Numbers 24

"Then Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, 'I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times!'" v.10

Read chapter 24
Two more attempts, four total, to curse Israel and ends up blessing Israel.  Balak is really mad now at Balaam.  "From Balak's perspective, with each successive prophecy from Balaam, the situation has gotten worse. In the first prophecy, you remember, Balaam didn't curse Israel as he was supposed to. In the second prophecy he blessed Israel. Now in the third prophecy he curses Balak! So it's getting worse and worse from Balak's perspective." (Reviveourhearts.com).  Balak is so mad that he just tells Balaam to go home basically, but instead of departing right away he stays for one more prophesy.  Balaam stops now trying to attempt to curse and says he must do what the Lord desires to do in blessing Israel, so he goes one last time to look over Israel and speaks words of blessings again.  In his fourth prophecy we even see prophecy of the Messiah in verse seventeen of a "Star" come out of Jacob and a "scepter" come out of Israel, both fitting images of a king.
When have you seen someone finally give in to fighting against God and start fighting for God?

Numbers 23

"Let me die the death of the righteous,
And let my end be like his...He has not observed iniquity in Jacob,
Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel.
The Lord his God is with him,
And the shout of a King is among them." vv.10,21

Read chapter 23

Balaam and Balak try to curse the Israelites THREE times and every time it turns out as a blessing than a cursing.  Balak just wasnt getting it, that they weren't Balaam's words but God's and he couldn't help but speak exactly what God wanted.  Did he think that just by changing his angle to a situation he could change the outcome? This chapter really shows Romans 8 

"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  

Try to picture what's going on here.  The Israelites are walking through the wilderness and can't even see all this going on.  Balaam and Balak are up above and far off looking out at them and trying to curse them.  Does it ever feel like that to you, where you're this ant that someone is holding a magnifying glass between you and the sun trying to burn you but you don't even know who or why?  It's interesting to really read the blessings that Balaam gave over the Israelites. He wants to die the death of the righteous.  How often people today say and think that.  They do whatever they want during their lives but then when they die they want to end up in heaven; they want to live forever with God in eternity but not walk for Christ in this world. 

Numbers 22

"And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again... Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?'" vv.25,28

Read chapter 22

“When pigs fly” is a common saying that one uses to show the unlikelihood of something happening.  I like to trick people and say, “when donkeys talk” when I know something will happen, but it’s unsure to them, all because this chapter has a talking donkey so proves yes to my little saying.  Well this chapter is one of my favorite stories in scripture.  And it’s more than just a story, it really happened.  No we don't hear talking animals today for this was a Divine miracle that God made happen this one time (we don't have anywhere else in scripture of animals talking unless you think Satan was a snake in Genesis 3 talking to the woman).  Balaam doesn't even seemed shocked when his donkey talks because he’s so mad that he doesn't even realize that he’s holding a conversation, arguing really, with an animal. The donkey tries to help Balaam by not going onward because the Angel of the Lord is in the way, she even crushes Balaam's foot to not let him go down the path he wants.  Do you have someone in your life like the donkey that's willing to crush you for a moment so that you don't make a choice that is against the Lord?

Balaam’s character can be a bit confusing to us.  Is he good or bad?  Is he a prophet of the Lord or a diviner of dark arts?  Balaam wasn’t an Israelite although his ancestors were probably similar to Israel having learned some elements of the Almighty God.  Balaam is referenced in scripture in eight different books of the Bible, three of which are in the New Testament, seems to show that we should know about him, his words and his ways.  

Numbers 21

"the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way...Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” vv.4,8

Read chapter 21
The fiery serpent on a pole seems like another "golden calf" type idol that they would worship instead of God, but we see that the Lord is the one to tell them to make it.  Now make sure you read the whole chapter or at least the context because between the two verses I put above there's a lot that happens: the Lord sends down fiery serpents to bite and kill the people.  All this came about because the people became discouraged and complained against the Lord and Moses.  It reminds me of Hebrews 12:3, "For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." And the verse just before it tells us how 12:2, "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."
Well back to the serpent on the pole, we can see that this is a type of Christ of Jesus crucified on the cross.  And just as simple as it was for them to just have to look at it and they would live, so is our salvation unto everlasting life by believing Christ died for us on the cross and that would make us saved.  I'm sure you've seen an ambulance before, have you ever noticed the red cross on it?  There's the snake on a pole, just like here in Numbers, a sign to make someone alive.

