Numbers chapter 9 describes obedience to God in a couple of very different situations. Most of us start feeling defiant just hearing the word obedience when it is applied to us! Submitting to God’s authority requires an acceptance that He is God and we are not. Once again, God looks at our attitude. The chapter begins with God commanding the nation of Israel to celebrate Passover at the appointed time (the 14th day of the first month). Remember, the Passover was a solemn reminder of God’s final plague in Egypt, in which the blood of the lamb was spread on the doorposts and lintels of the homes of the believers. The angel would only pass over those homes that had accepted God’s promise. God executed mercy and judgment simultaneously. His people were set free, and God commanded they celebrate the Passover annually in order to teach their children. We read, “But some of them could not celebrate the Passover on that day because they were ceremonially unclean“. They asked Moses, “Why should we be kept from presenting the Lord’s offering?” Moses does the wise thing, “Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you“. God provides a direct answer, “They are to celebrate on the 14th of the second month“. Then to emphasize the importance of Passover, God commands, “Any man… that fails to celebrate the Passover… must be cut off from the people… that man will bear the consequences of his sin“. Wow, Passover must be important! Every aspect of the Passover celebration was designed to prepare the nation for the Messiah. The blood of the lamb shed on the horizontal and vertical beams, the invitation to any that would accept God’s promise of mercy, even the date (Jesus Christ was crucified on the 14th day of the first month) were crucial to recognize the Messiah. 1 Corinthians 5:7 declares, “For Christ, our Passover lamb has also been sacrificed“.
The second half of the chapter describes how God directed the movement of the nation of Israel through the desert. “On the day… the Tent of Meeting was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening until morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire… Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; whenever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped“. The rest of the chapter details, that sometimes the cloud remained for a short time, other times it remained for a long time. “Day or night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out“. The chapter concludes, “At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command, they set out. They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with His command“.
Some of us now would profess that if we knew so clearly God’s direction in our lives we would follow Him too. God’s truth is given to you in His Word. How hard are you looking to find it? Romans 3:23 tells us because of the sin of Adam, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God“. Romans 5:8 explains, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us“. Romans 5:19 shows God’s plan for salvation was set from the beginning; “For as through one man’s disobedience (Adam) the many were made sinners, even through the One (Christ), the many will be made righteous“. Ephesians 2:9 instructs that we cannot earn our way to heaven, it is a free gift to anyone that has faith enough to accept it: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not a result of works that no one should boast“. Romans 10:13 declares, “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved“. And, Romans 10:17 assures us, “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ“. Are you looking for God’s direction in your life? Look in His Word!