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Numbers Chapter 9
- Numbers 9:1 And the LORD spoke
unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the
second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt,
saying,
- 2 Let the children of
Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.
- 3 In the fourteenth day of
this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season:
according to all the rites of it, and according to all the
ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.
- 4 And Moses spoke unto the
children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.
- 5 And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the
wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded
Moses, so did the children of Israel.
Why would the Lord instruct them to keep the
Passover on a regular basis?
Because we tend to forget. How soon did they
forget the goodness of God and their deliverance from Egypt when
Moses was upon the mount and they desired for Aaron to make a golden
calf and they began to worship that calf.
The Passover was a new beginning. It involved
faith, obedience and then deliverance from years of hard bondage to
the Egyptians. The blood of the lamb on the doorposts protected the
firstborn of all Israel from being slain when God's judgment fell
upon all Egypt.
Most of all though the Passover feast was
kept because as it ushered in their salvation from the Egyptians, it
symbolizes the lamb of God which was to come and take away their sin,
thus assuring their eternal salvation.
Physical salvation came the first time on the
first Passover. Eternal salvation was given when the perfect
Passover lamb was sacrificed on Calvary over 2000 years ago by God
sent in the flesh, Jesus the Son of God and our Christ.
Every time they celebrated Passover, they
were celebrating the true salvation that was to come. This is
another reason God may have wanted them to keep celebrating the
Passover, so they could not only remember but be watchful for the
final way of salvation to be given to them. This way of salvation as we now know
is only through faith in Jesus who is the Christ (Messiah).
It has always been God's will to dwell with
mankind and be reconciled back to mankind after the fall of Adam.
He made a covenant with Israel and dwelled
with them for a season in the wilderness. It wasn't long before all
Israel broke that covenant. God knew they would and proceeded to the
time when He would make a New covenant through His Son Jesus Christ
so that in the final end when sin is abolished and the new kingdom
of God comes down from heaven, God could at last dwell with His
creation. That is a day to look forward to.
Jeremiah foretells of this New Covenant
- Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the
days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with
the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
- 32 Not according to
the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I
took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt;
which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto
them, saith the LORD:
- 33 But this shall be
the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After
those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward
parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and
they shall be my people.
- 34 And they shall
teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the
least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I
will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no
more.
Notice that the new covenant does not just
give physical temporal deliverance from bondage but an everlasting
deliverance from sin that is separating us from God. The heart
(soul) is
changed.
We need to be careful as a church in today's
world not to just become concerned for physical salvation like the
social gospel. Yes, we are to care for the poor and visit the
suffering. That is our second calling. The first calling for the
church though is to bring the gospel of salvation for the eternal
soul.
We can save a person from starvation
physically and then see his soul eternally lost if we do not bring
them the message of salvation. The gospel first and the social
concerns second. Unfortunately when many get into the social gospel,
they will drop the message of repentance and eternal life entirely
from their agenda.
Government funding will not be available for
the real message of the gospel. Stay away from government funding to
keep the message of the gospel from being polluted and watered down
with a substitute social gospel. Help the poor yes but seek the
leading of the Spirit in that area to keep from watering down the
message that will save the lost from eternal separation from God in
hell.
The book of Hebrews tells of the fulfillment
of the New Covenant Jeremiah speaks of:
- Hebrews 8:1 Now of the
things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high
priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in the heavens;
- 2 A minister of the
sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched,
and not man.
- 3 For every high
priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it
is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
- 4 For if he were on
earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests
that offer gifts according to the law:
- 5 Who serve unto the
example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished
of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith
he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to
thee in the mount.
- 6 But now hath he
obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the
mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better
promises.
- 7 For if that first
covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been
sought for the second.
- 8 For finding fault
with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when
I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah:
- 9 Not according to the
covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took
them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because
they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
- 10 For this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those
days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and
write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and
they shall be to me a people:
- 11 And they shall not
teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the
greatest.
- 12 For I will be
merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
iniquities will I remember no more.
- 13 In that he saith, A
new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which
decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
The blessed New Testament fulfills the Old
Testament. To study them both gives a more complete picture of the
whole plan of God to bring salvation to not just Jews but Gentiles
as well.
- Numbers 9:6 And there were
certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that
they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came
before Moses and before Aaron on that day:
- 7 And those men said unto
him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we
kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his
appointed season among the children of Israel?
- 8 And Moses said unto
them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command
concerning you.
- 9 And the LORD spoke unto
Moses, saying,
- 10 Speak unto the children
of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall
be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar
off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD.
- 11 The fourteenth day of
the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with
unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
- 12 They shall leave none
of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to
all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.
God is making provision for those who desire
to keep the Passover and obey the commandment of the Lord concerning
the Passover to be able to keep it from generation to generation.
-
Numbers 9:13 But the man that is
clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the
passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his
people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his
appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.
For those who can keep the Passover but
choose not to will bear the judgment of God for ignoring the
commandment of the Lord concerning Passover.
We see then the severity of ignoring the
Passover feast. We can compare that with the severity of not
accepting the Passover lamb that was sacrificed for the sins of all
mankind. To ignore that Passover is to refuse eternal salvation and
everlasting life for there is no other way to be reconciled to God
and have eternal life except by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ
to save us from sin and bring us back to God.
Paul writes:
True salvation makes all things new, old
sinful things pass away.
-
Numbers 9:14 And if a stranger
shall sojourn among you, and will keep the Passover unto the
LORD; according to the ordinance of the Passover, and according
to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one
ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in
the land.
As salvation is offered to non Jews and
strangers who believe in the God of Israel. This shows us the
Gentiles who believe upon the name of Jesus Christ will be saved in
the future as well as Jews. The stranger also could partake of the
Passover provided he does it according to the instructions given by
God to Moses.
- Numbers 9:15 And on the day that
the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle,
namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon
the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the
morning.
- 16 So it was always: the
cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.
This was a constant reminder that God was
with them to lead and they were never alone. It is sad that unbelief
and sin brought this to an end.
- Numbers 17 And when the cloud
was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children
of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode,
there the children of Israel pitched their tents.
- 18 At the commandment of
the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the
commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode
upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.
- 19 And when the cloud
tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of
Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not.
- 20 And so it was, when the
cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the
commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according
to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed.
- 21 And so it was, when the
cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was
taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by
day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.
God would lead them and let them know when to
travel and when to rest. This was awesome. I wonder if they realized
what they had at the time.
If we are obedient to Jesus Christ and are
filled with the Holy Spirit, we too can be led by the Lord and are
never alone. We are so stubborn though as Israel was and fall short
of walking in the spirit and being led of the spirit of God. It is
available though to all who obey the Lord.
- Acts 5:30 The God of our
fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
- 31 Him hath God
exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to
give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
- 32 And we are his
witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom
God hath given to them that obey him.
God never leaves those who choose to follow
Him alone to flounder about with no direction. He gives all who have
received and believed in His Son, Jesus Christ for their salvation
the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit to abide within them.
We receive all God has for us when we desire to receive. In other
words we are as close to God as we want to be.
- Numbers 9:22 Or whether it were
two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the
tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in
their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they
journeyed.
- 23 At the commandment of
the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the
LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the
commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
At the commandment of the Lord, they took
their journey. How awesome it would be if the church of today would
move at the commandment of the Lord and be led of the Holy Spirit
that is made available for us.
- Romans 8:1 There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
- 2 For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of
sin and death.
- 3 For what the law
could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending
his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh:
- 4 That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
So many wonderful helps and gifts are
available to those who obey and trust in the Lord who saves them.
God equips, empowers, fills and dwells with
us through His Holy Spirit.
- Galatians 5:22 But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith,
- 23 Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law.
- 24 And they that are
Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and
lusts.
- 25 If we live in the
Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
This my brothers and sisters in the Lord is
victory and is the will of God for all who receive Him (Jesus
Christ). We don't have to stumble about in darkness and try to go it
alone. -DC
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