Have you become discourage in your soul?  How can you look to Jesus to receive renewed life in Him?

Numbers 20

"'Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals'...Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.'” vv.8,11-12

Read chapter 20
Ever wonder why Moses didn't enter the Promised Land?  Here it says it was because he didn't believe God, but didn't he?  Throughout Moses' life he was God's advocate, surely he believed Him. Well in this chapter there is a tiny detail that can be missed.  The people are complaining their thirsty and there's no water so Moses and Aaron go before the Lord and God says He'll give the people and their livestock water.  How this was to happen was Moses was to SPEAK to the rock and it would yield water.  What ended up happening is that Moses STRUCK the rock two times with his rod.  So we see the disbelief, that both Moses and Aaron didn't really think that speaking to a rock would bring forth water because God said so specifically to them (I wonder why they thought striking it would be any different).  It's kind of like when Jesus says to His disciples, "I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says."  If God tells you to do something, no matter how ridiculous it seems, it will happen if you believe.  Now this doesn't mean if you speak to a rock it will bring forth water for God was talking specifically to Moses and Aaron, not you.  But where we can believe this passage is that it is true, that it actually happened, because God is telling us through His word and we are to believe in our minds everything His Word tells us, no matter how crazy it seems.  It seems a small thing that because of this one occurrence of Moses not believing he doesn't get to enter the promised land, but we have to remember that apart from faith it's impossible to please God.  Moses will still be in heaven, just not seeing the earthly promise given to his people.  What is something in scripture that you have a hard time believing it's true?

Numbers 19

"Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him;" vv.2-3

Read chapter 19
A red heifer, a red female cow.  This was a sacrifice offered by the whole assembly in which everyone had a part as it was at the expense of the congregation not just one person.  It was a sacrifice for the purification of water and sin.  It was a different kind of sacrifice; it didn't take place at the alter (we would have read about it in Leviticus) but outside the camp.  The red heifer was killed before uncleanness was committed.  Every part of the heifer was burned to ashes, nothing left of it for anything else.  The ashes were then kept in a certain place for the people to use when they became unclean by whatever means to purify themselves.  There was no other method for a man to purify himself.  
So is this description reminding you of something or someone?  Christ that is and His sacrifice on the cross.  He was taken outside the city to be crucified, He was without blemish of sin yet took all our sin as we see red signify sin in scripture, He forgave our sins before we even committed them.  The red heifer was a type of Christ, but the substitution does not fully compare with the reality.  The ashes couldn't purify ones conscious as Christ's forgiveness does.  "It is a bad child who can be happy while his father is displeased; a true child can do nothing until he is forgiven" (Spurgeon).

Numbers 18

"Then the Lord said to Aaron: 'You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.'" v.20

Read chapter 18
The Lord is their portion.  Makes you think of the well known Psalm 23 when David says "The Lord is my portion, I shall not want."   
"The Levites had no inheritance of land and fields to work with from the LORD, but instead they were to be given the tithes of the rest of the sons of Israel as their inheritance. With twelve tribes presenting them with a tenth of what they produced any year, if we assume the tribes are equal sized (of course, they were not really, but just as an assumption,) each individual Levite would actually end up with 120% of the produce of the average Israelite. God was making sure His ministers were well cared for.  So the Levites too were to offer a tithe, and their tithe was to go to the priests of the family of Aaron. The rest of the tithe was theirs as the equivalent of what they would have gotten from the threshing floor or the winepress, had the LORD given them lands, as He did to the rest of the Israelites. Thus the Levites were taken care of physically, so that they could concentrate on learning of the LORD and His ways to teach these things to the rest of the Israelites."(Bible Teacher Nathan Johnson)
Even as the Israelites received tithes they were to tithe from the tithe.  It's like when you get a gift do you give the best part of your gift to someone else.  So instead of the Levites comparing and complaining that they aren't like the other tribes the Lord provides for them in a different way.  Would you rather have your portion be land or the Lord?

