Would you join me once again
in the gospel according to numbers. The gospel according to numbers
and we're in chapter four. We're going to try to get through
most of this chapter today. It has a lot of similarities
in three different places that we want to look at and we'd like
to title it as it pleased him as it pleased him. The works
of the sons of Kohath, what they were responsible for in moving
the tabernacle, is listed in verses 4 through 15. The Book
of Numbers, chapter 4, verse 4, we have a list of the activities
and responsibilities of this single part of the Levites. In chapter 4 and verse 4, it
begins with these words, and it shall come shall be the service
of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation
about the most holy things. And then it talks about what
their responsibilities are in moving the tabernacle and also
setting it up. Then if you look at verses 21-28
of this chapter, we'll find that we have the Lord spake unto Moses
saying, take the sum of the sons of Gershon throughout the house
of their fathers by their families, and gives us what was the requirements
there, and their service shall be the coverings. Verse 25, they
shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle
of the congregation, his coverings. and the covering of badger skins
that are above it, and the hangings for the door, and the tabernacle
of the congregation, and so forth. It speaks about what their responsibilities
would be in this fourth chapter of the Book of Numbers. Then
if you look at verse 29 of this chapter, we find that the sons
of Merari, they had a responsibility given to them also. It tells
us there that those that were 30 years old up to 50, there
was a certain number that was to be given charge of this tabernacle
of the congregation, and it was their responsibility to take
care of, in verse 31, the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars
thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, the
pillars of the court roundabout, and their sockets, and their
pins, and their cords. with all their instruments and
with all their service, and by name you shall reckon the instruments
of the charge of their burden." These three groups of Levites,
given certain names as their fathers were given, have these
certain responsibilities imposed upon them, and we do not find
that God allowed them to take a vote on who is going to be
given the responsibility for doing this act or this act or
this act. We find in fact that the Lord
of heaven, the God of heaven imposed upon them. Now, how did
you get into one of these work details, for it was a work detail,
it was a servant detail that was given to them. Some of them
looked more difficult than others, some of them looked like they
had more responsibility than others, We found last week that
the Kohathites were to be warned about peeking into the tabernacle
or peeking in to where these various items that were in the
holy place and the holy of holies. Don't go looking in there unless
you see something that's uncovered and you die. You leave it until
the Levites, Aaron and his sons come back and say it's ready
for removal. It's ready to be removed. Put
it on your shoulders and take it. Up to that point, stay away.
There were certain responsibilities that were given to these. How
did you get into one of these work details? You must be born
into that detail. It was not something that you
chose. It was not something that you
voted on. It was that you were born into these work details. We brought a recent message on
the deacons are born and not made. Servants are born and not
made. You cannot make somebody faithful
by making them into an office, putting them into an office.
God makes people faithful. And they will be servants. And
if we call them deacons and deaconesses, we haven't heard anybody. We
find, in fact, those words are hidden in the Greek language.
And therefore, male and female, servants of the Most High God,
whether they be bond or free. male or female, Jew or Greek,
they're servants of the Most High God. The Lord gives the
needed ability to do the respective responsibilities of every one
of his children. You know, we're going to look
at a few examples in scripture that God gave the needed responsibility,
the needed, excuse me, the needed ability as he gave the responsibility
to them. Now, one of those is listed here
in the book of Numbers. A little later, it may be some
time before we get back to this place, but in the book of Numbers
chapter 27, we find that Moses is being informed that he is
going to pass away. He's not going to go into the
promised land. You know a lot of people say in commentaries
and so forth how sad that was. Well, for the church as a type
and a shadow and a picture, we find that that's comforting.
The law is not going to take us into heaven. The law has nothing
to do with our salvation. Now, he was a saint. He's called
by faith, Moses. Moses did a number of things
by faith. God gave him the faith to do those responsibilities. And yet here in the book of Numbers
chapter 27, we find that there was a time that Moses did something
that displeased God so much. He said, I'm not going to let
you go into the promised land. Well, as I said again, the church
says, thank you, Lord. And I'm sure Moses did too, because
he doesn't seem to be too upset about it. He's going to get to
look into the promised land. Here in the book of Numbers chapter
27 and verse 12, the scriptures share this. And the Lord spake
unto Moses, get thee up into this Mount Abram, and see the
land which I have given unto the children of Israel. And when
thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people,
as Aaron thy brother was gathered. So the Lord informed him, this
is where you're going to be when you die, and you're going to
die while you're there. And he says, for ye rebelled
against my commandment in the desert of Zion. The law never
can do anything but judge. The law never brought peace. The law never brought hope. The
law never brought anything that is constructive. It always condemned. The Lord Jesus Christ, he's the
one that gives us hope. He's the one that gives us peace.
