Read Numbers 17:1-18:32 at Bible Gateway.
The Teaching Tools of Scripture
Genesis 1:1-2:3, The Teaching Tools of Scripture, part one and part two
Genesis 6, And the Strong Themes Teaching Tool
Genesis 1:1-6:8, Finding the Topic Themes of Scripture
HEBREW PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS
17:1-9 {p} Aaron’s rod that budded
17:10-11 {p} Aaron’s rod kept as a memorial
17:12-13 {s} Whoever comes near the tabernacle perishes
18:1-7 {p} Aaron and sons to attend to their priesthood
18:8-20 {s} Priests’ portions
18:21-24 {p} Levites’ portion: the tithe
18:25-32 {p} Levites to give a tithe of the tithe to Aaron and sons
STRONG THEMES
17:1-11 {p+p} Aaron’s rod budded and kept as a memorial
17:12-18:7 {s+p} Aaron to attend to his priesthood that no more wrath come on Israel
18:8-32 {s+p+p} Aaron and Levites have no inheritance, so YHVH provides portions
NUMBERS 17:1-18:32 CHIASTIC STRUCTURE
Download the fully expanded Numbers 17:1-18:32 Triennial V’qach meitam chiasm pdf (Coming …).
THEME OF THE PARASHAH
Aaron’s authority a gift from YHVH, that no more wrath come upon the children of Israel; therefore his due a gift from the children of Israel
FINDING MESSIAH IN TRIENNIAL V’QACH MEITAM
Aaron as high priest is a foreshadow of Messiah from Torah. Just as Korah’s rebellion rejected Aaron from being high priest, the leaders and chief priests of Israel also rejected Yeshua as Messiah. But just as the dead stick of Aaron’s rod was placed in a box, and found to have new life when it was opened, bringing forth both flowers and ripe almonds, so the dead body of Messiah was placed in the tomb, and when it was opened, He was not there, but was found to have been raised with new life.
And YHVH said unto Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a sign against the rebels; and you shall surely put away their murmurings from Me, that they die not.” Num 17:10
By the sign of resurrection life, a sign of Messiah, YHVH will put away the complaints of the children of Israel.
As well, the Chiastic structure of V’qach meitam reveals that God commanded Aaron to attend to his priesthood, so that no more wrath will be on the children of Israel. In chapter 16, wrath had just been poured out on the children of Israel. Korah and his followers were swallowed alive by the earth, and 250 leaders were consumed by fire from YHVH. Fourteen thousand had died of a plague.
These are hard chapters. The first generation is not going to inherit the promise, and those who went to war were defeated. The man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath was stoned. That was not Israel’s idea or Moses’ idea, that was done at the direction of YHVH.
These events helped inspire Korah’s rebellion. The leaders thought Moses had missed God, because the judgments of wandering in the wilderness for forty years, and the death of the man who broke the Sabbath, were hard. Then the death of the leaders inspired the rebellion of the whole congregation. The people thought Moses had missed God, because the judgments of the earth swallowing Korah and the burning of the 250 leaders were hard.
But the structure highlights that God does not want wrath to come upon the children of Israel. He doesn’t delight in plague or death or destruction.
“Cast away from you all your transgressions, by which you have transgressed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,” says the Lord YHVH. “Therefore turn and live!” Eze 18:31-32
Yeshua is the High Priest of our confession, who took the wrath of God for sin upon Himself, that no more wrath may come upon mankind.
ADDITIONAL READINGS
Eze 44 | Psa 108 | Heb 5:1-6:3
STUDIES IN TRIENNIAL V’QACH MEITAM
Numbers 17, Bible for Beginners
Numbers 18, Bible for Beginners
Numbers 17 and 18, Korah’s rebellion in context
Numbers 16:1-18:32, Messianic significance of Korach
OFF-SITE STUDIES
Coming …
SCRIPTURE REVEALED SERIES by CHRISTINE MILLER:
THE LAW of LOVE | FINDING MESSIAH in TORAH | NUMBERS in CHIASTIC STRUCTURE
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