2-9-16. Numbers 7:1-89.  Consecrated To The Lord-my testimony

Numbers 7:1-89 (Read 1-17,89)                                                               Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 7:4-5                                                                                        2-9-16

“The Lord said to Moses, 5 “Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the tent of meeting. Give them to the Levites as each man’s work requires.” (NIV)

Part 1: Anointing And Consecration (1-9)

Verses 1-9, “When Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils. 2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of families who were the tribal leaders in charge of those who were counted, made offerings. 3 They brought as their gifts before the Lord six covered carts and twelve oxen—an ox from each leader and a cart from every two. These they presented before the tabernacle. 4 The Lord said to Moses, 5 “Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the tent of meeting. Give them to the Levites as each man’s work requires.” 6 So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required, 8 and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their work required. They were all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. 9 But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible. The tabernacle and altar were finished and set up according to God’s instructions. First, the tribal leaders brought six carts and twelve oxen. These were given to the three Levite clans to be used in caring for and transporting the various parts of the sanctuary. The Kohathites didn’t need carts because they carried the ark on their shoulders.”  (NIV)

Chapter seven concerns itself the dedication of the altar and the gifts of the twelve tribes of Israel.

      First, anointing and consecrating. Look at verse 1, “When Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils.”  Some of these items included the Ark of the Covenant, the Golden Lamp stand, the Altar of worship, the Table for the consecrate bread, the bronze altar and the bronze laver with which the priests washed their hands and feet before entering into and coming out of the holy place. The altar was the center piece of all Israel. Some may argue that the Ark of the Covenant was the most important. Both are very important, but the Ark of the Covenant could not be reached, unless one first went by the bronze altar.

Moses was dedicating these items to the Lord. They could not be used for any other purpose, other than the Lord’s purposes. They were to be used for the glory of God. Someone may want to use the laver to gather water to feed to livestock. But this must never happen, for it is dedicate to the Lord.

There are things in life that are dedicated to the Lord. The church and church resources are dedicated. Parents may dedicate their homes and their families to the Lord. Joshua dedicated his household to the Lord. “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15. In the mission to the North, there are certain items that are dedicated and consecrated to the Lord. There are two 2011 Toyota Tundra Pickups. There is the mission itself. The missionaries have dedicated their lives and families to the Lord, to serve God’s purpose. Christians should consecrate their minds and their hearts and their bodies to the Lord, to be used for the Lord’s holy purposes. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reads, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (NIV)

     Second, gifts and offerings for the maintenance of the Tabernacle. Look at verses 6-7 and verse 9, “6 So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required”  …”…The tabernacle and altar were finished and set up according to God’s instructions. First, the tribal leaders brought six carts and twelve oxen. These were given to the three Levite clans to be used in caring for and transporting the various parts of the sanctuary….”  After the tabernacle was set up, anointed and consecrated, the leaders for the twelve tribes, brought gifts and offerings for its use and maintenance. The Lord laid it on the hearts of the leaders of the tribes to bring covered wagons, which were to be used for the transportation of the Tabernacle, when it was disassembled and moved to another place.

God stirred the hearts of the people and they rose to the occasion.  They were not rich. They were wandering in the desert like refugees. But they offered what they could. A cart and oxen were high commodities at that time. But they offered them for the glory of God. Sometimes we worry about where the resources will come from in order to do the will of God. But God is the Owner of the Universe. He owns everything. He can inspire people to step up and give, to further his cause… which is the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

All of the people participated. It was everyone’s Tabernacle. I love this about God. He is inclusive. Building up a Church, or ministry is not just for a select few. It is for everyone. All are called to participate. I pray that many doors may be opened for the whole congregation of our church to participate in the work of God, together.

The people gave for the glory of God. All offerings are to the Lord. We must make doubly certain that they are never for self promotion. How easy it is to give just to receive some recognition in the church. There could be many different motives for giving. Some do it for recognition. Some do it to jockey for power and position. Some do it to get “saved”. But the only reason to give is out of thanksgiving for God’s grace and for the glory of God so that his Name may be proclaimed to the ends of the earth.

