Gold for the heart - Numbers 5-7

Numbers 5

God makes clean and healthy and dwells in the midst

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 2 Command the children of Israel to put every leper out of the camp, every one that has an infection, and whoever is defiled by the dead: 3 You are to put out both male and female, you are to put them outside the camp so that they not defile their camps in the midst of which I dwell. 4 And the children of Israel did this and put them outside the camp. The children of Israel did what the LORD spoke to Moses. 5 And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 6 Speak to the children of Israel, When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit, to trespass against the LORD, that person is guilty; 7 They are to confess their sin that they have done, repay the trespass with its principal, add to it the fifth part of it, and give it to him against whom he has trespassed. 8 But if the man has no relative to recompense the trespass to, let the trespass be recompensed to the LORD, that is, to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement by which an atonement will be made for him.

In Old Testament times God lived in the tabernacle or temple in the middle of the people.
Christ’s victory over sin was so overwhelming that God now lives in our hearts.
God heals if we ask Him.
God is high and holy.
In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).
Therefore all sin is against Him first.
He graciously forgives confessed sin.
They added 20% for damages.
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Isaiah 57:15 For this is what the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity says, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

God dealt with suspicion and jealousy

9 Every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel that they bring to the priest, will be his. 10 And every man's consecrated things will be his: whatever any man gives the priest, it will be his. 11 And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 12 Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, If any man's wife goes aside and commits a trespass against him, 13 And a man lie with her carnally and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, hidden, and she is defiled, if there is no witness against her, and she was not caught in the act; 14 And the spirit of jealousy comes on him, he is jealous of his wife, and she is defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy comes on him and he is jealous of his wife, but she is not defiled: 15 Then the man will bring his wife to the priest, and he will bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he will pour no oil on it, nor put frankincense on it for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. 16 And the priest will bring her near and set her before the LORD. 17 And the priest will take holy water in an earthenware bowl; and the priest will take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water: 18 The priest is to set the woman before the LORD, uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest will have the bitter water that causes the curse in his hand: 19 And the priest will charge her by an oath and say to the woman, If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of your husband, be free from this bitter water that causes the curse: 20 But if you have gone to another instead of your husband, and if you are defiled, and some man has lain with you beside your husband: 21Then the priest will charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest will say to the woman, The LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the LORD makes your thigh rot and your belly swell; 22 This water that causes the curse will go into your bowels to make your belly swell and your thigh rot: And the woman is to say, Amen, amen.

This was the test and curse that God made for suspected adultery.
‘Amen’ means I acknowledge, I believe.
It comes from the word meaning firm, trustworthy, to build support.

23 And the priest will write these curses in a book, and he will blot them out with the bitter water: 24 And he will cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causes the curse: and the water that causes the curse will enter into her, and become bitter. 25 Then the priest will take the jealousy offering out of the woman's hand, wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it on the altar: 26 And the priest will take a handful of the offering, its memorial, and burn it on the altar, and afterward will cause the woman to drink the water. 27 And when he has made her to drink the water, then if she is defiled and has trespassed against her husband, the water that causes the curse will enter into her, become bitter, and her belly will swell and her thigh will rot: and the woman will be a curse among her people. 28 And if the woman is not defiled but is clean; then she will be free and will conceive seed. 29 This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goes aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled; 30 Or when the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous over his wife, and will set the woman before the LORD, and the priest will execute on her all this law. 31 Then the man will be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman will bear her iniquity.

This was not a double standard.
God also holds men accountable for adultery.
Any free (non-slave) person caught in adultery was to be stoned to death.
This sounds harsh to the society that we live in, but think again.
Think of all the broken homes, broken lives in our amoral society.
Exodus 20:5 You will not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate him. 6 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Numbers 6

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 2 Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, When either man or woman separates themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves to the LORD, 3 he is to separate himself from wine and strong drink, and will drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither will he drink any liquor of grapes, eat moist grapes, or dried. 4 All the days of his separation he is to eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seed to skin. 5 All the days of the vow of his separation no razor is to come on his head until the days are fulfilled that he separated himself to the LORD, he will be holy, and will let the locks of the hair of his head grow. 6 All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he is to come near no dead body. 7 He is not to make himself unclean for his father, for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD.

