our minds. Then our lives reflect this wrong view.
• After we are caught complaining, we go back like Israel did and try to do what we were supposed to do. Israel attempted to fight the enemy and failed.
• We fail to believe because we suppress the truth.
• We think that God has abandoned us if we have trouble; it should be seen as a test of faith.
• Joshua and Caleb received rewards because of their belief.

Numberings



Again, Yahweh spoke to Moses, this time not ‘from’ (Leviticus 1:1) but ‘in’ (Numbers 1:1) the tabernacle of meeting, thirteen months after the Exodus.

There is a break of one month between the erection of the tabernacle, at the end of Exodus, and the census at the beginning of Numbers. The Leviticus instructions came in between these two events.

Moses was instructed to take a census of all Israelite males from twenty years old and over. Thirty-eight years later the second census was taken. The first took place before they ever saw the border of Canaan, and the last took place after Aaron’s death. The first census took place at Mt. Sinai, three months before their arrival at Kadesh-barnea. There were 603,550 fighting men. Their second census took place on the plains of Moab (across the River Jordan from Jericho). There were 601,730 fighting men. In bondage in Egypt they increased in number; in rebellion and freedom they decreased!

Genesis 35:23-26 reminds us who gave birth to each of Jacob’s twelve sons:

• Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah (daughter)
• Rachel’s maid, Bilhah: Dan, Naphtali
• Leah’s maid, Zilpah: Gad, Asher
• Rachel: Joseph, Benjamin

Israel’s sons became the patriarchs of the tribes of Israel (Genesis 49:28). As the tribe of Levi spread throughout the whole nation, Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh were tribal patriarchs, so maintaining the number ‘twelve’.

The census was taken on the plan proposed by Jethro, by which Israel was arranged into “rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens” (Exodus 18:21, 25). God told Moses nine months earlier that when a census was taken, “every man shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord… that there may be no plague among them when you number them” (Exodus 30:12). The ‘ransom’ (“pay me a price for his life”, GNT) that accompanied each census witnessed to Israel’s dependence on the Lord’s mercy. It was largely only a re-arrangement and registration of the people according to their tribes, made with the co-operation of the rulers of the tribes. The above number of men capable of bearing arms would, if we may apply modern statistical results, imply a total population of upwards of two million. Thirty-eight years later, just before entering upon possession of the land, a second census was taken (Numbers 26), which yielded a total number of 601,730 capable of bearing arms (Numbers 26:51), thus showing a decrease of 1,820 during the years of wandering in the wilderness.

Sharing:

• Moses was fleeing for his life because of his murder of an Egyptian, when he first met Jethro.

Organization

With the military census completed, instructions are given for the organization of the tribes and their armies. The camp is organized with three tribes on each side of the tabernacle with Yahweh’s dwelling place in the midst of the camp. When they break camp and march, the six tribes on the east and south set out, followed by the Levites with the tabernacle traveling in the center: “And the tabernacle of meeting shall move out with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps; as they camp, so they shall move out, everyone in his place, by their standards” (Numbers 2:17). This is followed by the six tribes on the west and north, respectively. Whether encamped or on the march, the tabernacle is central, Judah on the east (Numbers 2:9), Reuben on the south (Numbers 2:16), Ephraim on the west (Numbers 2:24), and Dan on the north (Numbers 2:31).

God among Grumblers

Grumbling is the easiest thing in the world to learn…

It takes           

No talent,

No self-denial,

No brains,

No character,

To set up the grumbling business.

“What’s the use of grumbling?

It never makes a heavy burden light.

It never subtracts from ills.

Instead it always adds to them”

(Henrietta C. Mears).

Numbers could be called the “grumblings of a nation” because it is filled with the spirit of rebellion against God. It is one long, sad story of complaining and discontentment. But it is also one long, story exalting God’s faithfulness to His promises made as far back as Abraham. Moses, Joshua, and Caleb were three men who survived to the end of the Book. And Joshua and Caleb were the only two men of their generation to enter the Promised Land. Rebellion is costly; ask Moses and ask an entire generation of Hebrews! For an entire generation to be eliminated in thirty-eight years, it took thirty-eight years of funerals!

Murmuring – grumbling, complaining – invites divine judgment. Israel was testing God, which means they disbelieved Him. They saw God’s works among them and responded with rebellion. Their hearts went astray. C. H. Barrett said: “The Israelites had an irritable refusal to accept conditions which God had laid down for their own good.” Not only does murmuring invite God’s divine judgment; it leads to uselessness. Look how it led to thirty-eight years of uselessness for the nation of Israel! A Chinese proverb describes it this way: “Man who beef too much find himself in stew.”

