SSL 1 - NUM. 9:15-23
INTRODUCTION: The Book of Numbers received its name from the fact that the first chapter begins with God calling the leaders of Israel to "number" the people (i.e., take a census) according to their tribes, of all men 20 or older. In addition to women and children, the Levites weren't counted because of their priestly responsibilities. The final tally was 603,550, which, when you add back the women, children, and Levites, would have totaled a nation of well over a million people. The chief reason for the census was military-the Israelites would need to organize themselves into an army before they could conquer the Promised Land. The second likely reason for the census was to demonstrate the power of God in rescuing such a huge number of people and leading them out of slavery in Egypt. This directly ties in with the chief theme of Numbers-the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) that his descendants would be the people of God and occupy the land of Canaan. A major theological theme of the book, as we will see, is that sin and unbelief, especially rebellion, will reap the judgment of God. The theme of obedience and rebellion, followed by repentance and restored fellowship, runs through the entire book, as, indeed, as it does through the entire Old Testament. Just as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness 40 years because of their rebellion, God allows Christians who drift away from Him to suffer emptiness and broken fellowship when we rebel against Him. But God is always faithful and just, and in the same way he restored the Israelites, he always restores Christians to fellowship and hope when we repent and return to Him.
THIS WEEK: In Num. 9:15-23, the lesson verses relate to a cloud that God gave to the people of Israel after He delivered them from bondage in Egypt. The cloud made its first appearance in Ex. 13:21 and represented God's presence and protection; and in today's lesson, the cloud signifies God's leading.
Read Num. 9:15-17 - THE CLOUD COVERING THE TABERNACLE
15 Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle, until morning. 16 So it was continuously; the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp.
v. 15a: "Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected" - The tabernacle (Heb. mishkan lit. dwelling place), a 30' x 15' construction encased in a tent which symbolized the presence of God (Yahweh), was disassembled and reassembled as the Israelites moved from place to place. In effect, the Tabernacle was a portable version of the future Temple in Jerusalem that Solomon would build centuries later. Importantly, the Tabernacle represented God's literal presence among His people. Within it was the Ark of the Covenant which was overlaid with the Mercy Seat, and it was this Mercy Seat where God's presence dwelt. In this verse, we find that after the tabernacle has been erected, God's law given to the people, the Levitical priesthood established, and all the people numbered and arranged according to their groups, they were finally ready to begin their journey to the land that God had promised them.
v. 15b: "the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle, until morning" - This cloud, this visible presence of God could be seen by all of Israel. When it turned dark the cloud "was like the presence of fire", i.e., it glowed, which gave continual testimony-visible evidence-of His presence at all times, day and night. The lesson that God was teaching them by this cloud was that he wasn't with them as an uninterested observer but was there at the center of their lives to guide them and protect them.
v. 16: "So it was continuously; the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night" - Although Israel had been set apart by God as his chosen people (i.e., received the law, cleansed, blessed, and walking with the Levitcal priesthood), they still needed to be guided by God on a day-by-day basis on each step of their journey toward the Promised Land. The point is that God hadn't done all these things in Exodus and Leviticus simply to set them up to make the journey to the Promised Land on their own but for them to make every step of this journey in continuous dependence on Him. In the same way, we NT Christians are commanded to "live and walk by the Spirit" on a day-by-day basis (Gal. 5:25).
v. 17: " Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp" - Thus, the cloud was God's means-visually and unmistakably-of communicating His command to the people of Israel to either move on or to stop and set up their camp. This is quite literally walking with God-look up, follow the cloud, when it stops, set up the camp. Thanks to this cloud, each step of their journey was made absolutely clear to them-a completely unambiguous command of God. I'm a little envious of this clear-cut, simple method of following God. Aren't you? But Jesus didn't leave us unprepared. For us, as born-again Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us through every step of our journey through life according to God's plans and purposes. Jesus said. " But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come" (John 16:13).
