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Wednesday 9/16/26
Thru the Bible: Old Testament Review – – Exodus 32 – Numbers
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Thru the Bible: Old Testament Review – – Exodus 32 – Numbers
Tonight we will wrap up Exodus beginning back a little in chapter 32 and then entirely wrap up a summary/overview of Leviticus and Numbers.
Exodus 32:24-29, “(24) So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’
So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”
(25) And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), (26) then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said,
“Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me.”
And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.
(27) And he said to them,
“Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’”
(28) And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell.
(29) And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”
(30) The next day Moses said to the people,
“You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
See also – Numbers 3:11–13 and 8:5–22
Num. 3:11-13, “(11) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
(12) “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be Mine, (13) for all the firstborn are Mine.
On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for My Own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be Mine: I am the LORD.”
and…
Num. 8:5-22, “(5) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
(6) “Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them. (7) Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves.
(8) Then let them take a bull from the herd and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another bull from the herd for a sin offering.
(9) And you shall bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel.
(10) When you bring the Levites before the LORD, the people of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites, (11) and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the LORD.
(12) Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the LORD to make atonement for the Levites.
(13) And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as a wave offering to the LORD.
(14) “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. (15) And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a wave offering.
16) For they are wholly given to Me from among the people of Israel. Instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for Myself. (17) For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are Mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for Myself, (18) and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel.
(19) And I have given the Levites AS A GIFT TO AARON AND HIS SONS from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.”
(20) Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the people of Israel to the Levites. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, the people of Israel did to them.
(21) And the Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. (22) And after that the Levites went in to do their service in THE TENT OF MEETING before Aaron and his sons; as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.”
The Levites being offered as a wave offering was a type of consecration. Part of the wave or heave offering, which we will see later, was the fat of the ram, the fat of the tail, the fat that covers the organs, the fatty lobes of the liver with the two kidneys and their fat, the right shoulder. These all were symbols, but the most obvious would be the richness is the fat and the liver and kidneys are organs of purification and the shoulder represented the burden of service and authority.
Book of life
Exodus 32:30-35, “(30) Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
(31) Then Moses returned to the LORD and said,
“Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! (32) Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”
(33) And the LORD said to Moses,
“Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. (34) Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.”
(35) So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.”
Exodus 33 – Command to start towards the Promised Land
Exodus 34 – New Tablet (placed into the ark)
Exodus 34:5-16, – Moses’ encounter with God and the renewal of the covenant with further warnings which date back to the flood
“(5) The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. (6) The LORD passed before him and proclaimed,
“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, (7) keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
(8) And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. (9) And he said,
“If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
(10) And He said,
“Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.
(11) “Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
(12) Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst.
(13) You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (14) (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), (15) lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice,
(16) and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.”
Tabernacle
Exodus 35 – Provision your the Tabernacle
Exodus 36 – Those God gifted with wisdom from God (Hokmah) to construct all aspects of the temple begin their work
Exodus 37 – Making of the Ark, incense altar, menorah and Showbread table
Exodus 38 – Altar of burnt offering, Brazen laver, courtyard and material for the tabernacle
Priesthood
Exodus 39 – Making priestly garments
- Exodus 28:15–21: Details the instructions for making the breastplate of judgment, which includes four rows of twelve precious stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Exodus 28:30: Commands that the Urim and Thummim be placed inside the breastpiece to be over Aaron’s heart.
- Exodus 39:8–21: Records the actual making and fulfillment of these instructions by Bezalel and the craftsmen.
- Leviticus 8:8: Records Moses placing the breastpiece and the Urim and Thummim on Aaron during his consecration.
- Numbers 27:21: Mentions the use of the Urim by Eleazar the priest to seek decisions from God. *Joshua appointed
Exodus 40 – Putting the Tabernacle together & God’s glory filling the temple so that Moses could not even enter. God begins the cloud by day and fire by night.
Leviticus
Leviticus 1-7 – Laws regarding approaching God and the 5 major offerings of Burnt, grain, peace, sin and trespass
The Sacrifices: Sin offering, burnt offering, heave offering & wave offering
Sin offering: vs. 10-14
- One Bull
- Aaron & sons lay hands on bull and press down upon him hard confessing their sins. It was symbolic of laying the burden of their sin upon this beast.
- Kill the bull (Moses)
- Take blood with your finger and put it on the:
- Horns of the altar
- Pour rest beside the base of the altar
- The fat that covers the entrails & the fatty lobe attached to the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them were to be burned on the altar.
- The flesh of the bull, with its skin and its poop you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering.
- Offered to atone for non-malicious sins.
- The size depended on the type of sin and the ability of the one offering it.
- Sometimes if the whole community sinned this was done as a community.
- Only in a few special cases could the offering not be eaten by the priests.
