In the closing chapters of the book of Numbers, among a discussion of land grants to the tribes of Israel we read of a justice-and-mercy system for murderers that prophetically links ransom of the accidentally guilty to the death of the high priest.
Category: Discussions
Why is it that God specifically told Moses to write down these places? We may not have a complete picture of it but God did not ask Moses to write this down just for the sake of history. There’s a bigger picture to be found in the names of these places that Moses records and we endeavor to discover God’s picture.
Many people consider Numbers a very boring book because it goes over so many names. But as seen in part 1 of this discussion, the Hebrew names of each of the places of the Exodus and wilderness wanderings have important meaning. It might not be the literal meaning of the name but based on the symbolism of what occurred at that place. These are God’s names for these places, not necessarily the common names given to those places by the inhabitants at the time.
This is a difficult, laborious chapter. There are lots of hard-to-pronounce names — 40, 42 or 43 depending on the count. Yet the name of each encampment carries important teachings from what happened at each site and the meaning of the names themselves.
During this year’s celebration of Sukkot (festival of Tabernacles) and Shmini Atzeret (convocation of the Eighth Day), we’ve been learning from each other and from God’s word and trying to put them together in our hearts. Every feast gives us something a little different. We have to be at first with God before we can be at peace with others. God gives us this shalom.
God requires us to “bear fruit.” This is not optional. Yeshua got so angry at the Pharisees because of their failure to produce righteousness that he said God would give the kingdom of God to another nation that produces it.
Ecclesiastes is customarily read during Sukkot, the festival of Booths or Tabernacles, to pour a bucket of reality on the rejoicing of the promised time when God will dwell with mankind.
We look for an explanation for the misery and battle between good, bad and evil explored in the book of Ecclesiastes both from the beginning of history and the end. Revelation 21–22 assures us that God will wipe away all tears and there will be no death, mourning, pain or frustration. All those things will pass away. That is what we are all looking forward to when Yeshua will tabernacle with men forever.