TRUTH 1: God taught the ancient Israelites to be completely dependent on Him for direction in their lives. Like the ancient Israelites, God didn't save us by His mercy and grace and leave us to make the remainder of our journey though life on our own. While we don't have a visual cloud to give us direction, Jesus didn't leave us without help. As born-again Christians, we have a "helper," the Holy Spirit to guide us through every step of our journey through life according to God's plans and purposes. Jesus said. " But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come" (John 16:13).
Read Num. 9:18-20 - ACCORDING TO THE COMMAND OF THE LORD THEY WOULD JOURNEY
18 At the command of the LORD the sons of Israel would set out, and at the command of the LORD they would camp; as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. 19 Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the sons of Israel would keep the LORD'S charge and not set out. 20 If sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, according to the command of the LORD they remained camped. Then according to the command of the LORD they set out.
v. 18: "At the command of the LORD the sons of Israel would set out, and at the command of the LORD they would camp; as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped" - This is a wonderful picture of obedience. Remember, that these people had to be prepared, just as soon as the cloud moved, to pack up and move out on short notice. This shows, in a visible example, that the people of Israel learned, and learned fast, how to follow God's leading. For them, it was a physical process-packing up, walking, stopping, unpacking, and setting up the new camp. None of the commentaries mention this, but this would have been good training for an army on the move. For us, it's a process of spiritual learning and growth. The Bible provides us with a clear map that
shows how to be obedient followers of God like the Israelites in this verse.
v. 19: "Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the sons of Israel would keep the LORD'S charge and not set out" - Notice the repetition. In the OT this is a form of poetic expression but also expresses emphasis. So, what are these people doing? They're waiting. What are they waiting on? Directions from God. The key phrase is "keep the LORD'S charge and not set out." This is a great physical/ geographical picture of people who are patiently waiting on the LORD. They were totally dependent upon God for direction in their life-in this case, forward, right, left, stop, etc. The same command applies to Christians today. We must patiently wait on the Lord for direction in our lives. The Psalmist expressed it this way: I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope (Ps. 130:5). We don't have a cloud to direct us but we definitely have access to God for direction every day in a variety of ways: (1) in prayer; (2) by inspiration of the Holy Spirit; (3) by direction in the Word of God; and (4) advice from Godly people. All of these things, working together, will keep our paths straight. Solomon, in his wisdom, said this: Trust in the LORD with all your heart. And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight (Prov. 3:5-6).
v. 20: "If sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, according to the command of the LORD they remained camped. Then according to the command of the LORD they set out - Again, we see the repetition, meaning the same thing but worded different. The key phrase is "according to the command of the LORD they remained...they set out" In their place, you can imagine they were eager to move, to see this promised land of milk and honey, and they must have gritted their teeth every time they had to stop and set up a new camp. Do you realize that this Almighty God, who faithfully and steadfastly led the people of Israel, is the same God who leads us today? And now just as then, He is very able and willing to lead your life and mine today, in the here and now? This mighty God knows perfectly the way we should go and the direction we should take. He even knows in advance the pitfalls, detours, and delays we might encounter on the way and already has a solution for leading us away from them. And very importantly, God knows the right timing for that journey, just like the Israelites in the verse-when to stop and wait and when to move on. What we must do is both simple and hard: to faithfully wait on the Lord, trust in Him completely.
TRUTH 2: The ancient Israelites learned to patiently wait on God's timing to provide direction in their lives. Like these people, we modern Christians need to patiently wait on God's timing for direction in our lives. As before, we don't have a cloud as a visual guide, but we definitely have access to God for direction every day in a variety of ways: (1) in prayer and meditation; (2) by inspiration of the Holy Spirit; (3) by direction in the Word of God; and (4) advice from Godly people. All of these things, working together, will keep our paths straight. Solomon, in his wisdom, said this: Trust in the LORD with all your heart. And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight (Prov. 3:5-6).