Burnt Offering: vs. 15-18
- One ram
- Place hands on ram like before
- Kill the ram
- Sprinkle blood around base of the altar
- Cut the ram into pieces
- Wash the organs & legs and put them all together with the head to be burned.
- The most common
- It is an acknowledgement of guilt of sin before Him.
- Represents complete submission to God’s will.
- It expresses a desire for communion with God.
- Burnt offerings could be of cattle, sheep, goats or even birds dependent upon the offerer’s ability.
Consecration (ordination) ram: vs. 19-
- The other ram
- Press hands on the head of the ram like before
- Kill ram
- Place blood on the tip of their right ear, right thumb and right big toe.
- Sprinkle the rest on and around the altar
- Then take blood from the altar, together with the anointing oil and sprinkle it upon them and their garments beginning with Aaron
Heave, Wave & Peace offerings:
- Take the ram fat, the fat of the tail, the fat that covers the organs, the fatty lobes of the liver with the two kidneys and their fat, the right shoulder.
- All of these were placed in their hands and waved before the Lord in consecration to Him.
- All of this was burned together on the altar representing complete devotion to God.
- The leg of the heave offering which had been lifted up before the Lord together with the breast of the the consecration ram which was waved before the Lord were both given to the priests for food.
- In the future when the Israelites would bring a peace offering to the Lord and heave up the offering to the priest for sacrifice the heaving itself was offering it to the Lord through the priest and the consuming of it on the altar was a peace offering to the Lord.
Peace Offering
- This is a “category” of offerings to the Lord which include the thanksgiving offerings, free will offerings and offerings made after a vow has been fulfilled. (Num. 6:13-14; Acts 21:26)
- This has NOTHING to do with sin.
- It expresses thanks and gratitude to God.
- A representative portion is burnt on the altar, a portion is given to the priest and the rest is eaten by the Israelite offering it so everyone enters into the communion of this offering.
Leviticus8 & 9 – The consecration and ministry of the priests *
Leviticus10 – The sins of Nadab and Abihu (strange fire and alcohol) / Eleazar & Ithamar – first legal issue of interpretation of the Law. They did not eat the male goat sacrifice in the temple as they were commanded. Aaron comes to their defense saying due to the death of their brothers the same day, eating in the temple would not have been right. We are not told why.
Leviticus11-15 Laws of personal – physical purity
Leviticus 16-17 – Laws regarding the National Day of Atonement
Leviticus 18 – Sexual sins and its connection with the land being defiled and vomiting its inhabitants out
Lev. 18:24-30, “(24) Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, (25) and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
(26) But you shall keep My statutes and My rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you (27) (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), (28) lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
(29) For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people.
(30) So keep My charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.”
Leviticus 19 – The Lord is Holy so you be holy
- Revere your parents
- No idolatry
- Offer Peace offerings in a way that will be acceptable
- Gleanings of the field for the poor, the sojourner
- Various mentions of the 10 commandments with some further descriptions of how they are lived out such as:
- Love your neighbor – do not lie to them, do not cheat them, pay them their due on the day they earn it, do not mistreat the disabled, you will not hate your brother but reason frankly with your neighbor, do not take vengeance or bear a grudge…etc.
Leviticus 20 – Punishment for above sins… of worshipping Molech, consulting spirits, cursing parents (and the elderly) & sexual sins.
Leviticus 21 – Laws regarding the priests (and who cannot be one)
Leviticus22 – Purity and practice of priests in their capacity as priests.
Leviticus23 – Honoring the Sabbath and the Feasts
Leviticus 24 – Olive offering given from Israel for the temple, tabernacle, the showbread, cursing and blasphemy against the name of the Lord as well as murder, disfigurement or destruction of another man’s animal.
Leviticus 25 – Law of the Sabbath year, Jubilee, property and usury
Leviticus 26 – Disobedience and consequences (esp. National) > This is where Solomon referenced for the terms of his famous prayer regarding the land to Israel in 2 Chron. 7.
Leviticus 27 – Consecration of persons, animals, houses, fields, first born clean animals, devoted things – including tithes
Numbers
Numbers – 1-4 The first census of Israel & the Levites, the official arrangement of the camp – three tribes N, S, E & W, God makes provision for the substitution of one’s first offspring, Ministry and divisions within the three families of the Levites (Kohathites, Gergishites and Merari)
Numbers 5-10 – Sanctification through various forms of separation – unclean persons, sin restitution, suspected infidelity, the Nazarite Vow, worship, guidance offered through the cloud and the silver trumpets. Israel leaves Mount Sinai
The prophet Joel seems to be referencing these silver trumpets in Joel 2. “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain…etc.”