Numbers 17

"Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds." v.8

Read chapter 17
We see a rod blossom overnight.  It's not just a little sprout but blossomed and produced ripe almonds.  It's another sign (like Genesis 1) to show God can make something appear old even when it was just created (i.e. the earth and all that is in it).  And these are ripe or mature almonds, not just the flowers that become almonds.  Thus we see Jesus as a High Priest as a "rod [or root] out of Jesse" (Is. 11:1) and a "root out of dry ground" (Is. 53:2).
Of the twelve rods, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, Aaron from the house of Levi was chosen by God through whom He would forgive the people, that is the priesthood.    This budding of his rod overnight shows the speed and certainty of God's will.  All this was due from the Korah rebellion in the previous chapter when he and 250 other leaders wanted the same responsibility as Moses and Aaron.
When have you seen a clearly, obvious sign that the Lord has placed someone in a specific position?  

Numbers 16

"So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children." v.27

Read chapter 16
Korah's rebellion is a prideful one that brings many down.  After the whole congregation rebelling against God of not trusting Him to bring them safely into the promised land and therefore having to wander in the desert they cast the blame on Moses (vv.12-14).  Korah was a first cousin of Moses and Aaron as we learn from Exodus 6.  Korah, Dathan and Abiram have a spiritual envy thinking that just because Moses is the leader that he was better than they.   It's interesting to note that the whole families of Dathan and Abiram are swallowed up by the earth but not Korah's family, only Korah himself.  Later in Numbers 26:11 we read that "the children of Korah did not die."  This surely could be  that they didn't side with their father.  You may have heard of the "sons of Korah" from the psalms as they were writers & singers of eleven psalms.  Even though their father rebelled against the Lord they chose to follow after their Heavenly Father their whole lives.  Korah's rebellion in not only led to the death of Dathan and Abriam and their families but also 250 other leaders of Israel that chose to agree and follow Korah.  The 250 didn't get swallowed up by the earth but were consumed by fire from the Lord.  This would have been a sight to see!  First the earth opening up and these two families consumed into the pit and then fire come down and only consume the 250 people.  The Lord doesn't open up the earth today to consume people when they rebel against His chosen ones, but we can learn of the anger the Lord has when we rebel out of spiritual envy of others.  Have you envied another man's spirituality to their or yours harm?

Numbers 15

"then it will be, if it is unintentionally committed, without the knowledge of the congregation, that the whole congregation shall offer one young bull as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one kid of the goats as a sin offering." v.24

Read chapter 15
Unintentional or ignorant sins.  What's the difference than an intentional sin?

It suggests a lack of deep understanding of the seriousness of the sin involved. In other words, regarding this sin, the person did not know any better. It includes sins done with a degree of consciousness, an awareness of what one is doing'something done willingly out of weakness' but not sins done deliberately. For instance, the Bible clearly differentiates between manslaughter and murder, and the underlying principle revolves around presumption...Manslaughter is to kill someone accidentally, while murder is to take a life deliberately and willfully. (Bibeltools.org)

It's interesting that this chapter is put here after just having seen them not enter the promised land out of fear and distrust and then all of the sudden starts talking about certain laws.  Maybe it's to show that God will still be with them and require of them even after they disobeyed so many times or also setting the stage for what is to follow in the next couple chapters.  In Leviticus 4 Moses already talked about the law for unintentional sins, but here it's changed a bit as far as what is offered.  It is said that no offering was given for the guilt of unintentional sins.  How of do we feel guilty and want to make up for something by doing something when we've sinned accidentally that caused hurt towards others (physically or emotionally)?  I know I do and maybe this offering helped with the guilt.
David prayed to be cleansed from secret faults (Psalm 19:12).  Paul accidentally spoke evil of the high priest (Acts. 23:5).  What are some secret faults that have been brought to light that you need to confess?