Remember the song by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen, ‘Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive’: “You gotta accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative, and don’t mess with Mr. In-Between.”

What kind of God is it that continually relates to a nation of grumblers? What kind of people are we that we so easily fail to remember a faithful God when we encounter hardships?

Promise

God prepared His nation for their journey with a promise in Leviticus 26:45: “’But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.’”

Numbers opens with the children of Israel in the Sinai wilderness:

• The covenant with Moses and Israel was on hand – they knew what their faithful God required for them to uphold the covenant.
• God’s dwelling place was erected – they had God in their presence.
• Worship instructions were made plain to them - God would receive their offerings.
• The priests were assigned to their service – their sins could be dealt with through sacrifices of repentance.

God now prepares His people to serve Him. As you continue reading God’s Story, think this way:

• In Genesis we see humankind ruined.
• In Exodus, humankind redeemed.
• In Leviticus, humankind worshiping.
• In Numbers, humankind serving.

God readied them for worship and service. They responded with grumblings! It was one thing for them to accept God’s promises; it was quite another thing to take responsibilities for their obedience! There are two kinds of people: givers and takers! Those who give receive God’s promises and respond in service. Those who take receive God’s promises and respond with murmurs. Here is what God’s care looks like, and what Israel’s response looks like:

Provision	Numbers	Response	Numbers
Food	11:6-9	Wept (‘moaned’)	11:10
Meat	11:31-33	Craved (‘greed’)	11:34
Water	20:8	Contended (‘quarreled’)	20:13
Leaders	1:1,3-4	Cried (‘shrieked’)	11:2
Promised Land	14:7-8	Cried, wept, complained, rebelled (‘to break with God’), feared, rejected (‘disdained the one who showed favor’), and disbelieved	14:1,2,9,11

Grumbling as an invitation to God’s judgment is found in Numbers 11:1: ‘Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.’ After the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to Yahweh, the fire ended. But then the ‘mixed multitude’ (Numbers 11:4) craved meat, fish, cucumbers, leeks, onions, and garlic like they had in Egypt, and the children of Israel ‘wept again’. Then Yahweh’s anger was once again ‘greatly aroused’ (Numbers 11:10), Moses pleaded with God to kill him there and then, so that he does not see his own wretchedness (Numbers 11:15). Mercifully, God responded by resting the ‘Spirit’ (Numbers 11:17) that was upon Moses on the seventy elders of Israel. This taught Moses and the nation that “the Lord’s arm” (Numbers 11:23) was not shortened – His power was not limited. God was fulfilling His promise!

What is it about us that causes us to complain to God about hardships? What is it about God that He responds in mercy, even when judgment is necessary?

Sharing:

• Why didn’t the people just leave Moses and return to Egypt, instead of complaining? Maybe they were afraid of Pharaoh.

Levites

God’s claim to the “firstborn” (Numbers 3:12-13) goes back to the night of the Passover (Exodus 12). Now God accepts the Levites instead of the firstborn of all Israel. The Levities who were a month old and above, numbered 22,000 (Numbers 3:39). The firstborn of the children of Israel who were a month and above, numbered 22,273 (Numbers 3:43). The extra 273 were redeemed, and their redemption money was given to Aaron and his sons.

The Lord instructed Moses to take a census of the Levities between twenty and fifty years of age (eligible for the service of the tabernacle). The sons of Kohath were responsible for carrying the sacred objects of the tabernacle once the priests dismantled and covered them. Under Ithamar’s supervision the sons of Gershon were in charge of transporting the curtains and coverings of the tabernacle and forecourt. The sons of Merari were to look after and transport the framework – pillars, pegs, and cords – also under Ithamar’s supervision. The sons of Gershon and Merari were provided with wagons drawn by a yoke of oxen.

Sharing:

• We need to remember the provision God made for the vast number of people in the desert. It wasn’t just a little bit of drinking water that was needed for two to three million people, and their livestock.
• Why do we struggle to believe?
• We just want the ‘good’ blessings and not the ‘hard’ ones.
• We fail to see that going through hardships is an opportunity for God to come through.
• If we ‘really’ believe, we don’t need to struggle.
• If we truly know God we would not so readily doubt.                           

Outward Order

God’s arrangements for numbering and organizing the camp of Israel gathered the nation around His presence. When they went into battle as the army of the Lord, He would give them victory over their enemies.

