A Place for Everyone and Everything

 

Numbers 3:21 To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites. 22 Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 7,500. 23 The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west, 24 with Eliasaph, the son of Lael as chief of the fathers' house of the Gershonites. 25 And the guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting, 26 the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords—all the service connected with these.

We talked yesterday about the orderliness of God's people arranged around the Tabernacle, with three tribes on each side of the camp.  Since the Levites had no "side" to be on, the three clans of the tribe were scattered around the three sides, each with their own responsibility for the parts of the tabernacle and their transfer.  Everyone had a place to call "home", even in this temporary camp. Everyone knew their part and their place. Still today, God's people in Christ are His priests, each and every one with their part and place. His church is their home, and His Son is their hope. 

Not a Motley Crew

Numbers 2:25 “On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan by their companies, the chief of the people of Dan being Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, 26 his company as listed being 62,700. 27 And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, the chief of the people of Asher being Pagiel the son of Ochran, 28 his company as listed being 41,500. 29 Then the tribe of Naphtali, the chief of the people of Naphtali being Ahira the son of Enan, 30 his company as listed being 53,400. 31 All those listed of the camp of Dan were 157,600. They shall set out last, standard by standard.”

If you've ever seen a sketch of what the organization of Israel would have been like around the Tabernacle, it is quite the display.  If reminds one of some of the formal army arrangements throughout history. But this was not an army. It was a whole nation of people - God's people.  God is, and always had been, a God of order.  He has always planned, prepared, and expected His people to be a God of order. Paul repeats the same sentiment in I Corinthians 14. Such order does not negate holiness or the moving of the Spirit of God, but it allows it to flow more freely.  Such order makes it visible to all, within and outside the "camp", who we are, and to observe God at work in us.  We are no motley crew.

More than a Number

Numbers 1:26 Of the people of Judah, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war: 27 those listed of the tribe of Judah were 74,600.

Bible scholars have often pointed out that the book of Numbers has a misleading title.  It is not so much about how many people there were (though God had caused the nation of Israel to grow dramatically.) It was more about how God was organizing His people to enter the promised land.  These names were more than a list: they were the descendants and ancestors of God's people who were finally entering the land promised to Abraham centuries before.  It was organization not for the sake of structure, but for seeing how the people would continue to be blessed if they lived in obedience to God's laws for His land.  This census gave them a point of comparison as well as a future to anticipate. People are never merely a number to God.

Taking Vows Seriously

Leviticus 27:26 “But a firstborn of animals, which as a firstborn belongs to the Lord, no man may dedicate; whether ox or sheep, it is the Lord's. 27 And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back at the valuation, and add a fifth to it; or, if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold at the valuation. 28 “But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the Lord, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord.

Worship is serious business. Like all of life, there is joy and celebration included in it, but some things are not to be taken lightly.  As this book nears the end of God's instructions for worship the question comes to vows made in worship.  When God moves us and we respond, there are often commitments we make, which are no light thing. People devote their possessions, offerings, and even themselves or loved ones to the Lord. God in some cases allowed, or even required them to be redeemed, bought back, as they were needed (or inadequate), but the general rule was that they were sacred/holy/devoted for His use alone. The answer is not to avoid making vows to God. They are often appropriate and needed but do so solemnly. 

Warning Signs...

Leviticus 26:23 “And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute vengeance for the covenant. And if you gather within your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I break your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven and shall dole out your bread again by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.

God had gone to great lengths to bring His people to the promised land and provide His worship plan to keep them from falling into the sins of their predecessors. In this chapter He gives them the warning signs that they could see and experience if they began to get off track: panic, disease, famine, defeat, and exile. Ultimately, they would be taken from the land to give it rest. Notice that if they began to "walk contrary" to Him, He would not immediately bring hard judgment, but "walk contrary" to them. He would create a path of resistance to slow them down, to make life harder, to get their attention. He forewarned them so they would wake up and notice.  What warning signs is God giving you?

The Year of Jubilee

 

Leviticus 25:25 “If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold. 26 If a man has no one to redeem it and then himself becomes prosperous and finds sufficient means to redeem it, 27 let him calculate the years since he sold it and pay back the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and then return to his property. 28 But if he does not have sufficient means to recover it, then what he sold shall remain in the hand of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his property.

In this chapter is a concept that is so alien that we can hardly wrap our heads around it.  It is a reminder to all that the land was God's land, given to His people. It is a plan of hope against endless poverty.  Since land, homes, and property change hands so often in our society, it is hard to imagine this working, but in the promised land, it all was distributed by lots and recorded.  God's plans are indeed greater than we could ever imagine, full of love and mercy.  May we stand in awe of Him.

Absolutely Nothing You Can Do

Leviticus 23:26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people.

This chapter describes all the prescribed feasts of the year for God's people, Israel.  Each one has its reason and each one points to Christ.  What is overly emphasized here is that there was absolutely no work to be done. That coincides with the fact that there is absolutely nothing we can do to bring about our salvation and forgiveness. Jesus paid it all. It is His righteousness alone.