Numbers 14

"because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.” vv.22-25

Read chapter 14
They could have bypassed wandering in the wilderness for forty years if they would have believed and obeyed the Lord that He was giving them the promised land that they saw with their own eyes. Does that not seem ridiculous!?!? They must have been kicking themselves. They're standing right on the edge of the line to enter the promise land and God says, "Nope, I'm redirecting you through the extra long way about" (my paraphrase). And not only that but everyone that was part of the census back in chapter one who were twenty years and older won't ever get to enter the promise land except for Joshua and Caleb because they were the only ones who believed and trusted God. So until everyone of that generation dies off they wander through the wilderness but their children will get to enter and enjoy the land (v.31). This wasn't the only time that they didn't trust God, but this was the tenth time they put God to the test. Ten of the twelves spies didn't believe and being leaders of their tribes held strong influential positions that led the whole of Israel to complain and doubt. Disbelief and distrust is contagious. It is no small thing, as Charles Spurgeon reminded us, to see the glory of God and the signs that He has done for us along the way and then to put Him to the test and not obey His voice.
How have you been or seen unbelief as a leader cause consequences for followers? Unbelief is forgiven but carries consequences. What are some consequences you're facing because of distrust or disbelief?

Numbers 13

"Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” vv.30-31

Read chapter 13
So twelve leaders of the twelve tribes are sent to explore the land the Lord was to give them. And when they came back after forty days they said it was just as the Lord described it would be, yet although it was as God said they didn't believe they could have it. Caleb was the only one (later we see that Joshua too) that trusted God's power and promise of the land to be theirs to possess despite the obstacles that blocked the belief of the other men. What was that intimidated them was the Nephilim, descendants of Anak, called giants in some translations. If you remember from Genesis 6, "There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown." So the nephilim were half man half angels; fallen angles that were trying to destroy the seed of the woman for the Christ to come. You can kind of imagine what they were like, humans with superpowers is how I picture it and definitely bigger than humans as the men looked at them and were intimidated by them. How often do we let obstacles despair us of having the abundant life God has for us, not trusting it's as sure as He said. Let us be like Caleb and have faith in God and not dismay by sight of Satan's schemes. What giants are causing you to not enter in to God's promises and trust?

Numbers 12

So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.  v.2

Read chapter 12
Have you ever been jealous of your sibling?  We all have (unless your an only child) and it usually is because we play the fairness game.  Here we see Moses' siblings, Miriam and Aaron, complain about wanting to be seen and used on equal ground in front of all of Israel.  This jealousy could have been because Moses was the younger of the three and usually the firstborn was head of the family.  Also we see they didn't agree with Moses' marriage to an Ethiopian woman.  God had been communicating with all three of them, so why should Moses dominate over all?  This pride and questioning of Moses' leadership led to Miriam's shame by God (she being seen as the leader of this rebellion).  Her punishment is leprosy and being shut outside the camp seven days.   "It seems outrageous that someone like Miriam should engage in gossip. She, who cared so much about Moses (even before he existed!) and about the welfare of the Jewish people, who was involved in teaching and leading the women to have courage and faith in the Almighty, should stoop to negative speech about the greatest prophet who ever lived, whom she undoubtedly respected and appreciated more than anyone else!" (www.aish.com).  Miriam was projecting her plan to a situation that was beyond her.  
Has "spiritual greatness" caused conflict in any of your relationships?  How can you guard against it?

