GraceLife Thoughts – Train to Reign (Part 28)

Grace Thoughts

GraceLife Thoughts – Train to Reign (Part 28)

Leviticus is one of the more difficult Books of the Pentateuch for many people because of all the ‘legal’ language in it. However, there are some important lessons for anyone who wants to ‘train to reign’ with God.

Training in Leviticus

Many people, Christians and non-Christians, have told me that Leviticus is the hardest Book in the Bible for them to understand, with the Book of Numbers being #2 on that list. Leviticus is an important part of the Pentateuch for several reasons – one being that it is a primary ‘training manual’ for Israel. Christians and non-Christians can also learn much from it as well.

When God first spoke with Moses from the burning bush, He said that Moses would lead the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt into a ‘good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites’ (Exodus 3:8). What we read in Leviticus concerns how God ‘trained’ His people to ‘subdue’ and ‘reign’ in those enemy territories.

We see God giving the ‘Laws and Commandments’ for Israel in Exodus. The Book of Exodus ends with the Israelite artisans finishing the work of building the ‘tabernacle of the tent of meeting,’ along with all its furnishings, and the ‘garments of ministry’ that Aaron and his sons would wear in their positions as ‘priests.’ (Exodus 39 & 40)

Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. Exodus 40:34-38

Imagine seeing the sight of the Tabernacle every morning when you walk outside your tent. God told Moses how to arrange the twelve tribes of Israel so that the Tabernacle was the center of their lives. That’s a good training lesson for all of us – God’s ‘presence’ should always be at the center of a believer’s life.

What we see in Leviticus is God explaining to Moses (who would then tell the people of Israel) how each ‘offering’ was to be made to Him. That included the following offerings (explained in the first seven chapters) –

Burnt Offering
Grain Offering
Peace Offering
Sin Offering
Trespass Offering
Restitution Offerings

Chapters eight – ten deal with the ‘priestly’ ministry. Chapter 11 deals with foods that are permitted and forbidden – also known as ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ foods. That was important for the Israelites because they would be going into nations where the people had many health issues that came from bad nutrition. What God trained Israel to do with foods (including methods of preparation and cooking) would help keep them healthy as they entered into the land of the Canaanites and other ‘ites.’

It’s interesting to see how ‘modern science’ has confirmed the wisdom of ‘clean and unclean’ foods found in Leviticus, along with details of preparing and cooking foods and the importance of cleaning utensils used in that process.

Leviticus also has many chapters dedicated to various illnesses and ‘uncleanness’ that would help the Israelites remain healthy as they entered areas filled with people who had those illnesses and were physically ‘unclean.’ Again, ‘modern science’ has confirmed much of what we find in Leviticus.

Training in Numbers

The Book of Numbers (also part of the Pentateuch) is also important as a ‘training’ manual to ‘reign’ with God on earth. It begins with God speaking with Moses about taking a ‘census of all the congregation of the children of Israel.’ This took place on the first day of the second month, in the second year after God led Israel out of Egypt. You might remember from a past study that we learned from the census that the tribe of Judah had the largest population of all the tribes. The tribe of Manasseh had the smallest population of all the tribes with men of the age to ‘go to war’ –

Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above—all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies. Numbers 1:2-3

God used the terms ‘congregation, children, families, and armies’ when referring to Israel. The census was ab out the names of every male from the age of twenty years old and above – ‘all who are able to go to war in Israel.’ This wording should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind about what God planned for Israel to do when they entered in the ‘promised land.’ They would go to ‘war’ with the nations that inhabited the areas that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).

Numbers reminds me in some ways of a ‘military manual.’ Each tribe had a ‘standard’ (דֶּגֶל – degel, banner) beside the tribal ’emblem’ ( אוֹת – oth, sign). The tribes (armies) would set up camp surrounding the ‘tabernacle.’ Each tribe had a specific area they would ‘encamp’ every time they moved to a new location –

And the tabernacle of meeting shall move out with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps; as they camp, so they shall move out, everyone in his place, by their standards. Numbers 2:17

The movements were very much in a ‘military’ system –

Thus the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; so they camped by their standards and so they broke camp, each one by his family, according to their fathers’ houses. Numbers 2:34

Numbers also includes a census of all the ‘Levites’ from a month old and above. They numbered twenty-two thousand’ (Numbers 3:39). Moses and Aaron were Levites. Aaron and his sons served as ‘priests’ in Israel. The job of the Levites in the ‘military’ movement was to oversee the ‘tabernacle of the Testimony.’ That included overseeing all of its furnishings, taking down the tabernacle, carrying the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and setting it up again when God stopped for the Israelites to make camp.

The movements of all the tribes were orderly and done with military precision. The tribes of Israel were God’s ‘armies’ on earth. He was training them to reign with Him.

One of the ways Israel trained was through the use of ‘silver trumpets’ –

When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies. Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God. Numbers 10:9-10

Trumpets have been used for thousands of years in military actions. Each sound of the trumpet communicated a different aspect of battle, call to quarters, etc. I and thousands of other military trainees learned the importance of responding correctly and promptly to various trumpet calls. The sound of a trumpet carries a long distance, which made it so useful with a large army – whether in camp or on the battlefield.

Much of the ‘basic training’ was completed by the ‘twentieth day of the second month, in the second year,’ so the cloud was ‘taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony’ (Numbers 10:11). God was on the move with His ‘armies’ behind Him –

And the children of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys; then the cloud settled down in the Wilderness of Paran. So they started out for the first time according to the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses. Numbers 10:12-13

Free eBooks

You can download the first 13 chapters of this series here.

You can download chapters 14 – 24 of this series here.

Next Time

After spending about a year training in the wilderness, the ‘armies’ of Israel are on the move. However, things didn’t go as Moses had hoped. Israel made several ‘fatal’ errors. More training would be necessary. We’ll learn more about this in the next part of our series – Train to Reign.

12 Tribes of IsraelBible StudyChildren of IsraelChristianityJesus ChristLaw of MosesMosesPentateuch Unknown's avatar

Published by gracelifethoughts

Founder & Director of GraceLife Ministries View all posts by gracelifethoughts

Spirituality Magazine

GraceLife Thoughts – Train to Reign (Part 28)