Studying the book of Numbers

by koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

cojoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

23 October 2009

There are people who say, do not give me the Old Testament, I just read the New Testament since it tells me of Jesus who died for me. Fair enough, but John the Baptist said in 27 CE when Jesus came to the banks of the river Jordan, "there comes the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world". Lamb of God? He did not say, Jesus of Nazareth but Lamb. So what is this meaning? Do we say to each other, there comes the dog that takes away jealousy? People will wonder what we are saying since they do not get the context. This is where we need to Old Testament to understand the New. Without an understanding of the Sanctuary Message of the Old Testament one cannot properly understand the plan of salvation as explained in the New Testament since the authors of the New read and understood the Old Testament very well.

Hebrews 4:15 and 16 reads that we do not have a Highpriest that cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but one who has been tempted in all things as we are but without sin and let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. This is the book of Numbers.

Paul wrote about the sanctuary of the Old Testament and its fulfillment in the life and work and function of Jesus Christ in the past and as an ongoing process.

1. In fact, the book of Numbers are cited or referred or hinted at at the following places in the book of Hebrews:

Hebrews 1:1            Numbers 12:6

Hebrews 3:2*           Numbers 12:7

Hebrews 3:5*           Numbers 12:7

Hebrews 3:11*         Numbers 14:21-23

Hebrews 3:16*         Numbers 14:1-35

Hebrews 3:17*         Numbers 14:29

Hebrews 3:18 *        Numbers 14:22-23

Hebrews 5:4            Numbers 16:40

Hebrews 6:18          Numbers 23:19

Hebrews 7:5*          Numbers 18:21

Hebrews 7:14          Numbers 24:17

Hebrews 7:21          Numbers 23:19

Hebrews 8:2*          Numbers 24:6

Hebrews 9:4*          Numbers 17:8-10

Hebrews 9:6*          Numbers 18:2-6

Hebrews 9:7           Numbers 15:25

Hebrews 9:10*        Numbers 19:13

Hebrews 9:13*        Numbers 19:9, 17-19

Hebrews 9:19*        Numbers 19:6

Hebrews 10:26        Numbers 15:30

Hebrews 12:9*        Numbers 16:22, 27:16

Hebrews 13:11        Numbers 19:3

* These are cases that are supported also by the Greek edition lowest register cross-references.

What is the result? Without a proper understanding of the Sanctuary Message of the Old Testament, one cannot understand Jesus work of Atonement at the Cross and His ongoing work of Atonement one our behalf in the first apartment and later since 1844 (based on the year day principle of Daniel 8:14 at the end of 2300 years [not days]). Some people say: why did Daniel not use days yamim for the 2300? Answer is very simple: the context is the Sanctuary Message and Daniel use Sanctuary language or jargon to describe what is happening in a sanctuary context: 2300 evening [offerings] and morning [offerings] with evening +morning = one 24 hour day = day anyway. It is not a civil announcement but a sanctuary liturgical announcement.

2. So in brief the Millerites or precursors of the Advent movement thought Christ would come in 1844 and they sold all they have, probably much to the admiration of Heaven onlookers to expect Christ to come on October 22 1844. But, they made a mistake. Through their disappointment and tears of the next morning they discovered the Sanctuary Messsage indicating that Christ did not come but moved priest between 31-1844 to the second apartment court scene as described in Daniel 7 at the end with the Son of Man coming with clouds of angels to God the Father as the Ancient of Days. Jesus does not come to earth but to His Father in Daniel 7. Although Stephen saw Jesus sitting in 34 CE at the right side of the Father on His throne, it appears and is clear from the Bible that Jesus did not sit stationary for 2000 years next to His Father. There is even the possibility that the Father's throne is dynamic and not stationary and that it move all along with Christ participating in the Salvation of souls throughout. 

Adventists then understood that Jesus went into the Most Holy place to function in the investigative judgement aspect of the Atonement to remove the stigma of sin from the minds of the heavenly unfallen beings [thus creating a space for us as He promised in John 14:1-3 since the buildings of His Father was completed already in 31 CE as closer reading of the text reveals.

