This morning, we ask you to remember
those in prayer that are not with us this morning. We're thankful
for those who have joined us on the Zoom, and we look forward
to presenting this message or putting it on sermon audio soon.
The Book of Numbers, Chapter 1. The Book of Numbers, Chapter
1. I am reminded as we begin further
in this chapter that the whole creation of God is really for
the church. The great God is the great director. The world is the stage. The saints are the actors and
all the rest, everything else is just props God puts along
the way for the blessings to the church. In this chapter of
scripture, we're going to find more and more about that. as
we find not choose to keep all of him to himself. He came down
and visited with Moses. God did not choose to keep all
of his attributes to himself. He's going to demonstrate that
greatly here in the book of Numbers. He did not choose to keep all
his character to himself. He's going to demonstrate his
character and his attributes to Israel. He did not choose
to keep all his glory to himself. He is going to show his glory
here in the book of Numbers as all through the scriptures. He
did not choose to keep his person to himself. He did not choose
to keep his grace, his peace, and his mercy to himself. He
did not choose to keep all his joy to himself. He shares all
with his redeemed people. In eternity past when he was
alone, when God was alone, there was no creation. He was in all
of his character, attributes, glory. He had all his grace and
mercy. It's eternal. And yet he created
the heavens and the earth and put men and women on it. And
out of those he has chosen to save as many as he desired to
save. He called them to gather around
himself to be joint partakers with him of his joys, with his
son, inheritors with his son. Our God is not a lonely being.
He is a God of fellowship and he delights to have his people
sharing his joys and finding their delights in Christ. Our
delights are in Christ, and God the Father's delights are in
Christ, and the Holy Spirit's delights are in Christ. And so,
as we look into this glorious book of Numbers, the Gospel according
to Numbers, we're going to see these things played out upon
the stage of this world, and His people are the actors, and
everything else shall be props. There are going to be many props
among even Israel. They're just there because God
determined them to be there. But he's going to have his saints
among them, and all that he does from creation, all that took
place before creation, and all that's after creation is for
the glory of God and for the glory of his church. the rich
blessings that we have in him. We see these things demonstrated
in much of this book of Numbers. As we prepare to move forward
in this first chapter, we will see God's interest in his people
shared. God will demonstrate these high
qualities. Now, turn with me, if you would,
to the book of Numbers chapter 1, and I'd like to read verses
1 through 4. Now we're going to make comment
about some of the verses of 5 through 13, 14, and 15, them a little
bit more in depth. In Numbers chapter 1, we have
in verse 1, and the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness
of Sinai in the tabernacle of the congregation on the first
day of the second month in the second year after they were come
out of the land of Egypt, saying, take ye the sum of all the congregation
of the children of Israel. After their families, by the
house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every
male by their poles. From twenty years old and upward,
all that are able to go forth to war in Israel, thou and Aaron
shall number them by their armies. And with you there shall be a
man of every tribe, every one ahead of the house of his fathers.
And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you.
And then it goes on and names the tribes and the person that
will stand at the head of those tribes. One point I want to mention
here before we ever get into those names of those head of
those tribes is they were chosen of God to be the head of the
tribes. They were not looking for volunteers.
They were assigned to this task by the grace of God. Now when
we get into looking at these scriptures about God dealing
with Israel, And remember, it hasn't been but a year that they
saw Egypt destroyed. And they're out there at Mount
Sinai, and there is no enemy to bother them. God has taken
care of that. The only enemy they have is their
own desperately wicked heart. Those among them that had not
Christ and had not the gospel, their enemy was their own desperately
wicked heart. The rest of those folks who God
knew from before the foundation of the world and they knew him
in the new birth, they didn't have that problem. Now they were
obstinate and stubborn like we are, but God overruled all of
that. He overrules that in every one
of his children and he has promised to present them spotless before
his throne of grace, before that throne we heard of this morning.
that lesson. As the sheep are lined up on
the right-hand side, everything that they had ever committed
was hidden in the blood of Christ, put away, and he never saw any
of that in them. They were all, as we look at
some of the patriarchs in the Old Testament and those in the
New Testament, the wrongs they committed was all overlooked
under the blood of Christ. And we stand in that same congregation
of believers, having all our sins overlooked by the blood
of Christ, covered by the blood of Christ, not to be brought
up ever again. But those on the left-hand side,
even those here in Israel that were not of Israel, they will
stand before Him and in judgment. Now, there are a few verses I'd
like to look at before this verse. One of them is found over in
the book of Isaiah chapter 14. Would you turn with me to the
book of Isaiah chapter 14, and there in verse 24. We read this
verse of scripture in our Bible study on Wednesday night, but
it's been such a blessing, I just wanted to bring it up again here.
