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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
NUMBERS 1
v MEMORY VERSE PSA 119:133
v READ NUM 1:1-5 THE FIRST CENSUS INITIATED
Ø THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS ENDS WITH INSTRUCTIONSFOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE. THE BOOK OF NUMBERS BEGINS WITH PREPARATION FOR WAR. PREPARATIONFOR BATTLE WAS AS IMPORTANT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AS IT IS IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE OF THE NEWTESTAMENT.
§ THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL WERE APEACEFUL PEOPLE. THEY WERE NOT PREPARED FOR WAR. THEY HAD GROWN UP IN SLAVERY IN EGYPT FORGENERATIONS. THEY DID NOT KNOW HOW TO USE WEAPONS BECAUSE SLAVES IN EGYPT WERE NOT ALLOWEDTO HAVE WEAPONS. THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT ESTABLISHING AN ARMY OR CONDUCTING A WAR. THEYWERE GOING TO HAVE TO TRUST GOD FOR WISDOM, GUIDANCE, PROVISION, AND DEFENSE AS THEYSTARTED THEIR NEW LIFE.
· THE SAME IS TRUE OF THE NEWBELIEVER WHO MUST LEARN TO BE PREPARED FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE.
Ø IN THE FIRST 2 CHAPTERS OF NUMBERS, WE WILLSEE THAT GOD IS A GOD OF ORDER. EVERYTHING HAS A PURPOSE, EVERYTHING HAS ITS PLACE, ANDEVERYONE HAS HIS ROLE TO PERFORM.
§ THERE WAS NO SUCH CONCEPTIN THE OLD TESTAMENT AS WELL AS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT AS INDIVIDUALITY APART FROM THE GROUPAS A WHOLE. EVERYONE HAD SOME RESPONSIBILITY TO THE WHOLE GROUP.
· GODS PEOPLE, THE JEWS, INTHE OLD TESTAMENT WERE RECOGNIZED ONLY AS MEMBERS OF A SPECIFIC TRIBE.
· GODS PEOPLE, BELIEVERS INJESUS CHRIST, IN THE NEW TESTAMENT ARE INSTRUCTED IN RELATION TO THEIR ASSOCIATION WITHCHURCHES.
Ø GOD SPOKE TO MOSES FROM THE TABERNACLE. MOSESWAS TOLD TO COUNT THE MEN. (1-3)
§ THIS WAS TO BE A CENSUS FORTHE PURPOSE OF ESTABLISHING AN ARMY. THOSE ELIGIBLE FOR COUNTING HAD TO BE:
· ABLE IN BODY
· 2O YEARS AND OLDER
· MALE
¨ NOTICE THAT EVERY HEALTHY MALE WASAUTOMATICALLY PART OF THE ARMY. THERE WAS NO DRAFT. THERE WAS NO VOLUNTEER ARMY. THERE WASNO CHOICE. ISRAEL IS THE SAME TODAY, EXCEPT NOW THEY USE WOMEN. EVERYONE, EVEN YOUNGWOMEN, SPEND TIME IN THE ARMY. THEY HAVE A WHOLE POPULATION THAT IS TRAINED TO DEFENDTHEMSELVES IF NECESSARY.
§ THE CENSUS DELEGATION:
· MOSES AND AARON WERE NOT TO COUNTTHE PEOPLE BY THEMSELVES, BUT WITH THE AID OF A LEADER FROM EVERY TRIBE. (4)
¨ THE BIBLE LISTS ALL THE NAMES OF THESEASSISTANTS BECAUSE TO GOD EACH INDIVIDUAL PERSON IS IMPORTANT, EVEN THOUGH TO US READINGTHESE STRANGE NAMES MAY SEEM TEDIOUS.
v READ NUM 1:16-19 THE LEADERS OF THE 12 TRIBES
Ø THESE TRIBAL LEADERS KNEW THEIR PEOPLE. THEYWERE GIVEN THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CENSUS TO MAKE SURE IT WAS DONE CORRECTLY ACCORDINGTO GOD’S INSTRUCTION. THEY WERE TO MAKE SURE THOSE WHO WERE COUNTED WERE HEALTHY AND THOSEWHO WERE NOT COUNTED WERE EITHER WOMEN, CHILDREN, OR THE SICK.
§ IT WAS IMPORTANT TO GODTHAT THE NUMBER BE ACCURATE.
§ NOTICE IN VERSE 18 THESELEADERS HAD TO GIVE THEIR FAMILY LINEAGE.
· WHY WAS THE LINEAGE OF THESELEADERS SO IMPORTANT TO GOD?
¨ LINEAGE WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE JEWSBECAUSE GOD HAD COMMANDED THEM TO KEEP IT FROM THE BEGINNING IN GENESIS.
Ø OBEDIENCE TO GODS COMMAND WAS A TEST OFFAITH.
¨ LINEAGE WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT SEPARATEDTHOSE WHO WERE DESCENDED FROM ABRAHAM (THE JEWS) FROM THOSE NOT DESCENDED FROM ABRAHAM(THE GENTILES).
¨ LINEAGE WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE GOD WOULD USEIT TO SHOW THE LINEAGE OF JESUS CHRIST IN MATTHEW AND LUKE. JESUS’ LINEAGE WOULD PROVE HISCLAIM TO BE THE MESSIAH IN FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY.
¨ LINEAGE WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT DESIGNATEDWHO COULD BE A PRIEST AND WHO COULD NOT. PRIESTS HAD TO BE FROM THE TRIBE OF LEVI ANDDESCENDED FROM AARON.
Ø RECENTLY IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT JEWSDESCENDING FROM AARON HAVE A UNIQUENESS IN THEIR Y CHROMOSOME THAT CAUSES A DETECTABLEGENETIC “FINGERPRINT”.
