PastorRodney’s Weblog

2025 10/12 Numbers 6:1-21; Devoted to God; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20251012_numbers-6_1-21.mp3

Today we look at the blessings of extraordinary dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite vow in Numbers 6.

In Numbers 1, we have the army of the Lord counted, every Israelite male from 20 years up, who could go to war. In Numbers 2, the tribes are organized around YHWH’s tent, and given marching orders when they set out. In Numbers 3, the tribe of Levi is to serve immediately around YHWH’s tent, not as part of the army, but specifically guarding God’s tent, defending it from unfit intruders, and protecting the people from God’s holy wrath. The Levite males from one month up were counted to take the place of the firstborn of all of Israel, offering service to God in place of the firstborn. In chapter 4 the male Levites from 30 up to 50 years were counted, who were given specific tasks to take down, carry, and set up God’s holy tent when the people were on the march.

The Levites are to defend the sanctuary, guarding God’s holiness. Numbers 5 and 6 give instructions on purifying the camp, because God dwells in their midst (5:3). It starts (5:1-5) by expelling all who are unclean out of the camp, male or female. Then, (5:6-10) it specifies how restitution is to be made when a man or woman breaks faith with the LORD by sinning against a brother. The last section of chapter 5 deals with suspected marital unfaithfulness (5:11-31), and a procedure where the Lord himself will either clear or condemn the suspected party.

Chapter 6 gives instructions on those who take a special vow, how to be cleansed if they unintentionally break that vow, and how they are cleansed when they successfully complete that vow.

Vows

Numbers 6 gives regulations for a special kind of vow of separation. The Hebrew word ‘nazir’ means separated, set apart. So the Nazirite vow was a vow of separation. We are clearly told in Deuteronomy 23

Deuteronomy 23:21 “If you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. 23 You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God what you have promised with your mouth.

Notice the ‘if’. Vows were voluntary, not required. But when they were made, ‘YHWH your God will surely require it of you’. Numbers 30 places some protections around who could take a vow; a husband or father could nullify a careless vow of his wife or daughter.

Not anyone could be a priest. Only males, only the descendants of Aaron, only those physically fit and within a specific age range, only those set apart through a specific ritual could serve as priests. If you didn’t meet all the conditions, you couldn’t just say ‘I want to serve as a priest’ and waltz into God’s holy presence. We will find out how that goes in Numbers 16. But this passage makes it clear that this kind of vow of separation to the Lord was open to any and all.

Nazirite Vow

Numbers 6

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins. 5 “All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the LORD, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long. 6 “All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he shall not go near a dead body. 7 Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD.

The regulations for this vow were total abstinence from any grape products, not cutting the hair, and not going near a dead body.

There was nothing inherently sinful in the fruit of the vine. Wine was given by God to gladden the heart of man (Ps.104:15). But a vineyard was something that required property and took time and energy to establish; the fruit of the vine was a luxury item. Remember, Numbers is God’s war camp in the wilderness, on the move. They were giving up the pleasures of a settled life to follow God to the promised land. YHWH God dwelt among them in a tent, and there was no portable vineyard to be brought along.

Not cutting the hair would be an outward visible sign that would set this person apart from the community and make this vow public to those around. It may have brought ridicule or shame, as it was not the norm in that day.

Any contact with the dead would make any Israelite unclean for seven days, but there was a procedure for being cleansed. It was expected that the near relatives of the one who died would do what was necessary to care for the body, but a Nazirite was not allowed to care for even his closest relatives.

More Strict Than the Priests

The regulations on the Nazirite were more strict than even those of the priest. Priests were prohibited from drinking wine only while on duty in the tabernacle (Lev.10:9), and there was no regulation against eating grapes or raisins. Priests could become unclean only for their closest relatives (Lev.21:1-3), and then go through the normal cleansing process. Only the high priest was not allowed to defile himself even for his closest relatives (Lev.21:10-12). This gives some context to Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan (Lk.10:30-33), where both priest and Levite avoided the half-dead man rather than risk defiling themselves.

Unintentional Sins and Breaking the Vow

But what if someone suddenly dropped dead in the presence of a Nazirite? It wasn’t his fault; he couldn’t be held responsible, could he?

Numbers 6:9 “And if any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest to the entrance of the tent of meeting, 11 and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead body. And he shall consecrate his head that same day 12 and separate himself to the LORD for the days of his separation and bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering. But the previous period shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

This may seem strange to us, but it tells us something important. There was a category in the law for unintentional sins. This was not something I meant to do, but it happened. It may not have been done by me, but it happened to me. It still defiles me, and needs to be cleansed. Many things, even some ordinary normal things related to living life in this fallen world made people unclean under the law and required cleansing. This doesn’t mean that God is mad at you because of some natural process, or because of something that was done to you. It does remind us that we are by nature sinful, children of wrath (Eph.2:3). But God so loved us that he made a way for us to be cleansed. God made a way for us to be cleansed from the sins we commit against him and against others, and from the sins others commit against us.

Sacrifices Upon Completion of the Vow

Verses 13-21 describe what to do when the vow was successfully completed.

Numbers 6:13 “And this is the law for the Nazirite, when the time of his separation has been completed: he shall be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting, 14 and he shall bring his gift to the LORD, one male lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace offering, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their drink offerings. 16 And the priest shall bring them before the LORD and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering, 17 and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offering to the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its grain offering and its drink offering. 18 And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering. 19 And the priest shall take the shoulder of the ram, when it is boiled, and one unleavened loaf out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the hair of his consecration, 20 and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. They are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed. And after that the Nazirite may drink wine. 21 “This is the law of the Nazirite. But if he vows an offering to the LORD above his Nazirite vow, as he can afford, in exact accordance with the vow that he takes, then he shall do in addition to the law of the Nazirite.”

One thing to note here is that all the regular sacrifices are required of the one who successfully completed this extraordinary vow of dedication to the Lord; the burnt offering, sin offering, and peace offering, grain and drink offerings. This one who separates him or herself to the Lord, who lives a life of special dedication to the Lord is still at the end of the day a sinner in need of a substitute.

Separated From; Separated To

There is a lot here about what a Nazirite was not to do, what they were to be separated from. But what were they to be about? What were they separated to? This chapter repeats the phrase ‘he separates himself to YHWH’ 4 times (v.2,5,6,12); it describes his ‘separation to God’ (v.7); and that he is ‘Holy to YHWH’ (v.8)

There is only one clear mention of a Nazirite in the Bible, but Samson (Judg.13 -16) is probably the worst possible example of what someone separated to YHWH ought to look like. He was driven by lust and revenge and relied on his own strength and indulged his flesh and came in contact with plenty of dead things, and allowed his head to be shaved. Instead of giving himself to the Lord, he used the gifts the Lord gave him to give himself to pursuing his own passions and pleasures, and it ultimately destroyed him.

This reminds us that being separated to something or someone by definition requires separation from other things. We might be reminded of the traditional wedding vows; ‘forsaking all others, I keep myself only to you’. If I find my satisfaction in the Lord alone, that means I am set free from pursuing pleasure in every fleeting thing.

Jesus And Radical Devotion

It is clear from this passage that no one can be a Nazirite today; everything from verse 10 on is tied to the tabernacle and the sacrifices offered there. But we are not looking at the Old Testament to find laws to follow; we are looking at the Old Testament because Jesus claimed that ‘Moses wrote of me’ (Jn.5:46). We are looking to get to know Jesus better.

Jesus was not a Nazirite; he was called a Nazarene because he was from the town of Nazareth, but that has nothing to do with this Nazirite vow. John may have been a Nazirite, although that label is not attached to him; his father was told by the angel ’he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb’ (Lk.1:15). Jesus said ‘John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, …The Son of Man has come eating and drinking’ (Lk.7:33-34). But Jesus lived a life set apart to do only what pleased his Father;

John 5:30 ​“I can do nothing on my own. …I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Philippians 2:8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus lived a life of radical devotion to his Father, and he calls us his followers to follow him into that same kind of radical devotion

Luke 9:57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

In Luke 14, as

Luke 14:25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 ​“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 ​Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost…?

Following Jesus means a life of radical devotion to him, prioritizing him above every other love. Have you counted the cost? Following Jesus costs us everything, but he is so worth it!

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 10/05 Numbers 5; Holy Jealousy; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20251005_numbers-5.mp3

We are with Jesus in the wilderness. Out of Egypt, no longer slaves, but not yet to the promised land, not yet home. This is the people of God organized by God around God at the center of the camp. The fighting men numbered for war, organized to march, to take ground from the enemy. YHWH God desires to live among his people, but God’s holiness is dangerous to sinners. The families of Levi are set apart to camp around YHWH’s tent, to guard the people from God’s wrath, to guard God’s tent from unholy intruders. God’s holy presence is so lethal, even the Levite tribes assigned to carry the furniture from God’s holy tent were not allowed any direct contact; Aaron and the priests were to cover all the furniture with layers of cloth so God’s holy things could not be seen, and place the carrying poles in the rings so that nothing would be touched directly.

There is an expectation that God’s people would be holy, pursue life consistent with God’s holy character; and there is also an understanding that we fallen humans are flawed and fall short, so provision is made for sacrifice, for confession of sin and reconciliation with God. The whole tabernacle is structured for access to God through blood sacrifices. The book of Leviticus details what kinds of sacrifices are to be offered when and for what.

Numbers chapter 5 deals with excluding uncleanness, making restitution when we break faith with God and neighbor, and holy jealousy in the marriage relationship.

Uncleanness Excluded from the Camp

Numbers 5 begins with and repeats the words ‘YHWH spoke to Moses, saying’. Don’t ever get over this. YHWH God speaks. He is a communicating God. He wants to be known. He gives his word to his people, so that we know who he is, what he is like, how we are to relate to him. This is the word of the Lord.

Numbers 5:1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead. 3 You shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.” 4 And the people of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the LORD said to Moses, so the people of Israel did.

Sickness, disease, death is a result of the curse, of sin. God is holy, and God’s people are to be holy. Sin is defiling, polluting, corrupting. Sin contaminates, sin spreads. So sin is to be excluded. The majority of these kinds of uncleanness are not intentional rebellion against God, it is just part of living in a fallen broken world. But God dwells with his people, and brings life and healing and wholeness, so any defiling thing is to be excluded. For all the gory details, you can read Leviticus chapters 13, 15, and 21. If you do read those sections, you will see that the focus is on how the excluded person can be cleansed and restored to the camp, brought near again to God’s holy presence.