The people were divided into four camps, of three tribes each, located some distance from the tabernacle on the north, south, east and west. The twelve tribes guarded the tabernacle. The Levites encamped directly around the court. Moses and Aaron and the priests guarded the entrance to the approach to God. God stretched over them in a cloud by day and a fire by night (Numbers 9:15-23). He was their day shade and night lamp! There were no reasons to grumble!

The significance of the layout of the camp kept the nation aware of God’s presence and provision:

• Two to three million people were being organized in order to worship the God who was in their midst. To move such a large number of people in enemy territory and through adverse wilderness required tremendous organization and efficiency! God prepared them for His faithful provision and protection.
• The camp had a circumference of about 12 miles square – truly an intimidating sight to any enemy, yet God did not use this so much for their protection as He did to prove His power and sufficiency.
• The sons of Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh, are recognized as two separate tribes (cf. Genesis 48:5-7), thus keeping twelve tribes. Joseph received his eldest brother’s (Reuben) rights of the firstborn son of Jacob, and the double portion through Jacob’s adoption and elevation of his sons to the status of founding fathers among Israel’s twelve tribes. All this because Reuben had defiled his father’s bed (Genesis 35:22; 49:4). Sin is costly!

Inward Order

God gave special laws for preserving the purity and holiness in the fellowship of the camp, especially in the case of secret sins and hidden evil, “that they may not defile their camps in the midst of which I dwell” (Numbers 5:3). The “vow of the Nazirite” (“the separated one”) was provided for those who desired to make a special vow of separation (Numbers 6:1-21). There is no indication given how or when the Nazirite vow originated. The character of this vow was separation from the natural joys and sorrows of life which were legitimate for others. It was normally taken for a limited time to a high-priestly sort of life, ending with a special ceremony (Numbers 6:13-21).

The outward marks of consecration to God were:

• Avoidance of ceremonial defilement, especially from touching a dead body, since death is the penalty of sin, making it unfit for God’s presence (Numbers 6:6-7, cf. Leviticus 21:1).
• Abstinence from wine and drink or food (e.g. raisin-cakes) made from grapes, as a source of physical pleasure (Numbers 6:3-4, cf. Leviticus 10:9-10)
• No cutting of their hair, as an abstinence from human adornment (Numbers 6:5).
• “Nazirites are to be disciplined in their appetites, distinctive in their appearance, discreet in their associations” (Handbook on the Pentateuch, by Victor P. Hamilton).

An example of what could defile marriage comes in the story when Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘If a man’s wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him, and a man lies with her carnally… the man shall bring his wife to the priest’” (Numbers 5:11, 12, 13, 15). God’s standards for marriage continue from Genesis 2:24-25! God hates unfaithfulness among those He loves! He does not tolerate it in the marriage relationship. Any suspected adultery must somehow be brought to light to vindicate the one who is offended.

Only the women were subjected to the ordeal; men were not tested to see whether they had been unfaithful. Yahweh had others ways of exposing adulterous husbands. This attitude to women is also found in other parts of the social and legal system of ancient Israel. It should be noted that the ordeal prescribed here is a relatively mild one, compared to those imposed in other cultures at the time, which were far more likely to produce a guilty verdict. All that the woman had to do was drink a mixture of dust and water, and if she were innocent, this would have no effect on her. Her husband’s jealousy would also be alleviated, making for a more peaceful home life.

It is important to remember that the story is describing something that is required within the context of the ancient Near East, with many details left out. We must not make the text say something it is not, just because the description of the trial by ordeal is contrary to our society. The use of water and dust should not allow us to think magic is involved when the woman partakes of it. The whole of the ritual is God’s revelation: ‘The Lord spoke…’ (Numbers 5:11). The woman is brought to God, and it is God who delivers the punishment to the guilty. God is central to this drama and none of it takes place without Him. God determines who is guilty, and contact between that which is holy and that which is unclean brings disaster to the guilty one. It is God’s grace that the punishment on the unclean woman is limited when there is guilt.

What attributes of God are evident in such incidents in the story?

Passover

“Let the children of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time” (Numbers 9:2). Israel’s second Passover, and the first observed in the wilderness, was celebrated just before their departure from Sinai. New regulations were added to make provision for members of the congregation who could not observe the Passover at the regular time. No one was excused from observing the Passover.    

