Numbers

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Powerpoint for this teaching here.
Page created October 3, 2003. Updated November 29, 2003

"Jesus Christ our Lifted Up One"

Evidence of Moses' authorship of Numbers is similar to the other books of the Torah - Pentateuch. In Numbers there are eighty references to the Lord speaking to Moses. Moses kept detailed, eyewitness records of the events in this book (Numbers 33:2). He was the best qualified to write these book of anyone, and many stories found here could only have been written by him, detailing his conversations with the Lord, etc.

Some have claimed that the third person references to Moses (Numbers 8:23; 14:36; 15:1, 22) point to a different author. While unusual to a Western mind, ancient writers commonly used the third person, and it is consistently used throughout the Pentateuch (Exodus 24:1; Leviticus 6:1; Deuteronomy 5:1). Some use Numbers 12:3 as an argument to question either Moses' authorship or his true humility. This snide argument forgets the fact that Joshua finished up small parts of the Torah himself (Deuteronomy 34) and possibly placed this note in the text after Moses' death.

Location & Date:

After spending a year camping from Egypt to Mount Sinai (Exodus 12 - Numbers 10:11) Israel will spend 39 years in the Wilderness in the book of Numbers (1461 - 1422 BC). Of that, they wandered 38 years, 10 months because of disobedience.

• From Sinai to Kadesh-barnea. (Numbers 10:11 - 12:16)
• From Kadesh wandering back to Kadesh. (Numbers 13-20)
• From Kadesh to the border of Promised Land. (Numbers 20-36)

Key Message / Verse: Numbers 14:29-31

BEWARE OF UNBELIEF! IT HINDERS BLESSING (Galatians 3:1; 5:7; Hebrews 3:17-19).

A Handbook for Pilgrims - Numbers is the Pilgrim's Progress of the Old Testament, a road map for the wilderness of this world (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 11:13; 1 Peter 2:11). Numbers is a book of change and transition. Numbers in Hebrew is called Bemidbar (found in Numbers 1:1) , meaning "In the Wilderness" (Numbers 33:1-49). The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament)calls this book Arithmoi, meaning "Arithmetic" (Numbers 1-4 & 26). Numbers is sometimes called the "Book of the March and Roll Call" (Numbers 33:1-2) or the "Book of Murmurings" because it is filled with rebellion (Psalm 95:10).


FORWARD MARCH! The book of Numbers takes the children of Israel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea. There the attitudes of unbelief were lived out in outright disobedience (Numbers 14). "So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief" (Hebrews 3:19). After the spiritual debacle at Kadesh-barnea, the Israelites wandered in the desert until that entire generation died in the wilderness (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb). "A saga of suffering, a trek of tragedy, a story of straying" - J. Vernon McGee

Henrietta Mears and Henry Blackaby: Learn the lesson of God's second best. He offers the perfect way. If we refuse it, it is gone forever. But God is kind to us and is God of the second chance, and third, seventy-times seven. But the perfect is gone.


Types of Jesus Christ in Numbers:

• Jesus our Holy, Set apart One: Nazirite Vow (Numbers 6:1-21).
• No strong drink (v. 3), His joy is to be in the Lord.
• Not to shave head (v. 5), He is to bear shame (1 Corinthians 11:4)
• Not to touch a dead body (v. 7), He is to forsake father and mother.
• Triune Blessing on such a person (v. 22-27)
• Jesus our Great High Priest/Intercessor: Aaron the High Priest stood between the living and the dead waving the censer (symbol of intercession) to stop the plague (Numbers 16:48).
• Jesus our Resurrection: Budding of Aaron's Staff (Numbers 17:8).
• Jesus our Rock: He is to be only struck once to provide living water for us (Numbers 20:8-13; 1 Corinthians 10:4).
• Jesus our Lifted Up One: Bronze Serpent (Numbers 21:6-9), who became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21)and was lifted up (John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32) on a pole (Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13; Genesis 3:17). All of us have felt the serpent's sting of sin (Genesis 3:17), but if we will only look up to the one who took on sin for our sake, we will live (John 3:14-15).

Outline:

A Short Outline:

Numbers 1-10 God's Legislation

Numbers 11-20 Israel Failure

Numbers 21-36 Israel's Return & Victory

1- NUMBERS 1-10 PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY

• Numbering (Numbers 1): "Let everything be done ... in order"


• Organizing (Numbers 2-4): "Everyone must know and operate in his/her God-appointed place and service"


• Assigning Duties (Numbers 5-10): "Our God is a consuming fire"
• Restitution/Jealousy Offering, Numbers 5
• Nazirite Vow Numbers 6
• Gifts of Tribal leaders, Numbers 7
• Light and Laver, Numbers 8 (Light and Cleansing of the Word)
• Passover & The Cloud, Numbers 9
• Forward March! Numbers 10

2- NUMBERS 11-25 FAILING CRITICALLY THROUGH UNBELIEF

• Complaining (Numbers 11-12)

Grumbling is the easiest thing in the world to learn. "No talent, no self-denial, no brains, no character is required to set up the grumbling business."

