Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1 CEB; Ch. 2 NIRV; Ch. 3 CEV; Ch. 4 NCV

Podcast Introduction

Today is the Law Monday. Our reading will be Numbers 1-4! I’m calling this episode “From Bondage to Wilderness: The Hebrew People’s Journey.”

Summary

The book of Numbers is titled “In the Wilderness” in Hebrew, and that is really what the book is about. The previous book, Leviticus, told the story of the Hebrew people in the year after God, through Moses, led them out of Egyptian bondage. It covered just a year. Numbers covers the more than thirty-eight years they were in the wilderness.

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The Team

Lifespring Family Berean, Sister Denise: Transcript Correction
Michael Haner: Podcasting: 2.0 Chapters
Scott Snider: Show Art
Jason Paschall: Show Art
Lifespring Family Berean, Sister Brittaney: Newsletter Publisher

Transcript

Download .txt file.

Transcript corrected by Sister Denise

Steve Webb 0:00
A lion, a man, a calf, and an eagle.

Steve Webb 0:11
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring! One Year Bible and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. If this is your first time here, welcome! I’m happy you joined us today. And if you’re already a Lifespring family member, it’s great to see you again. Today is The Law Monday and our reading will be Numbers 1 through 4. Before we get started, let’s have a word of prayer. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for our time together. And we pray that as we read today, you would teach us, that you would touch our hearts and our minds. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen. Okay, let’s begin.

Steve Webb 0:49
I have a brief introduction to the book of Numbers for you before we get started. Numbers is titled “In the Wilderness” in Hebrew, and that is really what the book is about. The previous book, Leviticus told us the story of the Hebrew people in the year after God through Moses led them out of Egyptian bondage. Leviticus covered just a year, but the book of Numbers covers the more than 38 years they were in the wilderness.

Steve Webb 1:14
Numbers, chapter 1. The LORD spoke to Moses in the Sinai desert in the meeting tent on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they left the land of Egypt: Take a census of the entire Israelite community by their clans and their households, recording the name of every male, 20 years old and above, who is eligible for military service in Israel. These you and Aaron will enlist in their military units. Take with you one man from each tribe who is the head of his household. These are the names of the men who will assist you: from Reuben, Elizur, Shedeur’s son; from Simeon, Shelumiel, Zurishaddai’s son; from Judah, Nahshon, Amminadab’s son; from Issachar, Nethanel, Zuar’s son; from Zebulun, Eliab, Helon’s son; from Joseph’s sons: from Ephraim, Elishama, Ammihud’s son; from Manasseh, Gamaliel, Pedahzur’s son; from Benjamin, Abidan, Gideoni’s son; from Dan, Ahiezer, Ammishaddai’s son; from Asher, Pagiel, Ochran’s son; from Gad, Eliasaph, Deuel’s son; from Naphtali, Ahira, Enan’s son. These are the ones appointed from the community, chiefs of their ancestral tribes and leaders of the divisions of Israel. Moses and Aaron took these men who were selected by name and they assembled the entire community on the first day of the second month. They registered them by their clans and their households, recording the name of each male 20 years old and above. Moses enlisted them in the Sinai desert just as the LORD commanded him. There were the descendants of Reuben, Israel’s oldest, registered by their clans and their households. Every man 20 years old and above eligible for military service was individually recorded by name. Those enlisted from the tribe of Reuben were 46,500. There were the descendants of Simeon, registered by their clans and their households. Every male 20 years old and above eligible for military service was individually recorded by name. Those enlisted from the tribe of Simeon were 59,300. There were the descendants of Gad, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. Those enlisted from the tribe of Gad were 45,650. There were the descendants of Judah, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. Those enlisted from the tribe of Judah were 74,600. There were the descendants of Issachar, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. Those enlisted from the tribe of Issachar were 54,400. There were the descendants of Zebulun, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. Those enlisted from the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400. From Joseph’s descendants there were the descendants of Ephraim, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. Those enlisted from the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500. There were the descendants of Manasseh, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. Those enlisted from the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200. There were the descendants of Benjamin, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. Those enlisted from the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400. There were the descendants of Dan, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. Those enlisted from the tribe of Dan were 62,700. There were the descendants of Asher, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. Those enlisted from the tribe of Asher were 41,500. There were the descendants of Naphtali, registered by their clans and their households. The men 20 years old and above eligible for military service were recorded by name. Those enlisted from the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400. These are the ones who were enlisted by Moses, Aaron, and the twelve chiefs of Israel, each from his own household. All the Israelites 20 years old and above eligible for military service in Israel were enlisted by their households. All those enlisted were 603,550. But the Levites, belonging to their own ancestral tribe, weren’t enlisted along with them. The LORD spoke to Moses: You must not enlist the tribe of Levi, nor should you take their census along with the Israelites. Rather, assign the Levites to the covenant dwelling, to all its equipment, and to everything that belongs to it. They will carry the dwelling and all its equipment, perform its religious ceremonies, and camp around the dwelling. When it’s time to break camp, the Levites will take down the dwelling; and when it’s time to make camp, the Levites will set up the dwelling. Any other person who approaches will be put to death. The Israelites will camp each in their own place under the banner of their own military unit. But the Levites will camp around the covenant dwelling so that God’s anger will not strike the Israelite community. The Levites will guard the covenant dwelling. The Israelites did everything exactly as the LORD commanded Moses.