Trumpet Blasts

God’s guidance in the wilderness was a clear and visible reality. Cloud by day and fire by night marked His presence at the tabernacle, which was in their midst – He “tabernacled” among His people. To get the congregation’s attention whenever necessary – for movement, offerings, sacrifices, significant days, war – the Lord instructed Moses to make two silver trumpets the priests would blow at the appropriate times.

Numbers 10:11 gives the actual time that the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle – the twentieth day of the second month in the second year (almost 14 months after their exodus from Egypt). This instruction to move is also recorded in Exodus 33:1. It was time for the children of Israel to move on, this time with the tabernacle and all the instructions before them on how to worship and serve the God who dwelt in their midst, but that did not stop their rebellious disbelief!

Why is it that seems so easy to receive God’s instructions and assurance of His presence, yet we struggle with unbelief? What attributes of God are evident in spite of human disbelief?

Sharing:

• God’s Story in Numbers is full of His attributes of longsuffering, patience, and mercy.
• God is always assuring us that He is the Lord (in control of everything), and we find that hard to understand. He has the power to accomplish what He has promised.

In preparation for our next session, read Numbers 11-36 and think about God’s faithfulness to His grumbling nation in their wilderness wanderings.

SESSION 11: Leviticus 8-27: Priesthood; Feasts; Blessing and Retribution

If you desire an email of this session for ‘Thinking through the Bible’, send your request by email to carlsonpj@gmail.com. You may also request a full set of notes on the Pentateuch if you want to read more than this summary of the session presented on Sunday morning. Those who attend the sessions on Sunday mornings benefit the most by reading the Book of the Bible as if they were living at the time of the Book we are covering in the session.

REVIEW

Israel is camped at the base of Mt. Sinai for thirty days receiving instruction from Yahweh that will organize their worship so that they are safe in approaching a holy God who requires His people to be holy. It was pointed out in our previous session that there is no specific reference in the story as it develops in Leviticus that Israel understood the full meaning of ‘atonement’ or even the ‘covering’ of sin by the shedding of blood. As someone mentioned, even so, it required a tremendous exercise of faith for the worshipers to accept that their offerings were fulfilling God’s intended purposes.

What impresses me is that the worshipers in Leviticus were learning that they would have to wait for the full realization of all that their worship involved. This waiting played a vital role in their spiritual formation as they were able to draw close to the God who had drawn close to them by moving into their community.

We do not like to wait, especially as we increase the pace of life. In our scramble for the good life, we get impatient with God, and in the process we lose quality in our relationships, both with God and with fellow-worshipers. We expect God to address our concerns on our schedules. The instructions to Israel for meaningful worship were designed to nurture their relationship with God. If they were not tuned into a lifestyle of worship, they would rush right past Him! Like the Israelites who had to exercise faith in the implications of their offerings, so we need a life of faith that simply trusts God.

I sat in the waiting room of the hospital, watching the electronic tracking board I had been instructed to keep an eye on so that I could know every stage of my wife’s surgery: it started with the case number so I could be sure I was watching ‘her’ progress; I could watch the phase of care, be it pre-operation preparation, recovery I, recovery II, and finally discharged. I realized that I didn’t need much trust in the Lord during this process; I simply needed to trust the outcome of the tracking board. Yes, I was waiting, and yes, I knew what it meant to entrust her care to the Lord, but I noticed that by knowing each stage I was waiting ‘for’ the Lord rather than waiting ‘on’ Him.  I was waiting for Him to lead in certain ways, do certain things, and provide certain blessings! His timing was not the issue; the timing on the monitor was. The extra information I was receiving did not keep my focus on God. I walked away from the electronic tracking board and enjoyed a journey by faith, expressed at that time by prayer. I was reminded that I can either love God because I hope for something from Him, or I can hope in Him knowing that He loves me.

PRIESTHOOD

God set up the Old Testament priesthood to teach His people that atonement for sin required the provision of an innocent victim in the sinner’s place through the shedding of blood. Continual sacrifices were required because the animals were not the perfect sacrifice.

Levi was the one tribe of Israel chosen to care for the tabernacle. Aaron’s family was the one family chosen from the Levites to be priests. These priests were given the fulltime task of being in charge of the sacrifices. They were supported by the people’s tithes (taxes).

One day in the year the high priest (Aaron in Leviticus) passed beyond the veil in the tabernacle that separated the holy and the ‘Most Holy Place’ and stood before the mercy seat on the ark. Leviticus 16:3 describes what was required on the Day of Atonement: “Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering.”

