Bamidbar (Numbers)
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Meaning
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Day Six
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Haftara
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B'rit Hadashah
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1 Our Father, we receive Your Words and hide Your commandments with us; 2 we incline our ear unto wisdom, and apply our hearts to understanding; 3 We cry after knowledge and lift up our voices for understanding; 4 we seek it as silver; and search for it as for hidden treasures; 5 We declare that we shall understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. Declaration of Proverbs 2:1-5.
Leviticus 27:16-34 (NASB)1
1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 "Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' households, 3 from thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting. 4 "This is the work of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of meeting, concerning the most holy things. 5 "When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it; 6 and they shall lay a covering of porpoise skin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue, and shall insert its poles. 7 "Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall also spread a cloth of blue and put on it the dishes and the pans and the sacrificial bowls and the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread shall be on it. 8 "They shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet material, and cover the same with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its poles. 9 "Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps and its snuffers, and its trays and all its oil vessels, by which they serve it; 10 and they shall put it and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin, and shall put it on the carrying bars. 11 "Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin, and shall insert its poles; 12 and they shall take all the utensils of service, with which they serve in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin, and put them on the carrying bars. 13 "Then they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it.
14 "They shall also put on it all its utensils by which they serve in connection with it: the firepans, the forks and shovels and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles. 15 "When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry. 16 "The responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil -the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings." 17 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 18 "Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites. 19 "But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load; 20 but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die."
14 "They shall also put on it all its utensils by which they serve in connection with it: the firepans, the forks and shovels and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles. 15 "When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry. 16 "The responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil -the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings." 17 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 18 "Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites. 19 "But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load; 20 but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die."
It's a good day on the homestead despite having a relapse of my dental issue yesterday. Again, on a Wednesday, I thought that I put these issues behind me but they rose up again as I noted when I took my first mouthful of brunch yesterday. It's a VERY sensitive filling! It seems to have played out overnight and we'll see how the day goes. If the pain and sensitivity were constant, and there was no relief whatsoever, I'd certainly consider, as they say in Texas, 'calling for the calf rope'. After living with this fibromyalgia since 1983 (official diagnosis by an internist in 1998) I've learned to 'roll with it'. It makes my body like a 'sensitive flower' that the least little ailment (like a new dental filling or rainy weather) will kick pain up to a higher notch simply because the fibromyalgia element is always present. I'm not certain how much the fibromyalgia is 'flaring' the mouth sensitivity or if the mouth sensitivity is flaring the fibromyalgia. I can only hope that it's making sense how I'm explaining this, but it's the best I can do this morning.
The weather people are not calling for rain over the weekend and that suits me fine. Last year, when the Golden Age Club held its fund-raiser it was a wet and soggy day. Those are the days I loathe and I've done plenty as a member of a craft club and having to man a table at a fair when it's damp. I will sew my fingers down to nubs rather than handle cash at the sales, but sometimes I've had to do it anyway. With my history of math and numbers in general, I don't like to play with people's money. But if the weather doesn't settle, it gives me great comfort to know that I'm the cook and not the cashier! I will happily flip the flapjacks and sear the sausage in the morning and then flip burgers and hot dogs in the afternoon because someone else is selling the meal tickets, and I will happily have no association with money.
We'll take one more look at the opening week of “Bamidbar” where Israel is undergoing radical restructuring. They’ve gone from a family of seventy souls to well over three hundred thousand, and that is men only. That’s not counting the women and the children. This mixt multitude was no puny group! According to the additions I made to the genealogical chart that I pulled up from several years ago of the three main families that came from Levi, we had the breakdown of who did what in the service of the temple. The three sons of Levi - Gershon, Kohath, and Merari were organized into 3 levels of service:
The census was then taken of the remaining sons of Kohath who were not descendants of Aaron. The men between thirty and fifty years of age were to be used in these portering duties of the most holy objects. They had distinguished themselves, as we saw earlier, during the golden calf incident by not participating in it and then in its aftermath, by taking sword in hand and killing those who were still carrying on in the throes of the idolatrous orgy. These sons of Levi were channeling their aggressiveness for the Lord and the Lord alone! Remember the story of when they went with Simeon after the whole town of Shechem after they took offense at their sister Dinah’s rape?
25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. 26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28 They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field, 29 And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house. Genesis 34:25-29.
Remember the prophecy that Jacob pronounced over Simeon and Levi near the end of his life?
5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Genesis 49:5-7.
In other words, Jacob said, “Simeon and Levi are a vicious and conniving pair! I was not a part of what they did when they killed men in their rage; I said it then and I say it now. I curse their kind of anger for they weren’t fair and turned on men after they made covenant with them. Those two need to be separated in Israel!” And so it was. Levi made up past behavior but Simeon did not and their descendants are scattered amongst Israel and the world to this day. The Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible was prepared by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown and published in 1871. We have an excerpt from their wisdom here:
“SIMEON AND LEVI were associate in wickedness, and the same prediction would be equally applicable to both their tribes. Levi had cities allotted to them (Joshua 21:1-45 ) in every tribe. On account of their zeal against idolatry, they were honorably "divided in Jacob"; whereas the tribe of Simeon, which was guilty of the grossest idolatry and the vices inseparable from it, were ignominiously "scattered."”
