Chapter 9

Chapter 9 breaks neatly into two segments, and both of these are worth spending a little time over.

Verses 1 – 14 are about the celebration of the Passover feast. Verses 15 – 23 are about the pillar of Cloud that appears over the Tabernacle. We’ll deal with them in order.

Passover

Passover is still celebrated by modern Jews (they call it “Pesach”), so you can see that they learned well the importance of this festival.

This passage doesn’t really go into the question of why the Passover celebration was important; for that you’ll need to look elsewhere. But just in case you don’t know the full story, here’s a potted version:

The Israelites escaped from Egypt when God sent the plague on the Firstborn. On that night, the firstborn of all Egypt suddenly died, except where a sacrifice had been made and the blood of the sacrifice painted onto the doorposts and lintel of the home[1]. The wording is that the Angel of Death would see the blood and “Pass over” the home. Needless to say, this was one of the defining moments of the Israelite people, and it has therefore become their main holiday – imagine it as having the importance to the Jewish people of Christmas to us. It is an elabourate ceremony involving lots of ritual and symbolism, and I’d encourage you to take part in one if you ever get the chance (Jews for Jesus organize one every year that Christians can go to).

Numbers assumes that you understand why it’s important. Quite apart from the events that God is wanting his people to remember (once again, reminding them of the theme of redemption!), it’s also important as a way of binding this disparate community together.

In fact, so important is Passover that not only are the Jews commanded to observe it, foreigners are to be invited to participate also (provided they do so properly). So Passover was a time that was important to all people among the assembly.

In fact it’s so important that we face the problem – people became ritually unclean if they had to deal with a corpse, and therefore a person who suffered a bereavement just before Passover had problems. Not just because of the horror of a time of celebration turning into a time of mourning (and everyone can understand that!); also the fact that a person in this situation cannot connect with the rest of society.

This is important, and Moses can see that. God can see that too. Because people are important to God, a provision is made.

It might be a long bow to draw here, but I think it’s possible to demonstrate from this passage (as well as many others) that to God, PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT THAN RITUAL. One of the errors that God’s people (Israelites, Jews and Christians) have made time and time again is to give customs first place and people second place.

I can think of a lot of examples of this. For example, how many times have you and I missed a significant moment in a non-believing friend’s life because “there’s a church event on”? This is one area in which I’m a terrible offender. Customs and rituals certainly have their place (and here I point out that if you’re committed to do something and there are people depending on you, that’s another important thing, so don’t look to me for support in you welshing out of things!!!), but if God wants you to minister to someone who needs you at church time, it is at least POSSIBLE that the place you should be is there. Tell your church friends, maybe. Get them to pray for you! Sometimes the best way you can grow God’s kingdom is to be somewhere else at church time.

(Boy, I’m going to kick a few ants’ nests with that one. However . . . )_

The Pillar of Cloud/Fire

We read here how God’s presence appeared above the Tabernacle in a visible form. In the daytime that form was a pillar of cloud; in the night time it was a pillar of flame. And the cloud/fire would move whenever the people were to move, and they got used to preparing to head off every time the cloud or fire lifted, regardless of what time of day or night that would have been.

I get mixed emotions when I consider this. On the one hand, I can’t help feeling a little jealous that God appeared in such a visible form for His people. I almost wish He’d do the same for us today. If God was so visible, it’d be tough for the atheists and agnostics we face every day. They say “What God? Show Him to me!” and we’d just point at the pillar of fire. The only logical response would be “Oh, right . . that God.” To paraphrase Terry Pratchett, “It’s tough being an atheist in a world where the gods tend to go around breaking the windows of unbelievers.”

On the other hand, though, I feel a little sorry for the Israelites. True, God didn’t do this because it was fun; He had a plan, and working within the “normal” world wasn’t going to accomplish what He needed to do. But I can’t help feeling for people whose every day was completely controlled by God.

In this, we can see partly why God is often so hidden within our world – freedom is a precious gift that He has given us, and if He is controlling us in such an undeniable way, notional freedom doesn’t count for very much.

Yeah, I’d like to be able to walk by sight. But God has told me that I have to walk by faith instead. And at the end of the day, it’s a better way to live.

[1] It has been pointed out that this creates a crude cross, just in case you’re looking for even more foreshadowing. . . .