Yahweh gave clear instructions to Moses for the priests: “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘None shall defile himself…’” (Leviticus 21:1). The instructions covered all that prohibited concerning their social relationships, the disqualifications from serving and eating of the things of the tabernacle, and the sacrifices that were prohibited. All priests represented man as restored to the image of God and therefore had to show God’s holiness in their character and in their bodies. Holiness in restored man ultimately involves his fullness of life and freedom from decay, so priests with certain handicaps were forbidden to offer sacrifices, even though they still enjoyed a full share of priestly dues: “No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer… He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy” (Leviticus 21:17, 22).

At the beginning of the history of the work of the priesthood there were evidences of failure. Two sons of Aaron offered unauthorized fire before the Lord: ‘Then Nadab  and Abihu… each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them” (Leviticus 10:1). Aaron held his peace while ‘fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord’ (Leviticus 10:2). Think about what it was like for a father to stand by while his sons faced divine judgment. What attribute of God stands out in this action?

Sharing:

• The strict requirements for priests remind me of military regulations, which are necessary because the military represents a country. The priests represent true worship. Their responsibilities were awesome. God’s mercy and love is shown throughout the priesthood. Like receiving discipline as a child isn’t fun, but it really is for their good.
• A definition of holiness does not help us as much as a demonstration of holiness, which is found in the priesthood.
• Levites that were handicapped were not deprived of something that was no fault of their own; God still provided for them even if they were not to represent the nation.
• Some may suggest that the judgment on Nadab and Abihu was harsh. When we understand this in light of God’s explicit instructions so that they knew exactly what was required in order to represent God’s holiness, it was an act of mercy so that their conduct did not corrupt worship. It is like letting one child in day care go their own way; the rest will follow! God did not avenge the first murder in Genesis because rules were not yet established.
• It had to be a sad, sorrowful time for Aaron to hold his peace (remained silent) while God judged his sons. It’s something hard for us to imagine. It must have been extremely difficult for the mother to watch her sons not only defy God’s orders, but to have to face the consequences. There is nothing in the story that indicates that Aaron and his wife were resentful or bitter toward God.
• What was the ‘strange fire’ the priests used? They used coals from somewhere other than the altar (Leviticus 16:2; Exodus 30:1-9). They broke the rules, and with God’s clear instructions there was no guesswork that allows for this. Reading further into the story (Leviticus 10:9) suggests that the two men may have been intoxicated.
• Can we offer ‘strange fire’ in our worship? Yes, with a wrong attitude, like Cain. We can approach God in our own selfish ways.
  
  FEASTS
   
  

  At the root of worship is ‘remembering’. In a biblical sense, this means not merely to recall something but also ‘to take into account in a way that causes one to act’. Besides the daily worship, the law prescribed special festivals to be observed from time to time by the congregation.

  
  

  The date of every Mosaic festival gave evidence of being connected in some way or other with the number seven. So every seventh day, every seventh month, every seventh year, and last, the ‘Jubilee’ year that came after the lapse of seven times seven years, was marked by a festival.

  
  

  Scholars make distinctions between feasts, festivals, and observances. The major festivals mentioned in Leviticus were, in calendar order are:

  • Passover, extended into the feast of Unleavened Bread
  • Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) – ‘Feast of Harvest’ in Exodus 34:22
  • Feast of Trumpets
  • Day of Atonement
  • Feast of Tabernacles (Ingathering or Booths)

  Of these, three are designated as ‘great feasts’:

  • Passover
  • Pentecost
  • Tabernacles

  The feasts continually reminded Israel of God’s provision of food that sustained them.

  The special days or observances in Leviticus are:

  • Feast of the Sabbath
  • Sabbatical Year
  • Year of Jubilee

  The five offerings reminded the people to ‘”get right”. The eight feasts/festivals/observances reminded the people to “keep right”:
  (1) The Sabbath: “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest” (Leviticus 23:3). The Living Bible paraphrases this as: “…the seventh day of every week- which are always days of rest in every home, times for assembling to worship, and for resting from the normal business of the week.” The fourth commandment in Exodus 20:11 gives the reason: ‘For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.’ It was a day to celebrate the finished work of God in creation.
  
  
  (2) The Feast of the Passover: “On the fourteenth day of the first month (Abib – March/April) at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread” (Leviticus 23:5-6). The one-day feast of the Passover commemorated the deliverance from Egypt; followed by the Feast of the Unleavened bread for seven days. Think back to Exodus 12 for a description of these feasts.
  
