Tag: chapter 10

Numbers | Chapter 10

Post author By Ben Fust
Post date April 29, 2020

Finally, the Israelites are ready to head out, leaving Sinai with the presence of YHWH Himself leading the way. First, a matter of organization. This is a large camp, remember, so the odds of being able to direct folks easily by just shouting about the place seem pretty low. So, a couple of trumpets are commissioned.

There are a number of different reasons the trumpets will be used. When all people are to gather at the Tent of Meeting, the two trumpets are blown together using a long blast. When just the leaders of the camp are needed for the gathering, only one trumpet is used. They are also used when it’s time to head out following the cloud. When an “alarm” is blown (likely a short blast), the camps on the east side know it’s time to head out. When another alarm follows, the south side heads out (and so on, in the order dictated in chapter 2). In this very regimented and orderly evacuation of Sinai, we are perhaps reminded of the disorderly and outright disobedient conduct that occurred when they first arrived here and Moses tarried on the mountain while meeting with YHWH. God’s laws, calls to holiness, and blessing are sandwiched in between scenes of idol-making calf worship and a regimented, obedient army.

Speaking of which, they are also to blast the trumpets when they head into battle once they received the promised land “…so that you may be remembered by YHWH your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.” Trumpets are associated with not only calls to worship but to pronouncements of battle. In that light, we shouldn’t take this instruction to mean that YHWH will not literally remember His people if they don’t blast a trumpet, but instead that this blowing of this trumpet is a declaration of asking for God to be with them as they battle, an invitation for Him to respond. And the promise is that He will. Finally, at the feasts, the parties, the gatherings, the peace and sacrifice offerings and any other times of gladness, it’s good to go ahead and fire up the trumpets. The reasons aren’t really different here than the aspects of calls to gather and calls to battle. Ultimately they remind God’s people of His presence and the need for his being active and among them in that moment. And God agrees that it will do that very thing as He affirms that He is indeed their God.

Then it begins. It’s the 20th day of the second month of the second year (I assume so everyone who missed the Passover had time to make it up given the provisions of the previous chapter). The cloud moves, and the people head out. Again, the order is predetermined and they follow it. This section lacks some clarity on where the Kohathites travel as they are expected to go after the second group of tribes but we are also told the Ark of the Covenant travels ahead of the camp. The most reasonable resolution is that some of the Kohathites take the Ark ahead of everyone and the rest of them travel where they are expected to.

Moses asks Hobab, (who may be his brother in law but may also be a name for Jethro, his father in law), to go with them on this journey to help them find good places to camp. This is confusing. Isn’t YHWH leading this operation? Why would you ask your brother in law to find good places to stop when you’re supposed to be following the cloud and fire until it stops moving? Moses’ underlying motivation is unclear and the reaction of Hobab is also unclear. His response is first to say that he intends to go home and then Moses makes sure that he is aware that he will receive the same blessings as Israel receives if he comes along. Ambiguously, Hobab’s response is not recorded here. Judges 1 says that some descendants of Hobab help the tribe of Judah in the conquest of some of the land, but that’s another 40+ years out from this event so it’s not clear that their presence in that story is to be read as Hobab actually staying here (and to the extent that the text doesn’t make it clear I’m not sure it particularly matters).

Digression over, we’re back to leaving. The cloud goes, but it says that the ark goes in front of the people by 3 days but that the people follow the cloud. It’s not quite clear what is happening here. The best option seems to be the cloud moves, the Kohathites with the ark follow, they are ahead by 3 days and the people follow (of which it is unclear whether the cloud is also with the people or just with the ark, or both). Moses ends the chapter with a prayer, a call to YHWH to scatter their enemies that are in front of them and to return His presence among them when they stop. Sometimes we feel weird praying things like this, as if we’re bossing God around. Moses doesn’t seem to have an issue with it and we shouldn’t either. It’s good for us to pray that God keep His promises, it is an affirmation of faith in His character and request that we might see His hand as He does them.