Numbers 11

 "So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you.  Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone." vv.16-17

Read chapter 11

We remember back in the book of Exodus that Moses' father-in-law gave him the advice to appoint leaders over 10,000s, 1,000s, 100s, 10s which created a huge leadership team.  Yet later here in Numbers we see "the burdens that Moses still had to bear became so heavy that he took his complaint to God. The Lord responded by telling him to gather seventy men out of the elders of Israel and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation that they might stand with him there...So it was that these seventy men had a position which was out of Moses. He was in them. They partook of what he was - his position, his substance, his very essence. This is what Stephen was talking about when He said of Moses: "This is he, that was in the ekklesia in the wilderness" (Acts 7 :38). He was telling them that Moses was in the seventy, for in fact they were the body of Moses, or his substance, which is what the word body means. And it is my understanding that this is what the dispute was about when Michael the archangel contended with Satan over "the body of Moses" (Jude 1:9). Satan was most eager to seize control of the seventy men" (Otis Q. Sellers, Bible Teacher).
Are you in a place of leadership to heavy to bear your own?  How can you delegate other leaders to help carry the load while still being able "to stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together"(Philippians 1:27)?
  

Numbers 10

 “Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps." v.2

Read chapter 10
A trumpet is a common instrument in most every band or orchestra.  Its sound is powerful and beautiful.  Two silver trumpets were made for gathering and directing the people.  The trumpets were to be sounded only by the sons of Aaron, the priests.  At the sound of one trumpet the leaders of the tribes are to gather before Moses.  At the sound of both trumpets the whole community is to gather before Moses at the tent of meeting.  Then at certain trumpet blasts the tribes are to set out in a certain order.  The order seems to have the ark of the covenant in the middle as first it's the tribes to the east then to the south.  I can't help but think of The Sound of Music when the Captain has a different whistle blow for each of his twelve children and other whistle signals for specific commands.  It's ridiculous for kids but so beneficial for the population of Israel as the tribes were spread so far.
We then see how the sounding of the trumpets were for safety as they were to use the trumpet if being attacked by an enemy and then the Lord would rescue them.  Oh how I wish I had a trumpet to blow and be rescued every time I felt attacked by the enemy, Satan.  But we have something better than a trumpet for the Lord to remember us and rescue us: Jesus.  It may not seem immediate or saved from it, but He actually already did before we even sounded anything.  Yes we do wait the day for Jesus to return and bind Satan and rid all enemies, but because of the Holy Spirit we have prayer to sound out to Him now.  Do you trust God is listening to your battle cries?  What is the sound of your trumpet right now calling?

Numbers 9

"Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If anyone of you or your posterity is unclean because of a corpse, or is far away on a journey, he may still keep the Lord’s Passover.  On the fourteenth day of the second month, at twilight, they may keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs." vv.10-11

Read chapter 9
Here is the first passover celebrated since the exodus out of Egypt.  From the first command to celebrate the Passover in Exodus 12 we learn that they weren't required to keep the Passover until they were in the promised land, "It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service" (v.25).  The passover is brought up in this specific passage to reference a specific matter concerning of keeping the passover.  Someone who was unclean was not allowed to come in to the camp to or be around others until they were clean again based on sacrifices and offerings concerning what made them unclean.  They desire to keep the Passover and not just have an out to not have to partake of the religious festival, so we see the Lord accommodate this and that it is for His glory, not for man's.  It then becomes a month later, an appointed time, when those that were unclean during the Passover on the 14th day of the first month can celebrate it on the 14th day of the second month.  
How great a God we have seen in the past couple chapters of specific ordinances for the betterment of His people and for His glory.  This doesn't make Him a changing God, but a compassionate and just God.  How can you adjust to changes and still bring the glory to God?

Numbers 8

“This is what pertains to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting;  and at the age of fifty years they must cease performing this work, and shall work no more. They may minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting, to attend to needs, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall do to the Levites regarding their duties.” vv.24-26

Read chapter 8
If you remember from chapter four of Numbers the age of the duties of the Levites were from 30-50 years old, so why here does it say starting at 25 years old?  It is supposed that five years were anticipated for preparation for service of in the Tabernacle.  We do see that after age 50 they could minister to their brothers in the tabernacle, just do none of the actual work duties.  Maybe the 50+ year olds trained the 25-30 year olds?  We do see David change the age to 20 years old in 1 Chronicles 23,

 "These were the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses—the heads of the fathers’ houses as they were counted individually by the number of their names, who did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of twenty years and above. For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given rest to His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem forever”;  and also to the Levites, “They shall no longer carry the tabernacle, or any of the articles for its service.”  For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above."  