As we look at God, this God that was dealing with Israel, this
God that was dealing with these people, this God that is going
to make an assignment, he's going to make a declaration, he's going
to make a commandment about what must be done here. In the book
of Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 24, this is said about this God. And this is the one that brought
up to Moses and spoke to him, you are going to do this. You're
going to set aside a group of people there in the wilderness.
You're going to have an assigned leader over all of them. And
I'm doing this because I am God, and I am visiting my people,
and I am demonstrating my visit with them, identifying, in picture
at least, the church. Isaiah 14, verse 24, the scriptures
share this. The Lord of hosts has sworn,
saying, surely, as I have thought. We cannot begin with the beginning
of God's thoughts. But we do know this about God's
thoughts. They're all eternal thoughts.
He doesn't come up with afterthoughts. He doesn't come up with time.
He had all thoughts thought out before the foundation of the
world. But it says here, the Lord of hosts have sworn, saying,
surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass. So we
have this assembly of Israel at Mount Sinai in the book of
Numbers. And this is according to God's eternal purpose that
would take place there. And he is going to demonstrate
why he created the heavens and the earth. and why he is going
to have his people there identified, because everybody else will be
props. They will be the support staff.
I don't know how many times I've traveled, and when I leave the
place, people always say, well, travel safely. You know what
I've got to say about that now? You pray for the pilot. He's
a hewer of wood and a drawer of water. He's on an assigned
task to carry Someone who knows the grace of God back to his
home and if God does not take care of that part Then it doesn't
matter how safe I am on that plane or how many masks I wear
or all the other stuff We'll never get home. So he has the
business of taking care of that We have hewers of wood and drawers
of water the support staff for the Church of the Living God
today Just like we do here in the book of Numbers. They are
support staff and that's it They're there for one purpose, and that
is to take care, gather their manna for them. All right. Notice here, finishing that verse
in verse 24 of Isaiah 14, it says there, so shall it come
to pass as I have purposed it, so shall it stand. So this is
the God that is dealing with Israel there at Mount Sinai. This is the God that appointed
Moses to be the leader. He chose him and came to him
out there in the backside of the desert. He sent his brother
to him to help him, and now we find them in this role assigned
by God and not by themselves. Neither Aaron nor Moses sought
this position, but they were given it by the Lord. Turn with
me just a little further in the book of Isaiah to chapter 40,
if you would. Isaiah chapter 40. Now, if we
were living among this host that is gathered at Mount Sinai, just
like today, here we are alive and we're moving day by day towards
the end of our story, our life story, whatever it is, however
it plays out. We don't know the end. Now, we may have some ideas about
the beginning, but we don't know the end. We prepare, we think,
we plan, but we do not know the end. But it's a wonderful thing
to find out in Isaiah chapter six and verse declaring the end
from the beginning. When God in his eternal purpose
before the world began, he had it all played out exactly as
it was going to happen. He is the great director. He
has everything under control. He is never caught off guard. He is never caught in a bind. He never has anyone absent that
he intended to be in the role. He has everything carried out
just perfectly. He doesn't have any of the props
break before they get to be used. Our daughter Rachel one time
was on a competition here in the state of Oregon and they
won first place. And the next step was to go in
competition to Washington, D.C. When they got there, all their
props were lost in transit. So they did their best to create
new props. I'm thankful that God's not on
that standard. He's not dependent upon some
shipping concern to get all of his props in the right place.
Here it tells us in Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 10, declaring the
end from the beginning and from ancient times, the things that
are not yet done. Where will I be when I leave
this earth? I've told a lot of people they're
going to put me in a Zaret 2450 West 8th Street. This is my home. But we don't know. But God knows.