If we would only tap into the zeal of Levi for the most holy things! It is true that in his youth he was a person to whom you might not want to turn your back. But he grew and even though the fiery passion was still evident in his descendants, it was accessed by The Almighty for a nobler and a higher purpose. Levi’s sons were able to live, and at the same time, be spiritually mature with their passions in harness. And so here they were, caring for the most holy things of the God. It might have seemed like pretty mundane work. Big deal. They’re carrying the furniture of the temple. It’s only furniture. And yet it turned out that it was the biggest of deals. That furniture was so holy that at any time they saw or touched it without the benefit of the coverings of cloth and animal skins that the priests used for transport, they would die! And so it was that the priests were given warning from God.
17 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 18 Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites: 19 But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden: 20 But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die. Numbers 4:17-20.
The priests were responsible for covering those holy items so that the Koathites would live and be safe while they went about their duties.
Sometimes we have no idea when the holy things of God will come into our lives. When I was barely six months into a new workplace, I saw the Holy Spirit of God rest upon a soul and fill her with such conviction that she wept in great wracking sobs. I stole time out of the hectic workday and prayed over this woman at her request and her life changed thereafter. It was a testimony to the work of Ruach HaKodesh that morning. As I left her room I was marveling. I entered her room as part of every morning routine and found this lady in such distress! God timed this event amid the hectic and often chaotic routine, and made me available to pray over this woman!
After all these years, it still blows my wheels off just thinking about it. This resident in my unit had been SO problematic! She would make huge upsets in the dining room over food that wasn't prepared for her liking. There were so many mornings when she railed at staff because her toast was overcooked “like charcoal”. She threw dishes in her tantrums. Her room was problematic also and staff had to keep an eye out for things she hoarded. As she sobbed that morning, I learned that this poor soul was in crisis over her life after her husband died. She was removed from the house that she'd lived in her entire marriage and then admitted to this place, all without her consent. But it went deeper than that.
She was grieving her life before placement in care. She missed her old life and was uncomfortable and miserable in this new room, in this new building that was not her HOME! Her outbursts were pure frustration at having no control over her life. How I learned all that in only moments between sobs I don't know. It was like a 'download' of knowledge that came almost instantly from the few words she could get out. But the change in her demeanor after her cathartic weeping that morning was dramatic. There were no more ugly scenes in the dining room. She became more pleasant and accepting as the days went on. Father God had started her on that emotional journey that morning and I came in to simply hold her and pray with her, like some innocent bystander who was drawn in only by my available presence. Our Father did all the heavy lifting in her heart and psyche that day, and we were all amazed at the change in her thereafter.
So, over the break, we might think about the holy things of our Father. Maybe we could look with eyes unveiled and see our circumstances for what they are. Our Father is doing a work in some soul and we might be there—and present, when it all comes together, and we’ll realize that what we thought was a mundane, 'same old, same old' tedious routine was a birthing room of healing and transition that only The LIVING God can bring forth!
The weather people are not calling for rain over the weekend and that suits me fine. Last year, when the Golden Age Club held its fund-raiser it was a wet and soggy day. Those are the days I loathe and I've done plenty as a member of a craft club and having to man a table at a fair when it's damp. I will sew my fingers down to nubs rather than handle cash at the sales, but sometimes I've had to do it anyway. With my history of math and numbers in general, I don't like to play with people's money. But if the weather doesn't settle, it gives me great comfort to know that I'm the cook and not the cashier! I will happily flip the flapjacks and sear the sausage in the morning and then flip burgers and hot dogs in the afternoon because someone else is selling the meal tickets, and I will happily have no association with money.
We'll take one more look at the opening week of “Bamidbar” where Israel is undergoing radical restructuring. They’ve gone from a family of seventy souls to well over three hundred thousand, and that is men only. That’s not counting the women and the children. This mixt multitude was no puny group! According to the additions I made to the genealogical chart that I pulled up from several years ago of the three main families that came from Levi, we had the breakdown of who did what in the service of the temple. The three sons of Levi - Gershon, Kohath, and Merari were organized into 3 levels of service:
- Aaron and his offspring, who were descended from Levi's son Kohath, formed the priesthood.
- All other descendants of Kohath not descendants of Aaron, were in charge of most sacred parts of Tabernacle (Numbers 3:27-32, 4:4-15, 7:9).
- All descendants of Gershon and Merari were given lesser duties (Numbers 3:21-26, 33-37).
