Under PAGES on the right are two works by Matthew Henry.

A Church in a House

Matthew Henry’s Catechism

So within about a year God in his faithfulness has rescued Israel fro Egypt, taught them at Sinai how to be the people of God and now in these chapters brought then to the edge of the land promised to Abraham.

12 spies check out the land for 40 days and bring back a good report about the land but cause the Israelites to doubt that God would help them take the land. (best to have been slaves in Egypt or die in the wilderness and they decide they want to go back to Egypt).

Judgement is 40 years of wandering in the wilderness (including time already served). So Israel turns away from the Promised Land. This and the golden calf incident is remembered for generations as the most notable examples of Israel’s failure to folllow God. 10 of the spies die of a plague. The whole incident is phrased in the language of complaining (as Michelle and I highlighted to our children as we read the passage to them this morning).

Now you could ask why is Numbers 15 included next to this story. Well notice Numbers 15:2 and Numbers 15:18 - both start a section with the words “when you enter the land …”. This is grace! The Israelites have sinned and face wanderings in the wilderness for their sin but in Numbers 15 we learn there is forgiveness for sin and Israel WILL enter the land (hence “when you enter the land …” So in God’s grace where he has recounted Israel’s sin he has placed next to that an assurance of how sin can be forgiven. Don’t you love that about God? That next to the record of your sin he places a record of his grace and forgiveness through sacrifice (ultimately of Jesus).

You can see once again how God places the chapters of the Bible next to each other for a reason. This is why we need to read the Bible book by book rather than some other way.

Our next few days of readings are mostly stories with a bit of law here and there.

Numbers 7 was tough wasn’t it?! But good to see that the people were excited about the dedication of the altar (after all that was the place and means were sins would be forgiven.

Numbers 8 was more about the Levites (one of the twelve tribes). The Levites especially belong to God. They are like assistant-priests. Did you notice that one’s working life was 25-30 years of age one was trained. One’s working life began at 30 years and retirement was 50 although you could keep working in an assistant role if you wanted (maybe training the 25 year olds). Wouldn’t it be great if our 50+ people discipled our 25 year olds!!

Numbers 9 is the first anniversary of the coming out of Egypt, What a celebration that must have been looking back 12 months ago to when God had done the Exodus. I wonder if it seemed like yesterday to them or a long time ago. After hearing about how you have to be so careful to be clean and how ceremonies have to be carried EXACTLY the way God says … how wonderful to hear that when there are some disqualified unclean people who want to celebrate the Passover but can’t because they are unclean, God makes a provision for them so they can be included. Thus in the midst of law we find God’s grace. Doesn’t this point us toward Jesus who likewise extended grace to the unclean.

At the end of Numbers 9 is comments about how Israel is to camp and set out at God’s commend. It anticipates tomorrow’s reading.

Numbers 10 is all about trumpets really. The instructions about trumpets have to do with Israel getting ready to make a move away from Sinai. After being in Sinai for abut a year since the Exodus the people are about to head for the promised land. For the first time they will travel with the ark of the covenant and the tabernacle. In other words they will leave Sinai as the people of God. So the trumpets are not just miscellaneous information – rather they create an air of expectation that the next phase of God’s plan is about to happen.

BACK TO STORIES AGAIN !!! (Well done you made it through the Law!)

Numbers 11-12 the people are on the move. Anyone have any thoughts?

Isn’t the OT helpful – here we see what it means for ask to ask God for our daily food – here we see God as Yahweh-Yireh (The LORD my Provider).

Favourite verses in this chapter are Numbers 11:15 and Numbers 11:19-20 (hold your mouse over the references to read them).

I’m struck by Moses’ desire that he wished all God’s people had God’s Spirit. Is this not fulfilled at Pentecost!

Moses, Aaron, Miriam – sibling rivalry! Did you notice God identify himself as Miriam’s Father? Did you pick up on the note of grace there in the midst of judgement?

One more day of Leviticus to go !!!!

Leviticus 22

Only priests without physical defect could offer sacrifices.

Only animals without physical defect could be offered as one of the compulsory sacrifices.

Hence … 1 Peter 1:19.

Hebrews demonstrates that Jesus was a perfect priest (sinless i.e. no defect) and a perfect sacrifice (sinless i.e. no defect).

Regarding not sacrificing an animal and it’s young on the same day … this is not smart for reproductive sustainability but the real concern here is that killing a life-giving mother and her new born on the same day brings together life and death – two things which ceremonially need to be kept separate.

Leviticus 23

Seven feasts that focus Israel’s attention on God.

The weekly Sabbath and then …

1.  Passover – celebrating release from Egypt (Jesus dies on this feast to save us from sin)

2.  Unleavened Bread

3.  First Fruits (thanksgiving for crops by giving the first fruits to God – Jesus is raised back to life on this day 1 Corinthians 15:20-24)

4.  Weeks also known as Pentecost (another feast associated with harvest – the Holy Spirit came on this day)

5.  Feast of Trumpets (recalls for Christians the Lord’s Return)

6.  Day of Atonement – the scapegoat is removed on this day

7.  Feast of Tabernacles – Every year Israel lived in tents for 7 days recalling God’s care for them in the wilderness. Later it serves as a picture for the messianic kingdom