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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
NUMBERS
LESSON #1
INTRODUCTION
v THE TITLE OF THE BOOK:
Ø THE ORIGINAL HEBREW BIBLE CALLED THIS BOOK,”Bemidbar” WHICH MEANS, = “IN THE WILDERNESS”. WE CALL THEBOOK, “NUMBERS”
§ THIS NAME CAME TO US BY WAYOF THE GREEK AND LATIN VERSIONS. THE WORD ACTUALLY MEANS = ARITHMETIC. THIS NAME COMESFROM THE FACT THAT THE BOOK BEGINS WITH A CENSUS IN CHAPTER 1, A COUNTING OF THE PEOPLEWHO LEFT EGYPT; AND A CENSUS AT THE END OF THE BOOK IN CHAPTER 26, A COUNTING OF THEPEOPLE WHO WERE ABOUT TO ENTER THE PROMISED LAND 40 YEARS LATER. NUMBERING OR COUNTING THEPEOPLE, THEREFORE, GIVES THE BOOK THE NAME WE USE TODAY.
§ FROM THE JEWISH VIEWPOINT,THIS BOOK IS THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AND SYMBOLIZED BY THE FOURTH LETTER OFTHE HEBREW ALPHABET. (Dalet). THE SHAPE OF THIS LETTER IS LIKE THAT OF A DOOR WITH THE TOPLINTEL AND THE RIGHT DOORPOST.
· THIS BOOK IS ABOUT ISRAELSTANDING AT THE DOOR OF THE PROMISED LAND.
v HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND TIMING OF THE BOOK:
Ø GOD HAD DELIVERED THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL FROMBONDAGE IN EGYPT. (THE BOOK OF EXODUS) MOSES HAD LED THEM MIRACULOUSLY ACROSS THE RED SEATO MT. SINAI WHERE GOD GAVE THEM THE MOSAIC LAW AND THE PATTERN FOR THE TABERNACLE. (THEBOOK OF LEVITICUS).
§ THE BOOK OF LEVITICUSCOVERS A TIME SPAN OF ABOUT 1 MONTH.
Ø THE BOOK OF NUMBERS PICKS UP THEIR STORY ASTHEY SEEK TO GO TO THE PROMISE LAND. THE JOURNEY FROM EGYPT TO THE PROMISE LAND SHOULDHAVE TAKEN FORTY DAYS. INSTEAD IT TOOK THEM FORTY YEARS. THE BOOK OF NUMBERS IS THE STORYOF THIS 40 YEAR WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS. WE COULD CALL THE BOOK, “PILGRIM’SPROGRESS” OR BETTER YET, “PILGRIM’S LACK OF PROGRESS”.
v AUTHORAND DATE:
Ø MOSES IS THE AUTHOR. HE WROTE THE FIRST FIVEBOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, INCLUDING NUMBERS. HE WROTE NUMBERS NEAR THE END OF HIS LIFEIN MOAB (1451 BC).
§ REMEMBER THAT MOSES WASBORN IN EGYPT TO AN ISRAELITE WOMAN. HOWEVER, HE WAS RAISED IN THE PALACE OF THE PHARAOH.
v THE KEY TO OUR UNDERSTANDING:
Ø EVENTS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT TEACH US ABOUTHOW GOD DEALS WITH PEOPLE AND NATIONS. THE NEW TESTAMENT TELLS US THAT THESE EVENTS AREEXAMPLES TO US IN OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD.
§ READ ROM 15:4 1CO 10:11
Ø THE BOOK OF NUMBERS SHOWS US HOW GOD DEALSWITH HIS PEOPLE AS A GROUP. WE WILL THEREFORE, CONSIDER THE BOOK FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF GODDEALING WITH THE CHURCH.
§ HOWEVER, THIS IN NO WAYMEANS THAT THE CHURCH HAS REPLACED ISRAEL. THEY SERVE ONLY AS AN EXAMPLE TO THE CHURCH.
v THEMES:
Ø THE BASIC THEME: “STAND UP AND BECOUNTED”
§ EVERY DAY WE MAKE DECISIONSBASED ON CERTAIN ATTITUDES THAT AFFECT OUR CHRISTIAN LIFE. THOSE ATTITUDES AND DECISIONSAFFECT NOT ONLY OUR LIVES BUT AFFECT OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN THE CHURCH.