3. That makes an understanding of Numbers so valuable for us as Seventh Day Adventists knowning the Sanctuary Message and its value. It is one of the least developed theologies among other denominations, Protestants, Orthodox churches or Catholics included. It is the unique contribution to Protestant theology that the Adventists made through God's leading with this understanding, even though a bitter experience initially.

4. The book of Numbers was written by Moses. Moses and the people of Israel left Egypt in 1450 BCE. How do we know that. Easy. 1 Kings 6:1 tells us that Solomon built the temple in the fourth year of his reign after David died, and that was 480 years after the Exodus. Since we know by adding all the kings together described later and know the date of the 586 BCE Babylonian exile very well, it is easy to see that Solomon ruled between 974 four years with his father together and then when his father died in 970 it was the fourth year and the starting date of the 480 years period. The rest is simple mathematics or calculation.

There is a difference of opinion between William Shea that places that date in 970 BCE and Edwin Thiele and Siegfried Horn that place that date in 967/966 BCE but taken as a whole: Eupolemos data, Greek sources data, biblical data [also used by Thiele and Horn], as well as a synchronization with various possibilities in the sliding scales of Egyptian chronology as outlined by authoritative Egyptian chronographers, one can find Thutmosis III as pharaoh, dying exactly in the year of 1450 BCE as the best candidate for this date 970 BCE as well.

5. Moses wrote the book probably in 1412/1411 BCE just before he died. In Numbers 31:2 [the book has 36 chapters] Moses got an instruction from the Lord to do something and it is said that "afterward you will be gathered to your people". It is another way of saying that Moses will die. We know that Moses could not enter Canaan for striking a rock twice (see Numbers 20:11-12). We also know that they wandered 40 years in the wilderness before the entry and since the exodus was in 1450 BCE, the entry was in 1410 BCE. Moses must have died in 1412-1410 BCE.

6. Moses wrote the book of Numbers by making a compilation of various sources. How do we know that? Moses said it himself: in Numbers 21:14 Moses said "Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord . . . ". Then Moses cites from this source his next information. There are more indications of various genre of sources that were utilized.

a. Book of the Wars of the Lord (Numbers 21:14).

b. Geographical Map and indexes of all camping sites (Numbers 33).

c. Border division description documentation (Numbers 34).

d. Census lists (Numbers 1)

e. Topographical ordering and arrangement of the camps (Numbers 2-4) almost like surveilance maps describing the location of everyone.

7. In between all these compiled data we find Moses giving instructions in chapters on offerings and tithes and how they should be brought. These offerings played a part in the plan of Salvation of the Trinity and therefore is relational to tasks that Jesus is doing or did (Numbers 5).

8. There is the Nazarite laws in Numbers 6 spelling out the taboos for this function. Nothing from grapes and the explanation can be that in those days they did not have refridgerators. We know that they used ice to make cold drinks and that from the Mount of Hermon, ice were sometimes brought for this delicacy. Their method of saving grapejuice was to place storagejars under the ground or in caves where it is cold or very cool. This served as their refridgerators and was not always as effective as in modern times. They sometimes placed ice in it as well. Since the Nazarite was to avoid alcohol or anything that is like yeast or in the process of heading to alcohol, anything to do with grapes had to be avoided. Even dried grapes are to be avoided as well. Even fresh grapes are to be avoided as well (Numbers 6:3). Is the focus on sugar or sweetness as well as on alcohol? What is interesting is that there is provision for going into the process of the Nazarite law but also coming out of it (see Numbers 6:20).

9. William Shea in the DARCOM series has draw our attention to a very important aspect of the book of Numbers: those chapters that deals with the Investigative Judgement and Executive Judgement typology. Shea saw I. Unfavorable judgements with a) immediately fatal cases in Numbers 16; b) delayed judgements in Numbers 14 and 20; c) lesser sentence judgements in Numbers 12; II. Favorable judgements in a) judgements with regard to office in Numbers 17 and b) judgements with regard to land in Numbers 27 (W. Shea, Selected Studies on Prophetic Interpretation Vol. 1 [1982]: 2-5). 

10. In this reader's understanding, the tabernacle is the place where God met Israel for Justice and Mercy to kiss each other (to use the words of the Psalms). Justice since it functioned as the mobile Supreme Court of Israel.

