DAY OF AWE (3) – TRANSITION OF THE NATIONS

OPENING THE DOORS TO TRANSITION

Many current-day prophets are looking closely at Chapter Six and Seven of The Book of Numbers. This is happening because they see some mysterious and prophetic passages full of hidden meanings. Chapter Six describes the taking of the vows of a Nazarite. Chapter Seven describes the dedication of the altar of the wilderness tabernacle. Each of the twelve tribes of Israel sent their leader forth with their tribe’s offerings to God for this dedication.

This happened on the same day that the priests were consecrated. It took place on the 2nd day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year after the Israelites left Egypt and slavery behind and began the journey to The Promised Land. Maybe that would be a good reason to look at these passages on the 2nd day of the 10 days of Awe.

Understand, the second month, known as Iyar in the Hebrew calendar, is also associated with the counting of the Omer, leading up to the festival of Shavuot. This period reflects the transition from slavery in Egypt to nationhood in the wilderness, emphasizing themes of obedience and divine guidance.

PEEKING INTO A NEW DOORWAY

Today we will open a few doors even wider. We will do so by peeking into the passages found in Numbers, Chapter Seven. Right away, I will ask you to please carefully read the whole Chapter Seven passage of The Book of Numbers. Close your eyes after you read. Try to see what was actually happening during the days of Moses.

OFFERINGS OF THE PRINCES OF ISRAEL

In the first part of our readings from this chapter, we see the tabernacle being fully anointed, consecrated, and sanctified. After all the instruments of worship were prepared for holy worship, including the altar, the Princes of Israel came together. They brought their offerings before the Lord.

We need to be careful to notice the order and unity of this ceremony. God is a God of order. He loves when His people come together in complete unity. That was the way these tribes presented their offerings to the Lord in this dedication. The churches of today could take many lessons from these 12 days of ceremony. Each leader came for his people only to give glory to God. No man is higher or lower than the others. All of the leaders came equal and in unity under God.

There were twelve princes from each tribe of Israel. Individually, and one-day-at-a-time over the length of twelve days. these leaders of Israel brought a total of six covered wagons. Each load had twelve oxen, golden and silver vessels for serving, plus many other sacrificial, sin, peace and praise offerings. All of this was taken to the tabernacle.

ALL LEADERS EQUAL UNDER GOD

Each man brought the same offerings to God. No more than the others, no less than the others. The items they brought as offerings were recorded in the records of Israel. The items were carefully inscribed as their tribe’s gifts to God from the nation.

It is noted that slavery promotes greediness because a slave is constantly in need. There never seems to be enough when you are a slave. On the other hand, it is noted that finally the people had shed their slavery mentality. They gave with abundance from their first and their best, desiring to honor God, holding back nothing. This was a huge step in the right direction for the nation of Israel. It meant they had begun to overcome the past and move on to the present will of God in their lives.

This particular event was in the spring, not during the Ten Days of Awe each fall. However, The Days of Awe are when we prepare ourselves as offerings to God. Therefore, I feel it is important that we look at how Israel offered these offerings. During each of the fall holy days, it is hoped that we come as cheerful givers and not slave-minded takers. God desires that His people have giving hearts who desire to worship with the first and the best of all they have been given. So, each spring and fall season we come to the altar with our offerings.

GOD ACCEPTS ISRAEL’S OFFERINGS

Moses refused to accept any offerings until God gave him the word to take them. God told Moses to distribute the wagons and the oxen between the two tribes of Levites. These Levites were the men who carried the materials of the wilderness Tabernacle. This transport included the furnishings which were loaded and unloaded every time they broke camp and traveled through the wilderness.

THE DISTRIBUTION OF OFFERINGS OF SERVICE

The two tribes who received the wagons were the Gershonites and the Marari. The Kohaths also transported the furnishings for the Holy of Holies. However, they were required to carry these things upon their shoulders and not by carts or wagons. the Ark of The Covenant was never to be carried upon a cart, only upon the shoulders of God’s servants. Moses did not want to give the Kohaths any excuse for violating this instruction from God. Therefore, Moses did not give a wagon to the Kohaths.

The Gershonites and the Marari also received the oxen. They used the oxen to pull the wagons which held the materials for setting up the Tabernacle. The Gershonites transported the heavy cloth dividers. Those of the Marari carried the golden boards and pillars. Each tribe was given whatever they needed to make their part of the transport of the Tabernacle easier and lighter.

Notice how God equips those whom He calls into service. He provides whatever is needed when it is needed and however it is needed best. The portions of provision are appropriate for each man’s job and/or responsibility for the Tabernacle. Nothing comes early and nothing is ever late. God’s timing prevails over man’s timing. It is always perfect.

PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE

For just a moment, try to imagine Jesus standing where Moses stood. Visualize the true Church of God in the place of the congregation of Israel. By the way, this isn’t replacement theology. It is actual prophetic truth given straight from the scriptures.

Do you see us coming together in complete unity? Not one person or leader is out of step? Can you feel how we are all worshping YHVH in the way He has commanded? Are we true to the patterns that God has shown us in the original Tabernacle dedication? What do we bring to the altar? Are our offerings appropriate, pure, our first and our best? Will God accept our offerings because of the love in our hearts for Him and for one another? Are our leaders pure, willing and able to follow God?

The Church does NOT replace Israel in God’s eyes. However, the Church DOES continue the pattern of why God created Israel. That pattern was to form a holy nation for The Kingdom of God. Israel was the physical pattern. Today the True Church and Israel together carry out the pattern in a spiritual sense. We can see all of this represented in the offerings of Judah and Ephraim as the wilderness tabernacle prepared to meet God in person.

Are we preparing to meet God in person?

GOD IS PREPARING A PEOPLE

Before the second coming of Messiah, God will set up things on this earth. He will put them into place for that special event. It will be just as He did in the days of Moses, at the beginning of the use of the wilderness Tabernacle. Messiah will be returning from the Heavens. However, a part of Him, which we call The Holy Spirit, will be living inside each true member of God’s end-times Tabernacle made up of the followers of Yeshua.

That end-time Tabernacle will be made of saved, sanctified, redeemed and glorified holy people. These will become like living-stones forming a spiritual Tabernacle which will be carrying God’s Kingdom into a new day and time. At that time, the people, the redeemed Body of Christ, will be the Temple.

A PARALLEL EVENT

Ancient Israel was said to have been bringing their sacrifices to God at the dedication of the wilderness Tabernacle. So too will the people of God, in the end-times, bring the sacrifices of the things they have overcome. They will present them before God as offerings for His Kingdom. Every crown that each leader is given will be taken off and cast down to the feet of God. Our crowns will be used as offerings of praise and thanksgiving.

To get a vision of this future event, you can re-read Numbers, chapter seven. Replace the name of Moses with the name of Jesus. Also, replace the Israelites with the true church. Next, replace the names of the twelve princes with the words “one disciple/or world-leader.” That will give you a vague clue into the prophecy evolving from this simple, but long, chapter of The Book of Numbers.

GOD KEEPS GOOD ACCOUNTS

Numbers, Chapter Seven is one of the longest chapters of the Old Testament. One thing that makes the chapter so long is the fact that God had the names of all the leaders who brought offerings, plus the contents of each of their offerings recorded individually. The recordings read in the order they came before the altar with their tribe’s gifts. The facts are given exactly the same for each leader’s gifts. No offering was above the others. All offerings were of the same worth. Each one mattered. Though some offerings might be different from others, all things mattered the same. Each offering had a part to play in the operations of the Tabernacle.

God never forgets an offering. He always remembers the heart of each giver. YHVH writes these things down in his books. He keeps accurate records and remembers them. No prayer, sacrifice, or offering has ever been given by anyone and not recorded in God’s books. The offering is always recorded along with the name of each giver. Though He loves us all the same, God gives each individual the specific attention needed for them to recognize they are loved and their offering is worthy.

THOUGHTS RELATED TO THE DAYS OF AWE

This reference to the recording of the books in heaven relates to our thoughts during the Days of Awe. The above offerings happened in the spring between Passover and Pentecost, yet offerings are required also at Sukkot, or The Feast of Tabernacles.

You can see from this reading that all offerings are not in the form of money. This is true, even though gold and silver were definitely included and appreciated. Much of the offerings were given in the form of material goods being used in the work of the tabernacle by the priests who were in charge of transporting. It takes many different offerings to provide the complete needs of the Tabernacle. Each different offering plays a part of the worship. This is now required of God’s people three times a year.

THE BUSINESS OF “TRANSPORTING”

Many of the offerings were used in the work of transporting the Tabernacle from one place to another. Have you realized that priests of today are also in the business of transporting? I hope that doesn’t sound too strange to you. Thinking about this, I had a flash-back of the Star-Treck characters being “beamed up.” That was only television. This transporting is a bit different and much more serious. Meaning, the true priests of today are called to help prepare souls to be transported into The Kingdom of God.

This thought gives the reputation of transportation industries today a whole new significance. They too, could be full of similar patterns which physically show how a soul develops and travels closer and closer to God. This happens until the soul makes it’s way up to the Throne of God in Heaven. Once there, it attains the privilege of looking upon The Face of God. This is the ultimate goal. We rehearse this coming time at The Feast of Tabernacles annually. It is a time of great joy and celebration.

