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Good morning. Glad to see you guys all here today. Nice day. Nice day today think is supposed to get a little warmer. We’re down for that right? Goodness gracious.
Alright, well we are in the book of Numbers today starting a whole brand new book. And I’m going to do the introduction to it this morning. And then dad’s gonna get us going in chapter two. Let’s start with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we come before you in Jesus name. And we thank you so much Lord God for your holy word, father and for preserving it for us, Lord and for keeping it for us father so that we can have it in our hands, Lord, to this very day, from the long days past, Lord and to receive That same word, Father from you that you gave to Moses Lord. on Mount Sinai Father, we can read those words and Lord, all the truth and the depth and the meaning that it still has for our lives today, father and how we can see ourselves. Lord represented in the children of Israel in so many different ways. Father, we pray that you would help us to take our lessons, Lord, from their mistakes, and also learn from the things that they did, right, Lord, and then also to take joy, Father, from all of the ways that Jesus Christ is represented. Lord, and the way that you work with Israel and days in days past father, and that everything that you were doing father was pointing to that day, when a son would be born, child will be born a son would be given, Lord and then and then and then we can still look for future tense Lord to the day when the government will be on his shoulders. We’re all excited about that, Lord, and we ask and pray. Father, as we study your word this morning that you would write these true is that we’re going to learn about today, Lord on the tablets of our hearts and we would take encouragement from it files and then she would just build up our faith, Lord and then our understanding of your word through the study of this book. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Amen.
So the book of Numbers, begins chapter one and verse one. Right off the bat, the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting on the first day of the second month, in the second year, after they had come out of the land of Egypt. So now we move from the account that we have in Leviticus, where the Lord was speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, giving him all of the laws and the regulations that pertain to the ruling of the nation itself, how they were to be governed and how they were to live their lives day to day the way that they were to conduct themselves, and then also the way that they were to worship Him. The prescribed methods to prescribe ways that prescribe sacrifices that God was very detailed about in the way in which they must worship Him in the tabernacle, and future tense in the temple it was going to be, but for now, God is explaining to Moses to the people through Moses, this is how I want to be worship. This is how I must be worship. This is what I require of your hand, and this is what I require of your lives. If you’re going to be my children, and I’m going to be your God, these are the things that I’m putting in place for you to live your lives by. And it was very important it was to it was supposed to consume every aspect of their lives. He talks about talk with your children about it as you sit at the table as you rise and when you go to sleep at night, when you walk along the way. Talk about these things have these things on your mouth, you know, be thinking about these things be contemplating about these things. God didn’t want this to simply be a religion. He literally wanted it to be A way of life, this was a theocracy. This was literally a nation ruled by God. Now there had been named their their file, I should say there was going to be nations future tense, whose leaders were going to claim to be God. And I guess past Nimrod was kind of like that too, in ancient Babylon, but there there was plenty of people who were going to come on the scene and claim to be God, you guys all know the story of Nebuchadnezzar and the children of Israel are in exile in Babylon, and he builds the giant golden statue. Remember, he had had the dream of the statue of various metals, and the first was gold, the head was a gold and Daniel had told him when he interpreted that dream, that that gold had represents your kingdom, the kingdom of Babylon okaying, this great and mighty kingdom, but then there was kingdoms that were going to come after that, while Nebuchadnezzar didn’t agree with that with that interpretation. So he built the statue remember completely of gold, what was he trying to say? My kingdom will never end. My king will never come to a close And he required everyone great and small when the instruments throughout the land were played to fall down, remember, and worship this idol? Well, the nation of Israel was the only it has been the only true theocracy in the history of mankind, that they were literally to be governed by God Himself. And that he would speak through the high priest, member of his own women, assuming that were on the stones on the breastplate of the high priest, and God would raise up prophets. And God was going to speak to the children of Israel, but he was going to be their ruler, he was going to directly rule them. Remember when we get to the end of the judges, and we get into the book of Samuel, to the end of the book of First Samuel, and the people begin to clamor that they want a king that they want to King they want to be like all the other nations around them. They want to be ruled by a king. And