Let us look at some verses just saying that:

a. Numbers 12:4 "and suddenly the Lord said to Moses [victim] and Aaron [accusor = Satan's function] and to Miriam [second accusor = Satan's function in plan of salvation] 'You three come out to the tent of meeting'"

i) We have Accusation of the Adversary in Numbers 12:1-2.

ii) We have the Summons to the Supreme Court [tabernacle = tent of meeting] in Numbers 12:3-5.

iii) We have Jesus or Christ our Advocate pleading in Numbers 12:6-8.

iv) We have the Executive Judgement carried out with justice and mercy kissing each other in perfect harmony in Numbers 12:9-15. The principle here is that God forgive but He does not remove the result of sin. It is educational.

b. Numbers 13:10 reads "But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel". Again we have a Supreme Court scene here.

i) Accusation of the Adversary [Satan's type] in Numbers 14:2.

ii) Conscience role of the Holy Spirit type in Moses and Aaron's deeds in Numbers 14:5-9.

iii) Planned Executive Judgement announced Numbers 14:12.

iv) Advocate Moses interceding for Israel as a type of Christ our Advocate interceding on our behalf in Numbers 14:13-19.

v) Mercy kissed Justice in Numbers 14:24 but results of the sin are spelled out for their deeds.

c. Numbers 16:19 "Thus Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the doorway of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation". The setting is again the Supreme Court at the Tabernacle with an investigative judgement and executive judgement to display in type for Israel.

i) Accusation in Numbers 16:1-3.

ii) Summons to the Supreme Court Numbers 16:4-7.

iii) Crime explained in Numbers 16:8-11.

iv) Executive Judgement in Numbers 16:23-35.

d. Numbers 17:4 "You shall then deposit them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony [the witnesses, angels and unfallen worlds observations?], where I [God and Christ] meet with you [the people]". Again the setting here is the Supreme Court scene and investigative judgement followed later by an executive judgement.

e. Numbers 21:4 we have the case where people got weary because of the journey.

ii) Accusation in Numbers 21:5.

ii) Executive Judgement of snakes biting the people to die (Numbers 21:6). The wages of sin is death.

iii) Advocate Moses intercedes for them like Christ for us in Numbers 21:7.

iv) Mercy and Justice kissed each other and God provided a way of escape so that if they look at the raised up serpent on the standard, they will live. Look and live in Numbers 21:8.

11. The history of the events with Bileam the seer in Numbers 22-24 is placed by Moses also in the book of Numbers since Moses wants to demonstrate what happen when a servant of God, or minister of God goes his own way despite God's clear instructions and command to the contrary.

12. When Moses compiled the book of Numbers a number of Egyptianisms or Egyptian loanwords also slipped in. These are near-hapax legomena that are found only limited in the Bible and mostly in Moses' other book, the book of Job. One example is Numbers 24:21 where Moses used the Middle Egyptian loanword wtnw meaning "tunneling, boring or infraction" to refer to etan moshabeka "your dwelling place is tunneling and your nest is in the cliff" which makes better sense than the translation of "your dwelling is enduring and your nest is in the cliff" which is based upon too late sources or languages too remote from Moses to be relevant.  We must remember that Moses studied on Hatshepsut's counsel and influence at the University of Egypt at his time and had a prestigious astronomer, well known in history for his astronomy as professor as well as we can see in astronomical observations of an earth that is hanged up on nothing, in Moses' book of Job. Very advanced astronomy contrary to later Middle Age views of Astronomy.

13. Another interesting point is the appearance of the root

Satan in the book of Numbers, the root. It is used in Job 2:1 by Moses and also here in his book Numbers 22:22. It is during the compromise and accommodationist approach of Bileam the minister of God that acted contrary to God's plan. To be contrary to God is to be in the hands of Satan. That is the moral of the history here.

Dear God

The book of Numbers bring us to the realization that You care so much for us that You do not want anyone to be lost but that all should come to an understanding of Yourself and the role of the Trinity in the plan and program of salvation. We thank You for this. May justice and mercy kiss each other on our behalf as well.

Amen

End item.