Sermon Tone Analysis

Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

When God saves a people, he takes them out of slavery and death and he doesn’t just give you a “you’re free card” and say Get on with the rest of your life now.

DO you remember the whole point of the Exous in the OT, it was so they could go out and worship, serve God, so they could become a kingdom of priests, who would bless all the antions of the world, and enjoy the blessings of God dwellings with them.

In many ways the end goal we could say is the life in the kingdom in the promised land.

Not just a picture of heaven, but of God’s kingdom on earth, his inheritance shared and enjoyed and extened to even the neighbouring nations.

What about when God saves a people in the NT times.

Saves us out of the salvery of sin and death and hell, out of the kingdom of darkness, ruled by the prpince of this world.

When the LORD transfers us out of that kingdom,, reb-bron into the kngdom of his blessed Son - do you just get a get of jail free card?

Does God just say, Get on with the rest of your life, and maybe I’l help you when you need it and keep you in peace?

In just the same way that God led his peole out of Egypt and established a new kingdom for the promised land in the OT, so too Jesus in the New Testament, has much more than your indivdual salvation, or just getting you into heaven in the next life in mind.

And that is where this book of Numbers comes in.

A child of Israel saved through the Red Sea needed to respond to the LORD by joining HIs people in the new community God was forming, and together they need to keep HIm in the centre of their lives, and living in His presence, Hearing his Word they need to be responding with obeidence and service and worship - till they grew up as it were and came into their inheirtance and lived out the redeemed life in the Promised Land.

For the OT child of God the Book Numbers is like the teenage now strecthced to twenties and trities years, emerging adulthood - in between stage with so much opprotuntiy and so mcuh danger.

FOr the NT member of Crhsit’s church this book of numbers does the same thing - yes, we are to find savlation, but what next - what’s supposed to be going on with us, as a comunity with us in getting to know God, what leaderships and follwing is to characterize us, .

Like teenager/emerging adult time our charcter and values and mission is to be formed!

Someone said it to me this week - don’t know what it is like - texting .. but always hard time - And Numbers reveals all God’s peple have got to go through this stage - life in the wilderness.

So interesting that the first and longest serving prime Minister chose to live in the desert.

Students have to go out there.

Built this Ben-Gurion University of the Negev - where we are formed.

And the book of Numbers tells us that in the wilderness time of life- two options loom ahead of us - one is path of obedience and blessing and walking with the LORD - not to stay in Egypt nor in the desert, but invovles going through testing time - it involves finding the LORD in his patience and mercy for all our misteps but sticking with the ONe who can guide and direct, purifeya dn forgive - to be orgnaized by him.

That is what the second half of the book is aobut - this genreation of hope.

Seam of the book in census.

No death, all conflicts worked out, great promises.

First and last story are about Zelophad’sdaughters, securing inheritance, - living by faith trusting the Lord, HIs Law, his instruction promise.

- no death’s recorded, all the threats and problems - they do have them, but they are resolved by God’s Word, his revealtoin.

But there is another option that is warned against both for te OT saints - those espeicially in exile returnin to the LAand, you could also end up going through the spiritual teenag years of your spiritual life -like that first generation - challenging God’s leaders, HIs words, not willing to go through the wilderness, to be formed their, not willing to go out without a human king, and having God as king in their midst, but let’s go back to Egypt, let’s reject the priest, Levites and MOses, do our own thing our own way.

And guess what this is how the NT in , and uses the Book of Numbers.

Paul says like in the Exodus, Christ was there, he was the one leading and guiding them through the desert.

All the tests and trials were so they would trust him and his word.

For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

And look at the conclusion Paul draws from Christ’s work in Numbers and what it means to us:

Now these things took place as examplesfor us, that we might not desire evil as they did.

He lists examples of the testing we all most go through, grumbling, sexual immorality, false teaching that lead to false worship of idolatry , he quotes the 23,000 plague resulting from Balaam and orgies, he quotes how the grumbling in the camp - destroyed by serpents.

And says:

So this actually is the structure and the point of the book these two generations that span the 40 wilderness years.

Their responses and the results.

But listen carefully As Noth, Olson - every generation is to put ourselves here and ask how is God working his mission among us.

We like Israel in Numbers are a people in between salvation accomplished, consummated, Christ first coming, second coming.

And far from a boring book - see how God with both generations, absolutely faithful to His people.

Despite our sin failure rebellion,brought judgment but still merciful provided and made away to be the new generation.

Yes we have the testing and we have the Presence of Christ even more fully than they, but just like they we have even in both generations God’s faithfulness to His promises, patience with sinner,s examples of the intercessor, our Lord Jesus - stepping in to work mercy.

And this is book is written to us that we might - be that Second Generation of faith not unbelief.

If Israelite couples averaged about four to five reproducing children each, starting with seventy individuals (), over 430 years () they could grow to about two and a half million (six hundred thousand men plus women and children).

That is incredibly rapid growth, but not theoretically impossible.

On the other hand, taken literally, the numbers are difficult to reconcile with certain other Scriptures: Canaan is said to have seven nations “larger and stronger than you” (), and Israel is referred to as “the fewest of all peoples” ().

This seems to imply seventeen million in Canaan, more than twice the modern population.

There is no archaeological evidence of a population of that size ever living in Palestine.