God outlined for His people the procedure for person that wanted to dedicate themselves to God for a period of time.
This was the only time that a man was to let his hair grow long.
Long hair was the sign of submission to God’s authority.
God placed woman under her husband’s authority and long hair is the sign of that (Genesis 3).
1 Corinthians 11:14-16 Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair it is a shame to him? 15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given to her for a covering. But if any man seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

9 And if any man dies suddenly beside him and he has defiled the head of his consecration; then he will shave his head on the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day will he shave it. 10 And on the eighth day he will bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: 11 And the priest will offer one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, to make an atonement for him, for he sinned by the dead, and will sanctify his head that same day. 12 And he will consecrate the days of his separation to the LORD, and will bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before will be lost, because his separation was defiled. 13 And this is the law of the Nazarite when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he is to be brought to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: 14 And he will offer his offering to the LORD, one male lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, one ram without blemish for peace offerings, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, their food offering, and their drink offerings.

God is the source of our life.
He is first.
He made provision for unintentional breaking of the vow.
He Himself bore the punishment for our failures.
Each sacrifice was a picture of the death of God’s holy Son for our sin.
1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed.

16 The priest is to bring them before the LORD, and offer his sin offering, his burnt offering: 17 And he will offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest is to offer his grain offering and his drink offering. 18 And the Nazarite is to shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, he is to take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings. 19 The priest will take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one unleavened cake out of the basket, one unleavened wafer, and put them on the hands of the Nazarite after the hair of his separation is shaved: 20 And the priest will wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine. 21 This is the law of the Nazarite who has vowed, and of his offering to the LORD for his separation, beside what his hand will get: according to the vow that he vowed, so he must do according to the law of his separation.

God blesses His people

22 And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 23 Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the way you are to bless the children of Israel saying to them, 24 The LORD bless you and guard you: 25 The LORD make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you: 26 The LORD lift up his countenance on you and give you peace. 27 And they will put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

Psalm 103:1-5 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfies you mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Numbers 7

1 And it happened on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, had anointed it, sanctified it and all its furnishings, both the altar and all its utensils, and had anointed them and sanctified them; 2 That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers who were the leaders of the tribes and were over them that were numbered, offered gifts: 3 And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two princes, and for each one an ox: they brought them before the tabernacle.

God is infinitely detailed.
In this chapter He records the gifts of each tribe that were given to God at the dedications of the tabernacle.
Mark 12:41 And Jesus sat opposite the treasury, and watched how the people cast money into the treasury…

4 And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 5 Accept these from them to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service. 6 And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their service: 8 He gave four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 9 But he gave none to the sons of Kohath because their service of the sanctuary was to be carried on their shoulders.

The sons of Kohath carried the furniture of the tabernacle on their shoulders. God carries us.
Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

10 And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed, the princes offered their offering before the altar. 11 And the LORD said to Moses, They are to present their offering, a prince each day for the dedicating of the altar. 12 And he that offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah: 13And his offering was one silver dish, weighing 13 0 shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering: 14 One spoon made of ten shekels of gold, full of incense:

Just like a person’s home reflects the person, the Lord showed us about Himself in the tabernacle.
Silver represents redemption in scripture.
The flour mixed with oil is the bread. The oil represents the Holy Spirit of the Almighty God.
One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the giving of Himself to us by giving us His Holy Spirit to dwell in us forever.
Gold represents deity. Incense represents our prayers.
John 6:35J esus said, I am the bread of life.
Luke 11:13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Revelation 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

15 One young bull, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt offering: 16 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 17 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

Each animal sacrificed to God from Adam to the cross was a picture of God’s love for us poured out in His son’s death for the sins of the world. He was sacrificed for us.
John 1:29 Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

18 On the second day Nethaneel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, offered: 19 He offered for his offering one silver dish, weighing 130 shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering: 20 One gold spoon weighing ten shekels, full of incense: 21 One young bull, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 22 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 23 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nethaneel the son of Zuar.