remember, Samuel has this discussion with them. They’re all been there. They’re there. Excuse me, Samuel is all bummed out. And he has this discussion with God. You know, they’re rejecting And remember what God says, Samuel, it’s not you. They’re rejecting Samuel. It’s me, they’re rejecting. They’re rejecting me as their king. Because up until that point in time, God was their king. God was their ruler. And he did rule them read the book of Judges, right? When they were disobedient, when they didn’t do the things that God had told him through the law of Moses that they needed to do, He punished them, and they use other nations to do it. They went in victory and out of victory into idolatry and out of idolatry was up and down. But God was ruling them until the time when they said that they wanted a king. So this is God. Now, after the Mount Sinai after that point in time when they’ve traveled into the wilderness. Now, the tabernacle has been built. All the things that we talked about Leviticus have been done, and now they’re in the wilderness. They’re following remember by day it was this cloud, this pillar of cloud that stood above the tabernacle, and by night it was a pillar of fire that stood above the tabernacle and they would stay in camp in a certain in place until that moved, and then they would move on from there. And every single day, God fed them remember the manna from heaven. They’re living this reality. Now this is what’s going on this is the context that we find ourselves in, as God now speaks to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting on the first day of the second month, in the second year, after they had come out of the land of Egypt. Now, the Book of Numbers. In Hebrew, the book is by mid bar, and I’m probably saying that wrong, but I’m probably going to say all of the names in here wrong. So, right. It’s all American guys, for your enjoyment, right? But the mid bar is the word, the translation of the book of the name, the actual name of the book of Numbers. And you guys know that just just speaking here is we’re doing a Bible study here and we’re studying the Word of God. You understand that the Bible was changed to Anglo Saxon Is it right? But King James? You know, there really wasn’t James, he was yakko. Right? There’s no, Matthew, Mark, Luke. It’s like, wow, that games just like we do mad.
No, no, they didn’t at all. Okay, you know. And so King James wanted to change the name of the apostle to guess Oh, James, right. Plus, we don’t want this look, none of those names are very Juhi. You know what I mean? Our jewelry names. All right. This is a Jewish book, Old Testament and New Testament. This is a Jewish book, okay, we’re just the wild olive branches. Remember that God has allowed him and grafted into the tree. The name of this book is Ben mid bar, and it means literally in the wilderness. Why couldn’t they just stick with that one? I’m sorry. I’m like, Well, why would you change that? You know, you know why people change it. Because we’re so smart. are so, so smart. It’s gonna make so much more sense. You know, people being people, this is what people do. Whatever it’s okay we call it the book of Numbers, right? But the mid bar means in the wilderness. Now, later, when the Septuagint was written, it was translated the book of the law was translated into Greek. And the name of this book was a risk boy, which is where we get the word arithmetic from. And then later that word, a risk boy was translated into Latin into the word numero, see what we’re getting. And then now it became the book of Numbers. If Genesis is the book of beginnings, and Exodus is the book of redemption. And Leviticus is the book of worship. numbers is a book of warfare, a book of motion, a book of movement, and I dare say, a book of rebellion, a book of rebellion. This is now all the things that God has shown Moses on Mount Sinai, all the laws and all the rules and all the ways of worship now being put into motion as they as a people travel through the wilderness and almost from day one. Right, they begin to show their true colors as people do. Before God, they’re rebels. The Book of Numbers covers a period of 38 years. And I guess the significance of that would be you guys all know the children of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years, right? Because they doubted God’s promise they went into they sent 12 spies remember into the land, the promised land, and they came back and 10 of them were freaked out saying there’s giants in the land, and we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes. We can never defeat this land. Only two, only two brought back a good report. Remember what they said they are bred for us. You know, I love that. I love that Joshua and Caleb the only two that said God has given us this land. Let’s go up there and let’s take it. But of course the people listen to the 10 spies who gave a bad report, and they doubted and didn’t believe and so remember God’s punishment upon them. God’s judgment was nobody from your generation is going to enter into the promised land. But your children of you whom you said they will be destroyed in our sight, they will enter into the promised land, but none of you will. Now, in the book of Romans, if you want to turn with me to the book of Romans chapter 15, I’m putting off reading the actual chapter one of numbers as long as No, I’m kidding. But the book of Romans chapter 15. And verse four says this, for whatever things were written before, were written for our learning, that we, through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. First Corinthians, if you want to flip their first Corinthians chapter 10.
