Numbers בְּמִדְבַּר
(BaMidbar - in the desert)

CHAPTER 5

Unclean Sent Outside the Camp

1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Command the sons of Israel that they send away from the camp every leper and everyone having a discharge and everyone who is unclean because of a dead person.
3 “You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst.”
4 And the sons of Israel did so and sent them outside the camp; just as Yahweh had spoken to Moses, thus the sons of Israel did.

Restitution for Sins

5 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
6 “Speak to the sons of Israel, ‘When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind, acting unfaithfully against Yahweh, and that person is guilty,
7 then he shall confess his sins which he has committed, and he shall make restitution in full for his wrong and add to it one-fifth of it and give it to him whom he has wronged.
8 ‘But if the man has no kinsman redeemer to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution which is made for the wrong must go to Yahweh for the priest, besides the ram of atonement, by which atonement is made for him.
9 ‘Also every contribution pertaining to all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they bring near to the priest, shall be his.
10 ‘So every man’s holy gifts shall be his; whatever any man gives to the priest, it becomes his.’”

The Statutes of Jealousy

11 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
12 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him,
13 and a man lies sexually with her, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she is undetected; but she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her, and she has not been caught in the act,
14 if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife and she has defiled herself, or if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife but she has not defiled herself,
15 the man shall then bring his wife to the priest and shall bring as an offering for her one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall not pour oil on it nor put frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of remembrance, a reminder of iniquity.
16 ‘Then the priest shall bring her near and have her stand before Yahweh,
17 and the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware vessel; and the priest shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water.
18 ‘The priest shall then have the woman stand before Yahweh and let the hair of the woman’s head go loose, and he shall place the grain offering of remembrance in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy; and in the hand of the priest is to be the water of bitterness that brings curses.
19 ‘Then the priest shall have her swear an oath and shall say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray into defilement, being under the authority of your husband, be free from this water of bitterness that brings curses;
20 if you, however, have gone astray, being under the authority of your husband, and if you have defiled yourself, and a man other than your husband has lain with you”
21 (then the priest shall have the woman swear with the oath of the curse, and the priest shall say to the woman), “Yahweh make you a curse and an oath among your people by Yahweh making your thigh fall away and your abdomen swell;
22 and this water that brings curses shall go into your stomach and make your abdomen swell and your thigh fall away.” And the woman shall say, “Amen. Amen.”
23 ‘The priest shall then write these curses on a scroll, and he shall wash them off into the water of bitterness.
24 ‘Then he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings curses, so that the water which brings a curse will go into her to cause bitterness.
25 ‘And the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand, and he shall wave the grain offering before Yahweh and bring it near to the altar;
26 and the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering as its memorial offering and offer it up in smoke on the altar, and afterward he shall make the woman drink the water.
27 ‘So he will have her drink the water, and it will be that, if she has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, that the water which brings curses will go into her to cause bitterness, and her abdomen will swell and her thigh will fall away, and the woman will become a curse among her people.
28 ‘But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will then be free and conceive a seed.
29 ‘This is the law of jealousy: when a wife, being under the authority of her husband, goes astray and defiles herself,
30 or when a spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife, he shall then make the woman stand before Yahweh, and the priest shall apply all this law to her.
31 ‘Moreover, the man will be free from guilt, but that woman shall bear her guilt.’”

Legacy Standard Bible (Three Sixteen Publishing, 2022), Nu 5.

