Numbers! Numbers! Numbers!

Happy Valentine's Day! I am halfway through numbers this week and am wishing I had more time to reflect on the book. My wife had warned me that it would be dry and boring, but delving into the context has proven to be a rich exercise in "pseudo-experiential" learning for me.

In Numbers 3 the Lord has taken the Levites for Himself instead of the first born of the nation. With the Passover in Egypt, the Lord consecrated for Himself all the firstborn of the nation (of human and beast), now, He is saying that the Levites will act as his consecrated firstborn. The Levites are to protect and minister to the Holy Tabernacle and the Tent of Meeting. The Levites were all enumerated and listed according to clan, but they were numbered as all males over one month of age rather than over 20 years. This distinction is interesting; are they treated differently because they now belong to the Lord? Are they expected to survive longer because there work is not labour or war?

Numbers 4, God outlines the duties of all the men ages 30-50 of the Levites who will come to serve in the Tabernacel and the Tent of Meeting. The duties of each man in each clan are described at length. God lovingly provides instructions to keep the peace between the clans of Levi while performing their new tasks. This is also akin to being called by name by the Lord; He has specified a place and tasks (a purpose), for each man. I imagine a great deal of empowerment would come with having your daily tasks and life’s work blessed in such a way. To know that God sees you specifically and has acknowledged you by His word is incredible.

Saturday's readings were Numbers 11-13; what a day! These two chapters are filled to overflowing with texture and depth of feeling, it was a blessing to be able to savour them on the 3 hour bus trip back from Guayaquil to Machala with my Dad.

Israel grumbles and the Lord’s wrath burns among the as fire. They cry for the fish and meat of Egypt and complain about the manna sent from God. Complaining about gifts sent directly from God seems so ungrateful to me. However, we as humans still do it on a daily basis! I am guilty of “my thighs are too fat”, “my Spanish is not good enough” and “my feet are too big” among many others. These things are all miraculous gifts from God, my strong legs and mobility, the capacity to speak and interact with others, a sure-footed grip on the Earth beneath me.

Moses is at his wit’s end with Israel and with God. He pleads with God to give him favour in His sight and kill him now so that he may be rid of the burden of Israel. He asks God, “Why me? Why must I bear this burden? I am not their creator, why must I provide meat when there is none?” Again this sounds like ungrateful complaining to me; Moses is the chosen spokesperson for God in the world! When Moses cries to God for relief he is an old man of nearly 90 years and he has borne the responsibility for Israel for a long time, an exhausting feat for a man half his age.

The Lord gives Moses 70 consecrated elders to aid him in bearing the burden of Israel, this tells me to look to my brothers and sisters in Christ when I am in need and to trust that if they consecrate themselves (ie. are true hearted) they will help me bear my burdens whether through witnessing, accompanying, serving or supporting.

God gives them meat to eat; He hears the cries of Israel and of Moses. This is a case of “be careful what you pray for” in that God promises that He will make them eat meat for a whole month until meat comes out of their nostrils (I love the blunt language in the Bible, it at times can be so humourous)! The Lord sent quail from the sea for the people to eat and sent down a plague on them as they ate. The place that this happened was named “The Grave of Craving” because it was the craving the people had for meat that lead to their deaths. For me, this speaks to my own experience with addiction and in general to yearning for material things. Israel grumbles for the comfort of food, of the familiar taste of meat and for a change of pace from eating manna for two years. Their complaining and grumbling and suggestions that they ought to return to Egypt where there was fish and meat; they are ready to return to slavery and to reject the emancipation through the Lord for meat. Is this idolatry? Wanting to put meat and taste before the Lord, does this amount to worship? Is the plague at the grave of craving justified? It is a heartbreaking story of a loving God who has persevered with His people since Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whom he has emancipated, cared for, forgiven, lead, fed, blessed and loved; and the people who grumble against Him, turn away from Him and outright reject him for something as trivial as the taste of meat.

The Lord put some of the Spirit that was on Moses onto 70 elders to help him, they immediately began prophesying in the tent of meeting and then stopped. But Eldad and Medad were two elders who did not come to the tent of meeting but stayed in the camps and started prophesying because the Spirit was also transferred to them. A witness to their prophesies came to Moses worried and asked Moses to stop them doing it. Moses responded that he wished all God’s people to be prophets, that it would make a stronger Israel. Two things come to mind here; with the spirit of God on someone, would they never grumble or turn away? They surely would be more faithful and steadfast. The second thing is in regards to incarnational theology and the different character of God in the Old and New Testaments. As the spirit descends on the elders they prophesy and are united with God, incarnational theology tells us that the spirit of God is in us all, that the indwelling Christ burns within us. Is this why God is more loving in the New Testament than in the Old?

Numbers 6 finishes with this blessing:

The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.