First Corinthians chapter 10, and verses one through 12 says this, first Corinthians 10, one through 12. Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the same All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea, all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them. And that rock was Christ. Want to stop there for just a moment, remember, now here’s what Paul’s talking about, as he writes to the church in Corinth, is I want you to remember I want you to understand something in your mind’s church, that our fathers, our spiritual fathers, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the nation of Israel, they all saw the blessings of God. That’s what Paul’s talking about here. They all saw the blessings of God, they all pass through the cloud, they pass through the sea, talking about of course, the pillar, the cloud, the pillar of clouds that never separated them from the Egyptians before they cross the Red Sea, and at night, it was fire, that later on would be the same pillar that stood above the tabernacle, they all pass through the sea. All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all laid the same spiritual food. All drank the same spiritual drink. So they drank from that spiritual rock that followed them. And that rock was Christ. Remember when the rock God told Moses when the children of Israel was thirsty to speak to the rock? Well, the first time he told him to strike the rock, remember to strike the rock and water would come from the rock, and it would be enough water to to for everybody in the nation to drink. So, So my question, How big was that rock? What, how much water? You understand you and you see your mind? You see, it’s like, like when you’re hiking up through walkins day like, oh, look a mountain straight. Let’s drink right on the little boats. It’s like, look, it wasn’t bad. This would have had to have been some massive like the side of a mountain opened up and created a clear pool of fresh water for the whole nation to drink from because we’re going to talk about and get into the sheer size of this group of people in a minute. So when we’re talking about that rock, and spiritually, remember Jesus also compared himself to the manna, and I am the manna of the bread come down from heaven. Of course, he was speaking spiritually to them. That bread, it was a representation of me. It was a representation of what I was going to be to you. I am the bread come down from heaven. I’m all the sustenance you need is what Jesus was saying. Forget about the religion and forget about all the traditions and all the things. What you need is me. I’m the bread of your life. And moreover, the Bible says that Jesus was the rock that followed him around in the dead, Jesus didn’t really turn into a rock. Okay? This again was a spiritually significant thing, that God brought forth water from the rock. Jesus is our rock. He is our foundation. He is the cornerstone. I remember what he said to the woman at the well if you would have known of who you were speaking to, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water and you’d never thirst again, remember? So all of this is spiritually significant. Paul’s saying these, our forefathers saw all of this stuff. But with most of them, God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
Now these things became our examples to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lost it and do not become idolaters as some of them as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Nor let us commit sexual immorality as some of them did, and in one day 23,000 cell that’s what slain in the spirit really means. Okay, it’s, you know what, we are blessed. Church, we are so blessed. And and you read the Old Testament and present and love to see some miracles like that. That’s you Okay, God, that’s them. I didn’t say that. That’s that. Yeah. Because God dealt with his people in a very severe way. When they disobeyed him when they rebelled against him, he dealt with them in a very serious way. I am so glad we live under the Under the spirit, the Age of Grace, right, because of Christ’s sacrifice, the sacraments sexual immorality of some of them. And in one day 23,000 fell, nor let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents, nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now, all these things happen to them as examples. And they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come upon whom us upon whom the end of the age has come. We are living in the last days, we are the church, and the things that God allowed to happen to the children of Israel, the things that he showed them, the things that he taught them, the places that he took him and the way that he dealt with them. Were lessons for us. Now it’s the we get a surprise Hey, we live in the Age of Grace hey we live God understands God understands God understands, know God’s will for our lives is that we live them according to His Word. And according to his will make no mistake about it. God will not be mocked, right? A man reaps what he sews. All right. And so we have forgiveness. And every single day we can get up in the morning, no matter how bad we blew it yesterday. And