Have you ever eaten out of a bowl of pure gold with a golden spoon?
These were used at the tabernacle.
If you overcome by faith in the Word of God, your feet will walk on streets of gold.
Today our food is full of chemicals.
In the near future the finest food will be eaten at God’s feast.

Isaiah 25:6 And in this mountain will the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

Revelation 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

Revelation 2:7 He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches; To him that overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

24 On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, offered: 25 His offering was one silver dish, weighing 130 shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering: 26 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 27 One young bull, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 28 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 29 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon. 30 On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, offered: 31 His offering was one silver dish of the weight of 130 shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering: 32 One golden spoon weighing ten shekels, full of incense: 33 One young bull, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 34 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 35 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.

Today we take housewarming gifts when a person moves into a new home.
These gifts were like that.
The leader of each tribe presented the gifts.
The offerings were identical.

36 On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, offered: 37 His offering was one silver dish, weighing 130 shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering: 38 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 39 One young bull, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 40 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 41 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 42 On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered: 43 His offering was one silver dish weighing 130 shekels, a silver bowl of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering: 44 One golden spoon weighing ten shekels, full of incense: 45 One young bull, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 46 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 47 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 48 On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim, offered: 49 His offering was one silver dish, weighing 130 shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering: 50 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 51 One young bull, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 52 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 53 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud. 54 On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh, offered. 55 His offering was one silver dish weighing 130 shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering: 56 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 57 One young bull, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 58 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 59 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 60 On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin, offered: 6 1His offering was one silver dish, weighing 130 shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering: 62 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 63 One young bull, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 64 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 65 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.

Five is the number in scripture that symbolizes God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not by works, so no man can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God pre-ordained that we should walk in them.

66 On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan, offered: 67 His offering was one silver dish, weighing 130 shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering: 68 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 69 One young bull, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 70 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 71 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 72 On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran, prince of the children of Asher, offered: 73 His offering was one silver dish, weighing 130 shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering: 74 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 75 One young bull, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 76 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 77 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ocran. 78 On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali, offered: 79 His offering was one silver dish, weighing 130 shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering: 80 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 81 One young bull, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 82 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 83 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan. 84 This was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve dishes of silver, twelve silver bowls, twelve spoons of gold: 85 Each silver dish weighing 130 shekels, each bowl seventy: all the silver vessels weighed 2,400 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary: 86 Twelve golden spoons, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, by the shekel of the sanctuary: all the gold of the spoons was 120 shekels. 87 All the oxen for the burnt offering were twelve bulls, twelve rams, twelve lambs of the first year, with their grain offering: and twelve kids of the goats for sin offering. 88 And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were 24 bulls, 60 rams, 60 he-goats, and 60 lambs of the first year. This was the dedication of the altar, after it was anointed.

More space is given to these offerings at the dedication of the altar than to the whole account of creation.
Like parents who keep all of their child’s school drawings, gifts, and ‘special treasures,’
God keeps meticulous records of the gifts of his children.
They have worth to Him beyond their face value.

89 And when Moses had gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking to him from the mercy seat that was on the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spoke to him.

We have the words of God to us in the 1,189 chapters of the Holy Scriptures.
Through them He speaks to our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit.
He directs our paths to Him.
His voice sounds like thunder.
In Revelation 1:15 Jesus’ voice sounds like many waters.

Psalm 29:3-4 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thunders: the LORD is upon many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

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SUMMARY: Numbers 5-7

God lives where its clean
He deals with suspicion and jealousy
He set the procedure for people who wanted to dedicate themselves to Him
He blesses His people
He receives offerings from His people