He's declared the end from the beginning. from ancient times,
the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand
and I will do all my pleasure. So when he asked for an enumeration
of a group of people out of Israel, here in the book of Numbers chapter
one, he has planned on this from eternity. And those who are there
have been born for that day. There is not anyone that's gonna
be there by mistake. They are there at an appointed
time. Turn with me again, if you would,
back to the book of the Psalms. Psalm 33. Psalm 33. In Psalm 33 and verse 10. You know, from human standpoint,
when Abel was killed, I think Cain probably said, well, it's
over now. That's it. But there was someone else that
knew the gospel and preached it And there was another son
born that knew something about Christ. And that brought it down
to today. The gospel has always been preached
somewhere in this world. Every generation, every century,
every day of somewhere, the gospel has been preached. Here in the
book of the Psalms, Psalm 33 and verse 10, it says, the Lord
bringeth the counsel of the heathen to not. We heard that mentioned
there in the reading in the book of Acts chapter 4 this morning,
that they thought and planned that this would be the end of
it. In fact, after healing a man, there in the book of Acts, they're
in trouble for doing that very thing, and they're brought before
the council. And yet, their council was brought to naught, to nothing,
because what He maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
All these things are thrown up. Now we're going to see that happen
in the book of Numbers. We're going to have people raise
up against the people of God, raise up against Moses, raise
up against the authority of God, and yet he will bring it to nothing. He will open up this earth and
swallow some of those guys whole. It's beyond imagination, but
that's what God does. And then in the book of Proverbs,
two verses in the book of Proverbs, Proverbs 19. Would you turn with
me to the book of Proverbs chapter 19? And this is the God that
we see calling out his people there in Numbers chapter one
and verse two. He sends out the message to call
out a people for himself. In Proverbs chapter 19 and verse
21, Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 21, we have the Lord speaking
through The psalm of Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 21 says,
there are many devices in a man's heart. Nevertheless, the counsel
of the Lord, that shall stand. You know, I take great hope because
it tells us naturally our heart is deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked. And yet we find here in the book
of the Proverbs there in verse 21 says, all the devices of a
man's heart, nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, it shall
stand. It's not going to overrule us
and ruin us for eternity. God is going to do something,
a work of grace. He will overrule all of that,
and he's going to do that in the book of Numbers. He's done
it in Genesis. He's done it in Exodus. He's
done it in Leviticus. He'll do it in Numbers. He'll
do it in Deuteronomy, and he'll do it through the rest of the
Bible. People may bring up a challenge, but even that challenge has been
purposed in God's purpose before the foundation of the world.
He'll bring it up for this very same purpose. He told That Pharaoh,
for this purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my
power in you. So that's what he does. He's
going to raise these things up, that I might show my power in
you. As we look at this wonderful passage of scripture here in
the book of Numbers, notice with me there in Numbers chapter 1
and verse 2. Numbers chapter 1 and verse 2. Numbers verse 2, notice these
words to Moses. Take the sum, take the sum of
all the congregation, Numbers chapter 1 verse 2. Take ye the
sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after
their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number
of their names, every male by their poles. Now, please never
consider that God didn't know how many there was in that host.
He didn't come down and ask Adam or Arthel because he didn't know.
And he didn't come down and say, Moses, you take account of all
these people in this certain age group of this family. You take a poll of them because
he didn't know. He knew exactly how many people
were in that host. He knows how each of them fit
in every category. He knows every family and everyone
that would fit in every category and we're going to find out that
there was a specific number in every family and in every category
and God knew exactly how many was there and he was going to
know the sum when it was all said and done. He was going to
know the final number. Now I doubt if Moses knew it
before then and I doubt if Aaron knew it before then And I doubt
if the leaders of every tribe then and done, everyone knew
the number of every one of those tribes. Here is the number of
the folks that meet this criteria in these verses of scripture.
He makes his command so all who read this would know all that
are in Israel and also all that would fit into these qualifications. God has known the number of his
folks from before the foundation of the world. He had a book and
I don't believe it's a literal book. It's in his mind, but there
was only room for a certain number because he purposed that book
would be just that long. He didn't have to add numbers
and he didn't take out pages. That book, as it's symbolic about
his great work of grace, had exactly the right number of pages
and room for everyone who has written down in the Lamb's Book
of Life from the foundation of the world. We put on the bulletin
this morning, don't glory in that you have power over the
spirits, but glory in that your names are written down in the
Lamb's book of life. And his names there are permanent
and they're put there on purpose. God also knows at any given moment
all that fit into the exact criteria of his children. He knows every
day how many there are that are in this world that belong to
him. Those who passed in a moment,
he knows that they are in his present instantly. He knows the
number exactly. How do we know this? Because
he knows the number of the hair of our head. That's how intimate
he is with his people. So as a day goes by and one passes
off into glory that was written in the Lamb's Book of Life, he
knows the number that are left. And he knows the number out there
that are going to be identified as the preaching of the gospel
comes will be identified as his sheep. And he knows the number
of those that have only assented to some facts and are going under
the banner as his children. He knows all, he knows his sheep,
he knows his goats, and he knows the number of them at any given
moment throughout the day, the month, the year, he knows at
any time. We know that God has put in his
word that not all Israel is of Israel. Here we have a host of
people gathered together, some 600,000 that are going to meet
the single criteria over the age of 20, males that are able
to go to war. And there's going to be an exact
number as we get to that point. But he also knows all did not
fit that criteria. And so as we read in the book
of Romans, turn over there to the book of Romans, if you would,
we find the exact number. God knows that number, but he
tells us in Romans chapter nine and there in verse six, these
important words, chapter nine and verse six, the word of God
will take care of all the arguments of man. They're just answers
for all the arguments and the created doctrines that come out
that people have. The word of God takes care of
all of that. Here in the book of Romans chapter
9 and verse 6, Paul as a secretary of the most high God, just as
Moses was, in Romans chapter 9 and verse 6, He says, not as
the word of God hath taken none effect, for they are not all
Israel, which are of Israel. Don't miss this fact, folks.