Steve Webb 7:21
Numbers, chapter 2. The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, “The people of Israel must camp around the Tent of Meeting. But they must not camp too close to it. All of them must camp under their flags and under the banners of their families.” The companies of the camp of Judah must be on the east side. They must set up camp toward the sunrise. They must camp under their flag. The leader of the tribe of Judah is Nahshon, the son of Amminadab. There are 74,600 men in his company. The tribe of Issachar will camp next to them. The leader of the tribe of Issachar is Nethanel, the son of Zuar. There are 54,400 men in his company. The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the tribe of Zebulun is Eliab, the son of Helon. There are 57,400 men in his company. So a total of 186,400 men will be set apart for the camp of Judah. They will be arranged company by company. They will start out first. The companies of the camp of Reuben will be on the south side. They will be under their flag. The leader of the tribe of Reuben is Elizur, the son of Shedeur. There are 46,500 men in his company. The tribe of Simeon will camp next to them. The leader of the tribe of Simeon is Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai. There are 59,300 men in his company. The tribe of Gad will be next. The leader of the tribe of Gad is Eliasaph, the son of Deuel. There are 45,650 men in his company. So a total of 151,450 men will be set apart for the camp of Reuben. They will be arranged company by company. They will start out second. Then the camp of the Levites will start out. The Tent of Meeting will go with them. They will march in the middle of the other camps. They will start out in the same order as they do when they set up camp. Each one will be in his own place under his flag. The companies of the camp of Ephraim will be on the west side. They will be under their flag. The leader of the tribe of Ephraim is Elishama, the son of Ammihud. There are 40,500 men in his company. The tribe of Manasseh will be next to them. The leader of the tribe of Manasseh is Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur. There are 32,200 men in his company. The tribe of Benjamin will be next. The leader of the tribe of Benjamin is Abidan, the son of Gideoni. There are 35,400 men in his company. So a total of 108,100 men will be set apart for the camp of Ephraim. They will be arranged company by company. They will start out third. The companies of the camp of Dan will be on the north side. They will be under their flag. The leader of the tribe of Dan is Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai. There are 62,700 men in his company. The tribe of Asher will camp next to them. The leader of the tribe of Asher is Pagiel, the son of Ocran. There are 41,500 men in his company. The tribe of Naphtali will be next. The leader of the tribe of Naphtali is Ahira, the son of Enan. There are 53,400 men in his company. So a total of 157,600 men will be set apart for the camp of Dan. They will start out last. They will march under their flags. Those are the men of Israel. They were counted in keeping with their families. The total number of all of the men who were in the camps is 603,550, company by company. But the Levites weren’t counted along with the other men of Israel. That’s what the LORD had commanded Moses. So the people of Israel did everything the LORD had commanded Moses. That’s the way they set up camp under their flags. And that’s the way they started out. Each man marched out with his own tribe and family.