Read Num. 9:21-23 - AT THE COMMAND OF THE LORD, THROUGH MOSES
21 If sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would move out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. 22 Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out. 23 At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out; they kept the LORD'S charge, according to the command of the LORD through Moses.
vv. 21-22: "If sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would move out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. 22 Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out." - v. 21 is essentially a repeat of vv. 17-20, which are all about waiting on, trusting, and obeying "the command of the LORD." The repetition of these verses reminds me of military "cadence," how soldiers learn to keep in step and move in unison and with order. What we see here is a discipline of rhythm among the Israelites, staying in step with God and using the pillar of cloud as their guidon. v. 22 reveals more about the timeframe of their movements-"two days or a month or a year." Some commentators say it's an idiomatic expression for a period of time. Even so, can you imagine weeks, months go by, and the cloud, it doesn't move? But God never acts arbitrarily but does everything for a purpose. One of God's chief methods for building and strengthening our faith and trust in Him is testing. James, the half-brother of Jesus, said: "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance" (James 1:2-3). We see the Israelites receiving a very visual lesson about endurance, which is directly connected to patience and perseverance, as we covered in v. 19.
v. 23: "At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out; they kept the LORD'S charge, according to the command of the LORD through Moses. Here, we see a new variation with the phrase, "according to the command of the LORD through Moses." The cloud had obviously moved, but Moses gave the command to pack up and move out. Moses was far more than an ordinary leader. He was a shepherd, a preacher, a teacher, a judge and law-giver, a prophet, and a powerful spiritual example all rolled into one. Spurgeon characterized Moses as being both "a man of God and God's man."
TRUTH 3: The ancient Israelites learned obedience to God through a process of testing. These peoples weren't mindless robots but had the ability to exercise free will. Yet, out of faith and trust in God, they depended upon Him completely, and as long as they did, they remained safe from their enemies and lacked nothing needed to sustain life. The simple truth of this lesson is that we, 21st Christians who are living under grace, need to learn the same lesson that God taught the Israelites in the wilderness: to depend on Him completely in everything. It requires obedience, and anything less than complete obedience is disobedience.
ANALYSIS OF LESSON: Num. 9:15-23 marks the end of Israel's one-year encampment at Sinai and the start of their journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land. During that year, between the first Passover in Egypt reported in Ex. 12 and the next Passover reported in Num. 9:1, God gave the people a series of new beginnings. He gave them the Law, He instituted the Levitical priesthood and sacrificial system, He gave them the Tabernacle, and He organized the twelve tribes, with three tribes camping on each side of the Tabernacle. When the Tabernacle was completed, this cloud of God's glory and presence hovered over it as visible evidence of God's presence with and among His people constantly. As we learned in the lesson, whenever the cloud moved, the people moved, and whenever the cloud stopped, the people camped. Once camped there was constant uncertainty of departure, and while on the march, there was constant uncertainly of destination. This left the
people totally dependent on God for direction.
Why did God do this-what was His purpose? He was teaching His people to be completely dependent on Him. Days and weeks would pass, and the cloud didn't move, then suddenly, without warning, the cloud moved! Both the waiting and staying in place, followed by the abrupt scramble to move out, were characteristic of the will of God, a real test of faith that was intended to produce endurance and unquestioning obedience. Notice the seven-fold repetition of the phrase, "At the command of the LORD they camped...they set out." And notice the two-fold repetition of the phrase, "they kept the LORD'S charge." The Hebrew word for "charge" (miš·me·reṯ) literally means to keep guard in the military connotation of the word, and a soldier who fails in his duty to keep guard can be court-martialed (or in the old days, shot for dereliction of duty).
Everything in this lesson points to obedience, and the examples we studied: (1) walking with God (vv. 15-17); (2) patiently waiting on God (vv. 18-20); and (3) understanding and applying the spiritual disciplines of faith, trust, perseverance, and endurance (vv. 21-23) all work together as essential elements of obedience. The people in this story weren't robots but fallible human beings just like you and me. They had the ability to exercise free will, but out of faith and trust in God, they depended upon Him completely, and because they did, they were safe from their enemies and lacked nothing needed to sustain life. The simple truth of this lesson is that we, 21st Christians who are living under grace, need to learn the same lesson that God taught the Israelites in the wilderness: to depend on Him completely in everything. It requires obedience, and anything less than complete obedience is disobedience.