Part 2: God Accepts Our Offerings And Opens The Way (10-89)

Verses 10-17 and then 84-89, “When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar. 11 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the dedication of the altar.” 12 The one who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah. 13 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 14 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 15 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 16 one male goat for a sin offering; 17 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab. …

84 These were the offerings of the Israelite leaders for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver plates, twelve silver sprinkling bowls and twelve gold dishes. 85 Each silver plate weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each sprinkling bowl seventy shekels. Altogether, the silver dishes weighed two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. 86 The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel. Altogether, the gold dishes weighed a hundred and twenty shekels. 87 The total number of animals for the burnt offering came to twelve young bulls, twelve rams and twelve male lambs a year old, together with their grain offering. Twelve male goats were used for the sin offering. 88 The total number of animals for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering came to twenty-four oxen, sixty rams, sixty male goats and sixty male lambs a year old. These were the offerings for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed. 89 When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law. In this way the Lord spoke to him.” (NIV)

When the altar was dedicated, each of the twelve tribal leaders brought an offering.

God honored each of the leaders and their tribes. We might be tempted to shrink the information about the offerings of all of these leaders into a few sentences, since they were all identical offerings, But God, in his wisdom and grace did not do this. God honored each person. To God, each person and each tribe is so precious, that every minute detail is repeated.  Since God chose to honor each of them in this passage, I think it is right to mention them by name. God really recognizes and upholds those who step out in faith and do something by faith, for the glory of the Lord. Isn’t it awesome that we are remembering and recognizing these men and their father’s and their tribes and their offerings to the Lord, some 3,400 years later!

Nahshon son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah,

 Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar,

Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the people of Zebulun,

Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the people of Reuben,

Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the people of Simeon,

 Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the people of Gad,

Elishama son of Ammihud, the leader of the people of Ephraim,

Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the people of Manasseh,

Gideoni, the leader of the people of Benjamin,

Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the people of Dan,

Pagiel son of Okran, the leader of the people of Asher,

Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the people of Naphtali,

People really try to be significant and stand out in the crowd. They disfigure their bodies to this end. But mostly, they do not know what to do. What they need is to come to Jesus and step out in faith and live by faith. Then the angels in heaven will rejoice. This is not the focus of our following Christ. But it is sure nice to know that God sees and recognizes acts of faith.

God also honors the fathers of these men. I know that saying, “The son of” is basically a way to identify someone, but I also want to think of it as honoring the father. Behind every great servant of God is a set of parents. Sometimes the parents are not supportive of their children’s faith, but sometimes they are. Sometimes faith is being passed on through the parents. I pray to pass on faith to my children.

  These men of faith were representing their tribe, or community. They knew that their lives mattered. They knew that they were living for something bigger than themselves. They were representing their people. I think that is we stand up as ambassadors, not only of God, but also of our community, then we would live our lives in a “God honoring” way.

     God recognizes the offerings of all people, from the greatest to the smallest. Refer to verse 65. The Tribe of Benjamin was the smallest. The offering of the smallest tribe was given as much importance in the eyes of God and the offering of the greatest tribe. It is like the poor widow’s offering in the New Testament.

Let’s think about the offerings that each tribe made. Here is a list of the items.

one silver plate,

one silver sprinkling bowl, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering,

 one gold dish filled with incense,

 one young bull,

 one ram

one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

 one male goat for a sin offering,

and two oxen,

five rams,

five male goats,

 five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering.

The bowls and plates, the grain and oil and incense and the animals were all used in making burnt offerings on the altar. The burnt offerings were called fellowship or peace offerings. The blood shed on the altar was for the forgiveness of sin, which brings peace with God and enables sinful man to have fellowship with him. All of the items were essential in assisting the people to worship the Lord.

The offerings were significant. The items were not just pocket change. It required the tribe to come up with some very valuable offerings. Their offering truly reflected their love for and their faith in God. Our offerings must be made from the heart.

Moses heard the voice of the Lord. Look at verse 89, “When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law. In this way the Lord spoke to him.” God sometimes spoke directly to his people to tell them the proper way to live. Imagine hearing the very voice of God! What would it sound like? The voice that spoke to Moses from the flame of the Mercy seat was also the same voice that spoke from the flame of the burning bush. Moses must have trembled at the sound. We may not be as privileged as Moses to hear the voice of God. Yet we do have God’s words in the Bible. Like Moses, we have the privilege of talking to God, but God answers us differently – through his words and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are enabled to understand the words of God very deeply and personally. We should approach the word of God in the Bible with no less reverence and awe. To receive this guidance, we need to seek to know God as Moses did. In Moses’ time, communications through the priests was made possible though the burnt offerings, the sin offerings, and fellowship offerings. These sacrifices looked forward to Jesus, the perfect sacrifice. Romans 5:1 reads, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (NIV) Now we any believer can have this communication with the Lord, for Jesus is our final offering, taking the place of burnt offerings, the sin offerings, and fellowship offerings.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for accepting our sacrifices and seeing us as individuals. We love you and come to holding onto the offering you provided…Christ.

One Word: Lord, consecrate me to yourself.