God Says To Us, ‘I Am The Lord Your God.’ We Say To Him, , ‘Yes, Lord, You Are Our God.’ (Numbers 8-10)

Numbers 8:1-26

The Levites were ‘set apart’ for God (14). They were ‘a gift to Aaron... to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting...’(19). We are to work together as a team. ‘Yield yourselves to God...’(Romans 6:13): Help each other to be better servants of Christ. The ‘lampstand’(1-4): ‘Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’(Psalm 119:105). Without Christ, the living Word, we remain in darkness. With Him we ‘walk in the light’, in the joy of His salvation (John 8:12; 1 John 1:7). ‘Service for the people of Israel’(19): As servants of Christ - He ‘came not to be served but to serve’(Mark 10:45) - , we are to serve others for ‘Jesus’ sake’(2 Corinthians 4:5). To those whom we serve, we say, ‘We are your servants but you are not our lords’. Jesus is Lord: It is ‘as the Lord commands’(22).

Numbers 9:1-23

God’s people were ‘in the wilderness’(1) - No longer in the land of bondage, not yet in the land of promise. This is our situation - We look back to what the Lord has done for us, we look forward to what the Lord will yet do for us. The Passover directs our attention to the death of Christ, ‘our Passover Lamb’(4; 1 Corinthians 5:7). The Cloud directs us to the return of Christ - ‘He is coming with the clouds’(Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:30). God’s people are guided by the ‘cloud’ and ‘fire’(15): Not one without the other, but both together. We need both grace and faith: Not grace without faith, not faith without grace. God is ‘able to keep us from falling’(Jude 24) - This is grace. We are to keep ourselves in the love of God (Jude 21) - This is faith. ‘Kept by the power of God through faith’(1 Peter 1:5).

Numbers 10:1-36

God’s Word - ‘the testimony’(11) - reveals God’s purpose (29) and provides God’s guidance (33). The ‘cloud’ is like the presence of God’s Spirit hovering over us. Great things are about to happen. The Spirit of God is moving over the face of the people of God gathered for worship (11; Genesis 1:2). Through the Word, the Spirit draws our attention to the Lord who has promised good to us (29). Instructed by the Word and strengthened by the Spirit, we ‘journey’ with God (33). We are moving on with God, looking forward to the fulfilment of His good purpose. We have heard the trumpet sound, calling us to worship the Lord, to be His soldiers and servants (1-10). We hear the divine declaration, ‘I am the Lord your God’(10), and we say, ‘Yes, Lord, You are our God’(Psalm 63:1; John 20:28).