Pharaoh addresses only two midwives as being the ones serving the Hebrews (), which would be impossible if there were millions of them.

The Israelites were terrified by six hundred chariots (), but surely six hundred thousand men by sheer numbers could overwhelm a few hundred chariots.

indicates that Moses sat from morning to evening judging the people, leading Jethro, his father-in-law, to advise him to appoint judges under him to reduce the task ().

That Moses would have single-handedly attempted to settle all the disputes of two and a half million people seems unimaginable.

The Israelites were emotionally devastated by the defeat at Ai in which thirty-six Israelite men died (), but what is a loss of thirty-six if there are six hundred thousand to start with?

Problems of these sorts lead some conservative scholars also to question whether these numbers are meant to be taken at face value.

If Israelite couples averaged about four to five reproducing children each, starting with seventy individuals (), over 430 years () they could grow to about two and a half million (six hundred thousand men plus women and children).

That is incredibly rapid growth, but not theoretically impossible.

Joe M. Sprinkle, Leviticus and Numbers, ed.

Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2015), 196–197.If Israelite couples averaged about four to five reproducing children each, starting with seventy individuals (), over 430 years () they could grow to about two and a half million (six hundred thousand men plus women and children).

That is incredibly rapid growth, but not theoretically impossible.

On the other hand, taken literally, the numbers are difficult to reconcile with certain other Scriptures: Canaan is said to have seven nations “larger and stronger than you” (), and Israel is referred to as “the fewest of all peoples” ().

This seems to imply seventeen million in Canaan, more than twice the modern population.

There is no archaeological evidence of a population of that size ever living in Palestine.

Pharaoh addresses only two midwives as being the ones serving the Hebrews (), which would be impossible if there were millions of them.

The Israelites were terrified by six hundred chariots (), but surely six hundred thousand men by sheer numbers could overwhelm a few hundred chariots.

indicates that Moses sat from morning to evening judging the people, leading Jethro, his father-in-law, to advise him to appoint judges under him to reduce the task ().

That Moses would have single-handedly attempted to settle all the disputes of two and a half million people seems unimaginable.

The Israelites were emotionally devastated by the defeat at Ai in which thirty-six Israelite men died (), but what is a loss of thirty-six if there are six hundred thousand to start with?

Problems of these sorts lead some conservative scholars also to question whether these numbers are meant to be taken at face value.

Joe M. Sprinkle, Leviticus and Numbers, ed.

Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2015), 196–197.So this actually is the structure and the point of the book these two generations that span the 40 wilderness years.

Their responses and the results.

But listen carefully As Noth, Olson - every generation is to put ourselves here and ask how is God working his mission among us.

We like Israel in Numbers are a poeple in between salvation accomplished, consummated, Christ first coming, second comiong.

And far from a boring book - see how God with both generations, absolutely faithful to His people.

Despite our sin failure rebellion,brought judgment but still merciful provided and made away to be the new generation.

Yes we have the testing and we have the Preesenceo f Christ even more fully than they, but just like they we have even in both generations God’s faithfulness to His proimses, patience with sinner,s examples of the intcessor, our Lord Jesus - stepping in to work mercy.

And this is book is written to us that we might - be that \econd generation of faith not unbelief.

Key Truth: Find Christ in our wilderness journey and respond to him with faith and obedience

This morning - sampler of great theme.

A. Our Wilderness Journey Must Be Done Joining God’s Congregation

Title: NUMBERS - calls out which census are you in - like kids as team list posted, or parents as REd Cross posts list - made it… Not computers. .

but divine numbers great meaning; Two census’ ; But LXX tilte arithmetic, literally “calculate the total”.

And realted to the key truth you must see that Godi s calling you to be numbered to join, Oh it is true that all the elect have theirnames written in the Lambs Book of Life, butnow on earth, we are called to make our calling and election sure.

Like our great leader has called out, here’s the line in the sand, who will follow me to take the land?

Who will enlist, and all are called to do so, and look how - yes, it will be alist of the fighting aged men, but look how:

That word clan, isn’t nuclear family nor tribe, but - orgnaization of society into clans that could trace their line back to one of twelve tribes, yet oranzed and relyingon each other.

So too, God does not just call us individually to come to him, but a major theme of numbers and the Biblbe is God calling us to become a kingdom - together.

A major theme is in the word, in that word congregation, it is in the unique word in v.18 as the censeus is taken

Assembled, called together, like gk\reek word for church, those called out, called to be holy, to be like God.

Another theme of this book is how the church is called in unity to step forward in faith and obedience find their calling.! Time of testing is grumbling against leaders, about wrestling God’s mission from the assembly.

Denial of the holiness they are to reflect!

So interesting that the deep blue colour, symbol of royalty and of the priesthood - every Israelite commanded int he wilderness put a blue tassel on their garment.

Why?

This too is our calling to be joined to God’s people counted in the number, to be called out to become holy.

Numbers, in our society just math, data, boring.

IN ancient world , caballa, symbolic , numbers and theology went together.

Huge numbers words thousands similar to world for military division, rank, possible though not likely inflated.

But mark number is both historical, but also symbolic.

Both and the symbol part is that even as the 12 children first of Leah and then Rachel given - God made promises to Abraham that descendants flourish - but remember how book of death Genesis ends -coffin in Egypt.

Exodus begins - household of 70 that went down.

not by god’s promise a mass of thousands.