What edification can there be in lists, numbers and names? God allowed the book of Numbers to be in His book so He obviously thinks there is some to be found. Let’s see if we can find it as we go through the first 9 chapters of Numbers this week.
Numbers 1: A Census of Israel's Warriors
1 The LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
2 "Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head.
3 From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company.
4 And there shall be with you a man from each tribe, each man being the head of the house of his fathers.
5 And these are the names of the men who shall assist you. From Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;
6 from Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;
7 from Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab;
8 from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;
9 from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;
10 from the sons of Joseph, from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;
11 from Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;
12 from Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;
13 from Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran;
14 from Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel;
15 from Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan."
16 These were the ones chosen from the congregation, the chiefs of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.
17 Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named,
18 and on the first day of the second month, they assembled the whole congregation together, who registered themselves by clans, by fathers' houses, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upward, head by head,
19 as the LORD commanded Moses. So he listed them in the wilderness of Sinai.
20 The people of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:
21 those listed of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
22 Of the people of Simeon, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, those of them who were listed, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:
23 those listed of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.
24 Of the people of Gad, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:
25 those listed of the tribe of Gad were 45,650.
26 Of the people of Judah, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
27 those listed of the tribe of Judah were 74,600.
28 Of the people of Issachar, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
29 those listed of the tribe of Issachar were 54,400.
30 Of the people of Zebulun, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
31 those listed of the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.
32 Of the people of Joseph, namely, of the people of Ephraim, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
33 those listed of the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.
34 Of the people of Manasseh, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
35 those listed of the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.
36 Of the people of Benjamin, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
37 those listed of the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.
38 Of the people of Dan, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
39 those listed of the tribe of Dan were 62,700.
40 Of the people of Asher, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
41 those listed of the tribe of Asher were 41,500.
42 Of the people of Naphtali, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
43 those listed of the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.
44 These are those who were listed, whom Moses and Aaron listed with the help of the chiefs of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers' house.
45 So all those listed of the people of Israel, by their fathers' houses, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel---
46 all those listed were 603,550.
Levites Exempted
47 But the Levites were not listed along with them by their ancestral tribe.
48 For the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
49 "Only the tribe of Levi you shall not list, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel.
50 But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle.
51 When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.
52 The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp and each man by his own standard.
53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony."
54 Thus did the people of Israel; they did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.
Numbers 2: Arrangement of the Camp
1 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
2 "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.
3 Those to camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the chief of the people of Judah being Nahshon the son of Amminadab,
4 his company as listed being 74,600.
5 Those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, the chief of the people of Issachar being Nethanel the son of Zuar,
6 his company as listed being 54,400.
7 Then the tribe of Zebulun, the chief of the people of Zebulun being Eliab the son of Helon,
8 his company as listed being 57,400.
9 All those listed of the camp of Judah, by their companies, were 186,400. They shall set out first on the march.
10 "On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their companies, the chief of the people of Reuben being Elizur the son of Shedeur,
11 his company as listed being 46,500.
12 And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon, the chief of the people of Simeon being Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai,
13 his company as listed being 59,300.
14 Then the tribe of Gad, the chief of the people of Gad being Eliasaph the son of Reuel,
15 his company as listed being 45,650.
16 All those listed of the camp of Reuben, by their companies, were 151,450. They shall set out second.
17 "Then the tent of meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they camp, so shall they set out, each in position, standard by standard.
18 "On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim by their companies, the chief of the people of Ephraim being Elishama the son of Ammihud,
19 his company as listed being 40,500.
20 And next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh, the chief of the people of Manasseh being Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur,
21 his company as listed being 32,200.
22 Then the tribe of Benjamin, the chief of the people of Benjamin being Abidan the son of Gideoni,
23 his company as listed being 35,400.
24 All those listed of the camp of Ephraim, by their companies, were 108,100. They shall set out third on the march.
25 "On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan by their companies, the chief of the people of Dan being Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai,
26 his company as listed being 62,700.
