…when a man or woman commits any of these sins…

Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the LORD, and that person realizes his guilt, he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong.

Numbers 5:6-7

 

God’s views on sin are described here. We see how He defines it, and how we should deal with it as a society. I think these two things are still important for us today. Mankind generally acts sinfully in all categories. It is ingrained in our actions and attitudes and embedded in all our achievements. And this state of affairs does not end until God wraps up human history into the eternal worship of Himself. Until that day, we will deal with sin and its consequences in and among us.

 

The way God deals with the nature of sin is important. It is clear from this context that the type of sin being explained involves personal injury or property loss between two human parties. But God makes it clear that all sin is committed against Him first and foremost. He describes it as “breaking faith with the LORD”. So all sin… any sin… every sin is an affront against God first. Our need to confess sin starts with God. And it often does not end there.

 

The extent to which we expand the circle of confession grows as we deal with any people we have sinned against. In cases of property or injury, God was clear in the Law: full restitution of the value of the loss plus an additional 20%. That was the standard. This was not excessive and it wasn’t solely punitive. It was meant to restore and to atone. And God wisely saw that human relationships may need such material resolution in order to see complete reconciliation and forgiveness take place.

 

I see this as more than a principle to use in counseling. It is a maxim for my own life and dealings with people. I will sin against people… probably will do so even today. And I need to seek confession, restitution beyond the value of the loss, and true reconciliation under God’s clear principles.

 

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Manly worship.

According to the commandment of the LORD through Moses they were listed, each one with his task of serving or carrying. Thus they were listed by him, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Numbers 4:49

 

This unique census of the three major clans of families among the Levites was meant to establish roles and responsibilities for those who would minister to Israel’s camp at the tabernacle. These were men who would work hard in the worship of the Lord and in obedience to His commands. Over 8500 of them were recruited from this census to assist in the daily activities of sacrifice and worship.

 

The text breaks down their duties into two main divisions of their ministry: serving or carrying. Serving meant just that. They assisted the priests in the physical tasks at the sacrificial altar. They made sure all the needed implements and essentials of the worship of God were available at the tabernacle. They were also charged with the proper “set-up” and “tear-down” of the tabernacle during those times when the camp of Israel was on the move. Both of these main tasks required muscle, co-ordination, and willing service. I imagine some burly guys who could get their hands dirty without crying about it.

 

Really, worship is not glamorous. We have turned it into a light show with artists and rock stars. But the Kohathites show us something better. Worship is sometimes simply about getting a job done for the glory of God. It requires hard work, sweat, and the biggest need at the moment is a task that requires a sacrifice of time and effort. Every church needs Kohathites! The ministry of the gospel is carried by those willing to serve unseen and to be rewarded by the motivation that God is pleased with their hard work.

 

A life of worship will realize that worship has very little to do with singing on a Sunday, taking notes during a sermon, or clapping or raising hands in an emotional chorus with the congregation. These may be good as part of the bigger picture of worship. But worship is different. It is about a life that will carry what God says to pick up and carry and that will serve where God says He wants us to serve. Worship is obedient work for the glory of God.

 

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Worship as a national pastime

Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle.

Numbers 3:6-7

 

Under a theocracy, worship was a different experience. Numbers shows us this. There were two main duties for the Levites as detailed in this section of the Book of Numbers. They were first charged with guarding the tabernacle and its immediate perimeter from intruders. no “unauthorized personnel”  were allowed in places reserved for the priests and the Levites. Their second major duty was to transport the tabernacle and its furnishings whenever the camp of Israel moved in the wilderness.

 

God entrusts His worship and honor into the hands of these men. They were considered His possessions. They were the “firstborn” redeemed from among the nation to God’s service under Old Testament Law. In fact, the rest of chapter three details the census of Levite clans, as well as a general tallying up of all the males in Israel who were the firstborn in their families. A special tax was then raised from this group that helped pay the expenses necessary for the Levites to labor exclusively in the service of the Lord in His tabernacle. There were more firstborn males than total Levite males and this was offset by this unique “redemption” tax. It honored God whether it was a life of service or a financial gift of service.

 

I am at a loss for any direct application discussion for this text. The ministry piece is always a springboard, but I’ll steer clear of it for now. God wants people in His service today, but certainly not in the mandatory way these Levites served. Redemption is a concept in play here, but the New Testament concept of salvific redemption should not be read into this text. And I cannot see a direct tie to giving either, since this special assessment was really a kind of tax under the theocratic rule of God in Israel. Probably the safest, simplest concept to apply here in this passage is this one: the worship of God is a serious matter worth investing lives and fortunes in service to Him.

 

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God at the Center

The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, "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.”