The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, and he said,
unless you believed in vain, not all Israel is of Israel. Now, it's not our business to
be about trying to identify them, but there are certain things
that we can take and look at We hear all the time, those who
love the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and desire to gather together
with his folks, at least they have the symbol. Well, not all
Israel, Romans chapter 9 and verse 6, not all Israel is of
Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they
all children. But in Isaac shall thy seed be
called. The criteria is going to be exact
by God to Moses about who's going to be in this group of people
that are going to be called out. These folks meet this standard
and I have established the standard and I will put the leaders over
them. We find not all Israel is of
Israel and neither, and it goes on in verse eight, that is, they
which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children
of God, but the children of the promise are counted for seed.
As we get into the book of Hebrews, when we look at the book of Numbers,
we'll find out that God identified many there in that very host
that were gathered at Mount Sinai, that they all died in unbelief. They did not know the God of
heaven, even though he was there in a form before them, as a cloud
and as a fire. Goes on to tell us there in the
book of Romans chapter 9, for this is the word, verse 9, that
at this time shall I come and Sarah shall have a son. And not
only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by
our father Isaac, for the children that born neither have any good
or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might
stand not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto
her, the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Now verse 14, God gives, the
Holy Spirit gives to Paul in the writing of this letter, a
question or a comment or an accusation that's going to be instantly
brought up and that is, What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness
with God? God forbid. There is no unrighteousness
with God. God is God and he does according
to his eternal purpose. If you be Christ, then you are
Abraham's seed and heirs according to promise. That is the true
Israel and it's going to be identified in the book of Numbers chapter
one. There's going to be a group taken out of the hole that are
going to be identified just as God identifies those out of all
the world, out of Jews and Gentiles that belong to him. Now go back
with me there to the book of Numbers chapter one and it tells
us here In this verse too, there are several words in this verse.
If I just had skimmed over them and not looked them up, I wouldn't
have got some of the character about this. But God is sharing
with us his great doctrine of election by two or three words
in this single verse of scripture. The first week, lift up or lift
up, having the mean of selecting out of. You're going to take
some out of, a whole. It's not indiscriminate. I have
the assigned way of identifying. And it goes on to tell us in
that verse of scripture, it says, take the sum. That word sum is
indicative of the entire or complete amount of something to take to
lift up the total number of people. You take out the identified ones,
and there will be a whole number when it's done. I will have all
my people in this one group. I am assigning to you the criteria
to identify the number, and you will take them out of the hole,
and when it's done, there will be a whole number, and God is
going to share that number, and it's the exact number that we
find in scripture. This is to take the sum. to select out of the total number
of all the congregation of Israel, and then after their families,
by the house of their fathers, with the number of the names,
every male by their poles." They're going to be 20 years and old.
Verse 3 shares with that. In verse 2 there, it's that word
poles. Now, it's not a mistake that
this word is used here, just like any word is used in the
scriptures. What do we mean when we say take a poll? It is sad to say that polls run
so much. What do you think about this?
The most that think about it are the ones that are going to
be favored. It doesn't matter what they think about it. They
are just going to be favored. That is not the meaning of this word.
This word is transliterated into the New Testament in three places.