There were two silver trumpets which were to be made for the purposes of assembling Israel and directing the flow of the tribes as they travel.
Separate sounds were made for assembling the people and for an alarm for the deployment of the camps.
The alarm was used during the wilderness wanderings to direct the flow of the encampments around the tabernacle as they broke camp to move on. Sometimes this was used as an alarm for war.
Numbers 11 – Israel complains, Moses fails and complains about the people and his life – God provides for Moses and the people.
Numbers 12 – Aaron and Miriam rebel against Moses’ authority God judges Miriam, Moses intercedes, camp waits and God heals
Numbers 13 – They arrive at Promised Land and send in spies
Numbers 14 – The people whine again and Joshua and Caleb offer a different report, the people stir to stone Moses and Aaron, Moses intercedes and God forgives and says,
“(17) And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying,
(18) ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’
(19) Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of Your steadfast love, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”
(20) Then the LORD said,
“I have pardoned, according to your word. (21) But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, (22) none of the men who have seen My glory and My signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put Me to the test these ten times AND have not obeyed My voice, (23) shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised Me shall see it.
(24) But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.” – Numbers 14:17-24
Then God tells them they will wander 1 year for each of the 40 days they spied out the land and die leaving only their children to enter the promised land.
They cry and decide to go take the Amalekite and Canaanites as if they were free to obey God now and reverse His decree. Moses warns them if they go God will not go with them and they go anyway and are defeated.
Numbers 15 – Laws about sacrifices, laws about unintentional sins, Sabbath breakers will be executed, wearing of tassels on the garments as a reminder of the commandments
Numbers 16 – Korah rebels
Numbers 17 – Aaron’s rod buds and is laid before the Ark as a testimony against the rebels
Numbers 18 – Duties of the priests and Levites…
The Priests (Descendants of Aaron)
- Direct Service: Only the priests from the line of Aaron could approach the altar and go inside the sacred tent (Numbers 18:7).
- Sacrifices: They offered animal sacrifices and managed the holy offerings on behalf of the people.
- Mediation: They stood between God and the Israelites to maintain the holy covenant and bear the responsibility for sanctuary offenses (Numbers 18:1-5).
The Levites (The Rest of the Tribe)
- Assistants: God gave the Levites to Aaron and his sons as helpers to do the general work of the tabernacle (Numbers 18:6).
- Care and Transport: They were originally commanded to carry, set up, and take down the Tabernacle and its furnishings during wilderness travels (Numbers 1:50-53).
- Guardianship: They guarded the sanctuary to keep unauthorized people from approaching the holy items and bringing wrath upon Israel (Numbers 18:3-4).
- Temple Duties: Later in history, as detailed in 1 Chronicles 23:28-32, their jobs expanded to include singing praise, playing music, managing temple stores, and preparing the sacred bread (1 Chronicles 23).
- Teachers of the Law: They also instructed the people in God’s commands and helped judge community matters (Deuteronomy 33:10).
Numbers 19 – Laws of Purification – Red Heifer,
Numbers 20 – Miriam dies, waters of Meribah
“(2) Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. (3) And the people quarreled with Moses and said,
“Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD!
(4) Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? (5) And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”
(6) Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them, (7) and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
(8) “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.”
(9) And Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as He commanded him. (10) Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them,
“Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?”
(11) And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
(12) And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
“Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
(13) These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and through them He showed Himself holy.” – Numbers 20:2-13
Christ was symbolized in the Rock – 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 / Hebrews 6
Edom (Esau’s descendants) denies passage to Israel,
Aaron dies for sin at free Rock vs. 23-29
Numbers 21 – Canaanite king attacks Isra & takes prisoners. Israel asks favor of God to attack and get them back. God grants it and they win.
Then as they are having to go around Edom, they complain against God again.
God sends serpents, serpent on the pole
Victory over Ammon and Bashan.
- Ammon would not let them pass peacefully through their land but attacked.
- Bashan just attacked.
Numbers 22-24 Balaam a prophet of God who was not of Israel
Numbers 25 – Midianite women, idolatry, Phineas & Midian harassed by Israel at God’s command. They were probably not defeated because Israel was a willing participant in the Temptations the midnight women presented to them but this harassment was to be a lesson which deeply vexed the Midianites.
Numbers 26 – God has Moses and Eleazar census all those who were 20 and younger at the Exodus to be the ones who crossed the Jordan to go into the Promised Land and for them to receive their portion of land that fell to them by lot. But the older generation we’re going to die.
Numbers 27 – The case of the daughters of Zelophehad,
Moses is told it’s his turn to die, Moses asks for a replacement for himself so the children of Israel would not be without a shepherd and God appoints Joshua, Moses sees promised land and then is gathered to his people and got buries him by His Own hand (34)
