Numbers part 2 | The Call to Holiness
\Last week, we began our look at Numbers with this central thought in mind:
The story of Numbers reminds us the call toward holiness and the consequences of sin.
Too often we have the tendency to take our salvation for granted. As 21st century Christians, we are privileged in so many ways—most of which we don’t even realize. Jesus went to the cross to pay a price we could not pay. We opened the door of heaven that we could not open. Most importantly, I would argue, He rose from the dead defeating death and sin—a feat no one else could do.
One of the reasons we should study the Old Testament, especially some the “harder books” is because they remind us what Jesus actually accomplished through his death and resurrection. Without his work, we would be hopelessly lost and hopelessly bound to a Law that we cannot uphold. The Law shows us just how perfect and holy God is. Unfortunately, it also shows us how deficient we are.
Last week, I focused on the consequences of sin as we looked at Numbers 1. This week, I would like to focus on the concept of holiness and look at how the very organization of the camp and the duties of the Levites help inform how we are to view “being holy as [the LORD] is holy.”
since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:16
The Arrangement of the Camp | Numbers 2
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers' houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.
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These are the people of Israel as listed by their fathers' houses. All those listed in the camps by their companies were 603,550. But the Levites were not listed among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses. Thus did the people of Israel. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each one in his clan, according to his fathers' house.
Numbers 2:1-2 & 32-34
The following verses give the specific spots for each tribe. What emerges from this description is something that looks like this diagram.
You may recall from last week, we looked at how to read Scripture the Ancient Way. Rather than focusing on just the literal meaning, though a necessary step, the Ancient Way calls us to look further. The description of the encampment is a wonderful example of how this process can work.
Literally, the text simply describes the camp. If we go one step further, though, some would put the sections into a shape to emphasize the cross shape, which is not out of the realm of possibility. Notice, the west side has the least number of people. The East has the most, and the North and South sides are roughly equal. So, facing the rising sun, it would look like a cross, and the tabernacle opening would face the east—such as this diagram:
Now, the text of Numbers itself does not lead us to conclude the arrangement of the camp is meant to depict a Roman cross. Rome wouldn’t even exist for another thousand years. It wasn’t until fairly recently that Christians have observed such symbolism. Nevertheless, it is an interesting phenomenon.
This observation leads us to the symbolism that is certainly meant. First, the face of the tabernacle faces east to the rising sun. Each morning the tabernacle itself would be lit by the morning light. Even more so, the sun light would shine directly toward the inner sanctuary where the ark of the covenant was held. The light, the arrangement of the camp, and, as we’ll see later, the arrangements of the tabernacle fixtures would all point to the ark and God’s presence. God’s presence and His Tabernacle was literally the center of Israel’s focus.
Whether we see a cross in the camp or not, the arrangement of the camp focuses our attention on God as the provider of salvation and provision. Israel is to keep their covenant with God at the forefront of their daily life. As they walk, as they work, as they tend to animals, as they raise their children, as they do all the things necessary for daily living, the Lord is their central focus. This principle harkens to Paul’s teaching on walking in the Spirit. We may not literally wander in the wilderness, but as we go through life, we are told:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16
“Walk by the Spirit” is the Greek verb, peripateo, and it literally means “walk around the Spirit.” As we walk, we keep our focus on the Spirit and anchor our life to the Spirit. The Israelites were to make camp and break camp as the Glory of the Lord moved from place to place. This picture of movement is an illustration of what it means to keep in step with the Lord. We go where He goes. We move where He moves. It’s like the song from back in the day:
Every move I make, I make in You
You make me move, Jesus
Every breath I take, I breathe in You
Every step I take, I take in You
You are my way, Jesus
Every breath I take, I breathe in You
And so, thinking about the Ancient Way of reading Scripture, we see this simple, literal description of Israel’s camp even has deeper meaning. The allegorical sense moves us towards the cross—whether in the shape of the camp or at the ark of the covenant. The tropological sense moves us towards greater dependence on God. May we never lose sight of the God of our salvation. Last, the anagogical sense takes us forward into history when the presence of the Lord moves from the inner sanctuary where no one may enter into our very hearts. The Holy Spirit of God resides in those who have surrendered to Jesus, and one day, when Christ returns we will see our Lord face to face.