So later there had been a change in age since the tabernacle was no longer being moved through the desert but remain in the City of David.
Early retirement is what we might say today seeing that at age 50 they were to no longer work in the service of the tabernacle.  How merciful and compassionate is our God!  He who knows the heavy labor men are able to do in their prime but does not require that same endurance as they advance in years and slow in agility.  I'm not saying 50 years old is  when everything is down hill for I know many very fit and able 60 and 70 year olds, but as our bodies are continually decaying we need to care for our bodies to have a long lasting life, especially in advanced years.  What age bracket are you in right now?  How are you training, working or ministering for the Lord to the best of your ability?

Numbers 7

Now the leaders offered the dedication offering for the altar when it was anointed; so the leaders offered their offering before the altar.  For the Lord said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.” vv.10-11

Read chapter 7
So we see a twelve day ceremony for each of the tribes of Israel dedicating their offerings for the altar.  As you read through this chapter it seems like you're reading the same thing over and over again, and in some ways you are, as each tribes offering was exactly the same:

• 1 silver platter: 130 shekels full of fine flour mixed with oil
• 1 silver bowl: 70 shekels full of fine flour mixed with oil
• 1 gold pan : 10 shekels full of incense
• 1 young bull
• 1 ram
• 1 male lamb 
• 1 kid of the goats
• 2 oxen
• 5 rams
• 5 male goats
• 5 male lambs

All that times twelve for each tribe.  Yet as mundane as it may have been to read it was not mundane to partake in it then.  This was the God of order, and not rush or confusion, but taking time to celebrate.  Each leader of the tribe did the offering, most likely at the expense of the whole tribe.  Crazy how much they had while they were wondering in the wilderness.  In this time of offering of celebration we notice there is also a sin offering, the one kid of the goats as the sin offering.  Even in all our rejoicing we must remember that we have sin in our midst and must be accounted for.  So let us rejoice in others offerings, whatever they may be, no matter how similar or common it seems.  

Numbers 6

"When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins." vv.2-3

Read chapter 6
Who's the first person in scripture you think of when you read this chapter about the Nazarite vow?  Samson right?  "And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.  Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean.  For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb" (Judges 13:4-5).
We see the Nazarite vow in two forms in scripture, 1) all a persons life, i.e. Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist; 2) those who took a vow for a certain amount of time, i.e. Paul, this was the general use of the vow.  Any man or woman could take this vow.  The vow would be a special volunteer duty unto the Lord that would make him or her set apart.  The Hebrew word is NAZIR which means 'set apart.'  There would be certain restrictions like not eating or drinking anything from the grape vine, not going near a dead body, not cut their hair.  When the vow was over there was to be a sacrificial offering.
If we make a vow to the Lord today we don't need to carry out the Nazarite regulations, but we can learn from it to set ourselves apart from others to practices discipline of denying  and be spiritually minded.  Be careful in making a vow for Ecclesiastes says, "When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools.  Pay what you have vowed—Better not to vow than to vow and not pay."  What is a vow you have made unto the Lord?

Numbers 5

"if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, who has defiled herself; or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, although she has not defiled herself—...When he has made her drink the water, then it shall be, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, that the water that brings a curse will enter her and become bitter, and her belly will swell, her thigh will rot, and the woman will become a curse among her people.  But if the woman has not defiled herself, and is clean, then she shall be free and may conceive children." vv.14, 27-28

