A Special Situation

Numbers 9:1-14

“And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.  In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 


And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.  And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.” (Numbers 9:1-5)

The first nine chapters of Numbers all take place during the first month of the second year after Israel departed from Egypt.  The Tabernacle was erected on the first day of the month, and God instructed them to celebrate the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, following the instructions in Exodus 12.  

“And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel?” (Numbers 9:6-7) 

Those who had contact with a dead body were to remain in quarantine for seven days to be sure they had not contracted the disease that killed the other person, and someone had died, causing a few men to be unable to participate in the Passover with their families.  Exodus 12:46-47 commands, “In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.  All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.”  Since it couldn’t be taken to them, but all jews were supposed to partake, this created a conflict.

“And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you.” (Numbers 9:8) 

Rather than giving them his opinion or getting a group of leaders together to decide, Moses asked God what should be done in this situation.  In Acts 15, the Apostles met to discuss what Jesus had taught about the need for circumcision, but they were not formulating some new doctrine, simply verifying what they had been taught.  They were not formulating doctrine themselves.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD.  The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.  They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.  But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.” (Numbers 9:9-13) 

God’s response was that those who were unable to keep the Passover on the proper date would be allowed to keep it one month later, on the fourteenth day of the second month, but anyone who could and failed to do so was to be segregated from the congregation because he refused to perform his responsibility as a Jew at the proper time.  The second date was solely for those who were unable to partake at the proper time.

“And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.” (Numbers 9:14)

Once again it was stressed that anyone who wished to participate was required to follow the same guidelines.  While God made provision for special unavoidable situations so everyone could be included, he did not change the requirements for those from different backgrounds, nor were they given the p[rivilege of choosing which time they chose to participate.

Dedicating The Levites

Numbers 7:89-8:26

“And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.” (Numbers 7:89) 

This was a fulfillment of the promise in Exodus 25:22.  “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 


And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses.  And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had showed Moses, so he made the candlestick.” (Numbers 8:1-4)

The two words translated over against have a wide range of meanings, but used together, one meaning is “from”.  The implication is that the lamps were to be placed on the candlestick immediately upon lighting them to give maximum light.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.  And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.  Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering. 


And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together: And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites: And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.  And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.  And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD.” (Numbers 8:5-13) 

Before they could serve, the Levites had to shave their entire bodies, wash themselves and put on clean clothes, and be sprinkled with water from the laver. They were then brought before the entire congregation and the children of Israel would lay their hands on them, identifying them as their places in service to God. Aaron would offer them to God as an offering to perform the necessary service for God.

The Levites were then to place their hands on the heads of the bullocks, identifying them as a substitute sacrifice for themselves, and one would be offered as a sin offering while the other was a burnt offering to make atonement for the Levites.  Once their sin had been dealt with they were acceptable for service.

“Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.  And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering.  For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.  For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. 


And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.  And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.” (Numbers 8:14-19)

God had spared the firstborn of Israel when the death angel passed through Egypt because they applied the blood of the Passover lamb to the doorposts, but he claimed all the firstborn males as his.  The Levites were given to the Lord as a substitute for all those firstborn.  As long as they fulfilled the duties of making the sacrifices and taking the other’s places God would protect Israel from plagues when they approached the Tabernacle.


“And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them.  And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them. 


And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them. 


And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more: But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.” (Numbers 8:20-26) 

From the age of twenty five until they were fifty, the Levites were to devote their lives to the physical work of the tabernacle, carrying it, making repairs and carrying sacrifices and similar work.  After the age of fifty, they were to help with the ministry, helping in offering sacrifices and teaching, but no longer doing the physical labor.  It is interesting that those charged with moving the tabernacle itself were to be at least thirty.

Offerings For the Dedication Of The Tabernacle

Numbers 7:10-88

“And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their offering before the altar.  And the LORD said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar.” (Numbers 7:10-11) 

The tabernacle was set up two weeks before the first commemoration of the Passover.  It was sanctified following Gods instructions, then for the next twelve days, the leader of one of the tribes offered an offering for the dedication of the Tabernacle each day.  It was a time of great celebration.