I want you to go with me there. One is found in Matthew, one
is found in Mark, and one is found in John. This word that
is used as pole is transliterated. It wasn't translated. It does
go ahead and say that it means something. So turn with me to
the book of Matthew chapter 27. In Matthew chapter 27, we find
this exact word. It's in the Greek here. But if
you look this up, you'll find out taken from the Hebrew word
found in Numbers chapter 1 and verse 2 as translated poles. In the book of Matthew chapter
27 and verse 33, it has to do with the crucifixion of the Lord
Jesus Christ. It identifies the place where
Jesus Christ was crucified. In Matthew chapter 27 and verse
33, it says, and when they were come to the place called Golgotha,
that is to say a place of a skull. Now the word over there for poles
has been transliterated into the Greek here and the word is
Golgotha over Hebrew translation of it and it meant poles. We
have, and it's found in Mark chapter 15 and John chapter 19,
the same Hebrew word transliterated into English. So it's no mistake
that this word has been translated this way. It's no mistake that
the word Golgotha was used in its original language and then
brought into the New Testament because this is identifying the
very death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the behalf
of his very own people. There's only one group that was
truly beneficiaries of what took place at Golgotha, and that is
the church. The rest were just props. They're just props of what's
going on at Golgotha. They went to the place of the
name Golgotha, which is translated the skull, Over here in the book
of Numbers, this is where it is poles which means head, the
number, the head of them. So here it says, take the sum
of all the congregation of the children of Israel after their
families by the house of their fathers with the number of their
names, every male by their poles, by their Golgotha. He's identifying
a group of people that are going to be beneficiaries, The work
at Golgotha. These people are identified out
of that. The poles, the Golgotha, a skull
by enumeration of persons. It's
talking about the head. What does Golgotha tell us? A place where the Savior ransomed
his sheep. Golgotha. We have a ransom paid
by a ransomer at this place called a skull. And you know, everybody
that Jesus Christ died for on the cross, he identified by their
very own person, by their skull. He knew their identity. You know,
several years ago, there was a washout on my Little Bighorn River and there
was a skull found that was one of the soldiers and they took
that skull and they turned it over to one of these people that
can because of the facial features put clay on it and they found
an exact match from a picture of one of the soldiers that they
found and said this is the skull of private blah blah blah If
that lady do that, it's been in dirt for 150 years. God can truly identify his people
by their very own being. He knows them intimately and
personally, and he knows them so closely that on the cross,
he took all of all their sins upon himself and bore that in
himself on the cross. Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of Ephesians chapter one. Ephesians chapter one, as
he asked for their Golgotha, their very head, as he is the head of the church,
as he was crucified at Golgotha, which is, by interpretation,
the place of the skull. In the book of Ephesians, we've
read this many times, others have read this many times, but
it's just worthy of reading one more time. As we look at Ephesians
1, verse 3, it says, Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places. according as He hath chosen us
in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according
to His good pleasure and will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved."
Over there, these people are chosen out to be soldiers. And
in the covenant of grace, He has chosen out of people to be
with Him in and for eternity. to have conversation with the
Most High God. He demonstrates that in type
when he came down there to Mount Sinai and visited with Moses
and gave instructions about choosing out an army, a certain amount
of people that meet this criteria and are in this category, and
I have them picked out by their very own head. I know them all
and here's the captains over them, I know them, I've chosen
them out. He has a picture and a type and a shadow there of
the church of the living God that he has chosen out of all
this world to himself and for his glory but he has purposed
them to be at his feet and to worship him and to converse with
God. God could have been left in eternity
alone. That was his purpose. He could
have done that. But he chose to have a family, adopted ones,
born ones, found ones, lost sheep found, born ones into his family. He chose to do that so that he
would share all his glory in his son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and we could enjoy that converse with God. Him in the Lord is
all the Godhead dwelling bodily. And the names of all those who
would be at the head of every tribe is identified. One last
time to the book of Numbers before we close. Numbers chapter one
and there in verse five. These are the names of all the
men that shall stand with you. of the tribe of Reuben, Eliezer,
the son of Shadrur. And I won't go on anymore right
now, but notice out of every tribe, he identifies these. And every time I find them, they're
related to someone back. It just takes us right back to
Adam. They're all children of Adam, but in grace, they're all
children of me. So as we look at this, as we
look at this chapter one unfold before us and see the glory,
He repeats himself for every tribe. It's just a sign and a
symbol to us that God loves his church, and he doesn't mind repeating
himself. Out of this tribe, he's every
kindred, tribe, people, and nation. He's chosen this many, and he
doesn't mind repeating himself to everybody that he calls out
of darkness to his marvelous light. It's the same word. He
doesn't mind repeating it. soon.