• Rebelling (Numbers 13-15)

"Rebellion is an infection which delays progress" - eg., Miriam

See 13-14: Great Breach of the Covenant, Place of Decision

  "So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief" Hebrews 3:17-19

• Wandering (Numbers 16-21)

Silent years - Numbers 33:19-37

• Rebellion of Korah - Numbers 16
• Did not circumcise children - Joshua 5:5-6;
• did not offer sacrifices to God - Jeremiah 7:22; Amos 5:25-26
• worshiped idols - Acts 7:42-43


• Womanizing (Numbers 22-25)
• Way of Balaam - Covetousness Numbers 22 (2 Peter 2:15-16)
• Error of Balaam - Ignorance Numbers 23 (Romans 8:31-34)
• Doctrine of Balaam - Fornication/ Idolatry Numbers 24-25

3- NUMBERS 26-36 PREPARING A NEW GENERATION (Return to Favor and Final Victory)

• Numbering a New Generation (Numbers 26)

Less than First Census (compare Numbers 1:46 with 26:7)

• Organizing & Training a New Generation (Numbers 27-31) Numbers 30:2; 31:3-4, 27
• Woman's Place Under the Law, Numbers 27
• Law of Offerings, Numbers 28-29
• Law of Vows, Numbers 31
• Judgement of Midian (Midian is a type of the world from which Christians are called to be separated - Numbers 31; Galatians 6:14; 1 John 2:15-17)



• Assigning the Land to a New Generation (Numbers 32-36) Numbers 33:51-56; 34:16; 35:33-34
• Reuben, Gad ask for land East of Jordan, Numbers 32. Jordan is a type of death and resurrection of Jesus.
• Log of Journeys, Numbers 33
• Borders of Promised Land, Numbers 34
• Cities of Refuge given to Levites, Numbers 35
• Law of Land Inheritance, Numbers 36. Land to remain in tribe and family.

Some New Testament Connections

Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 3:19; 11:13; 1 Peter 2:11; John 17: 14-16


HEBREW DATELINES
April 14, 1461 BC -     Passover held at Sinai (Numbers 9:5)
May 1, 1461 BC -         Prepare to Leave Sinai (Numbers 1-2; Ex 33;
May 14, 1461 BC -     Passover held a Second time before departing. (Numbers 9:11)

Friday May 20 - June 29 or August 20, 1461 BC - From Sinai to Kadesh Barnea
    (Numbers 10:11-28, 12, 29-32; Exodus 40:36-38; Numbers 9:15-23)
•    May 22/23, 1461 BC - Fire at Taberah (Numbers 10:33-36; 11:1-12:15)
•    July - August 1461 BC -     From Hazeroth to Kadesh-Barnea (Numbers 33:18-36; 12:16; Deuteronomy 1:19-20)
•   
June 29 or August 20, 1461 - April 14, 1422 BC - From Kadesh Barnea to the Crossing of the Jordan
•    June 20 or August 20, 1461 BC - Spies Sent Out (Numbers 13:1-24; Deuteronomy 1:21-24)
•    August 8 or September 30, 1461 BC - Spies Return (Numbers 13:25-14:24; Deuteronomy 1:25-33)
•    August 9 or October 1, 1461 BC - Generation Cursed to Die in Wilderness (Numbers 14:25-38; Deuteronomy 1:34-40)
•    October 1461 BC - Defeat at Hormah (Numbers 14:39-44; Deuteronomy 1:45-46; Psalm 90; Numbers 15)
•    December 1461 BC - Korah's Rebellion & Budding of Aaron's Rod (Numbers 16:1-19:22)

—                                  —               FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS               —                                 —   

•    January 14 - April 14, 1423 BC - On the Plains of Moab (Balaam (Numbers 22-25) during this period)
•    April 10, 1423 BC - Miriam Dies (Numbers 20:1)
•    August 1, 1423 BC - Aaron Dies (Numbers 20:28) (Mourned for Aaron for a month)
•    September 1423 BC - Victory at Hormah, over Og & Sihon, Brass Serpent (Numbers 33:40; 21:1-3; Deuteronomy 2:1-12; Numbers 21:4; Numbers 33:41-42; 21:5-11; Numbers 33:34-44; Numbers 21:12-15; Deuteronomy 2:13-18; Numbers 33:45; Numbers 21:16; Numbers 33:46-47; Numbers 21:17-32; Deuteronomy 2:19-3:11; Numbers 21:33-35)


Sources: J. Vernon McGee, Briefing the Bible; Henrietta Mears, What the Bible is All About; The Reese Chronological Bible; Larry Richards, The Bible Readers Companion