5.1-31

The three sections of this chapter include 1) the directions for the unclean to be separated from the camp "where Yahweh dwells in the midst of the sons of Israel" (vv2-4), 2) provisions for restitution to be paid by those who acknowledge guilt in their "sins of mankind." Cheating in a transaction or breaking an oath directly corroborates "acting unfaithfully against God" (vv6-10). And 3) "The law of jealousy: when a wife, being under the authority of her husband, goes astray and defiles herself, or when a spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife." This is defined in vv29–30 but detailed in vv12-31. The first two sections are fairly direct, and the common thread connecting all three is cleanliness before Yahweh. Restitution for sins (vv6-10) reflects when an individual is compelled by their own feelings of guilt and acknowledges the need for repentance. The law of jealousy (vv11-31) stands in contrast to the common laws of the day, which would have instead been a "trial by ordeal," such as by fire or throwing oneself into a river. The Babylonian code to test guilt in the face of accusations such as infidelity was one that presumed guilt first and implied injury to the accused. In this statute, the threat of harm/curse lies wholly in the hands of God Himself. To consider this statute unfair to women is to take a modern worldview. Suspending the biases of today that declare the Bible to be out of touch with reality reveals a merciful inclusion of the law. In a system that held very few provisions for women's security, this removed the unprovable threat of an accusation that held the death penalty. If, on the other hand, the wife was guilty of the infidelity her husband suspected, the curse would be one of curse among her people (v21) and become barren (vv21,22,27).

CHAPTER 6

The Nazirite Vow

1 Again Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to dedicate himself as a Nazirite to Yahweh,
3 he shall abstain as a Nazirite from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes.
4 ‘All the days of his Nazirite vow he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.
5 ‘All the days of his vow as a Nazirite no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled for which he dedicated himself as a Nazirite to Yahweh; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long.
6 ‘All the days of his dedication as a Nazirite to Yahweh he shall not go near to a dead person.
7 ‘He shall not defile himself for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die, because the Nazirite vow to his God is on his head.
8 ‘All the days of his Nazirite vow he is holy to Yahweh.
9 ‘But if a man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles the head of hair during his Nazirite vow, then he shall shave his head on the day when he becomes clean; he shall shave it on the seventh day.
10 ‘Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting.
11 ‘And the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering and make atonement for him concerning his sin because of the dead person. And that same day he shall set apart his head as holy,
12 and shall dedicate to Yahweh the days of his Nazirite vow and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering; but the former days will be void because his Nazirite vow was defiled.
13 ‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the days of his Nazirite vow are fulfilled: he shall bring the offering to the doorway of the tent of meeting.
14 ‘And he shall bring his offering near to Yahweh: one male lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering and one ewe-lamb a year old without blemish for a sin offering and one ram without blemish for a peace offering,
15 and a basket of unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers spread with oil, along with their grain offering and their drink offering.
16 ‘Then the priest shall bring them near before Yahweh and shall offer his sin offering and his burnt offering.
17 ‘He shall also offer with the ram a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh, together with the basket of unleavened cakes; the priest shall likewise offer its grain offering and its drink offering.
18 ‘The Nazirite shall then shave the head of hair for his Nazirite vow at the doorway of the tent of meeting and take the hair of his head of his Nazirite vow and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.
19 ‘And the priest shall take the ram’s shoulder when it has been boiled, and one unleavened cake out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved the hair of his Nazirite vow.
20 ‘Then the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh. It is holy for the priest, together with the breast offered by waving and the thigh offered by raising up; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.’
21 “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to Yahweh according to his Nazirite vow, in addition to what else he can afford; according to his vow which he takes, so he shall do according to the law of his Nazirite vow.”

Yahweh Blesses the Sons of Israel

22 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:

24 Yahweh bless you, and keep you;
25 Yahweh make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
26 Yahweh lift up His face on you,
And give you peace.’

27 “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”

Legacy Standard Bible (Three Sixteen Publishing, 2022), Nu 6.

6.1-27

The three sections of this chapter that explain the key tenets of the vow of the Nazirite include 1) the prohibitions of the Nazirite vow (vv2-8), 2) the provisions for atonement if a person suddenly dies beside a Nazirite (9-12), and 3) the concluding actions when the vow is fulfilled (vv13-20). Nazirite means "separated one." The term was used to designate a man or woman who voluntarily renounced the world to dedicate themselves unreservedly to Yahweh. The vow was usually a month but could also be for a lifetime (Jdg 13:5; Jdg 16:17). The Nazirite separated themselves from three things in particular— wine and all vinous produce; the application of a razor to their head, allowing their hair to grow; and from pollution by a dead body. Shaving of the hair would have represented uncleanness, so not shaving would have designated their status as set apart. The chapter closes with the solemn benediction God appointed to dismiss the people at the close of the daily service. The repetition of the name “Lord” or “Jehovah” three times expresses the great mystery of the Godhead—three persons and yet one God. Nazirites are seen throughout Scripture from this point forward. Understanding of their dedication to God, and the manner of doing so is first delivered here in the Bible.

