So They Started Out For the First Time According to the Command of the LORD By the Hand of Moses: Numbers 10:11-36

Numbers 10:11-36: "11 Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. 12 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. 13 So they started out for the first time according to the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 14 The standard of the camp of the children of Judah set out first according to their armies; over their army was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 15 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon. 17 Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set out, carrying the tabernacle. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their armies; over their army was Elizur the son of Shedeur. 19 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 21 Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. (The tabernacle would be prepared for their arrival.) 22 And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set out according to their armies; over their army was Elishama the son of Ammihud. 23 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni. 25 Then the standard of the camp of the children of Dan (the rear guard of all the camps) set out according to their armies; over their army was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran. 27 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. 28 Thus was the order of march of the children of Israel, according to their armies, when they began their journey. 29 Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, 'We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said, "I will give it to you." Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.' 30 And he said to him, 'I will not go, but I will depart to my own land and to my relatives.' 31 So Moses said, 'Please do not leave, inasmuch as you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes. 32 And it shall be, if you go with us--indeed it shall be--that whatever good the LORD will do to us, the same we will do to you.' 33 So they departed from the mountain of the LORD on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them for the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the LORD was above them by day when they went out from the camp. 35 So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: 'Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.' 36 And when it rested, he said: 'Return, O LORD, to the many thousands of Israel.'"

In today's reading from the Old Testament we see the order and structure with which the Lord has arranged the marching of the tribes of Israel. Notice the time that they have sojourned in the wilderness so far, after leaving Egypt. A year, two months, and twenty days have passed since they left Egypt. It has taken them this long to make all the preparations necessary that our Lord God wanted accomplished in order for Him to be their God, and lead them into the promised land of Canaan. This lectionary doesn't go into all minutia of the Law, and all the details that were required by our Lord God in the building and preparation of the Tabernacle, and other holy things. But from the time line we can see that it took some time for these things to be ordered and completed. And now that all those preparations have been completed, the Israelites begin their march toward Canaan.

We are told that the Israelites left the Wilderness of Sinai and went to the Wilderness of Paran. This is just a summary of the entire journey, for we learn in a later chapter that they stopped at one other place along the way, i.e., Hazeroth. But the entire journey is summed up by Moses, because the Wilderness of Paran is where the twelve spies were sent out into the land of Canaan. So that where they made preparations, and the land where they were told that they would spend the remainder of forty years wandering in the wilderness because of their unbelief are mentioned by Moses.

Another interesting thing about this pericope is the order of the march of the Israelites. The sons of Judah, being the rightful heir, lead the procession. Being flanked by Zebulun and Issachar's children on the left and the right. Then the Gershonites and Merarites of the tribe of the Levites, charged with the task of carrying the Tabernacle of Meeting. These would go before the Israelites to find a suitable place to camp, and would be able to set up the Tabernacle of Meeting, before the Holy Things arrived.

Next came the tribe of Reuben, flanked by Gad and Simeon. Following them, would come the Kohathites of the tribe of Levi, who had been charged with the task of carrying the Holy Things, the instruments for use in the Tabernacle of Meeting. When they arrived at the camp, the Gershonites and Merarities having already set up the Tabernacle, the Kohathites could place these sacred items directly into the Tent of Meeting.

The next group was the tribe of Ephraim, flanked by Manasseh and Benjamin. All these were the sons born to Rachel. Ephraim and Manasseh being sons of Joseph. Finally, in the rear, was Dan, flanked by Asher and Naphtali. The tribe of Dan was in charge of keeping the entire host of Israel together. That is, so that none got left behind.

Therefore, twelve tribes marched in four groups of three, with the Levites, carrying the Tabernacle of Meeting, and the Sacred Things for the Tabernacle between Judah and Reuben, respectively.