Jesus perfectly revealed his Father’s heart toward the sick, the diseased, the infected, the outcast. When questioned about eating with tax collectors and sinners,

Luke 5:31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 ​I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

When a man filled with leprosy came to Jesus, he had compassion on him, stretched out his hand and touched him, and cleansed him of leprosy (Lk.5:12-13). When an unclean woman with chronic bleeding secretly touched Jesus in the crowd, he did not rebuke her but approved of her faith and extended shalom to her (Lk.8:43-48). Jesus took the hand of a young dead girl and raised her to life (Lk.8:49-55). Jesus was not contaminated by contact with sickness, disease or death; instead those who came into contact with Jesus were made whole, made clean.

Breaking Faith with God and Neighbor; Restitution

Numbers 5:5 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “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, 7 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.

God’s people are to be cleansed from all uncleanness. This extends to relationships between people, because sin against another person is ultimately breaking faith with the LORD. Exodus 22 and Leviticus 6:1–7 detail the kinds of sins that require restitution; things like deceiving, robbing, or oppressing a neighbor, finding something someone lost and lying about it, swearing falsely. These are all different methods of wanting what you have and taking it for myself. I don’t care about you, I just want your stuff. This breaks down society; it damages relationships both on the horizontal and on the vertical.

The law made room for confession and forgiveness. But to restore the relationships, restitution was required; what was taken must be paid back in full, and 20 percent added to it. Also a ram without blemish was to be offered as compensation to the LORD for a guilt offering.

But what if the person you wronged is gone? What if there are no near relatives to make it right to? Does that mean there can be no forgiveness? Numbers 5 answers the question about what to do when there is no one to whom restitution can be made.

Numbers 5:8 But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the LORD for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him. 9 And every contribution, all the holy donations of the people of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his. 10 Each one shall keep his holy donations: whatever anyone gives to the priest shall be his.”

Numbers 5 graciously allows the restitution to go to God, which meant that the restitution would go to God’s servants the priests, and forgiveness could still be secured for the one who was guilty.

When Jesus invited himself over to stay at a chief tax collector’s house, the crowds grumbled that he was going to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. But contact with Jesus transforms people. This greedy man now responded to God’s grace this way:

Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”

The law required repayment of 120%. But this man offered 400% restitution to anyone he had defrauded of anything.

Luke 19:9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Contact with Jesus transforms people. He transforms our hearts, our relationship with God and with our neighbor.

Jealous Zeal Against Covenant Unfaithfulness

Some find this next section hard to swallow. At first read it seems a bit barbaric and one-sided. A husband suspects his wife of marital infidelity, he suspects she has broken faith with him and gone astray, but he has no legal evidence against her. So he brings her to the tabernacle, before a priest, with a grain offering of jealousy, a little over 2 liters of barley to offer to the Lord. The priests takes water from the tabernacle in a jar and mixes in dust from the presence of God in the tabernacle. He lets down her hair, puts her husbands grain offering in her hands, and makes her take an oath;

Numbers 5:19 Then the priest shall make her take an oath, saying, ‘If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to uncleanness while you were under your husband’s authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse. 20 But if you have gone astray, though you are under your husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself, and some man other than your husband has lain with you, 21 then’ (let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse, and say to the woman) ‘the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the LORD makes your thigh fall away and your body swell. 22 May this water that brings the curse pass into your bowels and make your womb swell and your thigh fall away.’ And the woman shall say, ‘Amen, Amen.’ 23 “Then the priest shall write these curses in a book and wash them off into the water of bitterness.

Then the priest offers the grain offering, and makes the woman drink the water.

Numbers 5:27 And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people. 28 But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.

This seems like a strange procedure to us. First, it is important to understand that this whole procedure points us to the high and holy covenant that marriage is and the importance of marital faithfulness.

It is also important to understand that the word ‘jealousy’ doesn’t always mean exactly what we might think it means. We often use it synonymously with envy; thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of something. Jealousy can consist of emotions like anger, unhappiness, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgust.

But jealousy can also mean zeal; a passion to defend that which is right and good and honorable; God is jealous or zealous for his name. He is passionate to defend the honor of his good name. Later in Numbers (25) we will meet Phinehas, who was jealous to defend God’s honor against cheap imitations. Jealousy in marriage is a passion to defend that which is right and good and beautiful in the context of an exclusive covenant relationship. Jealousy guards the intimacy of marriage against cheapening, trivializing, using it in a way that betrays and breaks trust, is treacherously unfaithful.

Jealous God

God often uses the imagery of the marriage relationship to describe the kind of exclusive covenant relationship he desires to have with his people. God says:

Exodus 6:7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

That sounds a lot like wedding vows. He says:

Exodus 34:14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),

He says this in the context of a warning against whoring after other gods.

Deuteronomy 4:23 Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the LORD your God has forbidden you. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 6:13 It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God— lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

James calls those who pursue their own passions:

James 4:4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Marital faithfulness is bigger than just the marriage relationship; it is a picture of Christ and his Bride the Church;

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. …31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

The Bitter Cup

The priest would put the bitter cup into the hand of the woman, taking her fate out of the hand of her jealous husband and putting her into the hands of God, who would decisively demonstrate either her guilt or her innocence. The husband would stand by and wait to see the judgment of God. But Christ gave himself up for us. Jesus took the bitter cup out of our hands and drank it down himself. It was not a question of if we were guilty; he knew what we deserved, and he took that just judgment into his own body. He knew we were unholy, so he sanctified us, set us apart and made us holy. He knew our filth, so he cleansed us, washed us with the water of the word. He took the words of the curse washed into the cup of divine wrath and drank them in our place. He became a curse for us (Gal.3:13). We were made from dust, and to dust we will return (Gen.3:19), but Jesus drank down the dust of death so that we could enjoy life in his presence.

Isaiah 53:6 ​All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

John 18:11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 09/28 Numbers 4; Substitute Service; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250928_numbers-4.mp3

We are journeying with Jesus in the Wilderness, the Old Testament book of Numbers. We’re in chapter 4, looking at the left-out Levites. In chapter 1, the generation who experienced the Exodus were numbered in preparation for battle, for entering the promised land, but the tribe of Levi was not to be numbered among the fighting men; they had a different purpose. In chapter 2 the twelve tribes were organized around the central tent of YHWH, three tribes under one banner on each side of the tabernacle, but again the tribe of Levi was set apart for a different purpose. Numbers 1:50 gives that purpose:

Numbers 1:50 But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle. 51 When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death. 52 The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp and each man by his own standard. 53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.”

Remember, the tabernacle is YHWH’s tent, because he desired to dwell among his people, to be with us, near to us. Exodus 25, God’s instructions for building the tabernacle, says:

Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.

God pitched his tent in the midst of his people, but God is holy, and he must be treated with appropriate fear and respect. The Levites insulated the rest of the tribes from God’s dangerous presence, guarding God’s tent from unauthorized intruders, guarding the people from God’s wrath.

Arrangement of Levites Around God’s Tent [illustration-tribes]

In chapter 3 we saw the organization of clans of Levites as a layer of protection around the Tabernacle. Descendants of the three sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari camped respectively on the West, South and North sides of the tent. Aaron, himself a descendant of Kohath, but chosen by God to serve as priest, and his descendants were to camp at the entrance to God’s tent, to the East, along with his brother Moses.

The duties of these clans were outlined; Kohathites were responsible for the most holy furniture; Gershonites were responsible for the fabric parts of the tent, while the Merarites were responsible for the structure, the frames, poles, and bases.

The Tabernacle – Floor Plan and Function [illustration-tent]

This assumes a basic understanding of the layout of the Tabernacle, which was given in Exodus. An illustration will help. The heart of God’s royal tent was the ark of the covenant kept in the inner sanctuary, or holy of holies. The ark was a gold plated box containing covenant agreement between God and his people, etched in stone. The box was covered by a lid called a ‘mercy seat’. This is where only the High Priest, only on the day of atonement would enter to splatter sacrificial blood on the mercy seat to appease God’s wrath toward the sins of the priests and the people, because we all are sinners, we all miss the mark of God’s perfect holiness.

Outside the veil, a heavy embroidered curtain that closed off the most holy place was the holy place. This section was furnished with a small gold table for burning incense in the presence of God, a table for bread, 12 large loaves piled high, with fragrant incense and wine, to demonstrate the bounty of God’s presence, and a large gold 7 branched lampstand, fashioned like a tree, that blazed with light all night. The priests would bring in fresh bread weekly, and tend the lamps and burn incense morning and evening.

Outside the holy place was the courtyard, sectioned off from the rest of the camp with curtains, contained the bronze altar for burnt offerings and the washbasin, both used daily by the priests to slaughter and burn or barbeque sacrificial animals, and clean up the mess, because our sins make a bloody mess and need to be paid for with blood.

Remember, this is a portable tent, so Numbers 4 gives more detailed instructions on the responsibilities of each of the Levite families in taking down, carrying, and setting up God’s holy tent. This is all about service, ministry, work. Each section starts with the command to take a census of those 30 to 50 years old, who can come on duty to do the work, but the actual counting comes toward the end of the chapter. Specific instructions are given, with the most details given to the Kohathites, who are given the most dangerous tasks.

Kohath Labor

Numbers 4:1 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers’ houses, 3 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting.

Aaron and Sons (East side)

4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: the most holy things. 5 When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it. 6 Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles. 7 And over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; the regular showbread also shall be on it. 8 Then they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet and cover the same with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 9 And they shall take a cloth of blue and cover the lampstand for the light, with its lamps, its tongs, its trays, and all the vessels for oil with which it is supplied. 10 And they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of goatskin and put it on the carrying frame. 11 And over the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue and cover it with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 12 And they shall take all the vessels of the service that are used in the sanctuary and put them in a cloth of blue and cover them with a covering of goatskin and put them on the carrying frame. 13 And they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 And they shall put on it all the utensils of the altar, which are used for the service there, the fire pans, the forks, the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles.

Kohath (South side)

15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry. 16 “And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering, and the anointing oil, with the oversight of the whole tabernacle and all that is in it, of the sanctuary and its vessels.”

Aaron and his sons, those set apart as priests, first covered all the holy furniture, wrapping with cloth, hiding it from view, even from their cousins the Kohathite Levites, because God’s presence is dangerous. The holy furniture was to be carried with poles or on carrying frames, never touched directly, or death would result.

Kohathites warned:

To drive home the gravity of their duty, another warning is given;

17 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 18 “Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites, 19 but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, 20 but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”

We will see this clear warning challenged in Numbers 16.

Gershon detail: (West side)

We move from Moses and Aaron camped to the East, at the entrance to the Tent, to the Kohathites to the South, and then to Gershon to the West

21 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 22 “Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses and by their clans. 23 From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can come to do duty, to do service in the tent of meeting. 24 This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites, in serving and bearing burdens: 25 they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering of goatskin that is on top of it and the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting 26 and the hangings of the court and the screen for the entrance of the gate of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service. And they shall do all that needs to be done with regard to them. 27 All the service of the sons of the Gershonites shall be at the command of Aaron and his sons, in all that they are to carry and in all that they have to do. And you shall assign to their charge all that they are to carry. 28 This is the service of the clans of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their guard duty is to be under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Merari detail: (North side)

Finally we move to Merari to the North

29 “As for the sons of Merari, you shall list them by their clans and their fathers’ houses. 30 From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, everyone who can come on duty, to do the service of the tent of meeting. 31 And this is what they are charged to carry, as the whole of their service in the tent of meeting: the frames of the tabernacle, with its bars, pillars, and bases, 32 and the pillars around the court with their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their equipment and all their accessories. And you shall list by name the objects that they are required to carry. 33 This is the service of the clans of the sons of Merari, the whole of their service in the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

Census of the Servers; Substitute Obedience

Verses 34 to the end record the census of each of the three clans, the sons of Kohath, Gershon, and Merari, and a combined total of the three sons of Levi. The language is almost verbatim in each section, and it is centered around those from 30 up to 50, who could come on duty, who served in the tent of meeting; for service in the tent of meeting; 2,750 Kohathites; 2,630 sons of Gershon and 3,200 sons of Merari; a total of 8,580 of those who could do the service of ministry and the service of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, each one with his task of serving or carrying.

The focus of the text is clearly on duty, service, ministry, bearing burdens, tasks. Remember, the first census of the Levites from 1 month and up were as a substitute for the firstborn of all of Israel (Num.3:11-13). The Levites took the place of the firstborn, who belonged to the Lord and to the service of his tabernacle. In this census, the focus is on those able to serve, to minister, to work. What we have here is substitute obedience. That which would have been required of each firstborn of each family, once they were capable of service, became the responsibility of the Levites who had taken their place. A Levite lived a life of service to God in place of another.

We see language of substitution throughout the Scriptures. Temple sacrifices were built on the principle of substitution. The wages of sin is death, and the sinner would offer an animal without blemish to die in his place. This finds its fulfillment in the suffering Servant of Isaiah;

Isaiah 53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 ​But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 ​All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The heart of the gospel is that ‘Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures’ (1Cor.15:3). ‘For’ is a word of substitution. Jesus died the death I deserved. Jesus ‘bore our sins in his body on the tree’ (1Pet.2:24). In his death he stood in my place. ‘Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed’ (1Cor.5:7).

In the Exodus, a passover lamb was killed in place of the firstborn. The firstborn lived because the lamb died in his place. Because they were redeemed with a lamb, they belonged to God. But here in Numbers, the Levite takes the place of the firstborn, not in death, but in service. This also points us to Jesus. Not only did his death as our Passover Lamb redeem us, but in his obedience to his Father he also stands in our place. Jesus claimed without any pride ‘I always do the things that are pleasing to him’ (Jn.8:29). On two different occasions, the Father’s voice came from heaven ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’ (Mt.3:17; 17:5).

Isaiah 53 pointed us to the suffering Servant who suffered and died in my place, taking my sin upon him. Isaiah 53 also points us to his perfect righteousness credited to my account.

Isaiah 53:11 …by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

Jesus not only died in my place, he lived in my place, offering perfect and acceptable service to his Father in my place. He not only died the death I deserved, he lived the life of flawless obedience I could never live.

Romans tells us that the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel to come by faith, by trusting in the work of another.

Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Romans 5 contrasts Jesus and Adam:

Romans 5:17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Sometimes we think that Jesus only paid the debt I owed by his death, brought my balance to zero, and now it is up to me to live a life of obedience and do good in order to earn his favor. But that is wrong thinking.

The righteousness that God requires is a gift given to those who believe in Jesus. Jesus stood in my place, lived a life of perfect service to his Father, and his perfect record of righteousness is credited to all who recognize they have no righteousness of their own to offer, and instead depend fully on the righteous record of Christ. The Christian is righteous, not because of how we live, but by faith in the one who lived and died for me.

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025/09/21 Numbers 3; Substitution; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250921_numbers-3.mp3

We are journeying with Jesus in the Wilderness, the Old Testament book of Numbers. We’ll be tackling chapter 3 today, looking at the left-out Levites. In chapter 1, the generation who experienced the Exodus were numbered in preparation for battle, for entering the promised land. In chapter 2 the tribes were organized around the central tent of YHWH, three tribes under one banner on each side of the tabernacle. In both the numbering and in the organization, the tribe of Levi was expressly to be left out. Here in chapters 3 and 4 we see two different numberings of the Levites, and their organization around and responsibilites for the Lord’s tent.

We were told in chapter 1:

Numbers 1:47 But the Levites were not listed along with them by their ancestral tribe. 48 For the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 49 “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not list, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel. 50 But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle. 51 When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death. 52 The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp and each man by his own standard. 53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.”

In chapter 2, in the marching sequence, after the camp of Judah and the camp of Reuben,

Numbers 2:17 “Then the tent of meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they camp, so shall they set out, each in position, standard by standard.

Then the camps of Ephraim and of Dan are to follow,

Numbers 2:33 But the Levites were not listed among the people of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses.

The Danger of Drawing Near

Numbers 3 begins this way:

Numbers 3:1 These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father.

This introduction to the family of Aaron is a reminder of the danger of unbelief and disobedience. YHWH desires to dwell among his people, those he redeemed. But he must be treated as holy by those who approach him. He clearly communicates what he requires of all who would draw near, the way in which they are to enter his holy presence. But Nadab and Abihu were spontaneous in their worship.

Only the high priest was authorized to offer incense, but they took this honor for themselves. The recipe for the holy incense was specified in Exodus 30:34-36, but we don’t know what kind of incense they burned. The coals for the censer must be taken from the altar of burnt offering, which the Lord had ignited (Lev.16:12-13), but they offered unauthorized fire. God wants to be approached, but he must be approached only in the way he himself proscribes, not in any way that seems right to us. Jesus said ‘I am the way… no one comes to the Father except through me’ (Jn.14:6). Every other way ends in death.

Anointed (Messiah) Priest

Verse 3 describes the sons of Aaron as anointed priests. Priests and kings were anointed with oil to set them apart for their office. The Hebrew word translated ‘anointed’ is ‘Messiah’, and the Greek word for ‘anointed’ is ‘Christ’. Jesus, anointed with the Holy Spirit, is our Great High Priest.

Guard Duty for Levites

Numbers 3:5 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. 7 They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. 8 They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. 9 And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. 10 And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”

The rest of the Levites not descended from Aaron were to serve Aaron, and to serve God’s tent. They were commissioned to guard duty. They were to guard the congregation from the wrath of God, and to guard God’s tent from unauthorized entry. They were authorized to use lethal force against any intruder, which would prevent God’s wrath from breaking out.

The Levites were set apart for this in Exodus 32 during the out of control idolatry with the golden calf.

Exodus 32:25 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’” 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. 29 And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”

Because the sons of Levi fiercly defended the holiness of YHWH, they were blessed with the responsibility of ministering to the Lord.

Substitution; Levites for Firstborn

Numbers 3 tells us how this would work.

Numbers 3:11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, 13 for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the LORD.”

The rest of chapters 3-4 are structured around two censuses; the census in 3:14-39 of every male Levite 1 month old and up who were counted as substitutes, and the census in chapter 4 of the male Levites 30 years up to 50 years, who would do the work of the tabernacle. At the heart of this passage (3:40-51) is substitution and redemption; the substitution of the Levites for the firstborn, and the redemption of any firstborn who were not covered by a substitute.

Census of Levites for Substitution [graphic; Levi family tree]

Numbers 3:14 And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 “List the sons of Levi, by fathers’ houses and by clans; every male from a month old and upward you shall list.” 16 So Moses listed them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded. 17 And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. 18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei. 19 And the sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their fathers’ houses.

These are listed in birth order, each by their clans, the count of males a month old and up, and each section ends with where they are to camp and a brief overview of what part of the tabernacle they were responsible for (which will be elaborated more precisely in chapter 4).

The Gershonites were to camp west of the central tent, and were to be responsible for the tent fabrics, the coverings, screens, hangings and cords, and all the service connected with these.

The Kohathintes were to camp to the South, and were to guard the tabernacle furniture; the ark, table, lampstand, altars, and everything connected with those.

Verse 32 tells us that Eleazer son of Aaron was to oversee those who guarded the sanctuary.

The Merarites were to camp to the North, and were to be responsible for the frames, bars, pillars, and bases; the structure and framework of the tabernacle, with its pegs and cords.

This section concludes with Moses and Aaron and their families camped to the east, in front of the entrance to God’s tent.

Numbers 3:38 Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect the people of Israel. And any outsider who came near was to be put to death.

39 All those listed among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed at the commandment of the LORD, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were 22,000.

Moses and Aaron were of the clan of the Kohathites, and they were to oversee the operations of the entire sanctuary. To each person was delegated a specific task to allow maximum efficiency in mobilizing the camp. Again there is a reminder of the danger of death to those unauthorized.

Census of the Firstborn; Substitution

Numbers 3:40 And the LORD said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. 41 And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.” 42 So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the LORD commanded him. 43 And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.

Here is another census, this time of the firstborn of all the people. This census was to count the firstborn who belonged to the Lord, who needed to be redeemed. We see clearly the principle of substitution; one person taking the place of another person. The firstborn Israelite, by means of the Passover, belonged to God. They were obliged to serve YHWH however he chose. But God took the Levites in their place.

But this was not a vague undefined group of people taking the place of another undefined group. No, substitution was one for one. One Levite could take the place of exactly one firstborn. They were counted.

Redemption:

Numbers 3:44 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD. 46 And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs), 48 and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.” 49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money, 1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

This substitution was precise. Each one who did not have a substitute, did not have someone to stand in his place, had to be redeemed with money.

Our Greater Substitute

This all points us to our greater Substitute.

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came …to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:25 …Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

This is personal. This is precise. One for one.

Galatians 2:20 …the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

My greater substitute. The Son of God loved me. He gave himself for me. The Lord took the Levites as priests in place of the firstborn son, but God gave his one and only firstborn Son for us so that we could now live in his presence as a kingdom of priests who offer him praise.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free from our sins at the cost of his own blood 6 and has appointed us as a kingdom, as priests serving his God and Father—to him be the glory and the power for ever and ever! Amen.

Revelation 5:9 They were singing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were killed, and at the cost of your own blood you have purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation. 10 You have appointed them as a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 09/14 Numbers 1:47-2:34; Holiness and Hazard, Order and Organization; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250914_numbers-1_47-2_34.mp3

We are journeying with Jesus in the Wilderness, the Old Testament book of Numbers. In Genesis we see God’s Word speak everything into existence, mankind’s rebellion and its ugly consequences, and God’s choice of one man, Abraham, and his descendants. In Exodus we see God redeem his people from slavery, we see the Passover Lamb and God setting his people free to worship him. Leviticus shows us God’s holiness, and what it takes for sinners to approach a holy God. Numbers has us in the wilderness, preparing for war, preparing to take possession of the promises.

Last time we saw in Numbers 1 the list of would-be heroes of Israel, names reflecting the character of the God of Israel. These become rather the record of those who through unbelief fell in the wilderness. We saw every man counted, those 20 and up, who were meant to be the warriors taking possession of the promised land, but who instead became that generation who rebelled against God, who did not enter in because of their unbelief. They become a warning to us.

The end of chapter 1 and chapter 2 give us the symmetry and structure of the camp of Israel, all centered around God and his tent in the middle of the camp.

Levite Warriors Guarding God’s Holiness

In chapter 1, every tribe was counted, except the tribe of Levi.

Numbers 1:47 But the Levites were not listed along with them by their ancestral tribe. 48 For the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 49 “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not list, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel. 50 But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle. 51 When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.

All the tribes are to be numbered, prepared to battle the enemy outside. But the tribe of Levi has a different assignment, and a different battle to fight. The Levites are also to be prepared for war, but their purpose is to defend the holiness of God. God’s tent is holy, and every part of it must be approached and handled as God commands. The Levites have the holy responsibility of settng up, taking down, carefully handling and defending the tent of YHWH. If any outsider, anyone unauthorized, unclean or unprepared comes near, they are commissioned to put that one to death. Even queen Esther understood that approaching the king uninvited was risking immediate death. How much more approaching the King of the universe in an unauthorized manner warranted death. God took the initiative. God rescued his people. God entered into a covenant relationship with his people. He wants to be with his people.

Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.

Exodus 29:45 I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

God desires to be with his people. But God is holy; it is dangerous for a sinner to be in the presence of the holy God. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu demonstrated how serious it is to approach God in an unauthorized way;

Leviticus 10:1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.

God’s covenant outlines how God is to be approached, and the Levites are commissioned to defend the holiness of God.

Numbers 1:52 The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp and each man by his own standard. 53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.”

All the people of Israel organized around the central tent of YHWH, the Levites camping as a buffer between God’s tent and the tents of the people, to insulate the people from God’s wrath, and to guard God’s tent from unauthorized approach.

The chapter closes with the full obedience of the people:

Numbers 1:54 Thus did the people of Israel; they did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.

Tribes Arranged Around the Tabernacle

Numbers 2 gives the organization of the rest of the tribes, counted in chapter 1, around YHWH’s tent.

Numbers 2:1 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “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.

YHWH’s tent is to be the center of the camp, and everyone’s tent is to face the tent of meeting. In this verse it is called the Tent of Meeting, because YHWH God would meet with Moses in his holy tent (Num.1:1; Lev.1:1). It is also called the Tabernacle of the Testimony or Tent of the Testimony (Ex.38:21; Num.1:50, 53) because the Ark of the Testimony (Ex.25:21-22), the ornate box which contained the duplicate stone tablets of the testimony or covenant treaty was housed inside the tabernacle, behind the veil of the testimony (Lev.24:3).

The rest of the chapter gives the layout of the camp and the marching order when they set out, in groups of three tribes, camped on each side of the Tabernacle, starting at the entrance to the Tabernacle in the East.

Numbers 2:3 Those to camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, …

Judah at the entrance to the Tabernacle, along with Issachar and Zebulun. Included is the information from chapter one of the chiefs of each tribe, the count of military men from each tribe, and it gives the sum total of fighting men from those three tribes.

Numbers 2:9 All those listed of the camp of Judah, by their companies, were 186,400. They shall set out first on the march. 10 “On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their companies, …

Moving clockwise from the entrance to the Tabernacle, under the banner of Reuben are included Simeon and Gad.

Numbers 2:16 All those listed of the camp of Reuben, by their companies, were 151,450. They shall set out second. 17 “Then the tent of meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they camp, so shall they set out, each in position, standard by standard.

We will get more details in the coming chapters on how the Lord’s tent is to be transported. It is in the center of the tribes when they are camped, and it is in the middle of the procession when Israel is on the march.

Numbers 2:18 “On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim by their companies, …

Together under the banner of Ephraim are Manasseh and Benjamin. Ephraim and Manasseh are the two sons of Joseph, adopted by Israel as his own. This brings the total tribe count to thirteen if they are counted separately. But as in this chapter the Levites can be left out of the military count and there are still twelve tribes, or when Levi is included Ephraim and Manasseh can be counted together under Joseph.

Numbers 2:24 All those listed of the camp of Ephraim, by their companies, were 108,100. They shall set out third on the march. 25 “On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan by their companies, …

Moving again clockwise to the North of the Tabernacle we find under the banner of Dan, the tribes of Asher and Naphtali.

Numbers 2:31 All those listed of the camp of Dan were 157,600. They shall set out last, standard by standard.” 32 These are the people of Israel as listed by their fathers’ houses. All those listed in the camps by their companies were 603,550. 33 But the Levites were not listed among the people of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Blessings, Curses, Places of Honor

A few comments about the order of the tribes listed. They are not in the birth order we find in Genesis 29-30. They are not organized according to their birth mothers as in Genesis 35 and 46, and Exodus 1. Even the two listings in Numbers 1 don’t match exactly (Gad is moved up from 11th (1:14) to third (1:25). Here in Numbers 2, Reuben and Simeon, the first and second born are moved down to 4th and 5th, and Judah is moved up to first place.

We see a possible explanation for this in Genesis 49, when Jacob is blessing his children. Reuben is ‘blessed’ first, as the firstborn, but because he slept with his father’s concubine (Gen.35:22), Jacob says ‘you shall not have preeminence’. Likewise Levi and Simeon, because of their violent rage deceiving and then slaughtering all the men of Shechem (Gen.34), Jacob says “Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel (Gen.49:7). But of Judah he says:

Genesis 49:8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. … 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Judah is the one who offered to take Benjamin’s place as a slave in Egypt so the boy could return safely to his father (Gen.44). So we see Judah rise to the first place in the camp, and Reuben and Simeon put in a lower place. We will see how Levi ended up where he did next time.

Notice, over 400 years after their father’s blessing, their behavior and character was still affecting their future generations, the loss of or promotion to places of honor for their great-great-great-great grandchildren.

But notice also, these tribes were still tribes. They were still recipients of redemption, of rescue from slavery in Egypt. They may have had positions of greater or lesser honor around the Tabernacle, but they all received grace. They were all included in Israel, encamped facing the tent of God who dwelt among them.

Paul writes to the church in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

There will be reward or loss of reward for how we build on the foundation. But if we are truly built on the one foundation of Jesus, we will be saved on that Day.

Gospel and the Nearness of God

The whole structure of the camp, that the nearness God is our greatest good, but God is holy, and we must be shielded from his holiness points us to our need for the gospel.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

We know that only in the good news, only by the blood of Jesus Christ can our sins be finally and forever gone; only in Jesus can we be safely brought near to God.

Order and Gifting

Here’s another thing we can glean from this passage; God was always central to the camp, and his people were well ordered around him. Each one was significant, each one named, each one counted. And each one was part of something bigger than himself. He was part of a family, part of a tribe, grouped under a standard. Each was part of the people of God. Each one had his place. Each one had his responsibility, a part to play, a duty to discharge. Later in Numbers, the pagan seer Balaam ’lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe,’ and said by the Spirit

Numbers 24:5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! 6 Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters.

Paul tells the church in 1 Corinthians 14:

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. …40 But all things should be done decently and in order.

He says this in the context of the church body, made up of diverse members, each with different God given gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. … 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. … 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. … 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.

Our God is a God of order, not confusion but peace. God arranges and equips each of us as members of his body as he wills, for the common good, to build up one another. Are we seeking to work for the common good, or to get ahead? Is our greatest treasure the good news that through the blood of Jesus we sinners are brought near to God?

Numbers 2:34 Thus did the people of Israel. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each one in his clan, according to his fathers’ house.

Chapter 2 ends as chapter one, with Israel organized in obedience to all that YHWH God commanded Moses.

***

—————————-Dan—————————–

—————————-Asher—————————

—————————-Naphtali————————

—————————-[157,600]———————–

Ephraim——————————————Judah

Manasseh——————Tent——————Issachar

Benjamin——————–of——————–Zebulun

[108.100]—————–Meeting—————[186,400]

—————————————————————-

—————————-Reuben————————–

—————————-Simeon—————————

—————————-Gad——————————-

—————————-[151,450]————————

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025/09/07 Numbers 1:1-46; No Longer Slaves; Not Yet Home; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250907_numbers-1_1-46.mp3

Last time we looked at the map, where we have been and where we are going in this study of the fourth book of what we know as the Old Testament, Numbers, or ‘In the Wilderness’, and why we would take time to study it. Genesis brought us from creation, through rebellion and judgment and promise to trace the promised seed of the woman through Seth, and then through Noah, and through Shem. God made promises to Abraham, then to Isaac and Jacob, and Jacob (or Israel)’s twelve sons, who sold the younger favorite brother as a slave, whom God brought to Egypt to become ruler over all of Egypt to save his family.

400 years later, and Exodus tells us that the family of 70 that arrived in Egypt had grown to an oppressed slave force that intimidated Egyptian royalty. God raised up Moses to set his people free. After God demonstrated his superiority over all the gods of Egypt, he parted the sea and led his people out to Mount Sinai, where God entered into a covenant relationship with his people, gave them his law, and directions to construct a royal tent where he would dwell in the middle of their camp. After their rebellion and God’s forgiveness, they built the tabernacle, and God made his presence known in the glory cloud and in flame.

But God dwelling in the camp with hard hearted rebellious people is dangerous, so Leviticus declares the holiness of God and how he is to be approached through sacrifice and purification.

This brings us to Numbers, or ‘In the Wilderness;’ the tale of two generations, one who saw the mighty deeds of YHWH and then shrank back in fear, and fell in the wilderness, and the next generation, their children, who in faith prepared to enter in to take possession of the promises.

YHWH Spoke

Numbers begins this way:

Numbers 1:1 (And) The LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

YHWH God spoke. Let’s pause and just reflect on the gift that is. The Lord spoke; what a treasure! Revelation; communication. He didn’t have to; he wanted to. Our God is not aloof, distant, silent. God initiates. God means for us to know him. Exodus 25 describes the Holiest place;

Exodus 25:22 There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

YHWH God spoke to Moses, to a man. In his grace, he met with Moses, spoke to Moses and Moses lived. In God’s grace, Moses served as mediator between God and the people; served as prophet, bringing God’s words to God’s people.

In the Wilderness (Already and Not Yet)

YHWH spoke to Moses in the wilderness. The wilderness is a wild place, not a domestic or settled place. It may be a place you go to explore, to adventure, to survive; but not to settle, not to dwell. The wilderness is a dangerous place, a vulnerable place, a place of scarcity of resources. It is the place between here and there. It’s not the destination; it’s the journey. God’s people were no longer slaves in Egypt. But they were not yet in the promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey (Ex.6:6-8). Already freed from slavery; not yet in full possession of what God has prepared for them. It is a place of transition, of testing.

The New Testament speaks of salvation in three tenses. The past tense; ‘you have been saved’ (Eph.2:8). The present; ‘you are being saved’ (1Cor.15:2). The future; our coming salvation (1Pet.1:5,9). Like Israel from Egypt, believers in Jesus have been rescued, delivered, set free. We have been set free from slavery, but we have been set free for something, to something; we have been promised a heavenly home, and we will one day come into full possession and enter in. But now in the wilderness, as we hold fast, stand firm, we are being saved. This is the fight, the struggle, the testing. Sometimes the Scriptures speak of the past tense as justification, the future as glorification, and the present and sanctification; the process by which we become set apart, holy. This is where we live. This wilderness experience is so relevant to us today.

But what a treasure; God is not silent in the wilderness. It is God’s word that sustains us, strengthens us, equips and enables us to stand firm and hold fast even in the wilderness.

God’s Command; Prepare for War

Numbers 1:1 gives us a time stamp; It was the first day of second month; in the second year after the exodus out of Egypt. Israel had spent a year at Mt Sinai; receiving the law, affirming the covenant; breaking the covenant, renewing the covenant; building the tabernacle, setting up and purifying the tabernacle.

It was at this time that YHWH spoke to Moses. This is an historic event that happened at a specific point in time. This was no fuzzy impression, this was concrete revelation. It was not subjective; it was objective. It was a date-able event. At a specific time, in a specific place, YHWH God spoke. And this message had content. It was communicable. It was actionable. It was instruction to do something, and God expected them to do it.

God said; ‘take a census’.

Numbers 1:2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head. 3 From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company.

Count the men able to go to war. God promised to give his people the land, but he didn’t say he would give it to them without a fight. He had told them, and they knew that the land was already occupied. God had patiently waited 400 years until the sins of the people in the land had escalated to the point where he was ready to wipe them out (Gen.15:16), to cleanse the land of them. Now it was time to prepare for war. This was a community effort; everyone had a part to play. Every person mattered. The men 20 and older were the ones who bore the responsibility for fighting, for their obedience to the Lord’s command, for the success or failure of the mission.

The Lord even gave instructions on how to carry out the census; it was not up to Moses and Aaron alone.

Numbers 1:4 And there shall be with you a man from each tribe, each man being the head of the house of his fathers. 5 And these are the names of the men who shall assist you.

A List of Would-be Heroes who Fell through Unbelief

Hard name son of hard name from each of the tribes except Levi. What do we do with these lists of names? Is this merely a test of our skills at pronunciation? Maybe its a good place to look for unique baby names; try ‘Shelumiel’ or ‘Zurishaddai’. Names have meaning. Rodney comes from ‘Hroda’s island’ or the fame of the island; island dweller. I have no idea what that has to do with anything. But the angel said to Joseph ‘you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins’ (Mt.1:21). Jesus, or Joshua, Yeshuah, means YHWH is Salvation. Now that’s significant! Parents gave their children names in hope, in faith. Often one of God’s names was part of the name. Here are the names and their probable meanings: [from Allen, (1990), EBC; cf. Cole (2000), NAC]

From Reuben; Elizur (“[My] God Is a Rock”) son of Shedeur (“Shaddai Is a Flame”),

From Simeon; Shelumiel (“[My] Peace Is God”) son of Zurishaddai (“[My] Rock Is Shaddai”).

From Judah; Nahshon (“Serpentine”) son of Amminadab (“[My] Kinsman [God] Is Noble”).

From Issachar; Nethanel (“God Has Given”) son of Zuar (“Little One”).

From Zebulun; Eliab (“[My] God Is Father”) son of Helon (“Rampart-like” [?]).

From Ephraim; Elishama (“[My] God Has Heard”) son of Ammihud (“[My] Kinsman [God] Is Majesty”).

From Manasseh; Gamaliel (“Reward of God”) son of Pedahzur (“The Rock [God] Has Ransomed”).

From Benjamin; Abidan (“[My] Father [God] Is Judge”) son of Gideoni (“My Hewer”).

From Dan; Ahiezer (“[My] Brother [God] Is Help”) son of Ammishaddai (“[My] Kinsman [God] Is Shaddai”).

From Asher; Pagiel (“Encountered by God”) son of Ocran (“Troubled”).

From Gad; Eliasaph (“God Has Added”) son of Deuel (“Know God!”).

From Naphtali; Ahira (“My Brother Is Evil”) son of Enan (“Seeing”).

This list of names is a list of the would-be heroes of the story; the heads of the tribes of Jacob or Israel, connected to the family history and the promises to Abraham. Instead this becomes a list of a generation who turned tail and ran, who failed to take hold of the promises God had offered to them, who failed to listen to and live up the the names their parents had given. God will fulfill all his promises; will we benefit from them? The author of Hebrews reminds us:

Hebrews 3:16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Hebrews exhorts us:

Hebrews 3:12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

The Lord Fulfills His Promises even to Rebellious People

Numbers 1:16 reads:

Numbers 1:16 These were the ones chosen from the congregation, the chiefs of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel. 17 Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named, 18 and on the first day of the second month, they assembled the whole congregation together, who registered themselves by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upward, head by head, 19 as the LORD commanded Moses. So he listed them in the wilderness of Sinai.

And then follows the list of tribes in this repetitive formula

…Of the people of [tribe], their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, those of them who were listed, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: those listed of the tribe of ________ were [number].

Here’s a summary:

21 Reuben … 46,500.

23 Simeon … 59,300.

25 Gad … 45,650.

27 Judah … 74,600.

29 Issachar … 54,400.

31 Zebulun … 57,400.

33 Ephraim … 40,500.

35 Manasseh … 32,200.

37 Benjamin … 35,400.

39 Dan … 62,700.

41 Asher … 41,500.

43 Naphtali … 53,400.

44 These are those who were listed, whom Moses and Aaron listed with the help of the chiefs of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers’ house. 45 So all those listed of the people of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel— 46 all those listed were 603,550. [cf. Ex.38:26]

Fruitful In Affliction

We may be tempted to gloss over the long lists of names and numbers, but these numbers are significant. These numbers matter; They tell us that God has been faithfully fulfilling his promises to his people, even if his people didn’t know him, weren’t seeking him.

Exodus began with a census of the people who went down to Egypt:

Exodus 1:1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7 But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

The Lord was fulfilling his promises to Abraham;

Genesis 12:2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

Genesis 15:5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Many have estimated that if the total number of men 20 or over, not counting the tribe of Levi was 603,550, then the total number of people leaving Egypt was somewhere around 2 or 3 million. God was faithful, blessing, causing them to be fruitful, even in the land of affliction, fulfilling his promises even to his rebellious people.

Past Rescue, Future Hope; Present Process of Purification

When we believe in Jesus, God sets us free from slavery, free from the consequences of our sins. Jesus promises to prepare a place for us, that we will one day be with him where he is (Jn.14:1-3). In the mean time, he walks with us, through this wilderness, as we are tested and refined, purified, made holy. He has given us his Spirit as a guarantee. He makes us fruitful, even in the face of opposition.

Here’s what Peter says about our past rescue, our future hope, and our present process of purification in the wilderness;

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025/08/31 Numbers Intro; Jesus in the Wilderness; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250831_numbers-intro.mp3

We’re starting our journey through another book of the Bible this morning, looking at Jesus in the wilderness. This is the fourth book in the Old Testament, and we know it by its English title ‘Numbers.’ It gets this title from the two numberings or census of the people in Numbers 1 and Numbers 26, but the original title of the book was usually taken from the first word or an early significant word of the scroll. Hence Numbers would have been known by the first word in the Hebrew text; ‘wayedabber’ – ‘and he spoke’ or by the fourth word; ‘bemidbar’ – ‘in the wilderness’.

Numbers 1:1 The LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

The Sacred Writings Point to Salvation through Faith in Jesus

But why study Numbers? My quick answer is rooted in what we believe about the Bible; Paul tells Timothy

2 Timothy 3:15 …you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

When Paul is writing, he is referring to ‘the sacred or holy or set apart writings’; ‘all Scripture’ as what we now call the Old Testament. Every bit of it is able to make us wise for salvation through faith in the Messiah Jesus, even Numbers. If God says Numbers is profitable for teaching, I want to teach it. I want to see how Numbers points us to salvation through faith in Jesus. I need reproof, correction, training in righteous. I want to be complete, equipped for every good work.

Jesus in Numbers

But why am I titling this as ‘Jesus in the Wilderness’? According to 2 Timothy 3:15, Numbers points us to salvation through faith in Jesus. How many of you are familiar with John 3:16?

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Did you know John 3:16 is rooted in the events of Numbers 21? Jesus said:

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Nu.21), so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

In some way, Jesus’ death on the cross was prefigured and pointed to by Numbers 21. We actually see this throughout Jesus’ life.

Numbers 2-10 give instructions on the camp of Israel arranged around the tabernacle, instructions on who is qualified to serve the tabernacle, who is excluded, how it is protected, and what kinds of sacrifices are to be offered, John 1:14 tells us that ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’; literally pitched his tent, or tabernacled among us.

In Exodus 40 and Numbers 9, we see the glory cloud over the tabernacle, and John 1:14 continues ‘…and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.’

Exodus 16 and Numbers 11 describe manna, God’s bread from heaven that he supplied to feed his people in the wilderness. In John 6 Jesus claims to be the bread of God who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

Exodus 17 and Numbers 20 describe God providing water out of the rock for the people to drink. In John 4 Jesus claims to be the living water that satisfies.

In Numbers 27, Moses prays that the congregation would not be like sheep that have no shepherd; Jesus in Matthew 9 has compassion on the multitudes ‘because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.’ In John 10 Jesus claims to be the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep.