The census was then taken of the remaining sons of Kohath who were not descendants of Aaron. The men between thirty and fifty years of age were to be used in these portering duties of the most holy objects. They had distinguished themselves, as we saw earlier, during the golden calf incident by not participating in it and then in its aftermath, by taking sword in hand and killing those who were still carrying on in the throes of the idolatrous orgy. These sons of Levi were channeling their aggressiveness for the Lord and the Lord alone! Remember the story of when they went with Simeon after the whole town of Shechem after they took offense at their sister Dinah’s rape?
25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. 26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28 They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field, 29 And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house. Genesis 34:25-29.
Remember the prophecy that Jacob pronounced over Simeon and Levi near the end of his life?
5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Genesis 49:5-7.
In other words, Jacob said, “Simeon and Levi are a vicious and conniving pair! I was not a part of what they did when they killed men in their rage; I said it then and I say it now. I curse their kind of anger for they weren’t fair and turned on men after they made covenant with them. Those two need to be separated in Israel!” And so it was. Levi made up past behavior but Simeon did not and their descendants are scattered amongst Israel and the world to this day. The Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible was prepared by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown and published in 1871. We have an excerpt from their wisdom here:
“SIMEON AND LEVI were associate in wickedness, and the same prediction would be equally applicable to both their tribes. Levi had cities allotted to them (Joshua 21:1-45 ) in every tribe. On account of their zeal against idolatry, they were honorably "divided in Jacob"; whereas the tribe of Simeon, which was guilty of the grossest idolatry and the vices inseparable from it, were ignominiously "scattered."”
If we would only tap into the zeal of Levi for the most holy things! It is true that in his youth he was a person to whom you might not want to turn your back. But he grew and even though the fiery passion was still evident in his descendants, it was accessed by The Almighty for a nobler and a higher purpose. Levi’s sons were able to live, and at the same time, be spiritually mature with their passions in harness. And so here they were, caring for the most holy things of the God. It might have seemed like pretty mundane work. Big deal. They’re carrying the furniture of the temple. It’s only furniture. And yet it turned out that it was the biggest of deals. That furniture was so holy that at any time they saw or touched it without the benefit of the coverings of cloth and animal skins that the priests used for transport, they would die! And so it was that the priests were given warning from God.
17 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 18 Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites: 19 But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden: 20 But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die. Numbers 4:17-20.
The priests were responsible for covering those holy items so that the Koathites would live and be safe while they went about their duties.
Sometimes we have no idea when the holy things of God will come into our lives. When I was barely six months into a new workplace, I saw the Holy Spirit of God rest upon a soul and fill her with such conviction that she wept in great wracking sobs. I stole time out of the hectic workday and prayed over this woman at her request and her life changed thereafter. It was a testimony to the work of Ruach HaKodesh that morning. As I left her room I was marveling. I entered her room as part of every morning routine and found this lady in such distress! God timed this event amid the hectic and often chaotic routine, and made me available to pray over this woman!
After all these years, it still blows my wheels off just thinking about it. This resident in my unit had been SO problematic! She would make huge upsets in the dining room over food that wasn't prepared for her liking. There were so many mornings when she railed at staff because her toast was overcooked “like charcoal”. She threw dishes in her tantrums. Her room was problematic also and staff had to keep an eye out for things she hoarded. As she sobbed that morning, I learned that this poor soul was in crisis over her life after her husband died. She was removed from the house that she'd lived in her entire marriage and then admitted to this place, all without her consent. But it went deeper than that.
She was grieving her life before placement in care. She missed her old life and was uncomfortable and miserable in this new room, in this new building that was not her HOME! Her outbursts were pure frustration at having no control over her life. How I learned all that in only moments between sobs I don't know. It was like a 'download' of knowledge that came almost instantly from the few words she could get out. But the change in her demeanor after her cathartic weeping that morning was dramatic. There were no more ugly scenes in the dining room. She became more pleasant and accepting as the days went on. Father God had started her on that emotional journey that morning and I came in to simply hold her and pray with her, like some innocent bystander who was drawn in only by my available presence. Our Father did all the heavy lifting in her heart and psyche that day, and we were all amazed at the change in her thereafter.
So, over the break, we might think about the holy things of our Father. Maybe we could look with eyes unveiled and see our circumstances for what they are. Our Father is doing a work in some soul and we might be there—and present, when it all comes together, and we’ll realize that what we thought was a mundane, 'same old, same old' tedious routine was a birthing room of healing and transition that only The LIVING God can bring forth!
18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. 19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee! 20 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. 21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. Psalm 71:18-21.
1 NASB www.lockman.org for daily reading and KJV in commentary unless otherwise specified.
*The Torah and Haftara chapter/verse numbering taken from the Hebrew Bible (Christian-published chapter/verse numbering indicated within parenthesis)
*The Torah and Haftara chapter/verse numbering taken from the Hebrew Bible (Christian-published chapter/verse numbering indicated within parenthesis)
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