Steve Webb 11:23
Numbers, chapter 3. When the Lord talked with Moses on Mount Sinai, Aaron’s four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, were the ones to be ordained as priests. But the Lord killed Nadab and Abihu in the Sinai Desert when they used fire that was unacceptable in their offering to the Lord. And because Nadab and Abihu had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests with their father Aaron. The Lord said to Moses: Assign the Levi tribe to Aaron the priest. They will be his assistants and will work at the sacred tent for him and for all the Israelites. The Levites will serve the community by being responsible for the furnishings of the tent. They are assigned to help Aaron and his sons, who have been appointed to be priests. Anyone else who tries to perform the duties of a priest must be put to death. Moses, I have chosen these Levites from all Israel, and they will belong to me in a special way. When I killed the first-born sons of the Egyptians, I decided that the first-born sons in every Israelite family and the first-born males of their flocks and herds would be mine. But now I accept these Levites in place of the first-born sons of the Israelites. In the Sinai Desert the Lord said to Moses, “Now I want you to count the men and boys in the Levi tribe by families and by clans. Include every one at least a month old.” So Moses obeyed and counted them. Levi’s three sons, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, had become the heads of their own clans. Gershon’s sons were Libni and Shimei. Kohath’s sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And Merari’s sons were Mahli and Mushi. These were the sons and grandsons of Levi, and they had become the leaders of the Levite clans. The two Gershon clans were the Libnites and Shimeites, and they had 7,500 men and boys at least one month old. The Gershonites, under the leadership of Eliasaph son of Lael, were to camp on the west side of the sacred tent. Their duties at the tent included taking care of the tent itself, along with its outer covering, the curtain for the entrance, the curtains hanging inside the courtyard around the tent, as well as the curtain and ropes for the entrance to the courtyard and its altar. The Gershonites were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down. The four Kohath clans were the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites, and the Uzzielites, and they had 8,600 men and boys at least one month old. The Kohathites, under the leadership of Elizaphan son of Uzziel, were to camp on the south side of the sacred tent. Their duties at the tent included taking care of the sacred chest, the table for the sacred bread, the lampstand, the altars, the objects used for worship, and the curtain in front of the most holy place. The Kohathites were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down. Eleazar son of Aaron was the head of the Levite leaders, and he made sure that the work at the sacred tent was done. The two Merari clans were the Mahlites and the Mushites, and they had 6,200 men and boys at least one month old. The Merarites, under the leadership of Zuriel son of Abihail, were to camp on the north side of the sacred tent. Their duties included taking care of the tent frames and the pieces that held the tent up: the bars, the posts, the stands, and its other equipment. They were also in charge of the posts that supported the courtyard, as well as their stands, tent pegs, and ropes. The Merari clans were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down. Moses, Aaron, and his sons were to camp in front of the sacred tent, on the east side, and to make sure that the Israelites worshiped in the proper way. Anyone else who tried to do the work of Moses and Aaron was to be put to death. So Moses and Aaron obeyed the Lord and counted the Levites by their clans. The total number of Levites at least one month old was 22,000. The Lord said to Moses, “Make a list and count the first-born sons at least one month old in each of the Israelite families. They belong to me, but I will accept the Levites as substitutes for them, and I will accept the Levites’ livestock as substitutes for the Israelites’ first-born livestock.” Moses obeyed the Lord and counted the first-born sons; there were 22,273 of them. Then the Lord said, “The Levites will belong to me and will take the place of the first-born sons; their livestock will take the place of the Israelites’ first-born livestock. But since there are more first-born sons than Levites, the extra 273 men and boys must be bought back from me. For each one, you are to collect five pieces of silver, weighed according to the official standards. This money must then be given to Aaron and his sons.” Moses collected the silver from the extra 273 first-born men and boys, and it amounted to 1,365 pieces of silver, weighed according to the official standards. Then he gave it to Aaron and his sons, just as the Lord had commanded.