CHAPTER 7

Offerings of the Leaders

1 Now it happened on the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, that he anointed it and set it apart as holy with all its furnishings and the altar and all its utensils; he anointed them and set them apart as holy.
2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ households, brought an offering near (they were the leaders of the tribes; they were the ones who were over the numbered men).
3 And they brought their offering before Yahweh, six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two of the leaders and an ox for each one, and they brought them near before the tabernacle.
4 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
5 “Accept these things from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting, and you shall give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.”
6 So Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites.
7 Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service,
8 and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
9 But he did not give any to the sons of Kohath because theirs was the service of the holy objects, which they carried on the shoulder.
10 And the leaders brought near the dedication offering for the altar when it was anointed, so the leaders brought their offering near before the altar.
11 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Let them bring their offering near, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.”
12 Now the one who brought his offering near on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah;
13 and his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
14 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;
15 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;
16 one male goat for a sin offering;
17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
18 On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, brought an offering near;
19 he brought near as his offering one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
20 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;
21 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;
22 one male goat for a sin offering;
23 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.
24 On the third day it was Eliab the son of Helon, leader of the sons of Zebulun;
25 his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
26 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;
27 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;
28 one male goat for a sin offering;
29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.
30 On the fourth day it was Elizur the son of Shedeur, leader of the sons of Reuben;
31 his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
32 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;
33 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;
34 one male goat for a sin offering;
35 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.
36 On the fifth day it was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, leader of the sons of Simeon;
37 his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
38 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;
39 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;
40 one male goat for a sin offering;
41 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
42 On the sixth day it was Eliasaph the son of Deuel, leader of the sons of Gad;
43 his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
44 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;
45 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;
46 one male goat for a sin offering;
47 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
48 On the seventh day it was Elishama the son of Ammihud, leader of the sons of Ephraim;
49 his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
50 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;
51 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;
52 one male goat for a sin offering;
53 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.
54 On the eighth day it was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, leader of the sons of Manasseh;
55 his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
56 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;
57 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;
58 one male goat for a sin offering;
59 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
60 On the ninth day it was Abidan the son of Gideoni, leader of the sons of Benjamin;
61 his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
62 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;
63 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;
64 one male goat for a sin offering;
65 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.
66 On the tenth day it was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, leader of the sons of Dan;
67 his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
68 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;
69 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;
70 one male goat for a sin offering;
71 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
72 On the eleventh day it was Pagiel the son of Ochran, leader of the sons of Asher;
73 his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
74 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;
75 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;
76 one male goat for a sin offering;
77 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran.
78 On the twelfth day it was Ahira the son of Enan, leader of the sons of Naphtali;
79 his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
80 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;
81 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;
82 one male goat for a sin offering;
83 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.
84 This was the dedication offering for the altar from the leaders of Israel when it was anointed: twelve silver dishes, twelve silver bowls, twelve gold pans,
85 each silver dish weighing 130 shekels and each bowl 70; all the silver of the utensils was 2,400 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary;
86 the twelve gold pans, full of incense, weighing 10 shekels apiece, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, all the gold of the pans 120 shekels;
87 all the oxen for the burnt offering twelve bulls, all the rams twelve, the male lambs one year old with their grain offering twelve, and the male goats for a sin offering twelve;
88 and all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace offerings 24 bulls, all the rams 60, the male goats 60, the male lambs one year old 60. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed.
89 Now when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, so He spoke to him.

Legacy Standard Bible (Three Sixteen Publishing, 2022), Nu 7.