thank God through Jesus Christ, we’re forgiven today, and it’s a fresh start. That’s the greatest news there is man. That’s the greatest news there is. But God wants us to get up and press forward in the face. We have a great responsibility. We live at the end of the age. You guys know what’s next, right? This is why when we watch Facebook and news and stuff like that, and we see everything that’s happening all freak outs everywhere, all throughout the place. We don’t we shouldn’t get dismayed and get freaked out and worried because everything that’s happening God knew about before tonight. began. And he chose to put you and I in this time, and in this place, and along with the great blessings that we have to be in this time and in this place comes from Spider Man, with great power, comes great responsibility. But it’s true. I should say, though, that was great power, does that have little of that, but with great blessing comes great responsibility. And so God has put us in that time in this place. And as we read through the Old Testament, we should be seeing how God Delta children of Israel and see what they went through and say, oh, Lord, oh, I see so much in me. I see so much of that and me I’m a rebel to Lord, help me by the power of your Holy Spirit, to do better, to live my life to offer my body as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable for you, for you, which what the Bible says is just our reasonable service. There ain’t no extra credit for offering your body as a living sacrifice. Good. That’s just your reasonable service. Right? Paul talks about Listen, not many of us suffer to the point of bloodshed. Okay? Like we’re doing okay? But my life belongs to the Lord. My family belongs to the Lord. The things that God’s blessed me with belong to the Lord, we always pray about this during communion or offering time. Everything in my life is something that’s just there and exists to either glorify and honor God or to be given back to him and his service, or because he asks it of me, and the Old Testament saints, and the Old Testament children of Israel are an example for us. Now, 14 times in chapter one, God says number of those who are of the age to go to war. Verse two of chapter one, take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers houses, according to the number of names every male individually from 20 years old and above, all who are able to go to war in Israel. Real you and Aaron shall number them by their armies. And with you there shall be a man from every tribe, each one the head of his father’s house. These are the names of the men who shall stand with you from Reuben at least or the center should door from Simeon shall me well the son of Zurich Should I from Judah nation the son of a Minitab from sokar, Nathaniel the son of Zoo are from sebelum le AB the son of Ilan from the sons of Joseph from ephrem ally shemagh, the son of Alma hood, from inasa Gamaliel, the son of Medusa producer from Benjamin Abba down the son of given video night from Dan haze or the son of Misha die from Asher Poggio the son of okra from Gad la staff the son of duet DLL do l from nastily a higher the son of enon. These were chosen from the congregation leaders of their fathers tribes heads The divisions of Israel. Thank you. That’s that’s not as easy as it sounds. 14 times though in chapter one, God says number of those who are of the age go to work. Now. Now, interestingly enough, we see this from the age of 20. And there’s no cutoff age. I like that. I love that there’s no cutoff age, if you’re able to go to war, if you’re able to fight, you start you still able to fight. I still go to war. 20 years old, they were they were ready to go to war. Interesting. But these are the people that are number now I just want to go over the numbers. When we go through the numbers. In the next few verses, we’re going to find that there were 603,550 fighting men in total, have over half a million just in fighting men. Now when you add in their children, right, and it wasn’t just like, let’s just have to in those days, okay, let’s go Have one you know what we don’t feel like having children it No, no, no, no, it was let’s have as many as there are to have, right? You just keep having kids. That’s how it was back in those days. So think of the children, the wives, the Levi’s who are not counted in the census. They entire tribe of Levi is not counted in the census including their wives and children. And then the very elderly most scholars agree that we are looking at a camp of between two and 3 million people. Somewhere between two and three we got over half a million Justin fighting men. That’s how many again, how big was that rock? Right, what it took, what it looked like, what the encampment was like on believable, a breathtaking number To put that in perspective for us. The four counties that make up what we call the Syracuse area, Onondaga, Oswego, Oneida and Madison County. a population of approximately 740,000 people are four counties that surround the Syracuse area.
Hi angel. This is the cutest. I sorry to stop service, the middle of what she’s like the living Wendy Lou who comes to life and she doesn’t like me at all. By the way.
All four of the counties that make up what we call the Syracuse area, Onondaga, Oswego, Oneida and Madison 740,000 people approximately magine a number, triple that triple that amount of people. So, most of you, if not all of you come from somewhere in this area within these four counties. Imagine all of us from the four counties times three, living in the same place at the same Have you fended them all. Have you been there? It’s a den of iniquities. In my humble opinion, have you been to the fair? Right? Okay, okay, now listen to me triple the size of our four counties all at the fair. At the same time, you see why God opens the ears up? You see why I said the fiery surface? That makes perfect sense. Now, I completely understand. It’s a good thing. I don’t have the power, you know, I mean, I’d like a little just open up that cosway right here we’re that whole group of people I think we could do without, you know, right there. But imagine, just imagine the sheer size of this of this group of people. Now, in Deuteronomy chapter one, Deuteronomy chapter one, and verses two to three, if you want to turn their Deuteronomy chapter one, verses two and three. Listen to what? Listen to what the Lord says to Moses. It is 11 day’s journey from hora job by the way as mount CIHR to k dash Barnea. Now, it came to pass in the 40th year, in the 11th month that Moses spoke to the children of Israel. And then of course, God directs Moses to send them on into the promised land under Joshua’s leadership. But notice what God says first. It is an 11 days journey from hora, by the way of Mount seer, that’s Mount Sinai to Kadish Barnea. That’s the that’s the edge of the Promised Land. It’s an 11 day journey. 40 years. Why do you think God points this out? It’s an 11 days journey, y’all. 11 days journey 40 years. It took the children of Israel to get there. To me if you’re taking notes, this is God showing his sense of humor, perhaps, or maybe just making a point for you and I back to Romans 15 for These things are written for our admonition for our understanding, I would have had them there God says in 11 days I could have had them there and 11 days give or take 40 years. You know why? They did it their way. Okay. You know, as you know, the Frank Sinatra song, I’m sorry, I just butchered it. I apologize from the bottom of my heart. You know, it’s, I did it my way. And as you sing that song, Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, no, no, no, that’s not good. It’s not gonna be good for anybody. That’s not good for anybody. God has not called you and I to do it our way. God has called us to serve Him and to do it his way, his way. It’s not a suggestion. Now, listen, God is so understanding. He’s so loving. He’s so gracious. I’m so glad he still doesn’t send fire. I first of all, I hate snakes. Okay, just I would die before they even bit me. I’m tempted, you know, I see a horde of snakes coming across the field for me the swords in my gut before they get to me, I’ll take it. No, thank you, but I get it, I understand it. My God has never stumped me with steak or open up the earth. You know you ever having those times of prayer when you’ve blown it big time. And you know those hours of self loathing two three in the morning or whether it’s as for me as Sunday morning before church I’m so aware. I’m so aware of how unworthy I am, of how wicked My heart is. And God sees every last disgusting detail of my heart and loves me just the same and accepts me and receives me as a son and has sealed me with the spirit for the day of redemption. Wow, wow. Amazing how that is. But God wants us to do it His way.
You ever wonder, when you’re when you’re in heaven your time alone with the Lord, when you’re just thinking alone with your thoughts? Where would I be? What would I be doing? And there’s a couple of different ways mom shaking her head, which tells me that she’s thinking without Jesus, right? You think about that? See, I grew up in the church. I grew up in the faith. I already know where I’d be without Jesus jailor dad, then one of the two, right? I’d be in a bad way. There’s no way. But I always think to myself, having grown up in the church, having known about these things since the time I was a little guy, where would I be? If I had always done things God’s way? If I’d always done things God’s way, what might have been in my life now? This is not for us. You know, I blew it. I ruined everything. I mean, if I had done everything the right way, I maybe wouldn’t be married to Nikki and have my family and all of these things. You know, I No, literally no idea. But I often wonder God, what what could have been? What might you have have done now I, in my finite understanding and in my wicked mind as if well, if I hadn’t screwed up, I never would have met Nikki. So I’m glad I screwed up. I think God’s a little bigger than that. And if God had planned for me to meet and marry Nikki, which I’m sure that he did that she was to be my wife, he probably could have arranged it somehow, no matter how good I was, no matter how much I did things the right way. God probably still could have made that happen. And here’s the other thing I think about, I knew her when we were kids. I didn’t spend any time with her. I was way cooler, way cooler than she was. She was like three years behind and talk to her, you know, I mean, I was always trying to holler at her sister, who wanted nothing to do with me whatsoever, you know, but, but I wonder how might I have been a blessing to her when we were kids even and might not have even started that relationship. ship from an innocent child like Stanford. I mean, who knows? Here’s what I do know. Here’s what I do know. It’s always better God’s way. It’s always better God’s way God the things that he commands us. The things that he tells us to do in His Word are not to bum you out or not to make us miss out on good things. It’s so that our lives can be blessed and can be full and have as little baggage as possible. Man, it gets heavy. You watch who watched the Christmas carol so far? Yeah. Cratchit are no Marley, Jacob Marley. walk around with the chains and the money boxes. You know what I’m saying? You ever feel like that? You know, like, Oh my goodness, because the wonderful thing about God is he forgives us and He forgives us. But those things that we reap. So we also reap right. God does not completely deliver us from the consequences of our actions does he? And I tell my kids all the time. I wants you to have as little baggage as possible in your life. I want you to go into your married life with your husband or with your wife completely unshackled and unfettered from any of the garbage that follows wrong relationships. Oh, if I could go back in time, oh, if I could do it over again and keep myself only for my wife. And for you youngsters, you don’t even know the half, right? You don’t even know the half God’s way. God’s plan is always better. But grace like every time we think about grace, it shouldn’t be like, Oh, that’s right. Grace, Grace, Grace. No one should be like, oh, thank God for His grace. It’s so wonderful to have. So let’s see. Well, I was gonna in light of all that I just said Philippians chapter three verse. 13 to 14, forgetting those things that are behind the okay. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ. In other words, none of that matters right yesterday, doesn’t matter, right now matters.
