What is happening with the counting in Numbers 1-2?
Let's recap what has happened up until now.
The Children of Israel were delivered from Egypt, they were given the commands from Abba, they were given the model of the Priesthood, and then given instructions on how to walk it out.
So we have a nation of priests set to go and take possession of their inheritance so that all of the world would be blessed. They would model Kingdom living, live in peace, and teach all the earth what it means to follow Abba. The blessing among them would be a testimony throughout all the earth and nations would seek out these people in order to have shalom within their own borders.
This is a life-giving moment for all of mankind.
So, on this day, everyone is to prepare themselves for the biggest role of their life. On this day, we set ourselves to go and take possession of our inheritance.
Before we get started, let’s sort out some terminology.
As in “number them…”
H6485 פָּקַד paqad (paw-kad') v.
1. to visit (with friendly or hostile intent)
2. (by analogy) to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit, etc
I. Oversee: To closely inspect. II. Count: As an overseeing of numbers.
Oversee co: Overseer ab: Oversight: The role of the overseer is to watch over, direct, command, chastise, review and count those in his charge for the purpose of producing work.
LXX
G1985 ἐπίσκοπος episkopos (ep-is'-kop-os) n.
1. an overseer
2. (in genitive case) one of the co-superintendents entrusted with the well-being of a local assembly or of assemblies within a city or location
(often translated as “bishop”)
Acts 20:28 “Take care of yourselves and all the flock of which the Ruach ha-Kodesh has made you overseers, to shepherd the community of God—which He obtained with the blood of His own. 29 I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Even from among yourselves will arise men speaking perversions, to draw the disciples away after themselves. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning you with tears.
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1 Timothy 3:1 Here is a statement you can trust: anyone aspiring to be a congregation leader is seeking worthwhile work. 2 A congregation leader must be above reproach, he must be faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, orderly, hospitable and able to teach. 3 He must not drink excessively or get into fights; rather, he must be kind and gentle. He must not be a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, having children who obey him with all proper respect; 5 for if a man can’t manage his own household, how will he be able to care for God’s Messianic Community? 6 He must not be a new believer, because he might become puffed up with pride and thus fall under the same judgment as did the Adversary. 7 Furthermore, he must be well regarded by outsiders, so that he won’t fall into disgrace and into the Adversary’s trap.
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Titus 1:5 The reason I left you in Crete was so that you might attend to the matters still not in order and appoint congregation leaders in each city — those were my instructions. 6 A leader must be blameless, husband to one wife, with believing children who do not have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. 7 For an overseer, as someone entrusted with God’s affairs, must be blameless — he must not be self-willed or quick-tempered, he must not drink excessively, get into fights or be greedy for dishonest gain. 8 On the contrary, he must be hospitable, devoted to good, sober-mindedness, uprightness, holiness and self-control. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy Message that agrees with the doctrine; so that by his sound teaching he will be able to exhort and encourage, and also to refute those who speak against it.
G1984 ἐπισκοπή episkope (ep-is-kop-ay') n.
1. inspection (for relief)
2. (by implication) superintendence
(coming into Jerusalem before His death)
Luke 19:41 As He drew near and saw Jerusalem, He wept over her, 42 saying, “If only you had recognized this day the things that lead to shalom! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with barricades and hem you in on all sides. 44 And they will smash you to the ground—you and your children within you. And they won’t leave within you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
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1 Peter 2:7 Now to you who keep trusting, he is precious. But to those who are not trusting,
“The very stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone”;
8 also he is
a stone that will make people stumble,
a rock over which they will trip.
They are stumbling at the Word, disobeying it — as had been planned. 9 But you are a chosen people,[e] the King’s cohanim, a holy nation, a people for God to possess! Why? In order for you to declare the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; before, you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and temporary residents not to give in to the desires of your old nature, which keep warring against you; 12 but to live such good lives among the pagans that even though they now speak against you as evil-doers, they will, as a result of seeing your good actions, give glory to God on the Day of his coming (visitation).
G1980 ἐπισκέπτομαι episkeptomai (ep-ee-skep'-tom-ai) v.
1. to inspect
2. (by implication) to select
3. (by extension) to go to see, relieve
Luke 1:67 His father Z’kharyah was filled with the Ruach HaKodesh and spoke this prophecy:
68 “Praised be Adonai, the God of Isra’el,
because he has visited and made a ransom to liberate his people
69 by raising up for us a mighty Deliverer
who is a descendant of his servant David.
70 It is just as he has spoken
through the mouth of the prophets from the very beginning —
71 that we should be delivered from our enemies
and from the power of all who hate us.
72 “This has happened so that he might show
the mercy promised to our fathers —
that he would remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore before Avraham avinu
74 to grant us that we, freed from our enemies,
would serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
76 You, child, will be called a prophet of Ha‘Elyon;
you will go before the Lord to prepare his way
77 by spreading the knowledge among his people
that deliverance comes by having sins forgiven
78 through our God’s most tender mercy,
which causes the Sunrise to visit us from Heaven,
79 to shine on those in darkness, living in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the paths of peace.”
80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he lived in the wilderness until the time came for him to appear in public to Isra’el.