Numbers 2:1-2

 

The content of chapter two of the Book of Numbers seems to read like a military manual, with detailed descriptions of how the nation of Israel was expected to camp in the wilderness and march on campaign. But there is an interesting informational piece that provides a valuable spiritual lesson. Ad the people of Israel assembled to either travel or set up camp, God was kept at the center of Israeli life.

 

The physical encampment was interesting. The site was always arranged in something like concentric circles with God in the center. Immediately surrounding the Tent of Meet were the priests and Levites. Then the various tribes arranged themselves in a set pattern around the Tent of Meeting, taking care according to God’s command to pitch their tents so that they always faced God’s presence at the center.

 

This was a physical reminder of a spiritual truth. Every morning these people would awaken and leave their dwellings always taking their first step out of the door toward the worship of God. The first thing they ever saw from the door of their tent was God’s presence in fire or the cloud that overshadowed the Tent of Meeting. The worship of God was central to their lifestyle. They still had daily subsistence tasks, but God stayed in the center.

 

The same was true while on the move. The twelve tribes divided into four divisions with a fifth column surrounded by the two divisions front and back. That center division was made up of Levites who carried all the worship essentials with them on the march. God never left center focus for Israel.

 

If God cared enough to never leave center focus for Israel, what does that teach us today? God is more than a Sunday sermon with an hour one day a week. Jesus gets more than sixty minutes a week, doesn’t He? He is not an add-on or a hobby. He is a central focus for a true Christian. Worship is a daily lifestyle and not just a short activity endured for the length of a TV drama. We can learn this from God’s instruction to His people in the wilderness!

 

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Routine tasks have spiritual value.

Thus did the people of Israel; they did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.

Numbers 1:54

 

The Book of Numbers begins with a census. The goal of this assessment is to determine the eligible fighting force for the army of Israel. It came at the command of God (Numbers 1:1-2), was expected to be obeyed, and was immediately administrated by Moses through a list of representatives and officials from each of the twelve tribes (Numbers 1:5-15). It was an administrative task, but because God was behind the request, it was not just routine administrivia.

 

The fourth book of the Old Testament tends to get a bad rap among today’s Christians precisely because it begins and ends with a census. It does not help that someone gave it the cumbersome and rather mathematical-sounding name of “Numbers”… BORING! But it isn’t. Along the way in this first chapter we learn that there were assistants to Moses from each of the twelve tribes. There was shared spiritual leadership in Israel. That is a good thing. We learn God exempted the ministry professionals, the Levites, from military service because they were already called into service in the tabernacle. God seemed to place equal value on religious and societal service. That is a good thing and worth noting in a culture where we often divorce the sacred and secular for all the wrong reasons. Of course this was a people who were governed by a legislation that came directly from the finger and lips of God. But there are principles that illuminate Christians in response to culture today. I kind of think this is interesting stuff… even if the name still sounds boring!

 

And of course the end of chapter one shows the reward of complete obedience. The people did everything that God had commanded Moses. That has to “count” for something!

 

I got my “Census 2010” reminder letter from the Federal Government yesterday. I know that my experience with it will be nothing like this passage. For one thing, the letter had at least five languages in the P.S. (Russian was one of them… Russian, really?), and promised/threatened me with the prospective loss of government funding for stuff in my community if I did not fill it out accurately. So I will do my civic duty with a pen next week. That is also the week I sit down with my accountant for income tax preparation. Sometimes life has this dimension to it… I learned that from the Book of Numbers.

 

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Authority, politics, and a reminder of Who controls it.

Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms.

Haggai 2:21-22

 

Just a short observation as I wrap up this look at Haggai’s prophecies: God has authority over all human politics. That is the assertion made here by God Himself. It is true. God was telling a government official through His prophet that He was in control of both of heaven and earth. And no throne or kingdom was beyond His grasp.

 

The warning was meant to encourage the returned exiles that foreign nations would bring them national prosperity again. But this would be God’s doing and not strictly the result of human endeavor. God even says that military outcomes will result in Israel’s enemies destroying themselves. This would clearly leave God in control and worthy of worship. So don’t get any more wrapped up in politics than God is. It exists to exalt God as He gets the glory! Human power is nothing to Him.

 

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Worthless Pursuit

Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.

Haggai 2:19

 

So long ago God’s people learned

a painful lesson of Law spurned

They turned away from worship and praise

for personal rest and home luxuries

 

For a very short time they were at ease

Until drought and famine gave them the squeeze

And backed into hunger and pain

They listened to God’s call again

 

The stuff of this earth failed them

as God’s prophet relentlessly assailed them

Haggai told them judgment would change

to blessing if they obeyed again

 

In their return the truth was heard

And the walls went up… the lesson learned

They came back to the Lord repentant

Found Him forgiving and truth accepted

 

The worthless pursuit of personal ease

will let us down but falling to our knees

we will find God forgives and even restores

so that we can find His blessing once more

 

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