Right now matters. Yesterday is meaningless. Right now matters. What will we choose to do today? Who will we choose to be today or more appropriately? Whose will we choose to be? Today? That’s the question. That’s the great blessing and honor of being a Christian that every single day I can start out fresh like I’m just coming out of Egypt. There is no golden calf though there’s been some. There is no eating and drink lots of that and rising up to play. There isn’t there is none of that. There’s today in Jesus Christ, the greatest thing. It’s the greatest thing of all time, during their bondage, when things were at their worst, and when they were crying out to God for deliverance, the Israelites were prolific in their population growth, they doubled in size every 20 years. Two years from one family, they doubled in size every 20 years. So the time when they left Egypt, they went out as this giant multitude of people. So here are the numbers by the tribe as we get down into it. And I’m going to just give you the facts here. I’ll let’s see, if we start with verse 18. They assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they recited their ancestry, by families by their fathers houses, according to the number of names from 20 years old and above each one individually. But that took a minute as the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai. Now the children of Reuben, Israel’s oldest son, there genealogies by their families by their fathers house according to the number of names, every male individually from 20 years old, and above all, who were able to go to war, those who were numbered of the tribe of Reuben, were 46,500 years this is and this is how it’s going to be for each of the tribes. Okay, so I’m just going to give you the facts and figures right now, Ruben, the head of the house of the tribe of Reuben was allies or, and his name means God is a rock 46,500 people, the tribe of Simeon the head of that tribe, his name was Shabbat, shalom ul, and his name means friend of God or God is salvation. And their tribe had 59,300 people from the tribe of Judah, the head of that family was, was named Sean. And his name interestingly means a diviner, or more appropriately, one who interprets one who interprets and their tribe 74 Thousand 600 fighting men, the tribe of sokar Nasional, and his name means God, the giver from 54 excuse me God to give her and their tribe at 54,400 fighting men from the tribe of Zombieland, le abs, and his name means God His father, and from their tribe 57,400 from the tribe of ephrem ally shemagh his name means God hears, and their tribe had 40,500 fighting men from the tribe of vanassa Gamaliel, the head of the family and his name means God rewards and from their tribe 32,200 fighting men from the tribe of Benjamin Abidin, and his name means my father is judge and from their tribe 35,400 fighting men from the tribe of Dan a hyzer. Or he is whatever his name means my brother his help, and from their tribes 62,700 fighting men, the tribe of Asher taggi L. His name means my prayer to God. And from that tribe 41,500 fighting men from the tribe of Gad, le Assaf. His name means my god gathers and from the tribe of gab, 40, Gad rather 45,650 fighting men from the tribe of nastily a Hira, the head of the house, and his name means my brother, my brother is my friend, and from the tribe of nasally, 53,400 fighting men and then of course, the tribe of Levi was not numbers. So we have a nation that represents God and His ways, even in their names. You see the two aspects of the of the of the definitions behind the names, what the names mean relationship with God relationship with my brother.