The arrangement of the camp of Israel is a foreshadowing of how we can arrange our lives today—with the presence of the Lord at the very center.
Unauthorized Fire | Numbers 3:1-4
These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests. But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father.
Numbers 3:1-4
This passage refers back to a story in Leviticus 10. There, we read Nadab and Abihu burn “strange fire” or “unauthorized fire” in the incense holder. The Hebrew word describing this fire is zar. It has a range of meanings, but they all center on “something out of the norm.” These two priests offered incense right in front of the veil, where the presence of the Lord is, that they should not have offered.
To modern ears, the punishment sounds overly harsh. The problem is that we no longer have cultural understandings of sacred spaces. For thousands of years, humans intuitively knew that some places were more sacred than others demanding more respect and reverence. Now, whether or not this is a good phenomenon or not isn't the point of the passage. Here, Numbers is recounting the generations of Aaron and how the Levites came to be. In doing so, however, it offers us a bit more.
Again, this story is first recounted in Leviticus 10. There, and here, it comes within the context of how the priests are to fulfill their duties. The priests had the most sacred role in the kingdom. They protected the people from profaning the tabernacle and bringing death to themselves. They upheld the covenant that was between God and Israel—the covenant that would bring them peace and prosperity. It was paramount they did their jobs well and rightly. The people’s lives and souls depended on their faithfulness.
Moving ahead in time, what does this level of accountability say about our own walk and our own holiness? Every so often, we hear someone say, “I’ve got my own deal with God worked out.” Really?
Since when are we allowed to approach the Lord on our own terms?
The Lord has certainly come to us. Jesus Christ took on flesh and dwelt among us. Whosoever calls upon His Name will be saved. But “calling upon his name” requires surrender. We do not say, “Jesus save me so that I can live as I see fit.” We say, “Jesus save me, because what I see fit is killing me!”
The fire that Nadab and Abihu brought was zar, foreign or unauthorized. It was unholy. Now, we are a royal priesthood unto the Lord.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
1 Peter 2:9-11
As a royal priesthood, we conduct ourselves as God’s people following His commands and His design for us. If we move outside those bounds, we are guilty of profaning the temple of the Lord. We must understand what is profane, or common, and what is sacred. The Lord deserves the sacred and the best because He is the Lord. Our offerings to the Lord should come from our best—not what’s left.
The story of Nadab and Abihu reminds us to not mix what is profane with what is sacred in our service to God.
This reminder comes right before the Lord will give further instructions to the Levites.
The Duties of the Levites | Numbers 3:5-10
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”
Numbers 3:5-10
“Bring the tribe near” has a religious connotation. It is the same phrase for making an offering to Lord. It is also the same phrase used when someone is presented before a superior. The Levites are to be brought before Aaron as servants are presented to the master. Their job is not to do whatever Aaron commands, but rather they are to minister according to the Lord’s design. Verses 14-39 will detail each tribe’s work, but for today, we can focus on the general principle of the work.
Notice, their work stems from the same lesson they learned from Nadab and Abihu. They are to keep the sacred space sacred and the common, or profane, elements away from the tabernacle—including the people themselves.
At the risk of being redundant, we once again see the emphasis on separating the holy from the unholy. So, let’s move the conversation to the here and now. We do not have a tabernacle, per se. The Son of God tabernacled with us and offered himself as the sacrifice needed for forgiveness. Now, rather than holiness being one particular location, we are made holy by faith in Christ. With that holiness comes a priestly duty.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
In a moment we will read about the redemption price of the firstborn of Israel. For now, let’s consider what it means that we are the temple of the Lord. Does that mean we must treat our bodies as the priests treated the tabernacle (later the temple)? We certainly don’t see a direct 1:1 relationship, but Paul does tell us there are moral and spiritual implications. In the context of 1 Corinthians 6, he is addressing sexual immorality. A few verses before, he says:
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
This list is not the only one of its type in the New Testament. Each time these lists are given, though, they demonstrate this reality of holiness. To be “holy” is to be separated from the things of this world. A holy people are not like the rest of the nations. Faithful Christians are often described as “weird” or “out of touch”—good, we are supposed to be. If we were like everyone else, then we would be just as guilty as everyone else, still in our sin and not inheriting the kingdom of God.