There is no peace in trying to keep the law. There's only peace
in Christ Jesus. Well, at this time, we find here
in the book of Numbers chapter 27, that the successor for Moses
is going to be given. Now, we've already had a successor
for Aaron, his son Eleazar, and he has an important part to play
in this. It says in verse 15, and Moses
spake unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the
spirits of the flesh, set a man over the congregation. You know,
I have empathy with that very word that Moses did. It used
to really concern me, what's going to happen here when I'm
gone, because I'm going to die. What's going to happen? Well,
I found out it's not my worry, it's in the hands of the Lord.
That's what this is, what we're going to find out. Moses was
concerned, please have someone take over that is a man of God
and it says here in verse 17, which may go out before them
and which may go in before them and which may lead them out and
which may bring them in that the congregation of the Lord
be not as sheep which have no shepherd. The Lord said unto
Moses, take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the
spirit, and lay thy hand upon him, and set him before Eliezer
the priest, and before all the congregation, and give him charge
in their sight. So the Lord gave Joshua this
great commission to be the leader of Israel, to take the children
of Israel, across the Jordan River and into the promised land
that God had given them. Joshua, what a beautiful picture
of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, that takes all his church into
the promised land. It's not by law, it's by grace. It's not by command, but it is
by the gift of God. It is the love of God that constrains
us, and it is the riches of Christ that provide all of the necessary
things. Here we find this wonderful example
of Joshua, and then it tells us in here in verse 22 and 23
of that same chapter, Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and
he took Joshua and set him before Eliezer the priest and before
the congregation. It's interesting that there wasn't
a contest here, two or three people to be voted upon. There
was only one man. selected by God to be the leader
of the children of Israel. There's not a contest of who
is going to be the savior. There's only one, and that's
the Lord Jesus Christ. we have again in the book of
1st Corinthians Chapter 12. Keep your finger over here in
the Old Testament because we're going to come back. But look
over here in the book of 1st Corinthians Chapter 12, as we
find the writer of the 1st Corinthians and 2nd Corinthians, the Apostle
Paul, but he was just a secretary. He was only moved by the Holy
Spirit to write what he wrote. As we heard read there this morning
in the book of Galatians Chapter 1, when it pleased God to save
me." Then this man had a great confession in Christ Jesus. Well,
here in the book of First Corinthians Chapter 12, we have some instructions
made just as we find with relationship to those three groups of Levites
and their responsibilities that they were given to move the tabernacle
and to set it up again. Some had the responsibility of
all the holy things in the tabernacle. Some had the tabernacle itself,
and the boards of the tabernacle, and the boards outside, and all
of those things. Some had the responsibility of
the coverings, and all of those things. We're going to find that
there's about 8,000 people that were used to move the tabernacle
when it was moved and when it was set up. Of those groups,
in fact, there was 8,580. of these three groups that were
used to move that tabernacle. Everybody had a burden, but it
wasn't an overburden. And here in the book of 1 Corinthians
chapter 12, I would like to read verse beginning with verse four.
It says, now there are diversities of gifts, but I want us to emphasize
the last part of that verse, but the same spirit Now, the
one that led those three groups of Levites to do the work did
not lead them into confusion. They were marching in their proper
place. They had what God required of
them, and he imposed upon them this work, but he did not overburden
them. Here we find with regard to the
gifts that God gives the church, that there is one, what's it
say there? There is the same spirit. So
the spirit of God is involved in all of what we're going to
read here. Just as we find in all the scriptures, the spirit
of God does not lead one group in this direction and this group
in another direction. The truth is always the truth
and only the truth of the gospel will save God's people. It goes
on to verse five, there are differences of administrations but the same
Lord. There's not variations here.
We're not have different paths to go. You know, when those groups,
those three groups got ready to move, they had one thing in
mind, and that was to move until that cloud or that pillar of
fire stopped. And the next thing that they
were required to do is set it up. And the Holy Spirit led them
all in the same direction. And they set it up in an orderly
fashion. There was not competition. They
were working for the glory of God. Well, it tells us here in
the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 6, there are diversities
of operations, but the same God. God does not have different responsibilities
for different groups of people. He doesn't have different ways.
