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Posted on Oct 26, 2008 in Rivers of Living Water

Gleanings from Numbers

Num 9:2 Let the children of Israel keep the passover at its appointed time.
3
On the fourteenth day of this month at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances you shall keep it.

Since the Hebrew months were lunar, beginning with the new moon, the Passover on the fourteenth day is held at the full moon of the first month (this is confirmed by the Wikipedia article). I haven’t thought through the significance of this, but I want to note it.

  • Num 9:17-18 And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tent, then after that the children of Israel set out; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel encamped. 18 At the commandment of Jehovah the children of Israel set out, and at the commandment of Jehovah they encamped; as long as the cloud settled upon the tabernacle, they remained encamped.

    Num 10:1-3,5-10 Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Make yourself two trumpets of silver; of beaten work you shall make them; and you shall use them for summoning the assembly and for the setting out of the camps. 3 And when they blow them, all the assembly shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 5 And when you blow an alarm, the camps that are encamped on the east side shall set out. 6 And when you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are encamped on the south side shall set out. They shall blow an alarm for them to set out. 7 But when the congregation is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but you shall not sound an alarm. 8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout your generations. 9 And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, so that you may be remembered before Jehovah your God and be saved from your enemies. 10 Also on your days of rejoicing and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a reminder on your behalf before your God; I am Jehovah your God.

    From Num 9:17-18, we see that the move of the Body is based on Jehovah’s moving. On the other hand, in 10:1-10, we see that men must blow the trumpet to echo Jehovah’s moving so that all the members in the Body might move. Although Jehovah was the one who was leading His people out to move, and the one calling them to war, and the one assembling them to feat unto Him, His initiation had to be recognized by the priests and they had to blow the trumpet for the people to follow. Based on this seeing, the matter of one publication in the ministry of the Lord’s recovery can rightly be seen as the blowing of the trumpet to echo God’s present move and to signal to God’s people to follow God in His moving in one accord.

  • Num 10:2 Make yourself two trumpets of silver; of beaten work you shall make them; and you shall use them for summoning the assembly and for the setting out of the camps.

    I had wondered where the idea of trumpets of silver comes from. Well, here it is.

  • Num 16:23-27, 32-33 Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 24 Speak to the assembly, saying, Get away from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 25 Then Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he spoke to the assembly, saying, Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing which belongs to them, or you will be swept away with all their sins. 27 So they got away from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the entrance of their tents, with their wives and their children and their little ones. 32 So the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with their households and everyone who belonged to Korah and all their possessions. 33 So they and all that belonged to them descended alive into Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the congregation.

    These verses seem to say that God destroyed the rebels’ families, even their little children, because they stood with their fathers. Because of our sympathy for natural human relationships, this might seem unfair to us. But Num 26 tells us:

    Num 26:10-11 And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire consumed two hundred fifty men; and they became a sign. 11 But the sons of Korah did not die.

    We understand from these two verses that when Moses called for the congregation to separate from Korah, Dathan and Abiram, that the sons of Korah did not stand with their rebellious father. Thus, they were spared. And, thus, they eventually produced Samuel and many notable psalmists.

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