Tags numbers, chapter 10, old testament, torah

Bible Study Leviticus

Leviticus | Chapter 10

Post author By Ben Fust
Post date May 6, 2020

Throughout Leviticus so far, and certainly prior to that in the back half of Exodus in the instructions on how the tabernacle was to be built. we’ve seen Yahweh be very specific about how His people were to interact with Him in worship. He cares where they do it, how they do it, who is doing it, what they are wearing, their purity, the purity of the altars, the process, etc. The point is, it is understandable that His people would not immediately know how to properly interact with a holy God so God has made it very clear to them how it is to be done. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it doesn’t take long for those instructions to be subverted, and the consequences are severe.

The chapter continues on what is the very first day of Aaron being the official high priest having just completed the week long sanctification and sacrificing process. Two of his sons, Nadab and Abihu, who have also gone the ordination process, each pick up a censer, put fire in it, then add incense. At a brief glance, these actions are not completely foreign, as ordained priests we should assume they had the right to offer incense. But the narrative takes a drastic turn, for what they are offering is “unauthorized” or “strange” fire.

What does that mean exactly, strange fire? There are a few options. Incense was made by mixing spices together and the vaporizing them by putting them in a censer containing glowing lumps of coal. It’s possible that strange fire is a description of any one of those items coming from unclean sources (coals that come from somewhere from the altar, a mix of spices that wasn’t allowed, wrong time of day for the daily incense offering, etc.) However, the core of the issue is that it was a fire which God had not commanded them. It has been very clear that that God’s priests are to obey the law promptly and exactly. Certainly, Aaron’s sons know better than to freelance. And yet, here they are.

God’s reaction is swift and fierce. Fire comes from the Lord, in much the same way as it did to consume what had been offered to him in the previous chapter, and the two fellas die in the judgment of God. Moses quickly declares what was at stake, a basic summary being that the closer a man is to God, the more attention he must pay to the holiness of God. This principle is not restricted to just the priests, we find it similarly occurring to God’s people as a whole. As God’s chosen people, similarly to God’s chosen personal servants, there is a higher expectation upon them as mediators and representatives. In the book of Amos, the nations that surround Israel are condemned for all of the heinous things that they have done to people and other nations. Israel and Judah, however, are also condemned but not for those same things but simply for not keeping the Law of God (which from a human perspective we can recognize may not always have the same worldly consequences but are of the utmost consequence in their right relationship with God).

Broadly, how we feel about this instant judgment upon these two fellas tends to reveal our understanding/reverence of the holiness of God. If we believe it is a passive thing or casual thing, the judgment seems harsh. But if we recognize what a holy thing God’s worship is, the punishment is not offensive at all.

Aaron, certainly upset but also understanding what has just occurred, holds his peace. Moses has what remains of Nadab and Abihu buried outside the tabernacle area. He also instructs Aaron and his remaining two sons that they may not do some of the standard mourning actions in response to their death (letting down hair, tearing clothes, etc.) We should probably see this as an instruction to act with consistency of God’s perspective as this was a just response to the actions of the Nadab and Abihu. However, the rest of the people can “bewail” or mourn/remember them, lest they forget the situation and bring risk upon themselves in the future.

Then the Lord speaks to Aaron directly, the only time this will happen in Leviticus (most of the time Moses is acting as an intermediary). God instructs Aaron that they should not be drinking any booze when they enter the tent of meeting (makes sense, ya’ll shouldn’t be drinking before you head to work either). Reasonably, we might ask why this is coming up now. It’s possible alcohol might have contributed to the actions of the two boys of Aaron, recently deceased. It’s also possible that God is heading off actions Aaron and his remaining sons might take in reaction to the death of the fellas, drinking to cheer themselves up. Whether it’s one of these of another reason, God’s warning is a reminder that they are serving in a high calling and must lead in these areas. They are to distinguish between what is holy and common, clean and unclean. As teachers, they must first be faithful followers. (This word from God was certainly good news for Aaron, who is being assured by direct contact from God that he is to remain in the office of high priest doing the work of the Lord, despite the actions of his sons).

Then Moses reminds them that the work must continue and that there are sacrifices still available that they are to eat. Specifically, the goat that was to be offered in the purification offering (chapter 9) had portions that were to be eaten by the priests as long as the blood of the sacrifice wasn’t brought into the tent of meeting. It wasn’t, so they should have eaten it. in a day where lack of following the guidelines has already been disastrous, Moses is incensed.

Aaron basically explains that, based upon what has happened already today, he didn’t want to take any chances and get this wrong. He and his remaining sons had been eye witnesses to making a mistake with the holy things, so they were going to take what they considered the safest option and not risk unintentionally eating something that belonged to the Lord alone. Both of these thoughts are reasonable, really. This is their first day, after all, seems like a sizable risk to maybe get the distinctions wrong. Further, the consequences were significant, they would rather be overly cautious.

This explanation is sufficient for Moses, who was likely glad to hear Aaron and the boys are looking at God’s worship with the right sense of reverence.

Tags chapter 10, old testament, torah, Leviticus

Bible Study Hebrews

Hebrews | Chapter 10

Post author By Ben Fust
Post date February 3, 2020

The case continues (but it will finally come to a firm point in chapter 10). Again, the law wasn’t ever the final deal, it was a hint, a shadow of what was to come. Part of the evidence of this the need to continually do things, remembering their sins as the need for the sacrifice. Basically, the nature of the sacrifice falls short of total elimination as the very root of it necessitates remembering the sin so that it could be sacrificed for.

So, of course, Jesus does this better. He sacrifices once and for all, doing away with the old because the new has come (what it was pointing to arrived, there is no longer a need for the road map once you’ve reached the destiny.) Through the entire argument that has been made over the last few chapters, for heaven’s sake do not miss the broad point: “And by that will we have been sanctified (made holy, pure) through the offering of the body of Jesus ONCE FOR ALL.” The argument that has been happening is to make sure there is nothing that is distracting from this point. Instead of the law being a stumbling block for the Hebrews, it provides the right context to ultimately understand what Jesus has done. He is the greater sacrifice, the permanent solution, the greater law, the ultimate answer. The Hebrew writer weeds through all of this stuff to make way for the good news, and we’ve come to it.

The thought continues in v.11, reiterating that Jesus has done the thing once and for all in fulfillment of Psalm 110 (which he quotes again in v. 16). Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is no longer any offering for sin. In fact, that’s what follows in v.19. Because of all we now should know concerning who Jesus is and what he has done, we should have confidence to draw near to God. (You have that? It seems tough, right, to balance the thought of drawing near in confidence with entering in relationship with a Holy God? But that’s us. Perhaps we don’t fully grasp what Jesus has done where we are hesitant to draw near in confidence.)

In case we’re struggling with that, it is even clearer in description. We draw near “full of assurance”, hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and bodies washed with pure water. Often we’re not feeling it, but it’s the truth. It’s weird to think that, seasoned Jesus’ folk you might be, we may still very well not fully believe Jesus accomplished what he did when we cannot draw near in confidence. Get in on it because He who promised is faithful.

What is the outpouring of all that? Encourage, “stir up” one another to love the way Jesus loves and do the good work he set out for us. Also, get together, and you know what? Encourage each even more.
Well crap, another quarrelsome passage (similar issue we ran into in chapter 6). Don’t overdue it, it sits in the context of Hebrews (which assumes we needed the sacrifice for sins) and the rest of Scripture (which seems to acknowledge that we are not perfect, no not one.) That said, it puts our service of sin into stark contrast and reloads what we may be tempted to diminish, which is God’s hatred of sin and the impact of it on our ultimate relationship with Jesus. If we know what we know about Jesus and what he has done and basically spit in his face, you’ve basically opted out of the Kingdom (outside of which there is no sacrifice for sins).

We’ve talked about this before but the long and short of it is that you can’t act like you live in Jesus’ Kingdom and then completely ignore how the King commands that folks in His Kingdom behave. This section of Hebrews is representing someone who moves into Jesus’ Kingdom, expects all the rights of a citizen, and then basically tries to Vatican City himself on the grounds by setting up his own sovereignty and space in Jesus’ Kingdom. That’s deliberate and consistent disobedience. You may not think you’re doing that, but if Jesus says you need to stop doing things and you flat out refuse, that’s what you’re up to. Now, this isn’t representing a point of no return, but it is putting it plainly that you can’t just do whatever you freakin’ want when you claim to be in submission to Jesus.

Now we return to evidences of faith (assurances, really). Their hearts aren’t oriented to deliberate disobedience, they’ve endured struggles for Jesus, been publicly mistreated, had compassion on those they were supposed to that no one else did, accepted with joy as folks stole from them in retaliation, since they had the right perspective in the long run. As such, stay confident, keep the faith, and receive what is promised.