The whole process of transporting souls to God requires a large amount of justification, salvation, consecration, sanctification and glorification. One step builds upon the next. It is a long process of transformation for a human being which involves many layers and different types of worship. Each annual holy day helps us to understand the next steps of our own individual process.

THE OFFERINGS OF ISRAEL

In light of all of these divine things that a soul can receive from God, the ancient Israelites brought their sacrifices and offerings of all types to the dedication of the altar.

Offerings specifically named were: wagons/carts, oxen, silver plates that weighed 130 shekels each. It included silver sprinkling bowls weighing 70 shekels each, fine flour and olive oil (grain offerings,) gold dishes weighing 10 shekels each, incense, bulls, rams and male lambs a year old (burnt offerings,) male goats (sin offerings,) oxen, rams, male goats and male lambs one year old (fellowship offerings.)

USEFUL FOR THE TABERNACLE

So Moses took two wagons (or carts) and four of the oxen and gave them to the Gershonites who transported the boards and pillars of the tabernacle. He gave four of the wagons (carts) and eight of the oxen to Ithamar, the son of Aaron. Ithamar rulled over the Merari Tribe who transported the fabric of the tabernacle.

To the Kohaths Moses gave nothing. This was because they were to bear the tabernacle upon their own shoulders. These men had the most important job. They personally carried the most sacred items. Yet they also had the hardest work and the most responsibility. Not allowing them a cart removed their ability to be tempted to break any rules.

The work of the Kohaths took great personal and individual as well as team efforts. They had to be physically strong and mentally sharp. These men had to be patient and diligent. It was required that they were able to get along with others.

THE FIRST TRIBE OFFERED ON THE FIRST DAY

On the first day of dedication for the dedication of the altar, the leader of the tribe of Judah served first. This prince arrived and offered from his people’s possessions.

Consecutively after Judah, each tribe came forth with their offerings. Each came on their individual and designated days, all of them bringing one silver charger weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels. Both vessels were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, along with one spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense. Each brought one young bullock, one ram, one ram of the first year, for a burnt offering. They brought one kid of goats for a sin offering, and for peace offerings; two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs of the first year.

A HUGE AMOUNT OF OFFERINGS

You can see there were all types of offerings. There were also plenty of offerings. By the time all twelve days of the dedication of the altar had passed, there was an amazing amount of offerings given. For example, in terms of today’s measurements of money, each tribe’s offerings would have been worth at least $30,000. That would make the total worth of all the offerings of Israel during those twelve days at least $360,000.

This was a huge accomplishment for a bunch of former slaves. Thankfully, God had blessed them that much.

When was the last time you considered how much God has blessed you and your household? Consider the blessings you received just over the last year. The Ten Days of Awe are a good time to be preparing for the offering you wish to bring to The Feast of Tabernacles.

FREE MEN DO NOT OPERATE WITH A SLAVE MENTALITY

God expects his people to give from their abundance with cheerful hearts. Not only did God release the Children of Israel from slavery, He also released them from a slave mentality. A slave is constantly worried about where his next provision will come from. This happens because slaves have no control over the days of their own lives.

These people of Israel were now free. It was time for their thinking to change. Also, God had blessed them tremendously. They had abundant material blessings. Therefore, God expected them to give from what he had so graciously provided. They no longer needed the mentality of a slave. Now they could operate out of the place of a free nation with abundance.

When they gave from a cheerful, free heart, God blessed them even more.

America is a free nation with an abundance of wealth. Will we take that into consideration as a nation who desires to honor God? Will we let go of a “slave mentality” and trust God for our continued provision and success as a free nation?

GOD SPOKE BLESSING THROUGH HIS PRIESTS

In the Book of Numbers, we can see how the priests were instructed to pass on God’s blessings by pronouncing the Aaronic blessing at the end of all of the dedication and consecration ceremonies.

THE NEED FOR FELLOWSHIP OFFERINGS

There was also another reason for having so many offerings.

The animal sacrifices became ample provisions for a feast day for the nation. If we look at these days from the perspective of the 2nd day of The 10 Days of Awe, The Feast of Trumpets has just passed, and The Feast of Tabernacles is coming. Also, there is The Day of Atonement, a fast day, which sticks right in the middle of the time frame for both of these festive feasts.   

The people would have a special meal before God (a feast) with the blowing of the shofar. We’ve done this at The Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah. Then, in the days between this feast and The Day of Atonement, the people would prepare, get ready and repent. They would consecrate their lives before God so that, hopefully, on The Day of Atonement God would show them divine mercy. They would receive forgiveness and be recorded in God’s Book of Life for yet another year.

A VERY OLD TRADITION

This particular offering had been happening between God and His people ever since the days of Adam and Eve and Cain and Able. The people had always brought the best of their firstfruits before God in the form of an offering. They were always hoping their efforts were acceptable before God. If God accepted the offerings, they were consumed by the fire from heaven. This same fire was the fire that lit the altar of God at the wilderness tabernacle.

During the times of the fall feasts and festivals or holy days, once this offering was accepted, God’s mercy was obtained for the coming year. There would be another great feast called Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles.) This feast was to thank God for His spiritual and physical blessings, both now and those to come in the future.

THE GOD OF ALL OUR DAYS

So, we can see that many of the meat offerings offered at the altar of the tabernacle were used by the priests of Israel as provision for the feast days of God. In these feasts, the priest and the people ate meals together. They enjoyed a festive time of worship with God as a nation.

When the scriptures talk of the offerings being offered for the dedication of the altar of the wilderness Tabernacle, there is a date that is not plain. The date is only implied. The cloud is said to have been resting over the congregation for a period of days. It is recorded that the people did not move until the cloud moved. This Cloud of The Presence did not move during all of this time. So, the people were still. They stayed camped in this same place where God had led them.

AN APPROPRIATE FIRST OFFERING OF MESSIANIC SIGNIFICANCE

The day of the first offering was a special holy feast day before God. It was similar to The Feast of Trumpets. This feast is known for being symbolic of the set-aside time for the coronation of a king. The tribe of Judah is the tribe from which the Messiah would eventually come to us. It was appropriate that this Prince of Judah made the first offering. He set the pattern for redemption to come for all of the rest of the nations of the world. Each year during The Feast of Trumpets it feels as if God’s people can hear the roar of The Lion of Judah.

THE DAYS OF AWE IN THE FORM OF AN OFFERING

During The Days of Awe, God’s present tribes come before Him with an offering too. It is much like the dedication of the wilderness Tabernacle. In the fall feast the goal is to have all tribes offerings arrive before God just before the end of Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement.)

This timing is VERY significant. Anything that arrives later than the appointed time does not receive atonement. The doors of heaven will be closed for another year.

DIVINE ATONEMENT FOR A HOLY NATION

All of these offerings were combined together for the use of the Tabernacle worship. Each combination symbolized divine atonement for the nation. If you look at what was there during all twelve days, this is plain to see. Five shekels of silver was the redemption price for the first-born. All of the first-born of Israel were redeemed from the offerings that were given for the Sanctuary.

All of the offerings symbolized Jesus as Messiah in some way.

We know silver is symbolic of redemption. Much silver was brought. It is clear that all of the offerings combined show the redemptive acts of Christ. They symbolize the divine forgiveness, mercy and love of God for His people. The fact that they all are offered until the end of The Day of Atonement underlines the divine mercy God brings to His people on this day.  

GOD DWELLS WITH THE ATONED OF MANKIND

At the end of the time of the offerings, when all had been given, we find Moses rejoicing in the Tabernacle. At this point he is participating in a two-way conversation with God. YHVH is speaking to him straight from the Mercy Seat of the Ark for the very first time in history. God is pleased with the offerings and sacrifices. The people are atoned. He speaks audibaly with Moses and Moses hears the voice of God in The Tabernacle.

Because of this dedication of the altar and the vast offerings, God came down onto the throne of the wilderness Tabernacle. He decided to take the place above the Mercy Seat which is on top of the Ark. The Tabernacle sits in the midst of the people. God sat enthroned on this earth during those days. He sat among mankind in a wilderness Tabernacle, between the two golden cherubim.

With an audible voice God spoke to Moses from the Holy of Holies. It was after the end of the very first Day of the oferings of the people when the Tabernacle was dedicated to God. Clearly, the nation had received God’s divine mercy.

At last!

A TIME OF JOY IS COMING

Now they could have conversations with the God who had come down to dwell among them in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Everything before had been only God giving one-way oracles and mandates. Now mankind could participate in the conversation.

What a time of joy and thanksgiving would follow from such a miracle as this!  Certainly it was a great moment in the history of mankind.

This was an amazing day. It was a time of complete awe and amazing glory.

All of this is crammed into that one little-bit-long chapter of The Book of Numbers.

Did you see it? Can you find the ways it resembles what we do during the Days of Awe?

The season of joy is next!  The Feast of Tabernacles always follows after The Day of Atonement.  When the days leading up to this feast are done correctly and humbly before God, they always result in tremendous joy for all nations who participate.