“And he that offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah: And his offering was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.” (Numbers 7:12-17) 

The leader of the tribe of Judah made the first offering, providing everything that was needed for that day’s sacrifices, and including a silver charger or cup and a bowl to contain the fine flour and a gold spoon to contain the incense that was to be offered.  The bowl, charger, and spoon would then be retained for use in the Tabernacle.  Each day thereafter the leader of another tribe would provide a similar offering for the daily sacrifice.  No one gave more or less.

“On the second day Nethaneel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, did offer: He offered for his offering one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nethaneel the son of Zuar.” (Numbers 7:18-23) 


“On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, did offer: His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.” (Numbers 7:24-29)

“On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, did offer: His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.” (Numbers 7:30-35)

“On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, did offer: His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.” (Numbers 7:36-41)

“On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered: His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, a silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.” (Numbers 7:42-47)

“On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim, offered: His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.” (Numbers 7:48-53)

“On the eighth day offered Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh: His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: Nu 7:57 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. ” (Numbers 7:54-59)


“On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin, offered: His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni. ” (Numbers 7:60-65)

“On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan, offered: His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. (Numbers 7:66-71)


“On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran, prince of the children of Asher, offered: His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ocran.” (Numbers 7:72-77)


“On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali, offered: His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.” (Numbers 7:78-83)

Verses 84-88 sum up the dedication offerings by the twelve leaders.

“This was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve chargers of silver, twelve silver bowls, twelve spoons of gold: Each charger of silver weighing an hundred and thirty shekels, each bowl seventy: all the silver vessels weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: The golden spoons were twelve, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary: all the gold of the spoons was an hundred and twenty shekels. 

All the oxen for the burnt offering were twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the lambs of the first year twelve, with their meat offering: and the kids of the goats for sin offering twelve.  And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he goats sixty, the lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed.” (Numbers 7: 84-88) 

Wagons For Transporting The Tabernacle

Numbers 6:22-7:9

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: Nu 6:25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.  And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27)

In Matthew 6, Jesus was teaching the disciples about prayer, and gave them an example or model of what prayer should be like, the so called Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13.  “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

They were not commanded to pray that prayer, but to pray in a similar manner.  In directing how to bless Israel, God directs the priests to bless them in this fashion or manner, not to use those specific words.  In doing so, they will be giving God the credit and glory for what he does, and he promised to bless them in return.  Unfortunately man too often makes this a ritual in which the glory goes to the one performing the ritual for doing it properly instead.

“And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them; That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered: And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle.” (Numbers 7:1-3)

The wheel had been invented many hundreds of years before, and the leaders recognized the difficulty of transporting the parts of the tabernacle as they would be very heavy and awkward to carry.  God laid it on their hearts to have six wagons built for the purpose, with the leaders of each tribe meeting and sharing the responsibilities.  Each one donated half the cost of a wagon and one ox to pull it.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service.  And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites.  Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service: And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.” (Numbers 7:4-8) 

Two wagons were given to the Gershonites to haul the coverings of the Tabernacle and the curtains for the courtyard, while four were given to the Sons of Merari to haul the boards, poles, tent pegs and sockets or bases for everything.

“But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders.” (Numbers 7:9)

No wagons were given to the Kohathites because their responsibility required personal service.  While technology is great for many things, there are areas which are dependent on personal individualized work.  When they used a wagon to transport the Ark in II Samuel 6, Uzzah was killed because the technology used exposed him to an unnecessary danger.  As an example, while watching a religious program on television may seem like a great religious and emotional experience, it will not produce the same spiritual effect as personally interacting with Christians at a church and weakening the Christian.  Though the messages may seem better, they are limited by a lack of personal interaction.

The Nazarite Vow

Numbers 6:1-27

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.  All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.” (Numbers 6:1-4) 

The Nazarite vow was a commitment to devote oneself to God for a specified period, seeking a closer relationship and devoting one to service.  It was the vow Paul had taken descrived in Acts 18:18.  “And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.”   Other Christians had taken the same vow in Acts 21:23-24.  “Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.”