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Luke 7:11 The next day Yeshua traveled to a town called Nain, and coming along with Him were His disciples and a large crowd. 12 Just as He came near the town gate, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, a widow. A considerable crowd from the town was with her.
13 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her and said, “Don’t cry.” 14 Then He came up and touched the coffin, and the pallbearers came to a standstill. He said, “Young man! I tell you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began speaking, and Yeshua gave him to his mother.
16 Fear took hold of them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has appeared among us, and God has visited His people.” 17 This report concerning Him spread throughout all Judea and the surrounding region.
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James 1:21 So rid yourselves of all vulgarity and obvious evil, and receive meekly the Word implanted in you that can save your lives. 22 Don’t deceive yourselves by only hearing what the Word says, but do it! 23 For whoever hears the Word but doesn’t do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror, 24 who looks at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But if a person looks closely into the perfect Torah, which gives freedom, and continues, becoming not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work it requires, then he will be blessed in what he does.
26 Anyone who thinks he is religiously observant but does not control his tongue is deceiving himself, and his observance counts for nothing. 27 The religious observance that God the Father considers pure and faultless is this: to care for (visit) orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being contaminated by the world.
We see the theme here of the word “count” or “number” is to oversee, or to visit. A visitation is taking place and each person is giving an account of their heritage. Where you come from matters. We get sorted with those that have a common history. And we camp together, we watch one another’s backs, and we trust that our brothers have an inheritance like ours.
We are family. And our family is a part of an even larger family. But we are all the same distance away from the Tabernacle as everyone else.
Except for the Levites. You have the choice to lay down your desire for an inheritance and instead become His inheritance. Choosing this gets you even closer to His presence.
Even more, you have been invited to become a priest. Choose this and you will sit at the door of the Tabernacle itself.
Either way, no matter what you choose, here we stand…in the wilderness.
“Numbers” - Midbar (mem dalet bet resh)
H4057 מִדבָּר midbar (mid-bawr') n-m.
1. a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven)
2. (by implication) a desert
3. (also) speech (including its organs)
I. Wilderness: A place of order, a sanctuary. II. Speech: An arrangement of words.
Root - dabar (dalet bet resh)
H1696 דָּבַר dabar (daw-bar') v.
1. perhaps properly, to arrange
2. but used figuratively (of words), to speak
3. rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
Speak: A careful arrangement of words or commands.
As in, the 10 Devarim (Commandments) and the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy).
Mem as a prefix means “from/of/out of” and dabar means “word” -- the wilderness is what comes out of the word.
John the Baptist was a voice crying out in the wilderness. He was a voice crying out for those things that come out of the Word. That Word was our Messiah, Yeshua HaMachiach. That Word is life.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing made had being.
4 In him was life,
and the life was the light of mankind.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not suppressed it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was Yochanan. 7 He came to be a testimony, to bear witness concerning the light; so that through him, everyone might put his trust in God and be faithful to him. 8 He himself was not that light; no, he came to bear witness concerning the light.
Do you desperately want to exit the wilderness? I’d say that a lot of believers think leaving the wilderness would be a good thing. We'd like to leave the wilderness but it’s usually because we want to live in a prosperous region with no trouble. But we don’t want to live the Word, do we?
Some people sincerely do want to leave the wilderness in order to take their inheritance, but is that really what we want? On the one hand, leaving the wilderness means you have taken possession of your inheritance -- good. On the other hand, you have to fully live Torah. Is that something you really want to do?
Consider this carefully.
And while you consider his type of life, I suggest you remain in the wilderness. Because it’s what comes out of the Word that matters.
We all await a visitation. But has it already come?
Have you had a servant of Yah come and tell you your place in the Body?
Did you listen?
You have been given your job description in the Book of Hebrews: Become a Priest of the Order of
Malki-Tzedek. We learn what this requires in the book of LeviticusWe are to show others in the earth what it looks like to live in Shalom. We are to show others in the earth how it looks to live in the Kingdom.
So, do you?
Do people look at you and say:
“Wow, they have peace from their enemies.”
“The blessing of the One True King rests upon them.“
“They are not swayed by the temptations of the world. In fact, they live boldly in spite of them.”
“Shalom is in their home.”
“Life comes from their mouths.“
“Life comes from their actions.”
“Life comes from their behaviors.”
“I want what they have.”
“Now, tell me, Child of Yah, how then should we live?”
Does your life reflect that of Kingdom living?
Now, we have the gift of foresight regarding the Children of Israel. We know that even though they were to go and take possession, they instead believed a poor report about what it takes to obtain their inheritance.
How about you here today?
Do you believe a poor report?
Do you understand the cost associated with taking hold of your inheritance?
Is it worth it to you to lay down the cares of the world and the fear of death in order to go in and take hold of your possession?
The world will rise up against righteousness. The world will fight you. The world will tempt you. The world will overwhelm you with busyness. The world will throw upon you many cares that are not of the Kingdom
But you are not of this world.
The ruler of this world has been defeated. The war is won. Receive it.
There are people in the earth who are desperately waiting for you to take your place of authority in the Spirit. Seated with the Messiah, high above all principalities, power, might and dominion.
You.
You.
Now, go. It’s time to move towards the entrance of the Tabernacle.
From there, we can move toward our inheritance:
Life with Abba and His Son, Yeshua our Bridegroom!