Steve Webb 16:38
Numbers, chapter 4. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Count the Kohathites among the Levites by family groups and families. Count the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who come to serve in the Meeting Tent. “The Kohathites are responsible for the most holy things in the Meeting Tent. When the Israelites are ready to move, Aaron and his sons must go into the Holy Tent, take down the curtain, and cover the Ark of the Agreement with it. Over this they must put a covering made from fine leather, then spread the solid blue cloth over that, and put the poles in place. “Then they must spread a blue cloth over the table for the bread that shows a person is in God’s presence. They must put the plates, pans, bowls, and the jars for drink offerings on the table; they must leave the bread that is always there on the table. Then they must put a red cloth over all of these things, cover everything with fine leather, and put the poles in place. “With a blue cloth they must cover the lampstand, its lamps, its wick trimmers, its trays, and all the jars for the oil used in the lamps. Then they must wrap everything in fine leather and put all these things on a frame for carrying them. “They must spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, cover it with fine leather, and put the poles in place. “They must gather all the things used for serving in the Holy Place and wrap them in a blue cloth. Then they must cover that with fine leather and put these things on a frame for carrying them. “They must clean the ashes off the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it. They must gather all the things used for serving at the altar—the pans for carrying the fire, the meat forks, the shovels, and the bowls—and put them on the bronze altar. Then they must spread a covering of fine leather over it and put the poles in place. “When the Israelites are ready to move, and when Aaron and his sons have covered the holy furniture and all the holy things, the Kohathites may go in and carry them away. In this way they won’t touch the holy things and die. It is the Kohathites’ job to carry the things that are in the Meeting Tent. “Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, will be responsible for the Holy Tent and for everything in it, for all the holy things it has: the oil for the lamp, the sweet-smelling incense, the continual grain offering, and the oil used to appoint priests and things to the Lord’s service.” The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Don’t let the Kohathites be cut off from the Levites. Do this for the Kohathites so that they may go near the Most Holy Place and not die: Aaron and his sons must go in and show each Kohathite what to do and what to carry. The Kohathites must not enter and look at the holy things, even for a second, or they will die.” The Lord said to Moses, “Count the Gershonites by families and by family groups. Count the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who have a job to do in the Meeting Tent. “This is what the Gershonite family groups must do and what they must carry. They must carry the curtains of the Holy Tent, the Meeting Tent, its covering, and its outer covering made from fine leather. They must also carry the curtains for the entrance to the Meeting Tent, the curtains of the courtyard that go around the Holy Tent and the altar, the curtain for the entry to the courtyard, the ropes, and all the things used with the curtains. They must do everything connected with these things. Aaron and his sons are in charge of what the Gershonites do or carry; you tell them what they are responsible for carrying. This is the work of the Gershonite family group at the Meeting Tent. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, will direct their work. “Count the Merarite families and family groups. Count the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who work at the Meeting Tent. It is their job to carry the following as they serve in the Meeting Tent: the frames of the Holy Tent, the crossbars, the posts, and bases, in addition to the posts that go around the courtyard, their bases, tent pegs, ropes, and everything that is used with the poles around the courtyard. Tell each man exactly what to carry. This is the work the Merarite family group will do for the Meeting Tent. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, will direct their work.” Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted the Kohathites by families and family groups, the men from thirty to fifty years old who were to work at the Meeting Tent. There were 2,750 men in the family groups. This was the total of the Kohath family groups who worked at the Meeting Tent, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the Lord had commanded Moses. Also, the Gershonites were counted by families and family groups, the men from thirty to fifty years old who were given work at the Meeting Tent. The families and family groups had 2,630 men. This was the total of the Gershon family groups who worked at the Meeting Tent, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the Lord had commanded. Also, the men in the families and family groups of the Merari family were counted, the men from thirty to fifty years old who were to work at the Meeting Tent. The family groups had 3,200 men. This was the total of the Merari family groups, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the Lord had commanded Moses. So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by families and family groups. They counted the men from thirty to fifty who were given work at the Meeting Tent and who carried the Tent. The total number of these men was 8,580. Each man was counted as the Lord had commanded Moses; each man was given his work and told what to carry as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Steve Webb 22:17
I’ve got some brief comments on each of the four chapters we read today. In chapter 1, God instructed Moses to take a census of all the men twenty years old and up who were able to go to war. God was taking the children of Israel to Canaan, the Promised Land, and people were already in the land, and they were going to have to take the land. So Moses needed to know how many fighting men they had. Once the census was taken, Moses knew how many men there were and in what tribe and what families. After taking the census, Moses organized the people by tribe and family, with leaders being named. Note that the priestly tribe, Levi, was not counted in this census. In chapter 2, the arrangement of the camps was described. The Tabernacle was in the center with the twelve tribes around it arranged according to God’s instructions. They camped around four banners, a lion, a man, a calf, and an eagle. Well, guess what? In the book of Revelation, chapter 4, verse 7, there are four creatures surrounding the throne of God with the same creatures, a lion, a man, a calf, and an eagle. In chapter 3, the Levites are counted, but not like the other tribes. In this census, the males a month old and above were counted. After the census, the Levite families were given their duties. And I like what the great preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon said about the Levitical division of priestly duties. He said, “It is worthy of note that these Levites, although they were all equally consecrated to God, had not all exactly the same work to perform. God is not the God of all uniformity. There is a wondrous unity of plan and design in all that he does, but there is also an equally marvelous variety.” And then chapter 4 continued describing the duties of the Levitical families. If you have a comment or a question, I’ll tell you at the end of the show how you can do that. Tomorrow will be History Tuesday, and our reading will be 1 Chronicles 5 through 9.

Steve Webb 24:22
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Steve Webb 24:42
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Steve Webb 24:46
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Steve Webb 24:55
If you have a comment or a question, a prayer request, or a praise report, which we share on Wednesdays and Sundays, here’s how to reach me. To leave a voicemail call the Lifespring Family Hotline +1-951-732-8511. Or if you prefer to type your message for prayer requests and praise reports, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. For comments or questions, go to comment.lifespringmedia.com. And also boostagrams are a fast and easy way to do any of these things. And last, my email address is st***@*************ia.com. And now until tomorrow, thank you for inviting me into your day. May God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.

Steve Webb 25:38
Lifespring! Media, bringing the message of hope, love, and good news since 2004.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai