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Post by Josh on May 13, 2007 8:28:51 GMT -8
Post your comments/ questions regarding NUMBERS 16 and 17(HOMEWORK FOR MAY 27TH) as replies here. Feel free and comment on chapters 18 and 19 as well, though we won't be covering that in the teaching)
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Post by Josh on May 21, 2007 19:56:22 GMT -8
Here's what jumps out to me from Numbers 16 and 17 (I'll deal with Numbers 20 later below):
These passages are meant as a defense of priestly authority and the dangers of rebellion against that authority. Earlier we saw a defense of the 'charismatic, prophetic' type of leadership of Moses. Now the challenge is really aimed at Aaron's preistly authority.
If Moses was God's voice to the people, then Aaron was the one who was there to ensure that they approached a holy God safely. Moses is a dynamic, emotional, charismatic, spirit-lead leader, whereas Aaron was called to a very legalistic, meticulously precise office that was equally important... and apparently equally chaffing to some of the more independently-minded Israelites.
I can only imagine that after being sentenced to "wilderness wandering", the people are only all the more prone to complaint and a desire to overthrow the older leadership.
This is a fierce passage, in that serious judgment falls on the conspirators... and their families. This won't be the last passage where children suffer for the sins of their parents, but more on that theme later when we get to Joshua.
I find it interesting that the rebels argue to Moses and Aaron that "the whole community is holy", basically, "you're no better than the rest of us!" (wow, that's a modern and very American theme). They view Moses and Aaron as "holier than thous", though we are told of the humility of Moses.
The rebels are basically arguing that "we're all priests so why should we listen to you!?" That's interesting because God had promised to make all of Israel into just that: a kingdom of priests. So, why were the rebels judged for wanting what God has said would happen?
Well, I think this is another case of the Israelites wanting to accomplish God's purpose through their own selfish methods. Just like how they tried to 'obey God' by attacking the Canaanites (Numbers 14) after they had already been told they would have to wander in the desert for 40 years, here they want to short-circuit God's long-term plan to get them to the place where they would all truly be priests by simply claiming that right without earning it.
The fact is that it would take more than 1,000 years for God's plan to create a kingdom of priests to come to fuller fruition. And still, even though that is what the Church is called to be, each of us as Christians goes through a process where we must learn what that means before really walking in authentic priesthood.
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Post by Josh on May 21, 2007 20:18:54 GMT -8
The sky is falling.... ur, I mean, the earth is swallowing!!!!
Run away, run away.
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