In Numbers 9, the people keep the Passover for the first time after leaving Egypt. John 19 records that Jesus’ legs were not broken on the cross in fulfillment of the requirements for a Passover lamb in Exodus 12 and Numbers 9.

Jesus wandered in the wilderness for 40 days of testing without food (Mat.4), and unlike the Israelites, he walked in perfect obedience to his Father. Jesus is the greater Israel.

Throughout Numbers, God put his words in the mouth of Moses, to speak to the people. In Deuteronomy 18, the Lord told Moses

Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.

The people in John 6 recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of this; Jesus is the greater prophet, the greater Moses. Jesus himself said in John 5:

John 5:46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.

Numbers is ultimately about Jesus in the wilderness.

Numbers Warns the Church

Numbers is also a warning to us. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to the predominantly non-Jewish Christian church in Corinth, and in Chapter 10 he says:

1 Corinthians 10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud (Nu.9:15-23), and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea (Ex.14:19-31; Nu.33:8), 3 and all ate the same spiritual food (Ex.16:14ff; Nu.11:4, 11-35), 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ (Ex.17:1-7; Nu.20:2-13). 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness (Nu.11, 14:28-35; 16-17; 26:63-65). 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” (Ex.32:4-6) 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day (Nu.25). 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents (Nu.21:4-9), 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer (Nu.11:1ff; 14:1ff; 16:42ff; 21:5-9). 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

‘These things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction’. Numbers is for us; Numbers is a warning to the church. We face temptation, but God is faithful. In it we see our fallen sinful nature, and God’s abundant faithfulness.

Where We are in the Story

But before we just dive in to Numbers, I want us to understand where we are in the story, and where we are going.

Numbers is the fourth book of the Jewish Torah (law or instruction) or Pentateuch (the five books of Moses).

Genesis is a book of beginnings; the beginning of the world; beginning of man, beginning of sin, beginning of judgment, beginning of hope, beginning of promise, beginning of a nation. Genesis starts with God who always was, with God’s good creation, introduces Adam and Eve, who quickly rebel against God’s good purposes for them to reflect his image to creation; instead they seek to be their own gods, corrupting God’s good world with their sin, bringing decay and ultimately death into God’s good world. Humanity continues to spiral out of control, until in Genesis 5-9 God was sorry that he made mankind, and decided to cleanse the earth with a flood and start over with Noah and his family. But the with the world repopulated, in Genesis 10-11 mankind is still united in rebellion against God, so God disperses the nations and begins to reveal himself to one family, Abraham. In Genesis 12, God promises Abraham land (that will become very significant in Numbers) and promises to bless him so that through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. We read Abraham’s story (and his promised son Isaac) in Genesis 11-25; Isaac’s son Jacob’s story in 25-35, and one of Jacob’s son Joseph in 37-50. Jacob (renamed Israel) and his 12 sons end up in Egypt because of Joseph.

Exodus picks up the story 400 years later, where those 70 people from Jacob’s family seeking refuge in Egypt have now become a slave force so populous it threatened Egypt to the point that the Pharaoh attempts to have the firstborn Israelite males killed at birth. It is during this time that Moses is born, adopted by the Pharaoh’s daughter, raised in Pharaoh’s court, attempts to take matters into his own hands to stand up for his people, and flees to the wilderness for 40 years. Moses, now humbled, is ready to be used by God to set his people free from slavery in Egypt. Exodus 1-18 recounts how God freed his people from slavery and provided for their needs in the wilderness, in spite of their grumbling. In Exodus 19-24, God gives his newly freed people his covenant expectations, God makes promises to them, and they in turn are to live up to God’s standards. It is in this section that we find the ten commandments, among other laws. The rest of Exodus (chapters 25-40) are instructions for building a sanctuary, a royal throne room tent so that God can dwell with his people. Actually, chapters 25-31 give the detailed instructions on the construction of the tent and everything in it given to Moses by God on the mountain. Chapters 35-39 mirror those chapters, describing how Israel meticulously and faithfully constructed everything according to God’s instruction. But the beginning of chapter 32 describes how Israel, in the middle of their honeymoon, committed infidelity and broke God’s covenant, went astray and worshiped other gods. Chapters 32-33 God determines to send the people away, fulfilling his promises to them but withholding his presence. Moses prays for the people, begging God to go with them and be their God. God extends grace, and in chapter 34, renews his covenant with them. God’s grace toward rebels allows them to make a tent where he will dwell in their midst, be their God, and take them to be his lawfully wedded people. Exodus ends with the tabernacle set up at Mount Sinai, and the glory cloud of God’s presence coming to dwell in the tent among his people as if nothing had happened.

Leviticus acknowledges that God’s presence among sinful, rebellious, wayward people is dangerous. God is holy, and must be treated as holy, approached in the way he proscribes, or we will not survive the encounter. We are sinners, so Leviticus gives animal sacrifices as a way for the sins of God’s people to be covered, and instructions on how those who have become unclean or contaminated by contact with this fallen world may be cleansed and restored to a condition fit to be part of God’s people.

Numbers picks up where Exodus left off, God’s people still at the foot of Mount Sinai, tabernacle in operation, now with God’s marching orders to go and take the promised land. Chapter 1 numbers the military aged men who will fight those whose sin has escalated to the point that God is ready to wipe them out and cleanse the land. Chapters 1-10 are the preparations for the people to advance at God’s command. In chapters 10-12 they travel from Sinai to Kadesh, the south border of the promised land, complaining as they go. Chapter 13 is the fateful turning point of the book, where ten of the twelve spies discourage the people, who want to return to slavery in Egypt.

God responds:

Numbers 14:27 “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. 28 Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: 29 your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, 30 not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.

Thus began the 40 years of wilderness wandering, until that generation counted in chapter 1 had died. Chapters 1-25 recount their grumbling and rebellion in the wilderness, interspersed with God’s giving instruction, providing for and protecting them, and the greedy pagan prophet Balaam hired to curse Israel, who instead is restrained to bless them because God has blessed them. Chapter 26, the numbering of the next generation, is the turning point where this believing generation begins preparations to possess the land under Joshua’s command.

Deuteronomy means the second giving of the law; it is Moses’ farewell to the people, expounding God’s original covenant and exhorting this new generation to obedience, unlike their fathers who disobeyed and fell in the wilderness.

Questions to Ask in the Wilderness

Here’s some questions we will be asking as we walk with Jesus through the wilderness; Who is God, and who am I – what does this reveal about the character of God, or about my fallen state and natural tendency? How can I avoid walking in the flesh and instead walk by the Spirit? How does this point us to Jesus – our need for Jesus or who he is in his grace?

My prayer for us as we study this book together is that we see ourselves more clearly, so that we can crucify our flesh with its passions and desires, and walk in step with the Spirit who is Holy (Gal.5:24-25), and that we can see God more clearly in all his glory, holiness, and magnificent grace toward sinners like us.

***

2025.08.31 Sermon Notes

Introduction to Numbers; Jesus in the Wilderness

Why Numbers? 2 Timothy 3:15-17

It points us to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus

Jesus in Numbers

John 3:14-16 / Numbers 21 (Jesus lifted up)

John 1:14 / Numbers 2-10 (God tabernacles with us)

John 1:14 / Numbers 9 (glory of God with us)

John 6 / Numbers 11 (bread from heaven)

John 4 / Numbers 20 (living water)

John 10 / Numbers 27 (good Shepherd)

John 19 / Numbers 9 (Passover Lamb)

Matthew 4 / Numbers (wilderness obedience)

John 6:14 / Deuteronomy 18:18-19 (greater Prophet)

John 5:46 ‘Moses wrote of me’

Numbers warns the church

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

The context of Numbers

Genesis 1-4 God’s good creation / our rebellion

Genesis 5-9 cleansing the earth with a flood; grace to Noah

Genesis 10-11 mankind in rebellion; nations dispersed

Genesis 11-25 Abraham (and his promised son Isaac)

Genesis 25-35 Jacob (Israel) and his 12 sons

Genesis 37-50 Joseph in Egypt

—400 years later—

Exodus 1-18 God frees his enslaved people through Moses

Exodus 19-24 the covenant relationship

Exodus 25-31 instructions for God’s tent

Exodus 32-34 covenant treason, forgiveness, covenant renewal

Exodus 35-39 God’s tent constructed according to plan

Leviticus; how to dwell with a holy God; sacrifice, purification

Numbers 1-25 the disobedient generation died

Numbers 26-36 the faithful generation entered in

Deuteronomy; second giving of law to faithful generation

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 08/24 Psalm 18:31-50; YHWH’s Anointed Rules The Nations; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250824_psalm-18_31-50.mp3

We’ve looked at some of the Psalms over these summer months, learning to pray the Psalms, deepening our affections as the Psalms pre-figure and point us to Jesus.

We are in the final section of Psalm 18. Psalm 18 divides into three main sections; verses 1-19 record David’s prayer to YHWH and describe God’s awesome power as he bows the heavens to come down in response to our prayers. Verses 20-30 describe the righteous character of the one who takes refuge in the Lord, and the perfect character of the Lord, who consistently responds to all who hide ourselves in him. Verses 31-50 celebrate YHWH’s faithfulness to his Anointed, whom he equips and establishes to rule the nations.

Let’s look back at verses 20-30 as they point us to Jesus, the greater David, the Anointed Messiah who came to be what David never was.

Psalm 18:20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his rules were before me,

and his statutes I did not put away from me.

23 I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my guilt.

24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

Verse 25 turns attention from the integrity of the Lord’s Anointed to God’s perfect character as it relates to the one who runs to him for refuge.

Psalm 18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful;

with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

26 with the purified you show yourself pure;

and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

27 For you save a humble people,

but the haughty eyes you bring down.

28 For it is you who light my lamp;

the LORD my God lightens my darkness.

29 For by you I can run against a troop,

and by my God I can leap over a wall.

30 This God—his way is perfect;

the word of the LORD proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

The Uniqueness of YHWH

This Psalm began:

Psalm 18:1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

Verse 31 continues in describing the uniqueness of YHWH God,

Psalm 18:31 For who is God, but the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God?—

Who is Eloah, the supreme one; but YHWH, the I AM, covenant God of Israel. Who is a rock, firm, immovable, a secure refuge; but Elohim, the supreme God. The rhetorical questions emphasize that there is none like him. YHWH God is utterly unique, unrivaled in power, unlimited in sovereignty, fully capable of coming to the defense of all who take refuge in him.

The Lord Equips, We Fight

The first section of the Psalm describes God in anger bowing the heavens and coming down, wrapped in thick darkness and cloud, blasting his enemies with hail and fire. Here in the final section, David describes how YHWH God equipped and enabled his anointed to fight his own battles.

