ESV Chronological Plan, Day 55 | Numbers 15-18

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Numbers 15:1-18:32

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Don't skip over the sacrifices in Numbers 15. The first two verses of Numbers 15 include the line, "When you come into the land you are to inhabit...". This is a promise. Despite all of the complaining, and rebelling, and failing to follow God where he was telling them to go, and despite the sentence to wander for 40 years, God still means to bring Israel to its intended destination. God has not abandoned his people. They are still reconciled to him, and their sins are laid upon a substitute -the sacrifices of Numbers 15- instead. They are instructed at the end of the chapter to carry around a physical reminder of their identity: blue tassels on their garment that remind them that they are holy to the Lord.

Korah's rebellion. What I said yesterday about the rebellion against Moses carries over here as well. It's always other leaders trying to carve out a bigger position for themselves, casting themselves as representatives of the people, who come after Moses. So they cast Moses as a bit of an elite, and themselves as men of the people: "They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, 'You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" (Numbers 16:3). Moses' response is a model to follow, where he leaves it to God to show who is really the humble servant, and who is really out to expand their influence (Numbers 16:4-5). But he also calls it like he sees it, naming their real motivation: "You have gone too far, sons of Levi... is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself... would you seek the priesthood also?" (Numbers 16:7-10). The rest of the account is interesting, and incredibly cinematic, with flames of fire, and the ground opening up to swallow the rebels, and a race against time to put out a plague--barely restrained by an atonement made for the people (think of Jesus when you see sacrifice being the only thing that saves the people). It's gripping stuff.

Don't skip over the duties of the priests and Levites. After the priest-led rebellion of Korah in the previous chapters, Leviticus 18 opens with an instructions of reconciliation to keep peace: "the LORD said to Aaron... with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. They shall keep guard over you... They shall join you... behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you..." (Numbers 18:1-6). It would be too easy to hold on to a history of conflict after an episode like what we saw. But God comes in, in this seemingly out-of-place section about duties of priests and Levites, and what he's really doing is restoring peace and reaffirming brotherhood. It's an important chapter to keep in mind when we experience conflict with others. We will all sin against each other over time. The important question is, what do we do after that?

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

What stands out to me is the need to restore the bonds of peace, and to restore relationship. Numbers 15 is an olive branch from God to the people after the events of the previous chapters; Numbers 16-17 is the priests' fight with Moses and Aaron; and Numbers 18 is God mediating peace between them after everything has been concluded. God is going to get us -every group of us- to the Promised Land together. Is there a restored relationship that you need to work for?

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, you know the differences that I've had with people. You know where I feel hurt, betrayed, ignored, and upset. You also know that there are some people who have felt that way about me. When I think about you, I remember how hard you worked to restore relationship with me and with the rest of humanity: you sent your own Son to die on the cross so that we might be reconciled. A relationship with us was that important to you. So God, give me the awareness and the strength necessary to pursue wholeness of relationship with others, as you have done to me."