He's going to be the same sovereign God over all his people. Then
it says, but the manifestation of the spirit is given to every
man to profit with all. So what God does, he had this
group doing this ministry and this individual out of that group
doing this ministry because it pleased him to do it. He didn't
take a vote. How many want to carry a cloth?
How many of you want to cover up this holy... instrument. How many of you want to carry
a board? He imposed it upon him as it pleased him. Follow this
out now. Verse eight, for to one is given
the spirit by wisdom to the another the word of knowledge by the
same spirit. There will not be a contradiction
among those two. The same spirit gives it to him
to another faith by the same spirit So every one of these
8,500 people that were doing the service of moving that tabernacle
were moved by the Holy Spirit, moved by God to do what their
responsibility was, and God gave them the ability to do what he
called on them to do. Verse 10, to another the working
of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits,
to another diverse kinds of tongues, to another to the interpretation
of tongues, But all these worketh the one and selfsame spirit,
dividing to every man severally as he will." Who chose the Kohathites
to do their responsibility? God. Who chose the other two
to do their responsibility? God gave them that responsibility. He chose them for that business. Then it goes on to here, In verse
13, for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body. I
am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that every believer
in Christ Jesus is given the same perspective about Christ,
that he is their savior, and he is their only savior, and
they trust him alone. There is not variations on this.
the to whether he be jew or gentile verse 13 whether he be bond or
free and have been all made to drink of one spirit for the body
is not one member but many And then in verse 18 of that, but
now hath God set the members, every one of them. Now it's wonderful
when we compare those three groups of the Levites and the moving
of the tabernacle, that they were all appointed to do their
responsibility by Almighty God. And then we find out they had
to be born into that responsibility. They just didn't create an office
for themselves, and we find concerning the church in which some of those
folks were in, the Church of the Living God, it says, God
has set the members, every one of them in the body. It is God
that sets the members. What does that mean? It's God
that chooses them. It's God that imposes upon them,
to brings them to under the hearing of the gospel. It is God that
opens their ears to hear the gospel. It is God that put them
there, and then notice that last phrase in verse 18, as it hath
pleased him. Oh my goodness, everything that
happens is as it pleased him. He's the one that is pleased
when he acts. Did not, this greatest statement
here and we're going to find this a number of places in the
scriptures, it pleased him, it pleased him. when it pleased
him who call me by his grace, when it pleased him. Well, turn
with me back to the Old Testament again in the book of Exodus,
Exodus chapter 31. In Exodus chapter 31, God makes
a choice of somebody that has been given by God great ability
in casting gold and silver and bronze, Great ability in cutting
stones. Here he is, Exodus chapter 31,
verse one. As we think about those 8,500
plus individuals between this age group and this age group
that God called to do various jobs in moving the tabernacle
and setting it up again, notice back here when the tabernacle
was going to be built, and verse one of chapter 31, and the Lord
spake unto Moses saying, see, I have called by my name, Bezalel,
the son of Uriah, the son of Her, the tribe of Judah. I have
called by name, this one. And this guy's name means in
the shadow of God, I have called this one, and I have filled him
with the Spirit of God in wisdom and in understanding, in knowledge,
in all manner of workmanship. I have put that there. I gave
him wisdom. I gave him understanding, I gave
him knowledge in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning
works of work in gold and in silver and brass, in the cutting
of stones, to set them, in the carving of timber, to work in
all manner of workmanship. And behold, and I behold, I have
given him the son of Hishamash and the son of the tribe of Dan,
and in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I put wisdom
that they may make all that I have commanded thee." What a thought. Here God has commanded this to
be made, but he also goes over here and he commands these men
to be called out and given the wisdom on how to build it. He
has set all in the church as it pleased him. Now he's given
them various gifts, but as it is severally or sovereignly given
to each one. In the book of First Kings, First
Kings chapter seven, we're looking here at the building of the temple.
Many years later, in the book of First Kings chapter seven,
there's a need, God has imposed a need in building this glorious
Temple of Solomon. Again, every stone, and every
leaf of gold, and every piece of mahogany, and everything about
it redounded to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here in
the book of First Kings Chapter 7, there in verse 13 and 14,
the scriptures tell us this, and King Solomon sent Now notice
this word, and fetched. King Solomon, now we have that
word when David said, is there any of the household of Saul
that's left? And word got to him that there
was a grandson, Mephibosheth, and he's down in Lodibar. What
did David do? He sent and fetched him. King
Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. He was a widow's
son of the tribe of Naphtali. And his father was a man of Tyre,
a worker in brass. And he was filled with wisdom
and understanding and cunning to work and all in brass. And he came to King Solomon and
wrought all his work. God called him out of Tyre, brought
him to the presence where all this construction was going on.