Psalm 18:32 the God who equipped me with strength

and made my way blameless.

33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer

and set me secure on the heights.

34 He trains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

Not always does God’s divine intervention look like a supernatural fireworks display. We might say not often. God most often uses what we might describe as ordinary means to accomplish his supernatural purposes. How does God supernaturally give victory to his anointed? By equipping with his strength. By making my way blameless (now that’s supernatural!) By keeping my foot from slipping. By training my hands and arms for battle. These may be ordinary means, but David recognizes and gives credit to the supernatural source.

Verse 35 he switches from the 3rd person ‘he’ to the 2nd person ‘you’ in addressing his God.

35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your right hand supported me,

and your gentleness made me great.

36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip.

What a gift, what spiritual armor; the shield of your salvation. It is a gift given, like the spiritual armor of Ephesians 6. It is mine, available for me to take up, to put on, and learn how to use. You have given me the supernatural tools to defend myself. But you have not left me to go figure it out myself.

And your right hand supported me; the right hand is the place of strength, the place of highest honor. The almighty invisible right hand of YHWH God is holding me, supporting me.

And your gentleness made me great; This is reminiscent of God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15;

Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

Your gentleness made me great; This is stunning gospel – God almighty stooping down in gentleness, in humility. Your humility makes me increase, fills me up, gives me abundance. Jesus said

John 10:10 …I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

This is Jesus’ heart toward us! He was willing to leave his Father’s side in glory, take the humble form of a slave, go to the cross and die, and be exalted back to the right hand of his Father in glory, so that he could bring us with him, and seat us in the heavenlies in him. Your gentleness made me great; he intends for us to multiply and bear much fruit.

Verse 37 the Psalmist moves from 2nd person to 1st person, from what God does to what he himself does, albeit empowered, equipped and enabled by God his rescuer.

37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,

and did not turn back till they were consumed.

38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;

they fell under my feet.

39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;

you made those who rise against me sink under me.

40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

and those who hated me I destroyed.

God equipped me, made me, set me secure, trained me. I pursued, I overtook, I did not turn back, all because you equipped. I did it, but you caused it. He equips and enables; we fight.

Why God Doesn’t Answer (Unbelievers)

41 They cried for help, but there was none to save;

they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind;

I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

This sounds like it contradicts verse 3, verse 6, verse 30; I cried out for help and you rescued, you heard, you are a shield for all those who take refuge in you. They cried out to you, but you did not answer them. But remember, the ‘them’ is the enemies of God’s anointed, (v.4-5) whose cords of death, Sheol, and destruction were seeking to drag down the Lord’s anointed. They are those who (v.17-18) hated the Lord’s anointed, who confronted him in the day of his calamity. These are those who (v.26-27) are proud, who are crooked, perverse, and twisted.

There is a time, a day of salvation when the Lord may be found (Is.55:6-7). But there is a time when we have too long presumed on God’s grace, when we have hardened our hearts, when God gives us over to our own desires as he describes in Romans 1. David is running to the Lord for refuge. His enemies are crying out to the Lord simply to escape consequences of the path they have chosen and refuse to leave.

The Ultimate Victory

This is decisive victory language; pursued, overtook, consumed, thrust through, fell, sank, backs turned, destroyed, beat fine as dust, cast out. The Lord giving triumph over our enemies.

Doesn’t Jesus tell us to love our enemies? The Lord says ‘vengeance is mine, I will repay’ (Rom.12:19). We think of Jesus meek and mild, Jesus inviting children to come to him, Jesus willingly surrendering to his enemies. Here’s a picture of Jesus maybe you don’t have.

2 Thessalonians 1:7 …when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

This is in the context of persecution as an encouragement to believers;

2 Thessalonians 1:6 …indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted…

God gave David victory over his enemies to an extent, but this psalm will find ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, the Lord’s Anointed.

43 You delivered me from strife with the people;

you made me the head of the nations;

people whom I had not known served me.

44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;

foreigners came cringing to me.

45 Foreigners lost heart

and came trembling out of their fortresses.

All the way back in Psalm 2 we saw YHWH speaking to his Anointed, his only begotten Son:

Psalm 2:8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

The picture in Psalm 2 and 18 is of the nations cowering in fear before the Lord’s Anointed King. But it is bigger than that. Verse 43 says ‘you made me the head of the nations’ and that could mean not only conquering enemies by force, but destroying enemies by making them friends.

We see in Psalm 22:

Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.

Worship Among the Nations

The Psalm concludes:

46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,

and exalted be the God of my salvation—

47 the God who gave me vengeance

and subdued peoples under me,

48 who delivered me from my enemies;

yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;

you rescued me from the man of violence.

49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations,

and sing to your name.

50 Great salvation he brings to his king,

and shows steadfast love to his anointed,

to David and his offspring forever.

A cry for help from the Lord’s Anointed; God answered because he delighted in his Righteous one. The Lord equips and empowers his Anointed for global victory. This results in worship. Worship is what we were made for. Paul quotes this Psalm in Romans 15 in the context of the nations worshiping Jesus. He says to Jew and Gentile:

Romans 15: 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”

This Psalm points us to David’s greater Son, the Anointed Messiah, the Righteous one, who conquers all his enemies and unites Jew and non-Jew in worship; ‘that together we may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’.

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 08/17 Psalm 18:20-30; My Righteousness; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250817_psalm-18_20-30.mp3

We’ve been looking at some of the Psalms over the summer months, deepening our prayer life as we learn to pray from this God-inspired prayer book of the Bible. Last week we began to look at Psalm 18, the third longest Psalm, and we looked at the first 19 verses. This Psalm is adapted from David’s song in 2 Samuel 22 to be used in public worship. The pre-script reads:

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who

addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when

the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and

from the hand of Saul. He said:

Psalm 18 divides into three main sections; verses 1-19 record David’s prayer to YHWH and describe in graphic imagery God coming down to rescue. Verses 20-30 describe the righteous character of the one who takes refuge in the Lord, and the perfect character of God who consistently responds to us who hide ourselves in him. Verses 31-50 celebrate YHWH’s faithfulness to his Anointed, whom he equips and establishes to rule the nations.

Psalm 18:1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death encompassed me;

the torrents of destruction assailed me;

5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the LORD;

to my God I cried for help.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry to him reached his ears.

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;

the foundations also of the mountains trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

9 He bowed the heavens and came down;

thick darkness was under his feet.

10 He rode on a cherub and flew;

he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,

thick clouds dark with water.

12 Out of the brightness before him

hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens,

and the Most High uttered his voice,

hailstones and coals of fire.

14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;

he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.

15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,

and the foundations of the world were laid bare

at your rebuke, O LORD,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me;

he drew me out of many waters.

17 He rescued me from my strong enemy

and from those who hated me,

for they were too mighty for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the LORD was my support.

19 He brought me out into a broad place;

he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

Reason For the LORD’s Delight

This first section begins with ‘I love you O LORD, my strength,’ then recounts David’s prayer, and in graphic imagery YHWH God coming down to rescue, and concludes with ‘he rescued me, because he delighted in me’. Why is David so confident that the Lord delighted in him? One reason we could give is that this was written ‘on the day when the Lord delivered him from all his enemies. That was the practical evidence of God’s favor toward him. But he gives the theological reason in the next five verses:

Psalm 18:20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his rules were before me,

and his statutes I did not put away from me.

23 I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my guilt.

24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

David’s Righteousness?

Why did YHWH God delight in David? ‘According to my righteousness, …the cleanness of my hands, …I have kept his ways, …I was blameless before him.’ The pre-script places this ‘when the Lord delivered David from all his enemies’, and 2 Samuel 22 comes toward the end of David’s life, years after David’s adultery with Bathsheba, and his murder of her husband Uriah; that was back in 2 Samuel 11. My righteousness, the cleanness of my hands? Because of this, some scholars have conjectured that 2 Samuel 22 must have written earlier in David’s life, before his sin with Bathsheba, and it was inserted later at this point in the narrative. But is this necessary? Is it conceivable that David the adulterer, David the murderer, king David who selfishly abused his power could have possibly written these verses? Is it possible that he actually believed what he wrote? Did he really feel that he was righteous before God, that his hands were clean?

To help us understand what is going on here, let’s put this in the broader context of what David wrote, and in the context of what the rest of the Bible teaches.

None Righteous

We looked at Psalm 14 just a few weeks ago. In it David says:

Psalm 14:2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

David understood the universal depravity of mankind. None seek God, none do good. Not even one. Paul quotes this Psalm in Romans 3 to establish that both Jew and non-Jew together stand guilty before God.

Romans 3:9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.

David understood no one does good, none is righteous, no not one. He says in Psalm 143:2

Psalm 143:2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.

No one living is righteous before God. So (143:1) David prays and pleads for mercy, not what he deserves. And then he prays (143:10) for the Lord to teach him to do his will, to lead him by his Spirit.

Forgiven, Covered, Not Counted Against

In Psalm 32, David rejoices;

Psalm 32:1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

David doesn’t claim to be sinless, without transgression or iniquity. He says blessed, happy is the sinner who is forgiven, whose sin is covered, Blessed is the sinner against whom YHWH God will not count his sins. Paul quotes Psalm 32 in Romans 4 to show us that David understood the crediting of righteousness apart from works;

Romans 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

In Psalm 32 David speaks negatively, of our sin not being counted against us. Paul looks at the positive side of this, that the ungodly one who believes in Jesus is counted righteous in Christ.

David’s own personal experience was behind this. He said:

Psalm 32:3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. — Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. — Selah

Psalm 51 is his prayer of confession. And that’s where his holy joy came from; he was blessed because he didn’t deceitfully hide; he acknowledged his sin, he confessed, and he was forgiven. David no longer attempted to cover up his own sin, instead he acknowledged it. He came into agreement with God about his sin, that it is indeed an offense against the Holy God. When he stopped covering up his sin, God covered it. The Lord no longer counted it against him. In faith he cried out to God for mercy, and God counted him as righteous. This is the good news Paul points to in Romans 3 after establishing the sinfulness of mankind;

Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

God’s righteousness, not man’s righteousness. It is by grace – undeserved. It is a gift, given freely to all who believe. It is an infinitely costly gift, purchased with the blood of the only Son of God.

The prophet Isaiah speaks of this crediting of righteousness in relation to the suffering servant of YHWH in Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53:11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

The sin-bearing suffering of the righteous one makes many to be accounted righteous. Paul puts it succinctly in 2 Corinthians 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Two Ways To Read; David and the Greater David

There are two ways to read the Psalms. We can look at it from the perspective of what David experienced, what David meant by it. We can also look at it prophetically, that David was speaking beyond himself of the greater David, the Anointed Messiah, who fulfilled his words in way David never could.

