Under the Cloud

After the priests gave their blessing over the people in Numbers 6, it was time to focus on God’s house.  Moses anoints it, consecrates it and dedicates its furnishings and the bronze altar.  This is the same anointing the priests receive.  The anointing oil is applied, symbolically making these furnishings and the place holy.  The presence of God Almighty is what really makes the tabernacle holy, but man must do what he can to show the proper reverence in God’s house.   God gave them the formulas for the anointing oil and for the incense.  This same mixture was not to be made anywhere else.  The unique fragrance of God would be in the air of the Tabernacle.  When you think of smells, they can bring back memories.  God says that we believers are a sweet savor to those who are being drawn to Him.  However, we can also be an "aroma that brings death." (2 Corinthians 2:15-16) The steps that Moses and the priests took to prepare the Tabernacle and furnishings for serv

Have you ever made a vow?  Have you ever made a vow you didn't keep?  People in tight spots often make big promises to get relief.  Follow through is another story... Our account now moves on from cleansing the camp to providing guidelines to those who want to be especially dedicated to the Lord.  The Nazirite vow was a temporary separation from anything to do with the vine: wine and fermented drink, grapes and raisins.  Also during this separation period, no razor is to be used on the head of the one who vows.  Throughout the period of his separation, the Nazirite is not to go near a dead body because he is consecrated to the Lord.  If someone dies in the presence of a Nazirite, he must shave his head, make offerings and start all over with the vow.  At the end of his time of separation, the Nazirite presents himself to the priest and offers sacrifices and shaves off his hair that was dedicated. Reading these verses immediately brings to mind the story of Samson in the bo

Purity.  Not a popular subject.  Purity.  What God wants from us.  Purity.  What God gives to us.  We want to be pure in heart.  Being in the world tarnishes our purity.  How can we be pure? As we move on to Numbers Chapter 5, we see that order is still being kept in the camp in that God is telling Moses to send anything impure outside the camp.  God lives in the camp and He cannot tolerate impurity.  The correlation to our lives is direct in this instance. We need to do the same in our houses: keep God at the center and remove any impurities.  How do we purify our homes today? Is there something in your home that is impure and needs to be dealt with?  God says, "If we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" ( 1 John 1:9 ). Think about this: The impurity could be an attitude of yours or of another family member.  Anything come to mind? It could be behavior that is not honoring to God.  What could

Welcome to Numbers chapter 4! You are doing a great job! Guess what Moses is doing at the beginning of this week’s passage? Counting!  Now that the Levites have been counted for redemption, they need to be counted for service to the Lord. Men could serve in the army at age 20 but priests served from ages 30 to 50. We need more maturity to be ministers of grace than to fight with arms. Matthew Henry says, “ A man may make a good soldier much sooner than a good minister.” Later, in Numbers chapter 8, the priest is said to enter service at age 25. It is thought that the first five years were more of an apprenticeship (expositors Bible commentary). Five years was a long training period. The Israelites did not take lightly the honor to serve God and make sure its men were appropriately prepared.  Jesus our Great High Priest began his ministry at age 30 ( Luke 3:21-23 ). Jesus subjected Himself to the age of priestly acceptance because everything He did fulfilled the Law. (Luke 18:31) Th

In the previous post, we looked at pastoral exemption.  The tribe of Levi did not fight in Israel's army.  They belonged to the Lord.  They served at the tabernacle and carried it around as Israel wandered in the desert.  We continue in Numbers 3 by learning about the three clans in the tribe of Levi and the work God has for them. The Levites will be counted by clan and given work assignments in the tabernacle.  The first son of Levi was Gershon. The Gershonites were counted if they were over one month in age.  This greatly differs from the numbering of the army.  A Levite would not serve at such a young age, but they would be recorded in the records.  The 7,500 Gershonites were to guard the tabernacle tents and camp to the west of the tabernacle.  The Levites were encamped between the tabernacle and the tribal divisions. Levi's second son was Kohath, and there were 8,600 Kohathites camped on the south side of the tabernacle.  This clan was responsible for the ark it