27 And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, the chief of the people of Asher being Pagiel the son of Ochran,
28 his company as listed being 41,500.
29 Then the tribe of Naphtali, the chief of the people of Naphtali being Ahira the son of Enan,
30 his company as listed being 53,400.
31 All those listed of the camp of Dan were 157,600. They shall set out last, standard by standard."
32 These are the people of Israel as listed by their fathers' houses. All those listed in the camps by their companies were 603,550.
33 But the Levites were not listed among the people of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses.
34 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.
Things to think about…
1. We often see in the scriptures there is a rebuke when people count Israel and take a census. David’s census caused him to have the choice of one of three punishments in 2Sam 24. But here in Num 1:-3 God commands Moses to number every male twenty years old and up. What’s the point? One significant blessing is that we know the rough size of Israel at the time and as a result come to some understanding of how God worked throughout all the miracles in delivering these people out of Egypt. We are told in Num 2:32 that 603, 550 men were in that number. We would assume the same number of women and likely three or so more times this number in children. As a result, we can estimate around 3-4 Million people left Egypt in the exodus.
2. In Num 1:5-15 the heads of the twelve tribes are named. It was their job to number all the fighting men 20 years old and up who are in there tribe. Judah has the largest number – 74, 600. Judah would of course lead and be the tribe from which the Messiah would come.
3. The tribe of Levi is not included in the twelve counted to fight because they had to maintain the tabernacle – to set it up and pull it down, Num 1:47-54. Levi is included in other counts of the twelve tribes as in Rev 7, the tribes of Joseph are listed as one – generally as Manasseh. The name Ephraim is often used in the scriptures to refer to Israel as a whole.
4. There was always an order when Israel moved and when they camped. Three tribes went together. Hence four groups of three tribes would march and also camp together. The Levites who marched and camped with the ‘Tent of Meeting’ were always in the middle. A good representation of how Israel camped and marched is found here http://davidanthonyporter.typepad.com/.a/6a00e55043abd0883401310f2f12c2970c-popup
5. In all of this we see that the Lord was and is a God of order. We are told in 1Cor 14:40 to do everything decently and in order. Our lives must be well ordered in a spiritual sense. Listening to the Spirit must always go hand in hand with applying God’s word. Anything else is just a personal bias or opinion. We all have one of those and unfortunately without the Holy Spirit it is directed by by our native sin. As such we should always be led by the Spirit and order ou lives according to His leading. This is what the book of Numbers is all about.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon:-“Are you a good tenant” – Mark 11
a. Discuss Sunday’s sermon and your understanding of what the parable of the tenants meant for the leaders of Israel. Why were they angry?
b. We are all accountable for what talents the Lord has blessed us with. What are your talents and how are you using them?
c. As members in the body of Christ, we all have different gifts, 1Cor 12-14. How do we promote the use of these gifts under the banner of Christ’s love 1Cor 13.
d. Pray for our witness with our friends, workmates, family and neighbours who are outside of Christ.
Prayer Points
1. That those who are new to the church are encouraged and settle in well into the church.
2. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you saved..
3. Pray for Kids@church and our Youth group.
4. Pray for Chuwar Youth and Jarrod’s ministry. Pray as he meets with youth at Westside, this week as well as the growing young adults ministry.
5. How you can serve in ministry this year.
6. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. More visitors on Sunday – Pray this continues and they get involved in the life of the church.
2. Young adults ministry is growing – keep praying as Jarrod develops this ministry.
3. Kids@Church and Youth ministries are a great blessing. Pray for Rosie and Jarrod as they start out for term 2.
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Mother’s Day High Tea. Sat 10am Church. Speaker and pampering, 13th May RSVP Suzanne 1/5/2023. Ph:- 0418 889 683.
2. Church information session 28th May after the morning service.
3. Remember to check your duty rosters for term 2.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for May...
Q. 8. Who are they? A. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Bible References – Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; Jude 20-21.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