And guess what? God gave him the understanding
and the ability and the knowledge of what was required. It is God. It pleased God to do this. It
pleased God to build a beautiful temple. It pleased God to have
a tabernacle built there in the wilderness. It pleased God. They
would have not have built that. Natural man would not have built
that. Natural man would not have built the temple. Natural man
would never turn to Christ, but it pleases God to save his people
from their sins. Now, over in the New Testament,
in Acts chapter 13, verses 1, 2, and 3, we have another instance
like this where God gets involved. Acts chapter 13, verses 1 through
3. We're introduced again to a man
by the name of Saul here. Acts chapter 13, verses 1 through
3. Now, he is a servant in a local
group, a local body of believers that believe the truth about
the gospel. He has been saved by the grace of God. He is going
to be used to write much of the New Testament about the grace
of God. And he is going to be used to
write a whole lot about those who do not believe the gospel
of the grace of God. And this is the problem. when
you don't have Christ and his salvation, and you don't have
the grace of God. He brings that out. Well, here
in the book of Acts chapter 13, he is in a church at Antioch,
and there are certain prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon,
that is called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manann, which
had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. Now there are a number of people
in there, and God is using them to preach the gospel there in
Antioch, certain prophets. Now notice here in verse two,
and as they ministered to the Lord, that's the ultimate goal
of every minister of the gospel, is to serve the Lord. And these
were doing that, and fasted. You know, we brought out when
we went over that over in the book of Nehemiah, or Ezra, excuse
me, that that word fasted often means keep your mouth shut. You
know what? They listened to God. And they
would only share what God had given to them. And today that's
very easy. This is all I have. This is all
any preacher needs right here. Just the Word of God. That's
what we have. He's made it so easy. We don't
have other books that we go to. We go to the Word of God. Just
as those three groups that were working there in the tabernacle,
they were given instructions from God as it pleased Him. this group worked there, this
group worked there, and this group worked there, and when
it was finished, everything was moved, and when they were finished,
everything was set up just exactly right, just like it was there. Is it over here? Well, notice
here, as they ministered, chapter 13 and verse 2, as they ministered
to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, now that's who gets
involved here, that's the one we want, the Holy Ghost. The
Holy Spirit, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit, co-eternal, co-everything, co-powerful, co-sovereign. He
spoke to them and said, separate me, Barnabas and Saul, for the
work we're into I have called them. And when they had fasted
and prayed and laid their hands upon you, you know what they
said there? God be with you as you travel. Wherever he leads
you, God be with you. Wherever you go, may God bless
you. Godspeed. They didn't have a
special ceremony. They just laid their hands on
him and sent them away. These that were sent away, Barnabas
and Saul, we find out as they traveled, they preached the gospel
every time they stopped. They preached the gospel here
and they preached the gospel there. Sometimes they were in
Athens, sometimes they were in Corinth, sometimes they were
in Colossae, sometimes they were in other places but they had
the same message for everybody and that is the grace of God
in Christ Jesus the Lord. These great examples are given
to us that we might know that God is in charge of his people
and he does it as it pleases him. He was pleased to send out
Barnabas and Saul. They didn't have to go to some
society. They didn't have to go to some
mission board. The Lord just called them and sent them out.
And they were used mightily of the Lord in the preaching of
the gospel. In the book of 1 Corinthians
1, would you notice there with me? 1 Corinthians 1. Why does God require? Why did
he require these certain activities of those three groups? Because
it pleased him. That's the only requirement.
It pleased him. Well, here in the book of First
Corinthians Chapter 1, we have this great commentary on the
preaching of the gospel. First Corinthians Chapter 1,
verse 21. It says, For after that, in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. Notice this. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. It pleased God by the
preaching of the gospel. by the preaching of Christ. No
other way but this way. There was only one way that God
expected and required that those 8,500 workers there did their
job. It was as it pleased him. He
asked him to tear it down at the appointed time. It's time
to move on. And he asked him to set it up
at the appointed time when he stopped. he asked him to do it
without complaint and we don't have any complaint about it.
