Sermon Tone Analysis

God’s Message: OT Survey (Numbers)

Numbers – 1:1

dābar - “And [Yahweh] Spoke [to Moses]”

Numbers – “In The Wilderness”

(midbār) II, wilderness

“In the Wilderness”

benmidbār - “In The Wilderness”

“In The Wilderness”

The English title of Numbers is derived from the censuses taken in the book.

Facts About Numbers

Numbers is able to make one wise unto salvation and is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.

Numbers covers a 38 year period from the fist day of the month of the second year of the Exodus to the first day of the month of the fortieth year.

Census totals add up to more than 600,000 fighting men each.

This meant the population had increased to 2 - 3 million!

The book of Numbers is a powerful narrative of God’s Sovereign care of His chosen people who are constantly complaining, grumbling, and rebelling, in response God graciously provides them atonement, redemption, and forgiveness while at the same time He is pointing His people to a greater Mediator, Priest, and Sacrifice by whom they will enter the true Promise Land.

He goes on to write, the book of Numbers “was a text for worship of God for Moses and those who aligned themselves with him.

By God’s grace it may become a book of worship for us as well.”

I. Author and Setting

B. Recipients and Date

The book was written to the people of Israel in the second generation from the Exodus while they were waiting to cross over into Canaan.

C. What Type of Genre?

Narrative plus law, administration records, and speeches.

Numbers is an integral part of the Pentateuch.

It is united to the other books in two crucial ways.

First, there is continuity in the history.

Numbers follows Exodus and leads on to Deuteronomy.

Exodus moves from Egypt to the first year at Sinai; Numbers covers the next forty years, moving from Sinai to Moab.

Secondly, there is unity of theology.

The main unifying factor is God’s covenant made with Abraham.

(New Bible Commentary; D.A. Carson)

II.

Main Themes and Doctrines

Main Characters:

God

Moses

Aaron

Miriam

Joshua

Caleb

Phineas

Israel

Korah

Balaam (His donkey)

Zimri

A. God’s Chosen People

God called for a count of the congregation.

God wanted his people counted by clans, name by name, head by head.

God wanted His specific people marked out for His glory.

God wanted Moses and all of Israel to know the work God had done calling out, choosing, and multiplying His people!

A people that was not strong, that was not mighty, that was not wise, but that God chose, made a covenant with, and caused to grow into a great nation.

There was no application process.

No interview process.

No try outs.

No other qualification, other than being born into the family of God

God was identifying and organizing His people in preparation for battle, they were preparing to go to war and overtake the land of promise!

Numbers 1:

God had from the beginning chosen specific men, a specific clans, and specific tribes to lead His people to battle for the nation of Israel.

The people who started from an old man and a barren woman.

Who became a mighty nation under an evil Egyptian master.

Who God miraculously rescued from slavery now had over half a million fighting men!

All this because of God’s sovereign selection!

God not only had a chosen people,

In the book of Numbers we see God’s

C. Chosen Priesthood

God called out a people, a tribe, a clan to serve Him.

To minister to the people.

Aaron and his descendants were of the tribe of Levi:

They had the right to handle sacrificial blood.

They were able to touch the altar.

They were able to enter the tent of o meeting.

They were authoritative teachers of Israel.

They were mediators between God and Israel.

(Gordon Wenham)

God has chosen them for this purpose!

Numbers 3

This chosen priesthood was to keep guard over the congregation before the tent of meeting as they minister at the tabernacle.

This service was not for any one.

Only for these men chosen by God, anointed and ordained to serve as ministers before the Lord.

Why was this so important?

Why could only select men be chosen to serve as priests and ministers in the tabernacle and before the tent of meeting?

Because of the third doctrine we see revealed in the book of Numbers.

D. God’s Holiness

The tabernacle was the place where God met with His people.

The place of His presence among His people.

Because of God’s holiness, apartness, otherness, and His transcendent majesty no one could approach Him or the things used in service to Him!

Numbers 4:

These men were counted, set apart to work in the tent of meeting.

They were called to handle the most holy things.

The things that were used to serve, minister to, and offer sacrifices to the One True, Holy God!

This was not just a ceremonial choosing of priest, this was a God ordained calling of men for the protection of the congregation of Israel.

Notice,

Notice how even members of this priesthood could not enter into look on the most holy things for a moment....

They were still kept from the condemnation that would come being in the presence of the holy things of God!

There were also men who sought to be especially set apart, separate and holy unto the Lord.

The Nazarites made special vows to separate themselves as holy to the Lord:

Israel was called to be ‘a kingdom of priests’ (Exod.

19:6), and the rules voluntarily assumed by the Nazirites resembled those governing the behaviour of priests, while their distinctive hairstyle reminded the laity that even they were called to be kings and priests to God (cf.

Rev. 5:10).

Thus as marriage symbolized the relationship between God and Israel (Num.

5), so the Nazirites epitomized the holy calling of the nation (Jer.