This is how David the adulterer, David the murderer could sing these lines; not because he was righteous in himself, but because he confessed his sins and was forgiven and counted righteous by faith. He was given a gift, and he boldly owned it. He received the gift of God’s righteousness, and it became his. He put it on and wore it around, and could sing of the Messiah’s righteousness which now clothed him:

Psalm 18:20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his rules were before me,

and his statutes I did not put away from me.

23 I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my guilt.

24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

This is not self-righteousness, this is gospel righteousness, this is Christ’s righteousness credited to the believer.

The LORD’s Perfect Character

In the next three verses, he moves from looking at the gift of righteousness to celebrating the character of God who gives this righteousness.

Psalm 18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful;

with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

26 with the purified you show yourself pure;

and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

27 For you save a humble people,

but the haughty eyes you bring down.

Here is another clue that we are on the right track; David understands that the Lord crushes the proud but rescues the humble. If he were boasting in his own righteousness, he would be aligning with the proud, and could anticipate no salvation. But if he knows his righteousness is not his own, he is humbly rejoicing in the gift of righteousness he has been given, and celebrating the good giver.

God is merciful, blameless, pure, yet he is also just; he struggles against the perverse and crooked. A merciful person is someone who understands mercy; who is able both to humbly receive it and to extend it to others.

The LORD’s Enabling

Psalm 18:28 For it is you who light my lamp;

the LORD my God lightens my darkness.

29 For by you I can run against a troop,

and by my God I can leap over a wall.

David does not claim to be light; in himself his lamp is extinguished and he is darkness. It is YHWH God who ignites him and illumines his darkness, gives him strength to do the humanly impossible.

God’s Way and YHWH’s Word

This section ends with a celebration of the character of God.

30 This God—his way is perfect;

the word of the LORD proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

God’s way and his word are perfect and true. He has integrity, he is who he says he is, and he does what he says he will do. And, as David learned, when he ran to him in confession rather than away from him attempting to conceal and hide his sins, when he ran to God as a refuge, he experienced God as a covering, a shield of righteousness that protected him from the consequences of his own sins. He is the one in whom the Lord delights.

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 08/10 Psalm 18:1-19; God Comes Down; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250810_psalm-18_1-19.mp3

We’ve been working through some of the Psalms for the summer, deepening our prayer life as we look at these God inspired prayers as examples of how to pray, putting words and theology to our experiences, learning how to navigate complex emotions and real life struggles as we walk life in relationship with our Creator, our Rescuer, our King, our Friend.

Psalm 18 is a longer Psalm, the third longest Psalm in the Psalter, so rather than attempt to tackle it all at once, we are going to break it into more bite-sized chunks and take it a bit at a time.

Psalm 18 divides into three main sections; verses 1-19 record David’s prayer to YHWH and describe in graphic imagery God coming down to rescue. Verses 20-30 describe the righteous character of the one who takes refuge in the Lord, and the perfect character of God who consistently responds to us who hide ourselves in him. Verses 31-50 celebrate YHWH’s faithfulness to his Anointed, whom he equips and establishes to rule the nations.

Psalm 18 and 2 Samuel 22

The pre-script says this:

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

Psalm 18 is almost identical to 2 Samuel 22, probably adapted from that to be sung by the congregation.

2 Samuel 22:1 And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.

Like the song of Moses (Ex.15) and the song of Deborah (Judg.5), this is a song that celebrates God’s deliverance of his people, triumphing over their enemies. 2 Samuel 22 comes toward the end of David’s life, after the rebellions of Absalom and of Sheba were put down, after the four remaining descendants of the giants of Gath were killed.

I Love You O LORD

The first line of Psalm 22 is added to the song in 2 Samuel;

Psalm 18:1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

This word for ‘love’ is interesting in this context; it is a tender compassionate term, usually used in the context of God’s mercy toward us, or of a father’s (Ps.103:13) or nursing mother’s (Is.49:15) tender heart toward a child. David is expressing his tender affection for YHWH.

YHWH is his strength. David was an accomplished warrior, but he is quick to acknowledge that any strength he has comes from his God. David piles up the metaphors to describe his greatest love. David was accustomed to hiding from Saul in the rocky strongholds in the rugged Judean wilderness. He likens the Lord to a portable defensive weapon, a shield. He likens him to the horns of an animal that are used to show its power and dominion over others. This is similar to the lover in Song of Solomon, who mixes metaphors to affectionately describe the attributes of his beloved.

Psalm 18:1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Singing Praise to the One Who is Worthy

Verse 3 encapsulates this entire Psalm:

Psalm 18:3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

I have a need. I am in desperate circumstances. So I call upon YHWH. YHWH God is worthy of worship, worthy to be praised. His character, his qualities, his attributes are praiseworthy. What other times to you gather with other people and sing? That’s rather unusual. We might sing our national anthem at the beginning of a public event as a way to honor our country and our rich heritage. People sing when they gather around a common interest, a favorite artist, a pub, a coffee shop, or a sports team. Songs are written to memorialize great people, heroes. YHWH God is infinitely more worthy of our praise than any earthly thing. That is a primary reason we gather every week; to sing praise to the one who is ultimately praiseworthy.

I call upon the praiseworthy One, and I am saved from my enemies. YHWH God is the ultimate hero, the supreme deliverer. He is the rescuer of all who recognize their need and call out to him.

My Need

That is what verses 4-6 do; describe my desperate situation and cry out for rescue.

Psalm 18:4 The cords of death encompassed me;

the torrents of destruction assailed me;

5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the LORD;

to my God I cried for help.

Do you see it? Do you see your situation as that dire? Death, destruction and hell have you encompassed, assailed, entangled. You’re stuck with no way out. Their snares, cords and torrents are dragging you down to ultimate and eternal ruin. That’s me. That’s you. That’s all of us without Jesus. You might be trapped by addictions, by pornography, by endless meaningless scrolling. You might be addicted to substances, addicted to pleasures, addicted to praise, addicted to pain. You might be caught in the web of self focus; whether you think you are better that most or worse than everyone, you are preoccupied with you. The majority of humanity are under an anesthetizing poison that numbs them to the fact that they are encompassed and entangled in cords that are dragging them to hell, and they are so comatose that they can’t even see the danger they are in. If that’s you, cry out to God on high to wake you up to see your sin for what it is and where it is taking you, and in distress call out to the only one who is able to set you free!

God’s Furious Response

We see God’s response at the end of verse 6;

Psalm 18:6 …From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry to him reached his ears.

When we become aware of our situation, our need, and cry out to YHWH God for rescue, he hears. You are not too far gone. He is not too far away. Your cry will reach his ears.

This next section is straight up awesome in the fullest sense of the word. This is how YHWH God responds when a sinner sees his need and calls on the LORD for deliverance.

Psalm 18

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;

the foundations also of the mountains trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

9 He bowed the heavens and came down;

thick darkness was under his feet.

10 He rode on a cherub and flew;

he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,

thick clouds dark with water.

12 Out of the brightness before him

hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

If you don’t have a category for the anger of God, you don’t have a biblical understanding for who God is. God is love, and God is holy, holy, holy. God is patient and slow to anger, but he is “a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day” (Ps.7:11). We are inclined to pick out the comfortable bits of his character and ignore or deny the aspects that we may not resonate with. But it is only when we take all of what God says about himself and allow him to define himself to us that we begin to see that he is truly and fully ‘worthy to be praised.’

It is helpful to remember that God’s anger is not directed toward those who are taking refuge in him. His anger is directed toward those who set themselves against him, and against those who are hiding in him. Verse 19 reminds us of the fact that ‘he delighted in me’. As the one God so loves, he is angered by those who seek to do harm to us his beloved people.

Snorting Mad

This imagery of angry smoking nostrils we see in an unexpected place. When Jesus was at the grave of his friend Lazarus,

John 11:33 When Jesus saw her [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

This word translated ‘deeply moved’ has as its root the word for snorting in anger, like a war horse ready to charge. We could translate it as ‘his spirit was snorting with anger and greatly agitated’. What stirred up the spirit of Lord Jesus so that his nostrils flared? He was observing the pain and sorrow that the wages of sin brings. Jesus didn’t come merely to teach truths and encourage us to be better; he came to kill the final enemy and undo death.

John 11:38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” …

It is our sin, and the painful consequences of our sin that stir the Lord to anger. And when we cry out to him, he bows the heavens to come down.

Cherubim; Guardians of Holiness

The cherub is a wild creature; Ezekiel chapter 1 describes the cherubim (that’s plural) as living creatures with four wings, calves’ feet, and four faces; the face of a human, a lion, an ox, and and eagle, and they looked like molten bronze, with whirling wheels, and they served as something like a living chariot throne for God.

Cherubim serve as guardians of God’s holiness. When Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden because of their rebellion, cherubim were placed with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life (Gen.3:24). The heavy curtain that barred even the priests from the presence of God in the inner sanctuary of the temple was embroidered with cherubim, and there were gold cherubim formed into the mercy seat above the ark of the covenant. They are reminders of how serious the holiness of God is, and how devastating the effects of our sin, which separates us from God.

The thick darkness and cloud that conceals God’s glory is gracious, protecting us from the catastrophic consequences of seeing his glory directly;

Exodus 33:18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” …20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”

Isaiah said

Isaiah 6:5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; …for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

Sovereign Rescue

Verses 13-19 display this awesome God of vengeance coming to the rescue of the one who cries out to him for help.

Psalm 18

13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens,

and the Most High uttered his voice,

hailstones and coals of fire.

14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;

he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.

15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,

and the foundations of the world were laid bare

at your rebuke, O LORD,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me;

he drew me out of many waters.

17 He rescued me from my strong enemy

and from those who hated me,

for they were too mighty for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the LORD was my support.

19 He brought me out into a broad place;

he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

God Came Down

David says (v.3) ‘I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. This was David’s experience when he was delivered from all his enemies, but as the Lord’s anointed, he spoke beyond himself of the greater David, YHWH’s Anointed, the coming Messiah. God bowed the heavens and came down, not in response to the cry of the righteous, but when there were none righteous, no not one. He came down not in flaming fury inflicting vengeance (as he will come again one day; 1Thess.1:7-10), but he

Philippians 2:7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

God came down, not to pour out his wrath, but to take that wrath in my place, to feel the full fury of the wrath of the Father against my sin, in my place, bearing what I deserve, so that I could experience his favor.

John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 ​Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Jesus is the beloved Son in whom the Father delights. And when I see my sin and cry out to him for rescue, I am hid in Jesus, and I am included in the one in whom he delights. YHWH God delights in me!

Psalm 18:1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org