Daily Scripture Reading Numbers 7:4-35

Elias lived as if nothing in the world was set apart. Sacredness meant nothing to him. Holy was just a word old people used to control others.

He had grown up in the shadow of his grandfather’s old stone chapel on the edge of the hills. The building had been dedicated generations ago to serve as consecrated ground where weddings, baptisms, and quiet prayers took place. When his grandfather died, Elias inherited it along with a small plot of land. Within a month he had the stained-glass windows removed and sold, the pews chopped into firewood, and the altar turned into a workbench in his garage. He used the chapel itself as a storage shed for his tools and old engine parts. When neighbors asked why, he shrugged. “It’s just a building. God doesn’t live in walls.”

There was a small grove behind the old chapel where ancient oaks stood. Locals had long considered it a quiet, almost sacred place. Some said it was where the first settlers had prayed. Elias cut down three of the oldest trees to expand his driveway. When someone mentioned the old stories, he rolled his eyes and said, “Trees are just wood.”

Some streams of Christianity put little or no emphasis on sacred spaces or sacred objects. However, dedicating spaces and objects as holy was very common in Old Testament times. The morning after Jacob had his dream in which he saw Yahweh at the top of a ladder, he dedicated the stone he had used as a pillow as God’s house (see Genesis 28:22). At Mount Sinai, Yahweh gave Moses a recipe for incense which was only to be used in the tabernacle service. It was forbidden to use that incense for anything else (see Exodus 30:22-33). The 40th chapter of Exodus describes the anointing of the tabernacle as a holy space to serve Yahweh. The seventh chapter of Numbers talks specifically about dedicating the altar to a specific purpose.

The opening verses of Numbers 7 tell us that after Moses set up the tabernacle, the leaders of the Israelites brought an offering to Yahweh consisting of six covered carts and twelve oxen.

Num. 7:4 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Num. 7:5 “Accept these things from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting, and you shall give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.”

Num. 7:6 So Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites.

Num. 7:7 Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service,

The Gershonites were responsible for moving the items that formed the courtyard around the tent of meeting. They had many poles and large curtains to transport. Instead of carrying the large items by hand, they were given carts and oxen to bear the load.

Num. 7:8 and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

The sons of Merari were responsible for moving the boards, bases, and curtains that formed the tent of meeting. Again, they had large, heavy items to transport, and the carts and oxen bore the brunt of the load.

Num. 7:9 But he did not give any to the sons of Kohath because theirs was the service of the holy objects, which they carried on the shoulder.

The sons of Kohath moved the furniture that was housed in the tabernacle, items such as the lamp stand, incense altar, laver, and table of showbread. Since those items were holy, they had to be carried by hand. The Kohathites were not allowed to move them on carts.

Num. 7:10 ¶ And the leaders brought near the dedication offering for the altar when it was anointed, so the leaders brought their offering near before the altar.

Notice the word “dedication”. The meaning of this word is similar to the concept of consecration. The altar was anointed to serve as the place where the sacrifices were offered up to Yahweh. The leaders of Israel brought offerings to dedicate the altar to serve its purpose. This meant the altar could not be used for anything else. It could not be used to burn trash or unwanted refuse. The only acceptable use of this altar was burning sacrifices to Yahweh.

The New Testament does not tell us to set aside sacred places in which to hold our church services. Nor does it specify sacred furniture that we should use in our gatherings. Instead, the New Testament emphasizes that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit; thus, we should not desecrate our bodies (see 1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Furthermore, Paul told us to present our bodies as living sacrifices. Included in that passage is a clear call to be different from the world (see Romans 12:1-2). Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 that we should flee sexual immorality because that would be a sin against our bodies, which are temples of the Holy Spirit.

Num. 7:11 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Let them bring their offering near, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.”

Num. 7:12 ¶ Now the one who brought his offering near on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah;

Num. 7:13 and his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

Num. 7:14 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Num. 7:15 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

Num. 7:16 one male goat for a sin offering;

Num. 7:17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

Num. 7:18 ¶ On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, brought an offering near;

Num. 7:19 he brought near as his offering one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

Num. 7:20 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Num. 7:21 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

Num. 7:22 one male goat for a sin offering;

Num. 7:23 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.

Num. 7:24 ¶ On the third day it was Eliab the son of Helon, leader of the sons of Zebulun;

Num. 7:25 his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

Num. 7:26 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Num. 7:27 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

Num. 7:28 one male goat for a sin offering;

Num. 7:29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.

Num. 7:30 ¶ On the fourth day it was Elizur the son of Shedeur, leader of the sons of Reuben;

Num. 7:31 his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

Num. 7:32 one gold pan of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Num. 7:33 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

Num. 7:34 one male goat for a sin offering;

Num. 7:35 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.

Just as the altar was dedicated to serve a specific, holy purpose, and using the altar for anything else would have desecrated it, so too, our bodies as Christians are temples of the Holy Spirit. Thus, we should not desecrate our bodies.

We need to present our bodies as living sacrifices. We need to avoid conforming to the world. We need to flee sexual immorality.

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”