  
  (3) The Feast of Pentecost: “Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord” (Leviticus 23:16). This was first known as the “Feast of Harvest” in Exodus 34:22, and then as the “Feast of Weeks”, because of the command to count seven weeks. The one extra day to count brought the total to fifty days, so that it was eventually known as the “Feast of Pentecost”. The whole of the year's harvest was placed under the gracious blessing of the Lord during this feast.
  
  
  (4) The Feast of Trumpets: “In the seventh month (Ethanim – September/October), on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing trumpets, a holy convocation” (Leviticus 23:24). This was a day of remembrance. The blast of the trumpets was to announce the New Year’s Day for Israel.
  
  
  (5) The Day of Atonement: “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls [fast], and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord” (Leviticus 23:27). Nine days after the blast of the trumpets, the people came together before the Lord to fast because of their sin; and to offer sacrifices by fire to the Lord.
  
  
  

  (6) The Feast of Tabernacles: “The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacle for seven days to the Lord” (Leviticus 23:34). This is referred to as the “Feast of Ingathering” (Booths) in Exodus 23:16, and was the last feast of the year. The people lived in shelters made of branches, and heard the reading of the Law.  This feast commemorated the journey of the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai when the Lord brought them out of Egyptian bondage.

  
  

  (7) The Sabbatical Year: “When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the Lord. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard” (Leviticus 25:2-4). This yearlong Sabbath was the year of meditation and devotion. Upon entrance into Canaan the Israelites are freed from much of their ordinary work and gave their time to being taught and trained in God’s law. The cancellation of debts and the freeing of slaves every seventh year reminded the Israelites of their deliverance from Egypt.
  
  

  Sharing:

  • Does this seven-year cycle have any correlation to Joseph’s seven years of plenty and seven years of famine? It seems that Israel would be familiar with the concept if they remembered their history.
  • Why can’t we have that year now to conserve the land? We may just save our resources and provide stability in our society with this sabbatical rest.
  • A period of rest is necessary for keeping a balance in our lives, yet we continually rush forward without any relief.

  (8) The Year of Jubilee: “And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years” (Leviticus 25:8). This year was celebrated every fiftieth year, and was introduced on the Day of Atonement with the blowing of trumpets. This marked the year of liberty in which family inheritances were restored to those who had lost them. All slaves of Hebrew blood were freed and the land was left uncultivated. Since all the land was to be returned to the family to whom it had been assigned in the original distribution, every tribal and family register had to be carefully kept so that the rights of all would be protected. Jubilee serves to remind the people that the land belongs to God, as well as to prevent the wealthy from amassing land.
  
  

  Sharing:

  • The year of Jubilee gives every generation a chance to make a fortune or use it up.
  • This year was a reminder to the people that the land belonged to God.
  • Every generation has the chance to fail, or prosper by returning to the Lord.
  • It keeps greed at bay.
    

  PROMISES OF BLESSING AND RETRIBUTION

  The conclusion of this Book (Leviticus 26-27) is a summary of the Law, with a reward of blessing if it is obeyed, and assurance of calamity if it is disobeyed: “If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will give you…” (Leviticus 26:3-4). “But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments… I also do this to you…” (Leviticus 26:15-16).

  
  

  The blessings for obedience included fruitfulness of the soil, peace and prosperity in the land, victory over enemies and the presence of God in their midst. The judgment upon disobedience included defeat by their enemies, those who hate them will rule over them and they would flee when no one pursued them. If they still failed to listen, punishment for sins would be seven times over – their pride would be broken down, their strength would be wasted and their soil would not yield crops, nor would the trees yield fruit. If they were still rebellious, their affliction would be multiplied yet another seven times over – wild animals would rob them of their children and there would be so few in number of them that their roads would be deserted. If disobedience persisted, another seven times of infliction would be added – the sword would be against them, a plague would be among them and they would be given over to the enemy. Read on to know the results of further rebellion (Leviticus 26:27-39) – the cost of disobedience far outweighed the cost of obedience! God’s mercy shows forth in spite of all of this when Leviticus also reminds the Israelites that God promised to remember His covenant with their forefathers when the nation repented. Repentance is sweet, but obedience is sweeter!

  
  

  

  
  

  Henrietta C. Mears said:

  “In Genesis, we see man ruined,

  In Exodus, man redeemed,

  In Leviticus, man worshipping.”

  
  

  In preparation for our next session, read Numbers 1-10 and think about God’s Story as it relates God’s faithfulness in preparation for Israel’s wilderness wanderings.