· THIS BOOK WILL HELP US EVALUATETHOSE ATTITUDES AND DECISIONS FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE. WE WILL SEE THE PEOPLE MAKE SOMEVERY COMMON MISTAKES WHICH LEAD TO SOME VERY HUMAN FAILURES. THESE MISTAKES PERPETUATE ANATTITUDE OF UNBELIEF AND KEEP THEM WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS FOR FORTY YEARS.
¨ IN OUR STUDY, YOU WILL DECIDE HOW WE CANAVOID THESE SAME MISTAKES AND FAILURES SO THAT WE, AS A CHURCH, DO NOT WANDER IN THEWILDERNESS OF UNBELIEF AS THEY DID.
· THE PROGRESS OF THE BELIEVERFOLLOWS THEIR PATTERN OF:
¨ WALKING
¨ WANDERING
¨ WORKING
¨ WARRING
¨ WITNESSING
¨ WORSHIPPING
Ø SECONDARY THEMES:
§ DIVINE PROVISION
§ DIVINE DISPLEASURE
§ DIVINE ORDERLINESS
§ DIVINE GUIDANCE
v EXPECTATIONSAND IDENTIFICATIONS:
Ø UNFORTUNATELY, NOT EVERY PERSON WHO COMES TOCHURCH KNOWS THE PRINCIPLES TAUGHT IN THIS BOOK. HOWEVER, WE DO NOT NEED EVERY CHRISTIANTO BE MATURE. A SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE IS ALL THAT IS NEEDED TO CAUSE CHANGE. THOSE FEWFAITHFUL CHRISTIANS WHO HEAR AND UNDERSTAND THE WORD OF GOD ARE THE KEY TO CHANGING A CHURCH FOR CHRIST.
§ MOSES DID NOT HAVE AMAJORITY OF FAITHFUL BELIEVERS WHEN THEY FINALLY REACHED THE PROMISE LAND. HE HAD ONLY AHANDFUL WHO WOULD STAND UP AND BE COUNTED FAITHFUL. WE COULD CALL THEM THE”MOVE-ERS” BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES WHO MOVE THINGS TOWARD PROGRESS FOR GOD.
§ THE REST OF THE PEOPLESIMPLY FOLLOWED ALONG IN THE CROWD. WE COULD CALL THEM THE “TAG-ERS” BECAUSETHEY JUST TAGGED ALONG AFTER THE FAITHFUL ONES.
§ THEN THERE ARE THOSE WHOARE THE “FRINGE-ERS”. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO REMAIN ON THE OUTSIDE FRINGE OF AGROUP. THEY ARE NEVER FULLY COMMITTED BUT CONTENT TO COME AND GO AS THEY PLEASE. ONE DAYYOU SEE THEM, THE NEXT DAY YOU DON’T. THEY COULD DROP BY THE WAYSIDE AT ANY TIME.
§ THEN THERE ARE THE”GRUMBLE-ERS”. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS COMPLAIN NO MATTER WHAT CHANGESARE MADE. THEY WANT TO CONTROL THE GROUP AND ITS DECISIONS BUT THEY DO NOT WANT THERESPONSIBILITY FOR THE GROUP, NOR DO THEY WANT TO BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR WRONG DECISIONS.
§ THE QUESTIONS FOR YOU TODAYARE:
· WHICH ONE ARE YOU?
¨ ARE YOU A “MOVE-ER”, A”TAG-ER”, A “FRINGE-ER”,OR A “GRUMBLE-ER”?
· WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT TO BE?
§ OUR STUDY IN NUMBERS WILLSHOW YOU THESE DIFFERENT KINDS OF PEOPLE AND HOW THEY AFFECT THE WHOLE GROUP.
§ AS YOUR TEACHER, MYEXPECTATION IS THAT NO MATTER WHICH GROUP YOU ARE IN TODAY, YOU CAN MOVE UP TO THE NEXTGROUP. I WOULD HOPE THAT EVENTUALLY ALL WOULD BECOME “MOVE-ERS”, THE FAITHFULJOSHUA’S AND CALEB’S WHO WILL MOVE THINGS ALONG FOR GOD. I WANT THOSE IN THIS CLASS TO BETHE STRONG PEOPLE OF FAITH, THE LEADERS, THE MOST FAITHFUL, THE MOVERS. ALL WE NEED IS AFEW “MOVER-ERS” TO CHANGE A CHURCH INTO A POWERFUL MINISTRY FOR HIS KINGDOM.
v OUTLINE OF THE BOOK:
Ø THEORGANIZATION OF ISRAEL AND PREPARATION FOR THE JOURNEY
§ THE ORDER OF THE CAMP(NUM 1-4)
§ CLEANSING THE CAMP (NUM5-8)
§ MARCHING ORDERS (NUM9-10)
Ø EXPERIENCESON THE JOURNEY
§ FROM SINAI TOKADESH-BARNEA (NUM 11-12)
§ FAILURE AT KADESH-BARNEA(NUM 13-14)
§ WANDERING FROMKADESH-BARNEA THROUGH THE WILDERNESS (NUM 15-25)
Ø PREPARATIONTO ENTER THE PROMISE LAND (NUM 26-36)
v SOURCES FOR OUR STUDY:
§ THE COMPACT SURVEY OFTHE BIBLE BY JOHN BALCHIN
§ NUMBERS BY J. VERNONMC GEE
§ NUMBERS, DEUTERONOMY: ASELF-STUDY GUIDE BY IRVING L. JENSEN
§ THE MYSTERY OF THEMENORAH AND THE HEBREW ALPHABET BY J. R. CHURCH AND GARY STEARMAN
§ THE BIBLE KNOWLEDGECOMMENTARY OLD TESTAMENT; JOHN F. WALVOORD AND ROY B. ZUCK, EDITORS
§ MISC. NOTES BY CHARLESSWINDOLL
§ OTHER MISC. NOTES
HOMEWORK NUMBERS 1
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASEDO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACDHER FOR CORRECTION.
v PREPARATION FOR NUM 1
Ø READ NUMBERS 1:1-54
§ WHAT ONE THING IN THISCHAPTER IMPRESSES YOU AS BEING PROMINENT?
§ WRITE DOWN THE TOTAL NUMBEROF WARRIORS FROM EACH TRIBE (20 YEARS OLD AND UP) WHO WERE ABLE TO FIGHT IN THE ARMY. (YOUWILL NEED TO KNOW THESE NUMBERS LATER IN OUR STUDY.)
· TRIBE OF REUBEN ____________________
· TRIBE OF SIMEON ____________________
· TRIBE OF GAD ____________________
· TRIBE OF JUDAH ____________________
· TRIBE OF ISSACHAR ____________________
· TRIBE OF ZEBULUN ____________________
· TRIBE OF EPHRAIM ____________________
· TRIBE OF MANASSEH ____________________
· TRIBE OF BENJAMIN ____________________
· TRIBE OF DAN ____________________
· TRIBE OF ASHER ____________________
· TRIBE OF NAPHTALI ____________________
§ ADD THESE NUMBERS TO GET ATOTAL:
§ COMPARE YOUR TOTAL NUMBERWITH NUM 1:46
§ WHICH TRIBE WAS THELARGEST?
§ WHICH WAS THE SMALLEST:
§ WHY DO YOU THINK THE TRIBEOF LEVI WAS NOT COUNTED IN THE CENSUS?
§ IF YOU WERE THE LEADER OFTHIS LARGE GROUP TRAVELLING THROUGH THE WILDERNESS, WHAT BASIC PROBLEMS DO YOU THINK YOUWOULD HAVE TO FACE.
§ ARE THE MIRACLES OF GODADEQUATE TO MEET THESE PROBLEMS?
v MEMORY VERSE: PSA 119:133