Now, before you misread that, it is not that Christians are better people. It is that Jesus is making us better people. In verse 11,
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 9:11
Paul reminds the Corinthians they were just as guilty as those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. The difference isn’t them. It is Christ!
In Numbers we see no one is worthy to enter the holy places except those whom God has ordained. Even more so, the Levites were still in a precarious spot. If they veered off the correct path even just a bit, they would be consumed by fire.
In Christ, we see still no one is worthy to enter the holy place, but He makes us holy. When we surrender to Jesus, he washes us, sanctifies us, and justifies us before the Lord—even granting us His Spirit making us the Temple of the Lord.
And so, how we treat ourselves, how we treat other Christians, matters quite a bit! We are the sacred space, and so do not profane what God has made holy.
If the sacred tabernacle was so important the Israelites were to protect it at all costs, how much more important are those who have the Spirit of God?
Redemption of the Firstborn | Numbers 3:11-13 & 40-51
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.”
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And the Lord said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.” So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded him. And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord. And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, you shall take five shekels per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs), and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.” So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites. From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money, 1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Numbers 3:11-13 & 40-51
In this last section, we see the price for Israel’s salvation. As you may recall, the Lord struck the firstborn of Egypt dead in the last plague. The Israelites were able to avoid the plague through the Passover Lambs. Now, the Lord commands a price to be paid for the firstborn, and this payment will be used by Aaron and his sons. Remember, the priests would have no land and no herds of their own. They were to live off the offerings of the other tribes.
Looking at the Ancient Way of reading Scripture, we can see on the surface this text is simply how the people will provide for the Levites through an offering to the Lord. But what does this offering symbolize? The money represents the life that was saved. There is a cost to salvation and redemption. One life requires another. This principle is true in its opposite form, too. The price for murder is execution—a life will pay for another life.
Looking at this passage on this side of the cross, we recognize Jesus is the life that was paid for our lives. The Passover Lamb points to the Lamb of God who takes away sin. The Great High Priest of God has finished the work of sacrifice so that we can be saved.
How, then, should we respond?
At this point, it can be very easy to fall into some form of legalism or works-based salvation. In fact, many a well-meaning pastor has added “works” to “faith” without realizing it. This tension of faith and works that we see from Numbers to the New Testament is actually very helpful, because it leads us to ask, “What is our appropriate response to Christ?”
Jesus paid the price for our salvation, and so an appropriate response is faith.
The strictures of holiness that we see in Numbers remind us holiness is not something to take flippantly. And so, if Jesus has washed us and made us holy, we should not take this reality flippantly either. Of course, if we take this charge into a legalistic direction, we will be just as guilty as the Pharisees. And yet, if we scream “liberty!” every time we are given a moral demand, we will be as guilty as Nadab and Abihu—profaning what is to be holy.
The answer, I believe, lies in the verses we didn’t read today. In those sections we skipped, we read each tribe and each leader has a job in the service of the Lord.
What is the role God has given you in the Kingdom?
We didn’t have time to go into the history of the Levites. Levi, and his descendants, were not known as righteous people. In fact, they were known more for their murderous tendencies. Perhaps it is simple irony, or perhaps it is a testimony to God’s power to transform that they become the priests in the Kingdom of Israel. Their holiness wasn’t based on their merit or their character. It was based on God’s will and power. They were given a holy task, and that is why they were holy. It had everything to do with God and His glory.
Our holiness is rooted in the power of Christ to transform us and illustrated in the work that we do for the Lord.