In front of them all, was the Ark of the Covenant. And above the Ark was the pillar of cloud that first led them out of Egypt. When the Israelites had left Egypt, they were led by a pillar of cloud by day and by a pillar of fire at night. These pillars were the embodiment of our Lord God, now, He would lead them by the carrying of His throne, the Ark of the Covenant. And the pillar of cloud, being above the Ark, would lead and direct the Ark-bearers where to go. He would go before them, and find them a suitable place to rest and camp. Therefore, our Lord God leads His people, just as He leads us today by His holy Word and Sacraments, showing us the way of salvation, and giving us a place of rest and comfort from the wilderness of the sin-parched life.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

You Shall Be a Special Treasure to Me Above All People: Exodus 19:1-25

Exodus 19:1-25: "1 In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain. 3 And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, 'Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.' 7 So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. 8 Then all the people answered together and said, 'All that the LORD has spoken we will do.' So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD. 9 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.' So Moses told the words of the people to the LORD. 10 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. 11 And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, "Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live." When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.' 14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said to the people, 'Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.' 16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. 19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. 20 Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish. 22 Also let the priests who come near the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them.' 23 But Moses said to the LORD, 'The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, "Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it."' 24 Then the LORD said to him, 'Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them.' 25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them."

Our Lord God prepares to meet His people. This preparation is necessary because of the uncleanness and sinfulness of the Israelites, and on account of the holiness and righteousness of our Lord God. For that which is unclean, cannot come in contact with that which is clean. Therefore the Israelites must prepare to meet the Lord. This is done through washing. They must wash their bodies, wash their clothes, and they must not have sexual intercourse for the three days prior to the meeting with God. In addition to this, they must set boundaries around the mountain so that no one would on purpose, or accidently, touch the mountain, and be killed.

This is in a sense a baptismal rite for the Israelites, for they are washing themselves. That is, of course, what Holy Baptism is, a washing of regeneration, and a renewal of the Holy Ghost. We'll see this over and over again throughout the Book of Moses, commonly called Exodus, where the people are being cleansed in some way. Even when they are being cleansed by blood.

The most significant thing to observe from this pericope, however, is the barrier that is set up between the Israelites and the Lord God. This is the barrier that exists between God and man since the fall of Adam into sin. This barrier, prevents that which is holy from coming in contact with that which is unholy. That is, we cannot approach God, who is holy, on account of our sin, which makes us unholy. The other aspect of this, is the context of this pericope, for this reading comes directly before the receiving of the Ten Commandments by Moses. Therefore, we see that even though the Law has not been officially given, we can still see that the penalty for disobedience to God still exists.

This Law will serve to create an even deeper rift between God and man. Not because the fault lies within the Law, but because the fault lies within man who constantly breaks that Law. This brings up another point, for the Law of God was only officially given to the people of Israel. Therefore, according to reason, it would only apply to them, right? It does not. This Law given to the people of Israel, applies to all mankind, therefore, no one is excused from it. There may be those who ignore it, or think it doesn't apply to them, or even those who try to change the tenets of the Law, saying that somethings are not a transgression against the Law. But the Law still applies to them too. And the breaking of the Law, and its penalty, eternal death, still applies to them as well.

Therefore, the command has been put out by our Lord God in this pericope, that no one should approach or touch the mountain, or they will die. We are not told if any one tried, and one would think that we would be as an eternal example of our Lord's righteousness, but this rule was a test to the people of Israel to see if they would obey the command.

Unfortunately, we know the history of the Israelites, for even though they have consecrated themselves to the Lord, and washed themselves in order to appear in God's presence clean, they would break His commandments before they were even given, by worshipping a golden calf, which was made by the chief priest, Aaron.

Through the Law, there would be no salvation for the Israelites, nor is there salvation through the keeping of the Law for us. Therefore, from before the foundation of the world, the Lord planned our salvation, knowing full well, that Adam would sin, that the Israelites would turn their back on Him time and again, and knowing that even us today, would sin greatly and much, breaking His commandments often. His plan was to send to Earth in our flesh, His One and Only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. He would fulfill the Law perfectly, and He would satisfy the penalty of breaking the commandments of God for us by suffering and dying on the cross of Calvary. Having done so, He consecrates and purifies all those who believe, by washing us with Holy Baptism, wherein we are crucified with Him, so that just as He rose from the dead, we too, may forever live free from sin, and in holiness before Him. And because of this we are a special treasure to the Lord, above all people.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas