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Good Sunday morning to you my “Walking With Jesus” friends;
Today is a very special day in our Scripture reading!
Today in Numbers 10 the huge refugee city of 2 million people, plus all their animals, finally leave Mount Sinai. “On the 20th day of the 2nd month; of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran. They set out, this first time, at the LORD’s command.” (Numbers. 10:11-13). This was a historic day…one that would be remembered for generations to come.
May I point out several very special things which occurred in the days immediately preceding their departure from Sinai?
Remember Numbers chapter 1 describes the census, which helped each person find their true IDENTITY as a Hebrew member of one of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Then in Numbers 2 everyone packed up and re-located their tents. The entire city was given a permanent city plan from God, with everyone pitching their tent among the tents of those in their particular tribe, under their tribal banner. And all 12 tribes were arranged in order, around the “Tent of Meeting”, so the cloud of God’s Presence was in the center of the refugee city. The people now had the confidence God was ‘dwelling among’ His people, as He had promised Moses, in Exodus 29:45!
In Numbers 3 & 4 we learned about the privileged role of the Levites in caring for the “Tent of Meeting”, including the dismantling, transporting and re-assembling of the “Tabernacle”, each time the cloud moved, and the people followed.
In Numbers 7 we discover that for 12 days, one of the Tribes of Israel each brought their special offering, for the dedication of the “Tent of Meeting”.
Finally in Numbers 9, God reminds the people that in His perfect timing, they have come to the one year anniversary of their flight out of Egypt. It was time to celebrate the annual Passover festival. The first time they’d done so, with their bags packed ready to run, as the ‘angel of death passed over’, and Pharaoh finally relented and urged them all to leave Egypt (Exodus 14).
Now here, at the foot of Mount Sinai, “Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover, and they did so… at twilight on the 14th day of the first month [of the second year].” (Numb. 9:4)
Please notice Numbers 9:15-23 gives us a very clear explanation that “Whenever the cloud lifted from above the “Tent”, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the LORD’s command the Israelites set out, and at His command they encamped… Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out.” May I ask us an important question here? What were these 2 million people learning, about God and their relationship with God, as they followed the cloud…especially the children?
Have you and I learned it well and have we taught our children… that God is Sovereign and always watching over His people, and will lead us according to His Sovereign plan..., if we will learn to follow Him? That’s one reason I call this daily journey with you, “Walking With Jesus”, because we remember Jesus often invited people to ‘come and follow Me’ (Mark 1:17; Luke 5:11; John 21:22). But our natural inclination is to follow our own agenda, cut our own path, pursue our own dreams. . . following God and trusting Him as He leads, requires humility, steadfastly keeping our eyes on Jesus, and confidence that He knows best! Am I right? So look back over the path of your life… how often were you in lock step with Jesus, and how often were you wandering? And what lessons have we each learned in our journey?
If you are wondering how 2 million people were organized and knew when it was time to start walking, the secret is in Numbers 10:1-10…silver trumpets, blown only by Aaron’s sons, the priests!
And finally we come to the day… the cloud rises up off the “Tent of Meeting”, for the first time, and this huge refugee city packs up, gathers their children and animals, and begins heading away from Mount Sinai. Put yourself in the crowd that exciting day. Imagine the anticipation of what was ahead, awaiting them as they followed the cloud? But also I imagine there was lots of talk about what had happened in nearly a year at Sinai.
Their encounters with God there at Sinai, and Moses explanations of what God had told him in his 8 trips up that mountain, had redefined every aspect of life for these Hebrews. They had arrived at Sinai as a rag-tag fleeing mass of slave refugees. They were leaving as a Hebrew people of God, walking as families and clans and tribes, under their banners, following the cloud of God’s Presence, confident God was with them, leading them according to His Sovereign plan.
Finally, may I point out one other thing in Numbers 10? Do you see the detail of the order of the parade? First “The divisions of the camp of Judah, under their standard…” (10:14) , then the tribe of Issachar, followed by the tribe of Zebulun. Now don’t have in your mind the Rose Bowl or Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Remember there were 74,600 men over age 20, able to fight in the tribe of Judah, and 54,400 such men in the tribe of Issachar, and 57,400 such men in the tribe of Zebulun, according to Numbers 1. Now add to that number all the women, children, and elderly. Should you perhaps triple or even quadruple the number of men, to account for them? Can you envision this huge throng of people, and all their belongings and all their animals? Oh my, what a huge migration is taking place here.
Notice Numbers 10:17 says “Then the Tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it set out.” So in addition to packing up their own belongings, the Levites dismantled the “Tent of Meeting” and were ready to move, stepping into the parade following the tribe of Zebulun, carrying the Tent on carts, (Numbers 7:1-9) which had been provided by the people and consecrated for transporting the “Tabernacle”. And these Levites and the carts carrying the “Tent of Meeting” were followed by the tribes of Reuben, Simeon and Gad, and all their belongings and animals.
Finally, notice please in Numbers 10:21 “Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. The Tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived.” Do you see something special here? The words “carrying the holy things”. These are the sacred worship objects from INSIDE the Tabernacle… and they were NOT to be put on carts, they were carried by Levites, on their shoulders, with long, gold covered poles, placed in the rings mounted on the Ark, the Altar of Incense and the Table of Shewbread, remember? Numbers 7:9 tells us that when the carts had been contributed for transport of the “Tabernacle”, “Mosses did not give any [carts[ to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible.”
If you are one of those students of the Bible who loves to dig deeper, here’s one of those opportunities. Link this with 1 Chronicles 13 and King David’s first attempt at relocating the Ark of the Covenant on a cart, and the disaster which occurred! You’ll then see in 1 Chronicles 15, David’s explanation of how to do it right… according to how it was done here, in Numbers 10, as they leave Sinai for the first time.
May I point out one final interesting thing as the people leave Sinai? Look at Numbers 10:29-34. Moses and Hobab, his brother-in-law, have quite an interesting discussion. Moses tries to convince Hobab to come with them, and be his scout! “Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the desert, you can be our eyes…” I’m troubled by that my friends, can I be honest with you?
After all Moses has experienced with God, it sounds as though he’s looking here for a human being to find the best place to camp each time they move. Is that what you see here? How could that be? What more could God have done to prove to Moses, that the safest thing for him and these 2 million people is ‘follow the cloud of God’s Presence”? And what would have happened the first time Hobab would have said, “Moses, I see the cloud is going west, but I think we should turn north, I think there’s an oasis over that way.” What would Moses have done then?
How many times have you and I done that my friends? We’re walking along with Jesus, and suddenly something or someone distracts us, and we veer off the path and before long find ourselves in the wilderness, aimless and struggling. Oh my dear friends, part of why I have asked you to walk with me, and these 2 million people, is so we learn to ‘walk with Jesus’, alert to the voices or attractions that may get us off track! I leave you today with Hebrews 12:1,2 “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…”
Click to read today’s chapter: Numbers 9. Numbers 10. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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