Ø HOW IS ALL OF THIS IMPORTANT TO THECHRISTIAN?
§ IF A MAN IN THE BOOK OFNUMBERS KNEW HIS LINEAGE, HE KNEW WHO HE WAS AND FROM WHERE HE CAME. IF YOU ASKED HIM IFHE WAS A JEW DESCENDED FROM ABRAHAM, HE COULD ANSWER YOU POSITIVELY WITHOUT ANY DOUBT. HECOULD EVEN REPEAT HIS LINEAGE TO YOU TO PROVE IT.
· THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOU ASK APERSON IF HE IS A CHRISTIAN AND HE ANSWERS, “I THINK SO”, OR “I’M NOTSURE”. GOD WANTS PEOPLE TO BE SURE THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE IN RELATION TO HIM. YOUMUST BE ABLE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, “ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN?” WITHOUT ANY DOUBT.IF YOU KNOW FOR A FACT THAT YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN AND ANSWER, YES; YOU MUST ALSO BE ABLE TOANSWER WHY YOU ARE SURE ABOUT YOUR IDENTITY.
¨ DISCUSSION:
Ø HOW DO YOU KNOW FOR SURE YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN?
§ BECAUSE I GO TO A CHRISTIANCHURCH.
§ BECAUSE MY PARENTS WERECHRISTIANS.
§ BECAUSE I WAS BORN IN ACHRISTIAN NATION.
§ SOME OTHER REASON.
Ø READ JOH 1:12 GAL 3:29 ROM 8:14-17
v THE CENSUS NUMBERS:
Ø THE TOTAL NUMBERS FOR THE 12 TRIBES IS VERYINTERESTING.
§ 1. REUBEN 46,500
§ 2. SIMEON 59,300
§ 3. GAD 45,650
§ 4. JUDAH 74,600
§ 5. ISSACHAR 54,400
§ 6. ZEBULUN 57,400
§ 7. EPHRAIM 40,500
§ 8. MANASSEH 32,200
§ 9. BENJAMIN 35,400
§ 10.DAN 62,700
§ 11.ASHER 41,500
§ 12.NAPHTALI 53,400
· TOTAL= 603,550 (NUM 1:46)
§ WHICH WAS THE LARGESTTRIBE? JUDAH, THE TRIBE THROUGH WHICH JESUS CHRIST WOULD COME WAS THE MOST BLESSED BY GOD.
§ WHICH TRIBE WAS THESMALLEST? MANASSEH.
v READ NUM 1:47-51 LEVI, THE UN-NUMBERED TRIBE
Ø WHY WERE THE LEVITES NOT COUNTED IN THECENSUS?
§ THEY WERE NOT TO FIGHT INTHE ARMY. THEIR JOB WAS TO TAKE CARE OF THE TABERNACLE. THEY WERE TO ASSEMBLE IT WHEN THEYCAMPED, LEAD IN WORSHIP, TAKE IT APART WHEN THEY WERE MOVING, AND CONTINUALLY TAKE CARE OFALL OF ITS SEPARATE PIECES.
§ WHY DOES JOSEPH’S NAME NOTAPPEAR AMONG THE 12 TRIBES?
· JOSEPH’S NAME DOES NOT APPEAR ASA TRIBE BECAUSE HIS 2 SONS, EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH ARE COUNTED AS HALF-TRIBES INSTEAD.REMEMBER THAT JACOB ADOPTED JOSEPH’S 2 SONS.
¨ IN THAT WAY, JOSEPH IS REPRESENTED BY HIS 2SONS.
v READ NUM 1:52-54 THE CAMP
Ø REMEMBER THAT GOD IS A GOD OF ORDER ANDPURPOSE. EVEN THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE CAMP HAD A PRESCRIBED ORDER. EVERY PERSON WASSUPPOSED TO BE IN HIS SPECIFIC PLACE THAT WAS ASSIGNED TO HIM WITHIN HIS TRIBE. THEYMARCHED IN AN ORDERLY ARRANGEMENT, AND THEY CAMPED IN AN ORDERLY ARRANGEMENT.
§ THE GOD OF THE NEWTESTAMENT IS NO DIFFERENT. HE IS STILL A GOD OF ORDER. HE IS STILL INTERESTED IN OURPOSITION IN THE BODY OF CHRIST AND OUR POSITION IN OUR FAMILIES, ETC. WE ARE SUPPOSED TODISCOVER OUR GIFTS AND USE THEM TO BENEFIT THE REST OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. WE ARE TOFULFILL OUR ROLE IN THE FAMILY AND IN THE CHURCH AS GOD DIRECTS IN THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS.
· READ ROM 12:4-8 1COR 12:12-31
§ NEXT WEEK WE WILL LOOK ATTHE ARRANGEMENT OF THE CAMP AND WHY THIS ARRANGEMENT IS SO SHOCKING AND SO IMPORTANT.
HOMEWORK
NUMBERS 2 THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER.v APPLICATION OF NUM 1
Ø WRITE A PARAGRAPH EXPLAINING HOW YOU KNOW FORA FACT THAT YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, AND WHY YOU KNOW YOUR EXPLANATION IS TRUTH.
v PREPARATION FOR NUM 2
Ø READ NUM 2
§ DRAW A DIAGRAM OF THEARRANGEMENT OF THE CAMP OF THE ISRAELITES.
§ WHY IS THIS ARRANGEMENT SOIMPORTANT AND SO SHOCKING?
§ BALAAM WAS SHOCKED WHEN HESAW IT AND WAS MOVED TO BLESS ISRAEL, WHY? (NUM 24:1-10)
v MEMORY VERSE: 1COR 1:18
