What I Noticed Today (Numbers 18-20)
Numbers 18
Perhaps because of the rebellion related in Numbers 16-17 the Lord restated in Numbers 18 the covenant between He and Aaron and his sons, as well as the covenant between He and the Levites.
In verses 2-7, the Lord describes the roles of the priests and the Levites:
- Aaron and his son are responsible for the priesthood.
- The Levites are responsible for assisting in front of the tabernacle, but they must not come near the sanctuary equipment or the altar.
- The priesthood is a gift from God. Anyone who is not authorized who comes near the sanctuary will be put to death.
In verses 8-11, the Levites were to receive a portion of the offerings in return for their service to the Lord. Anyone who is ceremonially clean in your house may eat it.
In verses 12-19, the Lord also gave the Levite the firstfruit offerings from the harvest including the olive oil, wine, and grain. The Lord also gave the Levites the firstborn of all the animals, except for the firstborn of the ox, sheep, or goats. The firstborn of the ox, sheep, and goats are holy. Their fat must be offered to the Lord as a pleasing aroma, and the meat belonged to the Levites.
In verses 20-24, The Lord told Aaron the Levites would not have an inheritance of land, but they would receive a tithe from the Israelites in return for their service to the Lord.
In verses 25-32, the Lord spoke to Moses instructing him to tell the Levites they must pay a tithe of what they received to the Lord:
- The tithe of the Levites was a tenth (tithe) of the tenth (tithe) provided by the Israelites.
- The tithe of the Levites presented to the Lord must be the best of what they receive. It will be credited to them as though they had grown. What remained could be eaten or drunk anywhere the Levites chose.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- Leaders today face many of the same issues faced by Moses and Aaron. There will be those who will come up against us, filled with selfish ambition and envy; they will lie and sway others into open rebellion against God. Like Moses, we would be wise to pray for those who come up against us and let God deal with those who rebel against Him.
Numbers 19
Numbers 19 deals with how someone who had become ceremonially unclean could become clean.
In verses 1-10, the Lord spoke to Moses and instructed him to have the Israelites bring an unblemished red cow that had never been worked.
Note: Although this was a sin offering (v. 9) it was not to atone for sin, but to purify the person who had become contaminated.
- The bull was to be brought to Eleazar (Aaron’s son). He will take the bull outside the camp, and the bull will be slaughtered in his presence.
- Eleazar must take some of the blood and sprinkle it before the tent of meeting seven times and then burn the bull on the altar.
- The priest is to take cedar, hyssop, and crimson yarn and burn it on the fire with the bull.
- Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe. He may then re-enter camp but is unclean until evening.
- A man who is clean is to gather up the ashes of the bull and deposit them outside the camp in a ceremonially clean place. The ashes are to be kept for the preparation of the water for the impurity ceremony.
In verses 11-22, the Lord describes the purification process for someone who has become unclean:
- The person who touches a human corpse is unclean for seven days. He is to purify himself with the water on the third day and will be clean on the seventh day.
- Anyone who touches a human corpse and does not purify themselves is unclean. They defile the tabernacle and are to be cut off from their people.
- This law covers someone who enters a tent in which someone has died, anyone who touches a person killed by the sword, or even someone who touches a human bone.
- To be purified someone who is clean must mix some of the ashes of the burnt sin offering and mix them with water. Then using hyssop sprinkle the tent, furnishings, and people.
- The unclean person must be sprinkled on the third and seventh days.
- Then they must wash their clothes and bathe, and they will be clean in the evening.
- The person who sprinkles the water of impurity is unclean. He must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.
Numbers 20
Numbers 20 jumps forward in time 40 years. All the Israelites over 20 years old who had left Egypt had died in the wilderness except for Miriam, Aaron, and Moses.
In verse 1, the Israelites entered the Wilderness of Zin in the first month of the fortieth year and settled in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there.
Note: Miriam died when they arrived at Zin because she had spoken against God regarding Moses (Numbers 12).
In verses 2-13, Moses brought forth water from the rock:
- There was no water there, and the whole congregation came up against Moses and Aaron again!
Note: These are the sons and daughters of those who left Egypt, and they still think things were better under the oppression of the Egyptians. They complained to Moses and Aaron in the same way their parents had complained 40 years before.
- Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the Lord, and the Lord told Moses to take the staff in the sight of the community with Aaron and speak to the rock.
- They were to tell it to bring forth water. Instead, Moses calls the people rebels and strikes the rock twice.
- Water gushed out, and the people water their flocks.
- The Lord told Moses and Aaron because they did not trust Him to show His holiness to the Israelites they would be denied entrance to the Promised Land.
- The waters there were named “Meribah” which means “quarreling” because it was there that the Israelites quarreled with the Lord.
Note: The Lord, in His mercy, brought forth water from the rock even though Moses didn’t follow his command exactly. Moses had drawn attention to himself by striking the rock rather than allowing the miracle of the Lord to speak for him.
In verses 14-21, the Edomites deny the Israelites permission to cross their land:
- As the Israelites got closer to the Promised Land, they attempted to cross through Edom on the King’s Highway but were denied passage by the king of Edom.
- The king of Edom even sent troops out to the border, so the Israelites turned away from them.
Note: The Edomites were descendants of Esau while the Israelites were descendants of Jacob. It seems the issues between the tribes remain even after 400 years!
In verses 22-29, Aaron’s death is recorded:
- The Israelites turned away from Edom and went to Mt. Hor on the border of Edom.
- The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and said Aaron would not be allowed to go into the Promised Land because he had quarreled with God at Meribah.
- The Lord directed Moses to take Aaron and his son Eleazar to the top of the mountain where he was to strip Aaron of his priestly garments and give them to Eleazar.
- So Moses did as the Lord commanded; stripping Aaron of his priestly garments and giving them to Aaron’s son, Eleazar.
- Aaron died there on the top of the mountain.
- Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, and the whole Israelites nation mourned Aaron’s death for 30 days.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- Leadership can be a heavy burden. People complain and come up against the leaders God has appointed out of selfish ambition, envy, and fear. Ultimately, though, leaders are responsible for their conduct and for obeying God in all they do. With great privilege comes great responsibility!
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
