Category: Numbers
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Stoned for gathering sticks
And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. Numbers 15:32 (KJV) The man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath day was never explicitly identified in the Torah. He has no name here, but is used as an example for what it means…
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Everything is a Commandment
And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they. Numbers 1:54 (KJV) Commanded – This word in Hebrew is tsavah ( צִוָּה ) which is the primitive root of mitzvah (commandment). It is used about 500 times in the Old Testament. Commands are given from a father to a…
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The Water Crisis & Miriam
And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? Numbers 20:10 (KJV) Rebels – There are three major water crisis in the desert and all three have something in common – Miriam, the sister of…
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A Fringe Case
Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: Numbers 15:38 (KJV) Fringes – Next time you’re out and about, stop and look around. How different do…
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When You Have It All
And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? Numbers 11:4 (KJV) Fell a lusting – The translations of this verse vary from lusting, to cravings, to desires, and even more specific, craving other food. But…
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Focusing on His Face
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Numbers 6:26 (KJV) Lift up his countenance – Here we are again, back to the word “face”, although this time translated as “countenance”. As we discovered before paniym is the Hebrew word for “face”, but is always used in the plural – “faces”. In…
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Grace is Nothing New
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: Numbers 6:25 (KJV) Gracious – Weren’t we taught that the idea of grace is a new testament teaching? The new testament which records the new covenant is all about the new concept of grace. Well we were taught wrong. The grace of…
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In the Spotlight
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: Numbers 6:25 (KJV) Shine – We are in the spotlight. The world is watching our every move, and the grand finalé is almost here. Did you remember your lines? Have you practiced your steps? Did you study the performance of the historical…
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The Faces of God
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: Numbers 6:25 (KJV) Face – An idiom says a lot about a culture. In America, we have the idiom “two faced” when describing someone’s hypocrisy. If a person said different things to different people in order to win favor, we’d consider them to be…
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Keep Yourself in Check
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee; Numbers 6:24 (KJV) Keep – The priestly blessing upon the children of Israel is one of the most powerful blessings I’ve encountered in the Bible. My eyes well up with tears upon hearing these words. I have to pause after each verse and take it all in. When…