Lesson # 18   Numbers 9-12 

    The amazing aspect of these chapters is the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ. The deliverance from Egypt and the wilderness wanderings are foundational for all that follows. In fact, all that is covered is very current in our lives. 

Numbers 9:1-14

    This passage opens with strict instructions for keeping the Passover feast and the time of year it is to be held-on the fourteenth day of the first month of the year. Moses is asked by some people who found them selves unclean, how are they to celebrate the Passover. The Lord answers Moses with a practical solution. This time is so sacred, that anyone who finds them selves unable to participate are allowed a second chance the next month. Passover was to remain a high point in the Hebrew year to remember the Lord’s salvation from Egypt and to be ready to receive God’s salvation for the world through Jesus. Passover was to become a core worldview for the Jews.  

Numbers 9:15-23

    The obedience of the people to move when the cloud moved, is the one bright spot in a dismal story. With the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, the people had visible proof of God’s presence with them. This makes the complaining even more remarkable as it was done “in God’s face” not when his back was turned. 

Numbers 10:1-10

    God is practical and communication in such an extensive camp was problematic.  God commands silver trumpets to be made and he gives instructions for their use. The trumpets will be heard all over the camp, are more reliable than word of mouth and carry the authority of the leadership. Only the sons of Aaron were authorized to blow the trumpets with specific calls for each function. The uses for the trumpets were 1) call the people to assembly, 2) call the leaders, 3) calls to move out the camp in order, 4) to sound the alarm to prepare soldiers for battle and to ask God for success in battle, and 5) for festivals and religious events. The sounding of the trumpets before battle so the “God would remember them,” was to acknowledge their total dependence on God, not that God was likely to forget that they were there. The trumpet sound signaled every major event of their lives, a powerful image that continues throughout scripture. Is. 27:13, Mt, 29:30-31, 1 Cor.15:51. An important tradition for believers today is to have trumpets on Easter morning. This Easter when you hear the trumpets, remember it came from this point in history at God’s command. 

Numbers 11:4-35

     This section is complicated with one story and other stories embedded in it. The main story is the rejection of the manna. The other stories are the complaining rabble, Moses’ despair and the appointing of the elders, and the quail delivery.

    First the rabble or mixed company. Apparently a group of camp followers made their escape from Egypt with the Hebrews. There were probably mixed motives, but adventure and material advantage must have been high on the list. The Hebrew word for this group “asapsup” is used only this one time in the Old Testament. It means riffraff or rabble. They did not know God. They were the  source of the complaining about no meat and of looking back to Egypt. They planted discontent among the true children.

    Then Moses has had it with this group of people and says to God-did I give them birth that I should have to care for them? The implication was the God is the one that gave birth to them and it is up to him to deal with them. God is almost always pictured as a father, but here Moses uses startling imagery saying I’m not their mother-you are! Moses is desperate and asks for death right now, the burden is too heavy. God responds by anointing 70 elders to help Moses handle the spiritual load. The Spirit rested on these men and they prophesied, showing the people that they were authorized by God to fulfill this role. Already in place were men to handle disputes and matters of law. This new group was to handle the spiritual needs. We see how foundational this is as we look to the New Testament. In Acts 6:1-7 the disciples were overwhelmed with the needs of the people and appointed men to take care of the practical concerns. They were called deacons. And today in the life of the church we have elders, trustees, and deacons to share the load of the congregation. Once again we can look to these chapters to find our historical authorization for this church function.

    The story of the quail is one of judgment. Moses didn’t know how God could come up with enough meat for all the people. This was a small technical problem for God, but a huge spiritual problem for the people. 

    The story of the rejection of the manna is a story of catastrophe. To reject “the bread sent from heaven,” was to reject God himself. This was not about missing a meal to get an attitude adjustment, but about core unbelief and judgment. To begin to understand the historical significance of this, we look to Jesus and his description of this very event. John 6:30-35. We find Jesus saying, “I am the bread of life.” I marvel at the tight writing, the cohesiveness of scripture. In Deut. 8:3, these words spoken to Israel were repeated by Jesus when he rebuked Satan. The temptation to turn bread into stone is powerfully contemptuous when Satan is talking to Jesus-the bread sent from heaven provided by the Father. The Satanic context is that Jesus should act outside of God’s domain, that he Jesus should provide bread for himself and lose the dependent relationship that he had with the Father. This temptation is not about hunger alone, but it is about lordship.

    Jesus not only is the manna, the bread sent from heaven, but in John 6:47-59, he goes on to explain the Eucharist. In the gospel of John one theme is that Jesus is the Word made flesh. Jesus says I am the bread of life, eat me and live, eat my flesh. He is on his way to becoming the Passover lamb. These are confusing scriptures probably due to my limits in understanding. For me there is great mystery surrounding the Eucharist. When John chose a Greek word for eat as in eat my flesh, he chose a word that could not be fuzzed up or spiritualized away. It is a word that means munch or chew, as in how an animal eats noisily. This taking in of Jesus, feeding on Jesus brings us life. What a contrast to the complainers that died while the meat was still between their teeth.

    God offered his best when he provided manna in the wilderness. He offered His best and only Son for us. There is no other provision for salvation and eternal life.  We have experienced the new Passover. We are the new Exodus. Jesus is our leader and provider  and we by faith will succeed to the Promised Land.