God is my God, my brother is my friend. I love that even in the names of the heads of the houses of the tribes of Israel. God was written there, his ways were written there. They were to be a light to the whole world, God’s instrument of judgment, but also evangelism everywhere they went. That’s what God had intended for them to be. If they would have done things God’s way, if they would have went God’s way and done everything the way he had told them to do. God’s plan for them was to be an instrument of judgment, but also of evangelism in the book of Exodus, chapter six, and verse seven, God makes this amazing statement. He says, I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. And that meant everything. But by the time we get to the end of numbers, their population actually decreases. It goes from 603,550 to 601,730. And here’s the amazing part of that figure. The population declines a little bit nothing, nothing dramatic. The population declines a little bit, but not one person, of the entire nation of between two and 3 million people who was delivered by God personally from bondage in Egypt, saw the promised land, except for Joshua and Caleb, not even Moses, not even Moses. Remember, he didn’t go in because he died of old age before he went in. Remember? God said, Moses, remember the second time when God tells him, he tells him the first time remember Jesus is the representation of the rock. And Moses tells him to strike the rock and water will come from it. Jesus was struck for us and because he was struck for us that living water flowed into our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. The second time remember, God tells Moses speak to the rock. But Moses is angry because of the children of Israel’s disbelief and the rebellion. And so in a fit of rage, he strikes the rock again with a staff. And God says, You are now disqualified from going into the promised land. Because you did not honor my name. Why? Why was that so important? Why was this such a big deal? Because God was showing us very clearly in the scriptures that Jesus was only struck once. And now we have what to ask. We have but to ask for the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts to fill our lives to refresh us. He never need be struck and never will be struck again. And because Moses was disobedient to what God was trying to show you and I, he had to be disciplined for it. And so God said, You’re not going, can you imagine poor Moe? He’s been like, like hardcore, from Sinai to the, to the through the will everything doing God’s Will patient with this people he’s put up with so much he freaks out what I he freaks out one time. God says My name will be hallowed. Moses, I love you. Moses was God’s friend. And he says, I speak to Moses, as a man speaks to his friend face to face. He loved Moses, but Moses, my name has to be hallowed. And you disobeyed and misrepresented my voice to the people, and you can’t go to the promised land. That’s a scary verse for a preacher tell you that right now. You misrepresented my word, and you can’t go into the promised land. So why we only we try to stick with the Bible, you know, here, you know what I’m saying, you know, get to the gates and be like, Listen, I’ve got some bad news. You know, guys, God’s God’s bigger that his grace is abundant. Amazing, but It definitely it definitely makes makes you think about that. Okay, it’s 1004 let me just let me just get to verse 47 are going to read down through the end okay? But believe it or not numbered among them by their fathers tried for the Lord and spoken to Moses saying only the tribe of Levi You shall not number, nor take a census of them among the children of Israel, but you shall appoint the leave it over the tabernacle of the testimony over all its furnishings, and over all things that belong to it, they shall carry the tabernacle and all this furnishings, they shall attend to it and camp around the tabernacle. And when the tabernacle is to go, for the Levi shall take it down, and the tabernacle is to be set up to leave it shall set it up, the outsider who comes near shall be put to death, pretty adamant, Levi it’s only the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, everyone by his own camp, everyone by his own standard, according to their families, but the Levi’s shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony that there There may be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel, the leave it shall keep charge of the tabernacle of testimony. Thus the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses so they did. Just quickly. I love the fact that the Levis were not to be numbered. I love that there was no census to be taken because when it comes to the things of God and the things that we do in his service, there ought to be no accounting or no reckoning for amounts or how much it’s just his remember back in the old days they met Dr. Wesley in church and we I think I don’t think we freak require we had that plaque obviously that plaque and the him numbers that him the pages and the number of the hymns we’re singing today. And then it was attendance last week, you filthy rotten sinners dirty. And, and then the offering from last week. This is how much was given you cheap escape. No Good luck. You know what I mean? And I either bad records that you don’t have high You know what I mean? sit in the back in sweatpants going, it seems stupid to me. You know what I mean? Why does God care about that? That’s not for God. That’s for the people, man. That’s why I’m a rebel stop. It’s their fault. But seriously, when it comes to our service to God when it comes to worshiping God, and not that we should be flippin about it, please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. But it just belongs to God, man. You want to make sure we make sure just give to God. Just love God, and give all that you have in of yourself wholeheartedly without ever holding anything back. That’s what God wants. That’s it. I love it that there was no numbering going on there. Amen?
All right, let’s pray. Lord, thank you for your word. Lord, we pray and ask that you would continue to help us get through this book father to instruct us and teach us from it. Lord, we pray that we would be able to pull out just gems after gems after gems, Lord of truth and knowledge and understanding and then the picture of Jesus Christ that you were painting for the children of Israel. Way back then father that we would see it clearly and be blessed by it built up and edified by it Lord, and it would strengthen our faith and our understanding of your word in Jesus name. And I pray, Lord, that You would be with all my brothers and sisters this week. as they head into the holiday Lord, I pray that you would watch over them and protect them. I pray Father, that you would be with them wherever they go, Lord, and that you would help them to be a light that shines in the darkness floor that they would be salt, Lord and everything that they say to their relatives, and to their friends or to be seasoned with grace and mercy and love and also with truth, Father, in Jesus name we pray, Amen. Amen. Thanks, everybody. Merry Christmas.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai