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LEVITICUS 27, 24-34. — INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF NUMBERS.

who was to regain possession of it in the year of the Jubilee. V. 24. In the year of the Jubilee the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong, and who could not dispose of it absolutely, but only until the year of redemption. V. 25. And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, the standard of weight for all money transactions; twenty gerahs shall be the shekel. V. 26. Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the Lord's firstling, Ex. 13, 2. 12, no man shall sanctify it; these animals could not be used in the event of vows; whether it be ox or sheep; it is the Lord's. V. 27. And if it be of an unclean beast, one that could be used neither for sacrifices nor as food for the priests, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto; or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation, for the benefit of the Sanctuary. V. 28. Notwithstanding, no devoted thing that a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed, while it is under the vow; every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord, a gift which cannot be redeemed, surrendered to the Lord to be disposed of at His will, irrevocably cut off from all common use. V. 29. None devoted, which shall be devoted of

men, dedicated to the Lord in this special sense, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death; the person was irredeemable, and Jehovah's sentence of destruction was sure to be carried out. V. 30. And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's; it is holy unto the Lord, absolutely at His disposal, and Jehovah executed the ban. V.31 And if a man will at all redeem aught of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof, as a penalty or compensation. V. 32. And concerning the tithe of the herd or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, that is, under the staff of the shepherd, who keeps a careful record of the animals in his care, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord, the tenth part of the annual increase was set apart for the use of the Lord and His Sanctuary. V. 33. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it, v. 10; and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. V. 34. These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai, this last chapter on vows being an appendix to the Book of Leviticus, the types of whose sacrifices point forward to the Lord, our Righteousness; for they were prescribed to the Jews of the Old Covenant because of transgressions, until the promised Seed should come.

THE BOOK OF NUMBERS.

INTRODUCTION.

The fourth book of Moses received its English name from the fact that the first chapter relates the numbering of the people, and that lists and enumerations are found in various parts of the book. It records the history of the chosen nation from the second year after its departure from Egypt to its arrival at the borders of Canaan in the fortieth year of the desert journey. God had intended to bring His people into the Promised Land shortly after the establishment of the covenant on Mount Sinai. The Book of Numbers shows us that the children of Israel who left Egypt in adult life failed to reach Canaan, and, in a few vivid sketches, indicates the reason for this failure. "What a picture this is of the life of many a child of God to-day! Redeemed out of the bondage of Satan, yet failing to enter into the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Do we not all know, either in the past or in the present, something of the wilderness life of failure and defeat? Yet even in their wanderings the Lord did not

forsake His people; He had compassion on them, He let them enjoy His provision and protection and guidance day by day."

The narrative of the book summarizes the experiences of the children of Israel in the wilderness during the thirty-nine years following their departure from Mount Sinai. It is merely a sketch, and therefore mentions those occurrences only that were of vital significance for the people. They had remained at the foot of Mount Sinai, at the southern extremity of the peninsula for an entire year. According to the conclusions of various independent investigators the amount of vegetation in that region at that time was fully able to sustain the cattle of the Israelites, and that there was usually no lack of rain appears from Ps. 68, 7-9; 77, 16-20. After leaving their camp at the foot of Mount Sinai, the children of Israel encamped for unknown periods at various places, the location of which is largely a matter of conjecture. In the second year of their wanderings they reached Kadesh-barnea, which

must have been close to the boundary of Palestine; for from there the twelve spies were dispatched who were to report upon the character of the land and upon the appearance and prowess of its inhabitants. The tale with which they returned so terrified the Israelites as to cause them to rebel against the guidance of the Lord. As a consequence they were condemned to many years of wandering in the desert. When a portion of the people attempted to force an entrance into the Promised Land, they suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of their enemies, and were obliged to bow to the Lord's decree. Turning away from the desired goal of their journey, they sadly entered upon the weary plodding of the following years. The Scriptures relate very little of their adventures during the remaining thirty-eight years; we know hardly more than the names of their chief camps, the location of which no research has ever been able exactly to determine. The book ends with the

story of the arrival of the Israelites and the happenings in the Plains of Moab. Interspersed between the various parts of the narrative we find additional legislation, most of the ordinances referring to the civil life of the people, together with some further instructions concerning the religious ceremonial. Our interest centers chiefly in the Messianic prophecy of Balaam and in the Messianic type of the brazen serpent, both of which are expressly referred to in the New Testament.

The Book of Numbers is usually divided into four parts, namely, that referring to the preparations for the removal from Mount Sinai, that relating the chief events during the journey from Sinai to the fields of Moab, that containing the prophecies of Balaam and his death, and that containing regulations governing the conquest and the division of Canaan.1)

1) Concordia Bible Class, Feb., 1919, 25-27; Fuerbringer, Einl. in das Alte Testament, 25.

CHAPTER 1.

The Census and Its Regulations. THE MUSTER OF THE PEOPLE. - V. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, while the people were still encamped below the mountain, in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, from the place above the mercy-seat, between the cherubs, where He had promised to reveal His glory and to communicate with Moses, Ex. 25, 22, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, v. 2. Take ye, Moses and his assistants, the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel after their families, the large divisions of the tribes known by the name of some prominent leader, Ex. 6, 14, by the house of their fathers, which was a subdivision of the former, with the number of their names, numbered and recorded individually, every male by their polls, for these only were entered into the lists, Ex. 30, 14; v. 3. from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel. Thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies, muster them in such divisions, because they were to be organized as the armies of Jehovah, carry arms in waging war in His interest. V. 4. And with you, as assistants for this special purpose, there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers, holding at least this rank among the people. V. 5. And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: Of the tribe of Reuben: Elizur, the son of Shedur. V. 6. Of Simeon: Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai. V. 7. Of Judah: Nahshon, the son of Amminadab. V. 8. Of Issachar: Nethan

eel, the son of Zuar. V. 9. Of Zebulun: Eliab, the son of Helon. V. 10. Of the children of Joseph, who were divided into two sections, or tribes, the one division taking the place of the Levites, who were not numbered with the tribes: of Ephraim: Elishama, the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh: Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur. V. 11. Of Benjamin: Abidan, the son of Gideoni. V. 12. Of Dan: Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai. V. 13. Of Asher: Pagiel, the son of Ocran. V. 14. Of Gad: Eliasaph, the son of Deuel. V. 15. Of Naphtali: Ahira, the son of Enan. V. 16. These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel, for that division of the people known technically as "family" numbered at least a thousand households. V. 17. And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names, distinguished by being selected by the Lord Himself; v. 18. and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and they, the people, declared their pedigrees, stated exactly from whom they were descended, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. V. 19. As the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai. V. 20. And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to

war: v. 21. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. V. 22. Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war: v. 23. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. V. 24. Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war: v. 25. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty. V. 26. Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war: v. 27. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. V. 28. Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war: v. 29. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. V. 30. Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war: v. 31. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. V. 32. Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war: v. 33. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred. V. 34. Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war: v. 35. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. V. 36. Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of

their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war: v. 37. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. V. 38. Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war: v. 39. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. V. 40. Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war: v. 41. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. V. 42. Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war: v. 43. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. V. 44. These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men; each one was for the house of his fathers. V. 45. So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel: v. 46. even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty, or, in figures, 603,550, a number which tallies exactly with that given about nine months before, when the Sanctuary money was required, Ex. 38, 25. 26.

THE LEVITES SET ASIDE FOR GOD'S SERVICE. V. 47. But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them, they were not included in this census. V. 48. For the Lord had spoken unto Moses, saying, v. 49. Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, they were not to be mustered and organized for war, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel; v. 50. but thou shalt appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of Testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it; they were to have all these things in their charge and be responsible for their safe-keeping; they shall bear the Tabernacle and all the vessels thereof, carry them from one encampment to the next; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the Taber

nacle, in carrying out the charge entrusted to them. V. 51. And when the Tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down, for it was constructed with this object in mind; and when the Tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up; and the stranger that cometh nigh, he who does not belong to the tribe of Levi, shall be put to death. V. 52. And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, in that section of the encampment assigned to his tribe, and every man by his own standard, the flag, or banner, which showed the location of his tribe, throughout their hosts. V. 53. But the Levites shall

pitch round about the Tabernacle of Testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel; for the anger of the Lord would surely strike every unauthorized person that dared to transgress the Lord's commandment in coming near to the Tabernacle; and the Levites shall keep the charge of the Tabernacle of Testimony. V. 54. And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; so did they. Note that it appears throughout: God is a God of order, 1 Cor. 14, 40, and it pleases Him if the matters pertaining to His service are carried out according to a well-arranged plan.

CHAPTER 2.

The Order of the Tribes in the Camp and on the March.

V. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, v. 2. Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, flag, or banner, with the ensign of their father's house. There were four of such large banners, one each for the four leading tribes, Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan, each of which had two other tribes on its side of the Tabernacle. Far off about the Tabernacle of the Congregation shall they pitch, that is, at some distance, and yet near enough to make their relation to the Sanctuary prominent. V. 3. And on the east side, toward the rising of the sun, shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies; and Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, shall be captain of the children of Judah. V. 4. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, the army of Judah alone, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. V. 5. And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar; and Nethaneel, the son of Zuar, shall be captain of the children of Issachar. V. 6. And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. V. 7. Then the tribe of Zebulun; and Eliab, the son of Helon, shall be captain of the children of Zebulun. V. 8. And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. V. 9. All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth, as the vanguard and the first division of the mighty army of the Lord, the position of Judah as the champion of his brethren thus being brought out, Gen. 49, 8. 9. V. 10. On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies;

and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur, the son of Shedeur. V. 11. And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. V. 12. And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon; and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai. V. 13. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. V. 14. Then the tribe of Gad; and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph, the son of Reuel. V. 15. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty. V. 16. All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben, in the entire division under the leadership of Elizur, were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank. V. 17. Then the Tabernacle of the Congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp, in the center of the entire encampment; as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards, that is, every man of the entire congregation on the side of the camp where he pitched his tent, in the neighborhood of the banner under which he marched. V. 18. On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies; and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama, the son of Ammihud. V. 19. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred. V. 20. And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh; and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur. V. 21. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. V. 22. Then

the tribe of Benjamin; and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan, the son of Gideoni. V. 23. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. V. 24. All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim, the entire division under the leadership of Elishama, were an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank, immediately behind the Levites. V. 25. The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies; and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai. V. 26. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. V. 27. And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher; and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel, the son of Ocran. V. 28. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. V. 29. Then the tribe of Naphtali; and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira, the son of Enan. V. 30. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. V. 31. All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan, under the leadership of Ahiezer, were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with

their standards, bring up the rear and shield the people from attacks from behind. V. 32. These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers; all those that were numbered of the camps, the sections of the large camp, throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty, chap. 1, 46. V. 33. But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses. V. 34. And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers. To get a complete picture of the encampment of the Israelites, one must imagine a small rectangle representing the Tabernacle. On the right, that is, on the east, of this was the place of Moses, Aaron, and the priests, and beyond them that of the armies under the leadership of Judah; below, on the south, were the 8,000 Kohathites, and beyond them the divisions under the leadership of Reuben; to the left, on the west, were the 7,500 Gershonites, and beyond them the divisions under the leadership of Ephraim; and above, on the north, were the 6,200 Merarites, and beyond them the divisions under the leadership of Dan. As this entire great host moved forward under the guidance of the Angel of the Lord in the cloud, so the army of believers in the New Testament moves forward under the leadership of Christ.

CHAPTER 3.

The Mustering of the Levites. THE FORMAL CHARGE.-V. 1. These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spake with Moses in Mount Sinai, that is, this is their further history at this point. Aaron is here named first, because his sons were the heirs of the priesthood. V. 2. And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the first-born, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Ex. 6, 23. V. 3. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, for this. form of induction into office was ordered for them as well as for the high priest, Ex. 28, 41, although it is expressly related of Aaron only, Lev. 8, 12; cp. v. 30, whom he (Moses) consecrated to minister in the priest's office, to perform all the functions which pertained to that office. V. 4. And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the Wilderness of Sinai, Lev. 10, 1; and they had no children. And Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron, their father, that is,

during his lifetime. The two men whom the wrath of God had struck down had no children, and therefore the two youngest sons of Aaron alone performed the work of the priests' ministry. V. 5. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, v. 6. Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron, the priest, like servants receiving the orders of their master, that they may minister unto him. V.7. And they shall keep his charge and the charge of the whole congregation before the Tabernacle of the Congregation to do the service of the Tabernacle; they were to have charge of the entire ministry which had been entrusted to Aaron and the entire congregation with reference to the dwelling of God in the midst of His people. V. 8. And they shall keep all the instruments of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, be responsible for their care, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the Tabernacle, in the name of all the people. V. 9. And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Is

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