Numbers part 9 | “The New Day has Come”
As we continue our study of Numbers, we come to the final preparations for Israel’s exodus from Mt. Sinai. Everything that has occurred for the last 9 chapters has all happened while Israel was at the base of Mt. Sinai. It seems like so much time has passed, but actually it has only been a year since Israel left Egypt—but, man, what a year! Before we begin in Numbers 9, let’s reflect on the first Passover that occurred in Egypt.
The Passover Origin and Rules | Exodus 12
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
Exodus 12:1-13
I know this story will be familiar for many of you, and I have referenced it a few times during this series. At any rate, it is worth looking at for a moment, because two points are needed before we look at our chapter in Numbers. First,
The Passover event was a complete reset for Israel.
Notice, the month of the first Passover is “the beginning of months” for Israel. Their whole calendar restarts. Not only will this event be the end of their slavery in Egypt, it will be a new era for Israel as a whole. A new calendar will start—not just a new year. They will head to a new land. They will have a new government. Everything will change.
Second,
The requirement for this reset was an unblemished sacrifice.
Israel could not use second-rate lambs. It must have no spots, no disease, nor anything that would be considered deficient. Only the blood of an unblemished sacrifice would be effective for Passover.
With these two points laid for a foundation, let’s turn to Numbers 9.
The Unifying Celebration of Passover | Numbers 9:1-14
And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, “Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it.” So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover. And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did. And there were certain men who were unclean through touching a dead body, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. And those men said to him, “We are unclean through touching a dead body. Why are we kept from bringing the Lord's offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?” And Moses said to them, “Wait, that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you.”
Numbers 9:1-8
At the beginning of chapter 9, one year has passed since Israel left Egypt. It is time for the Passover once again, and the Lord tells Moses to have the people celebrate as they were told a year ago before leaving Egypt. But at this point, there are some men who are considered unclean because they had contact with a dead body. According to the Law from chapter 5, they must be removed from the camp until they complete their ritual of cleansing. So, how are they to have Passover?
The problem is they are supposed to have Passover with their families, but they have to camp away from their families. Is it possible for them to still have the Passover meal being away from family?
How the Lord answers Moses is going to tell us quite a bit about God’s view of the Law and Redemption. Is the ritual most important, or is the celebration of salvation more important? Or, to think of it another way, is the Passover, as a sign and type of the salvation to come, more powerful than the impurities that bring a curse?
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the Lord. In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it. But if anyone who is clean and is not on a journey fails to keep the Passover, that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the Lord's offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin. And if a stranger sojourns among you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its rule, so shall he do. You shall have one statute, both for the sojourner and for the native.”
Numbers 9:9-14
The Lord answers “YES”. Even those who are considered unclean should keep Passover. Even those who are on a long journey away from the camp are to keep Passover. While the Law is important and must be kept by Israel, it is more important they remember the Lord’s work of salvation. In fact, if any punishment should be meted out, it is the one who does not keep Passover that should be cut off. And if even a foreigner decides to join in the Passover festivities, then Israel should let them, so long as they keep Passover properly as the Israelites will.
The concession is that the unclean and the traveller should keep the Passover a month later. They will celebrate on the second month rather than the first month of the year. This concession is good news for the Gentile. It points to the time when the Messiah will first go to Israel, but salvation will come to the Gentile next. Even the “unclean” will have an opportunity to join in the Passover celebration.
The Passover is more powerful than the impurities of death.
This principle is vitally important to our modern walk with God. We are to never let the letter of the law get in the way of the spirit of the law. Is obedience important? Is keeping oneself pure important? Absolutely! But is our faith and remembering the price of our salvation more important? Yes! We are not saved because we kept the Law properly. We are saved because the blood of the Lamb has cleansed and protected us. Our faith is not in our own merit, it is in Christ who is our Unblemished Lamb.
Christ’s atoning work is more powerful than the impurities of sin and death.
This principle is ultimately why even the Gentile can join in the Passover feast. If the Gentile should ever desire to join the nation of Israel, they could join because the work of Israel’s salvation was not in the ritual but in faith to the God who brought them out of Egypt and who would bring the Messiah for all mankind.
It is the same principle why unbelievers can absolutely join us in worship. They are welcome among us because when they decide to follow Christ themselves, they are welcome in the Kingdom of God—not because of their merit or ritual, but because Christ has paid the price of salvation.
It is the same principle that governs our missionary efforts. Salvation may have come to the Jew first, but the Gentiles have an opportunity to believe and be saved, just as much. As the Gospel has gone out into the world, it continues to go forth. “Whomsoever will call on the Name of the Lord will be saved.” That promise continues forward into the most remote parts of the globe.
Move When Its Time to Move | Numbers 9:15-23
On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.
Numbers 9:15-23
This last section of chapter 9 is a transition passage. In chapter 10, the Lord will tell Moses to have trumpets made to signal when it is time to pack up camp and go. Before this command, though, Numbers includes this bit of elevated prose to reinforce God’s presence and guidance to Israel during the wilderness journey. It uses quite a bit of repetition and parallels in order to emphasize Israel’s dependence on the Lord for when to move and where to move.
This new era for Israel will be marked by God’s enduring presence in the camp. Not only has the Lord brought them out of Egypt (of which Passover commemorates), but the Lord will also guide them each day in their journey towards the Promised Land.
Now, we know Israel did not always follow the Lord as they should. In fact, it won’t take long for this generation to disobey the Lord’s leading. This passage is not necessarily about what Israel actually did, so much as it is the standard for what they should do.
Likewise, today we understand what we should do as Christians, even if we sometimes fail to do it.
Following the Lord includes not just what to do, but also when to do it.
If we step back from Numbers for a moment, and we were to make a list of what Christians do (or at least are supposed to do), I believe we all would have very similar lists.
Love one another,
Care for the poor,
Read our Bibles,
Pray for one another,
Tell others about Jesus,
And so forth.
Here is my challenge to you today. In your prayer time this week, ask the Lord to show you when you should do these things. Also, do not be surprised if the Lord answers in the moment that you should. If you have prayed for when to tell someone about Jesus, do not be alarmed when you meet someone (seemingly) at random the Lord says, “Now. Go for it.”
Do not be surprised the answer to “When should I show love to someone?” The answer is “See this person that has been bothering you? Now.”
Or, (not) one of my personal favorites, “Wake up! It is time to pray.”
A long time ago, I ventured into the world of blog writing. It started as an assignment for a class and ended fairly soon afterward. I named the blog “Keeping Pace” because I had the realization that much of our Christian walk isn’t necessarily about the do’s and don’ts so much as it is about simply keeping pace with the Holy Spirit and His guidance. Sometimes we move too quickly in our impatience and it turns to disaster. Sometimes we move too slowly, and the Lord leaves us behind letting someone else take the opportunity to serve. Stuff needs to get done, people need tending to, and He will work through whomever is willing.
True obedience and blessings come when we move and speak when the Lord leads, and when we stay and be silent when the Lord tells us to remain still.
Perhaps you are in a season when God is telling you to get moving. If so, then get moving! Do not miss out on an opportunity for blessing and obedience because you are scared or comfortable.
Perhaps you are in a season of waiting. God wants you to simply “Be still and know [He] is God.” If so, then do that. Be still and know He is God. The time of waiting will pass. And when it does, be ready to move.
The Lord signaled to Israel when it was time to break camp with the cloud and fire. He will signal to you also. It may not be with cloud and fire, but you will know, if you are following Him.