Read chapter 5
Unfaithful wives.  This chapter mentions the ordinances to reveal the truth if a husband becomes jealous of their wife supposing they have committed adultery.  It seems a strange way to reveal, but as we know it is a hidden sin that is hard to prove yet the Lord knows.  My first thought when reading this was what about the man with whom she committed adultery if she is guilty? Yet first off that's my old feminist side of me jumping to fight but also there were laws for the man who slept with another man's wife that is mentioned in other parts of scripture (ex. Lev.20:10), we can't just say this is the only chapter that talks about punishment for adultery.  Some have said this shows for sanctioned abortion.  It does NOT.  This is about jealousy and making it known as true or untrue.  Only in the NIV is the wording translated to seem like abortion but true to the Hebrew it clearly is "thigh to rot" as in all other translations and other occurrences of this word throughout scripture.  We have to realize the good that this ordinance brought for protection of the woman.  When jealousy and suspicion can't really be proved by man, this would show clear proof of the matter.  For one the husband couldn't unjustly accuse his wife just by his word.  Secondly, if proven guilty by this method there would be no doubt following.  In today's trails about infidelity, if the judge says not guilty it's not so much proven but lack of evidence.  This would in turn still cause strain in the marriage and cause neighbors and friends to continue to wonder, gossip, distrust.  Thus this way would leave no room for doubt in any ones mind and make the marriage and other relationships at peace; a very big deal indeed to live with out that.  "Thus in a world where women's rights were often abused the Lord provided a means for protecting their rights as well as seeing that evil was put away and justice done"(Old Testament Student Manual).  How do you view this passage now for both husbands and wives?

Numbers 4

"And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die." v.15

Read chapter 4
This chapter give the duties for the three families in the tribe of Levi: the sons of Kohath- Kohathites, the sons of Gershon- Gershonites, and the sons of Merari- Merarites.  Aaron and his sons Eleazar and his sons are of the Levites who were the priests but of through Aaron they are only Levites that can be high priests.  Each family within the Levites had special duties pertaining to the ark and tabernacle and are given instructions here when the whole Israelite camp journeys.  After we read of what Aaron and his sons are to do with the most holy things of the tabernacle the Kohathites are to carry them.  If Aaron and his sons did not stack and cover the items correctly it could cause for carrying them difficult.  The Kohathites weren't allowed to touch any holy thing, so they carried everything on poles that were inserted into items that held it all together.  This was a very strict command and to disobey it resulted in death, probably being struck by the Lord.  We see an occurrence of this in 2 Samuel 6.  This shows the importance of doing your job to the fullest so others aren't burden by your slack.  Also we see that the service of the Levites were ages 30-50 years old, middle age men, their prime of life and strength.  Are you using the prime of your life to serve the Lord?  How do you serve God when you are most lively and active?

Numbers 3

"And you shall take the Levites for Me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.”  So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded him.  And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and above, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three." vv.41-43

Read chapter 3
In the last chapter we saw all the tribes of Israel counted except the Levites.  Now in this chapter we see why.  They were to be priests and the offering to the Lord instead of the firstborn of every family.   They would serve in the Tabernacle and to the High Priests, Aaron and his sons.  When we look back as to birth order of the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel) we know that Levi wasn't the first born but the third born of his wife Leah.  This could possibly be the fulfillment of Genesis 49 when it is said they will be scattered among Israel.  Also from Exodus 32 at the worship of the golden calf the Levites were the only ones that didn't seem to worship it and obeyed Moses. 

"So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. Then Moses said, 'Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.'" Ex.32:28-29

Did you see that when all the tribes were numbered that those numbered were twenty years old and up, whereas when the tribe of Levi was number it was those one month old and above.   We see another fun mathematician in scripture here:  As the Lord had Moses number all the first borns of the tribes of Israel in verse 39 we see there were 22,000.  Then we see the total number of Levites who were to replace and redeem those of the firstborns as 22,273 (v.43).  So we get the difference of 273.  The Lord doesn't just say "close enough" but has the difference be paid out to Aaron and his sons (v.48).

Numbers 2

"Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father’s house; they shall camp some distance from the tabernacle of meeting. On the east side, toward the rising of the sun, those of the standard of the forces with Judah shall camp according to their armies; and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be the leader of the children of Judah.” v.3

Read chapter 2
We have directions from God for how the tribes were to set up camp and who will be their leader (no voting just appointed).  (How nice it would be when I go camping with multiple families to say how camp will be set and not endure the long debate of who sets up camp where.)  I was trying to map it out in my head if this was like a cross or a circle around the tabernacle.  Here are a couple possible views:

OR

They're directed in order they are to set out and each to with its emblem (a banner somewhat representing their tribe by their colors and figure).  The Lord directed them to their place and order around the tabernacle, where God dwelt, and were not to complain or grumble as to where the Lord set them. "It was their safety so it was their beauty; it is our duty and interest to be contended in the place allotted to us" (Matthew Henry's Commentary).  How do you see your placement in life as a "safety and a beauty" in the Lord's will?