Each one had their task and everyone did their part because it pleased
God. Now notice here in this passage
of scripture in first Corinthians chapter 1 verse 21, it pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe and
we know from comparing scripture to scripture where that belief
comes from. For the Jews require a sign,
and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified
unto the Jews a stumbling block, unto the Greeks foolishness,
but unto them which are called, unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God and the wisdom of God. when it pleased God. By the foolishness of preaching,
it pleased God. Now, would you join me in the
book of 1 Corinthians chapter 15? 1 Corinthians chapter 15. There's a lot of discussion in
here about the resurrection. There seemed to be a lot of confusion.
Guess what? There is today too. When it's
going to take place, how it's going to take place, it just
seems like that God doesn't have the power to to be able to take
one of his saints that got ate by a fish and put him back together.
That's not a problem with an almighty God. Well, here in the
book of First Corinthians, chapter 15, verse 35, it says, but some
men will say, how are the dead raised up? And with what body
do they come? Some men will ask that question.
Thou fool. That which thou sowest is not
quickened, except it die. And that which thou sowest, thou
sowest not that body that which shall be, but bare grain. It may chance of wheat or some
other grain, but God giveth it a body as it pleased him. to do every seed his own body."
Now, when we look over into the Old Testament, the book of Genesis
in the creation says, and every tree bore fruit after its kind. Well, he's sharing that principle
right here. He says, all flesh is not the same flesh, but there
is one kind of flesh of men, another kind of flesh of beasts,
another of fishes, and another of birds. Why? It pleased him. And there's celestial bodies,
and there are bodies terrestrial. But the glory of the celestial
and the one in the glory of the terrestrial is another. There
is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon. Why? It pleased
him. It pleased him to create a sun
that puts off the light, and it pleased him to put a moon
out that reflects the light. And another glory of the stars,
and one star different from another star in glory. Why? It pleased
him. So also is the resurrection of
the dead. It is sown in corruption. It
is raised in incorruption. Why? It pleased Him. It pleased
Him. But God giveth it a body as it
pleased Him. We heard this read earlier this
morning, but I want to read verse 15 of Galatians chapter 1. Galatians
chapter 1 and verse 15. As we look at this again, all
that took place in the moving of the tabernacle was done as
it pleased God. He chose the people to do it.
He put them in the age group that he wanted. He had this group
do this task as it pleased him. He had this group do this task
as it pleased him. And today in the church, Everyone
is in the church as it pleased him. He calls his people out
of any place and every place as it pleased him. He saves his
people according to his good pleasure. So here in the book
of Galatians chapter 1 and verse 15, we have these words. Paul
is writing to the churches of Galatia, and they have fallen
into a pit, many of them, over the gospel, which is not a gospel. And he says here, this, listen
to this. But when it pleased God, who
separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace. Now that's the answer to a lot
of the questions that those folks had. Have you ever had this? Have you ever pleased God this
way? When it pleased God to do this,
when it pleased Him Now everything God requires, He provides. Everything that God requires,
he provides. He provided the people. He provided
the task. He provided the responsibility. He placed them in each of those
tribes according to his good pleasure. He put the Kohathites
and the Gergesites and the Maronites in their proper place. And he
had them do exactly what he wanted them to do. And he says, now,
wherever it takes place, why? that Abel give the required sacrifice
because it pleased God. He revealed that unto him. It
pleased him to offer a more acceptable sacrifice. His creation was created as it
pleased him. Adam was created as it pleased
him. Abel offered the required sacrifice
because it pleased God. The flood came and Noah and his
family were delivered from it as it pleased God. The languages
were created at Babel as it pleased God. He's the one who came down
and separated the language. Abraham was called out of Ur
of the Chaldees as it pleased God. And all the experiences
of the children of Israel pleased God. And all the prophets spoke
of Christ as it pleased God. And God saved all His elect for
it pleased Him. Christ went to the cross for
it pleased God. He would be just and justifier
for it pleased Him. He accepts only the work of His
Son for He pleased Him. He will wait to wrap up this
great mess till it pleases him. Well, let's go one verse more. We've read this, but I want to
go back and reread it, and it's found in 1 Corinthians 12, and
with this we'll close. 1 Corinthians 12, and verse 18. As all of those people were assigned
a specific task to perform, the numbers were also assigned. The jobs were assigned, the place
to begin was assigned, the place to end was assigned, as it pleased
God. And here in 1 Corinthians chapter
12 and verse 18, we have these words, but now hath God set the
members, every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him. And the church can just say,
Amen. As it pleased Him. Until next
time, we're back in the book of Numbers. God bless you. May
you have a great week. May God's providence be courteous. Brother Nathan, if you'll come. I had a verse here I was going
to read. But our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever
He hath pleased. Psalm 115 verse 3.