“All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.” (Numbers 6:5) 

Many have taught that Jesus had to wear his hair long because he was a Nazarite.  In fact he was not a Nazarite, but a Nazarene, meaning he was from Nazareth.  Nazarites were forbidden eat or drink anything made of grapes, but Jesus himself said, “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.  The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners…,” in Matthew 11:18-19.  While John may have been a Nazarite, Jesus clearly was not.   The scripture gives no evidence as to the length of Jesus hair except to indicate it was probably similar to that of others of the time.   The pictures of him wearing long hair all stem from paintings many centuries later.

We know from I Corinthians 11:14-15 that it was considered a shame for a man to have his hair long or for a woman to shave her head.  "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering."  By taking the Nazarite vow, the person was accepting the shame of going against the accepted norm, just as the Christian is to bear the reproach of being a Christian according to Hebrews 13:13. "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach."

“All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.  He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.  All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.” (Numbers 6:6-8) 

In addition to not cutting his hair or partaking of anything from the grape vine, the Nazarite was forbidden to touch or associate with any dead body, even those of his immediate family.  Jesus regularly broke this requirement, as illustrated in Matthew 9:23-25, when raising the ruler’s daughter.  “And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.  But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.”

“And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it.  And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day.  And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.” (Numbers  6:9-12)

If a Nazarite accidentally came in contact with a dead person, he was to observe the standard seven day quarantine, then follow the standard cleansing ritual, shaving his head and bringing both a sin offering and a burnt offering for having broken his vow.  The time spent in quarantine was not to be counted as part of fulfilling his vow.  This was the requirement, for either man or woman making the vow.

“And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings, And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings. 


And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering: And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering.” (Numbers 6:13-17)

Upon fulfilling his vow, the Nazarite was to offer a burnt offering of a yearling male lamb, a sin offering of a yearling ewe lamb, and a mature ram for a peace offering.  All had to be without any deformities or sickness.  These were to be accompanied with unleavened bread, cakes, and wafers, as well as a drink offering.

“And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.” (Numbers 6:18)

It appears from Acts 18:18 and 21:23-24 that the Nazarite shaved his head upon taking the vow then again at completion.  The hair that was shaved off at the end was then burned along with the peace offering, seemingly as a symbol of having given that time to God.

“And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven: And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine.  This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.” (Numbers 6:19-21) 

Once the terms of his vow had been fulfilled, and shown complete by the closing sacrifices, the Nazarite was free to resume his normal life.

The Nazarite vow illustrates the commitment required if one is to truly follow Christ.  In fact, Luke 14:26 states, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”  As Matthew 10:37 says, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”  Our relationship with Christ will be directly related to our choices whether to yield to his will or have our own way.

Implementation Of The Law

Disease Prevention
Numbers 5:1-4

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead: Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell. And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the LORD spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.” (Numbers 5:1-4) 

Those who were infected with leprosy, and those who had been exposed to fatal infections were to be quarantined to prevent the spread of disease.  The entire camp would thus avoid contamination.  Jewish populations avoided many of the plagues that ravaged Europe during the Dark Ages because they practiced such policies.

Leviticus goes into great detail about the law, and was written during this period.  Numbers focuses on the events rather than the law itself, giving us details of how the law was integrated into the people’s lives during the stay in the wilderness.

Restitution
Numbers 5:5-10

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty; Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.  But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.” (Numbers 5:5-8)

When a person had done wrong to someone else, he was to make full restitution, including twenty percent interest, acknowledging their guilt.  If the victim had died, restitution was to be made to his heirs, or if no heirs survived it was to be donated to God.  In addition he was to offer a ram for an atonement.

“And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his.  And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.” (Numbers 5:9-10) 

Things given to the priest were to be considered the priest’s even though the donation was to God.  As we learn from Leviticus, the priest was to offer certain parts of every offering as a burnt sacrifice, depending on what type offering it was.  It wasn’t all his to use as he pleased.

Suspicion Of Adultery
Numbers 5:11-31

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him, And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner; And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.” (Numbers 5:11-15)

Suspicions of infidelity create distrust and conflict whether true or not.  Once they develop protestations of innocence are unlikely to be believed.  It is very hard to rebuild that trust.  God gave Israel specific instructions for dealing with such jealousy.  The jealous partner was to bring his wife and an offering of pure barley meal to the priest.  It was an offering of reminder of sin and was not to be influenced by pleasant smells or added oil.

“And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD: And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water: And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse: And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse: But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband: Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell; And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.” (Numbers 5:16-22)

The priest was to set the woman before the Lord, ands mix some of the dust from the floor of the Tabernacle with water from the Laver in a clay pot.  She was to hold the offering in her hands and swear that she was not guilty.  Then the priest was to warn her of the consequences of taking the water if she was guilty, that the contaminated water would cause an infection in her belly and legs, making sure she understood.

“And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water: And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.  Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar: And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.” (Numbers 5:23-26)

If the woman maintained her innocence, the priest was to record the warnings, using the contaminated water to blot them out.  He then offered a portion of the barley meal in the fire on the altar and made the woman drink the water.

“And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.  And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.” (Numbers 5:27-28)

If the woman was guilty, God would make the water cause an infection, and the woman was to be a pariah among her own family.  If no infection developed, she was to be considered innocent and to be welcomed back.

Notice that this is considerably different than the witch trials in which a person was held under water or burned in fire, and convicted and executed if they survived the treatment.  The results would be entirely up to God, whereas the medieval system guaranteed death in either case.

“This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled; Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.  Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.” (Numbers 5:29-31)

With a clear sign from God as to guilt or innocence, there was to be no further doubt by either.  The matter was settled.

The Gershonites’ Responsibilities.

Numbers 4:21-28

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families; From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation. 


This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens: And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers' skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, And the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve.” (Numbers 4:21-26)

Like the Kohathites, only those between thirty and fifty years of age were to be assigned to care for and move the cloth parts of the tabernacle.  Because they specialized in caring for the fabric parts they would become very skilled in folding and packing these items in an efficient manner.

“At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens.  This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.” (Numbers 4:27-28) 

While Eleazar was in charge of the overall Tabernacle, and especially the items of worship, Ithamar was to oversee the erection and maintenance of the tent and courtyard.  The priests were to assign each of the Gershonites their place and responsibilities as needed.

Duties Of The Sons Of Merari
Numbers 4:29-33

“As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers; From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.


And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof, And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden.  This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.” (Numbers 4:29-33)

At least two and perhaps four men would be required to handle each of the boards for the Tabernacle, with several to handle the bars that held them in place.  An individual would be unable to carry more than two of the support sockets securely and the brass tent pegs and ropes would need to be carefully packed but by careful organization would make loading and unloading fairly efficient.  Each man was assigned responsibility for certain parts by name.

“And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their fathers, From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation: And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.  These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.” (Numbers 4:34-37)

The Kohathites had only a few items to deal with, but they would have to carry them the entire time. As well as moving their own stuff.  Two thousand seven hundred and fifty of them could rotate their burdens and help carry each others stuff so it would not be and excessive burden on anyone.  Paul emphasized a similar concept in giving in II Corinthians 8:12-14.  “For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.  For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:”

“And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers, From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty.  These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD. 


And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, Even those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred.  These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.” (Numbers 4:38-45)

The coverings and curtains for the Tabernacle were huge pieces of cloth and would require many men to load them onto the wagons.  With two thousand six hundred thirty men, the Gershonites could easily hand all the weight of all the different coverings with no one required to handle more than one piece before returning to their own stuff.  Once loaded on the wagons only a few drivers were needed.  The sons of Merari could assign teams to move each individual board or pole to load them, and even though there was a large number of parts, no one would need to make repeated trips.  Those who were free when erecting the tabernacle could level the ground or drive stakes while others unloaded.

“All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers, From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation, Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore.  According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Numbers 4:46-49)

With such a large and carefully organized work force, even a complex structure such as the Tabernacle could be struck or erected in a half hour or so.  This was critical if they were to move and keep the daily sacrifices God had specified.