Number 1

"Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one.  You and Aaron are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more and able to serve in the army...From the descendants of Judah: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.  The number from the tribe of Judah was 74,600." vv.3,27

Read chapter 1
We now start the book of Numbers.  Many people say they don't like this book because all it is is lists of numbers and names.  So maybe the first chapter starts off like that but there are many stories throughout this book and one of my favorite stories of the whole Bible is found in the book of numbers (you'll have to keep reading to find out!).
Well in this first chapter we see the Lord tell Moses and Aaron to take a census of the whole Israelite community of men twenty years old and up.  So the total number they have of 603,550 (in verse 46) is only of men 20+ and doesn't include women, children and the whole tribe of Israel.  Can you even imagine how many people that would be if the whole entire population was counted?!  If you think conservatively on this of one wife for every man and one child for every couple (603,550 x 3) you would have 1,810,650.  That's a lot of people living and wandering in the dessert to the promise land (they weren't just a city that stayed put but all packed up and moved often for 40 years).  The people were numbered to show them God's faithfulness of increasing them and not letting the house of Israel die out.  It's interesting too to compare how many men numbered in the different tribes.  The tribe of Rueben, who was the firstborn of Israel, doesn't have the largest number which we could wonder if this is because of Genesis 49:3-4 having lost his dignity.  Also note that Judah has the largest population of all the tribes.  We know the Lord came from Judah and this could be from the blessing Issac gave him too (Genesis 49:8-12).
God's a mathematician, even if you're not see the magic in numbers and God's perfect and faithful ways.

Ecclesiastes 12

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all." v.13

Read chapter 12

Ecclesiastes can be a very depressing book as everything in life just seems vain and meaningless, that there's no point to life so eat and drink and enjoy what you have with no purpose behind any of it.  But then we come to the final chapter of this book and have hope, something to cling to, our purpose: Fear God and Keep His Commandments.   The conclusion of this whole book, the sum of all of Solomon's searching to understand man and wisdom, the only true answer he was seeking. This is our all, our whole duty as man!  When you're struggling to find your purpose in life, start with this one.  As you uphold that first and foremost purpose you will feel whole and it will reveal more purpose in your life.

So what does it mean or look like to "Fear God and keep His commandments"?

Ecclesiastes 11

"As you do not know what is the way of the wind,
Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,
So you do not know the works of God who makes everything." v.5

Read chapter 11
Two common phenomena of God's divine work that is ambiguous to man as examples in this verse.  One may say because of science we know the way of the wind and what is happening as a baby is being formed in their mother's womb and yes that is true.    We can say what is happening, but we can't say how. Bones are such a phenomena in that they are as strong as cast iron and resist bending as steel yet they're one third the weight of steel.

"Most bones in our body began as cartilage while we were still in the womb. (Cartilage is a rubbery-like material that gives the flexibility to our nose and ears.) The advantage of cartilage over bone in the early stages of growth is that cartilage can grow from within (interstitial growth) as well as at its surface (appositional growth). Bone, on the other hand, can only grow by adding to its surface, much like the way we make a snowball grow to make a snowman. During growth, cartilage is gradually replaced with bone by a process called endochondral ossification. First, calcium infiltrates the cartilage with calcium salts, forming a very brittle calcified cartilage. Then this temporary form of cartilage serves as a framework on which bone will form, much like applying plaster to chicken wire. In time, bone replaces the cartilage except at the ends, where cartilage is retained to form joints" (Dr. David Menton).

What is another example you can think of a common phenomena that needs an intelligent designer to explain the how?