7.1-89

Right away, upon Moses' completion of setting up the Tabernacle and setting it apart as holy, the leaders of the tribes brought their offerings near before Yahweh (v3). A total of six carts arrived, each bearing two of the twelve leaders of the tribes of Israel and twelve total oxen - one for each leader. The carts and oxen were then divided 1/3 to 2/3, respectively, between the Levite sons of Gershon and Merari according to their service in the Tabernacle (vv6-8). The sons of Kohath had no need of carts for service as they would serve the Tabernacle in carrying the holy objects on their shoulders (v9). For the next twelve days, each leader brought their dedication, burnt, and peace offerings for the altar, beginning with the Tribe of Judah (vv10-12). Each brought a silver dish weighing 130 shekels and a silver bowl weighing 70 shekels filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. They brought a pan of gold weighing 10 shekels full of incense, a bull, a ram, and a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering. Each brought one male goat for a sin offering. And they all brought two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, one-year-old, for a peace offering. The total from all the tribes is listed in vv84-88. The list of the twelve tribes making the dedication offering for the Tabernacle here is Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Reuben, Simeon, Gad, Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. These are the specific tribes allotted land for inheritance in Canaan. Missing from the list among the sons of Jacob are Levi, always serving in the Tabernacle or Temple, and Joseph, who is replaced by his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

CHAPTER 8

The Seven Lamps

1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you mount the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in the front of the lampstand.’”
3 Aaron therefore did so; he mounted its lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
4 Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work; according to the pattern which Yahweh had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Cleansing of the Levites

5 Again Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
6 “Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them.
7 “Thus you shall do to them, for their cleansing: sprinkle purifying water on them, and let them use a razor over their whole body and wash their clothes, and they will be clean.
8 “Then let them take a bull from the herd with its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and a second bull from the herd you shall take for a sin offering.
9 “So you shall bring the Levites near before the tent of meeting. You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel,
10 and bring the Levites near before Yahweh; and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites.
11 “Aaron then shall present the Levites before Yahweh as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, that they may be qualified to perform the service of Yahweh.
12 “Now the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to Yahweh, to make atonement for the Levites.
13 “And you shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and before his sons so as to present them as a wave offering to Yahweh.
14 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.
15 “Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and present them as a wave offering;
16 for they are wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself instead of every first issue of the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel.
17 “For every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself.
18 “But I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel.
19 “And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the sons of Israel by their coming near to the sanctuary.”
20 Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel to the Levites; according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them.
21 The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before Yahweh. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.
22 Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons; just as Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

Retirement of the Levites

23 Now Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
24 “This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform their duty in the service of the tent of meeting.
25 “But at the age of fifty years they shall retire from their duty in the service and not serve anymore.
26 “They may, however, minister to their brothers in the tent of meeting in order to keep up their responsibility, but they themselves shall perform no service. Thus you shall deal with the Levites concerning their responsibilities.”

Legacy Standard Bible (Three Sixteen Publishing, 2022), Nu 8.

8.1-26

In the first five verses of this chapter, we read of the reflection cast into the future of the seven churches John also saw in Revelation chapters 1-3. These seven churches have more representative significance than just the words John wrote, as they also represent the whole church, which Christ Himself built, died for, and which is purposed to glorify God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, saying, “Write in a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man" (Re 1:10–13a). "...and the seven lampstands are the seven churches." (Re 1:20). The glory the church gives to God, the lamps of Numbers Chapter 8 give in front of the lampstand. This was directly toward Yahweh, seated on the Arc of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. These lamps were made of gold. Scripture compares the purification of gold to the sanctification process of believers. Gold is refined to become pure, while believers are sanctified to become holy, like Christ. This process of sanctification involves surrendering to God and allowing Him to refine and mold us. The lampstands are hammered (v4). Christ Himself built the church. He instructed His disciples and sent them into the world, but not before demonstrating the ultimate sacrifice. “As you send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (Jn 17:18). It would be a mistake to presume that God was not as purposefully involved in the construction of the church as He was in the construction of His dwelling-place with the sons of Israel. Numbers 8:4 is a description of both what God told Moses to instruct Aaron for His glorification in the Holy of Holies, as well as the image we are to see of the church Christ built and charged us with continuing to build - and for which He will return very soon. "Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work; according to the pattern which Yahweh had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand."

Numbers בְּמִדְבַּר (BaMidbar - in the desert)

5.1-31

6.1-27

7.1-89

8.1-26

Numbers בְּמִדְבַּר
(BaMidbar - in the desert)