Keeping the festival and walking in the Spirit

Text Numbers 9 Time 13/05/12 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We are looking at the Book of Numbers and we come this week to Chapter 9. You will see from the headings there in the NIV that this chapter contains two main things.

First, in verses 1-14, something about the Passover, and then, in verses 15-21, something about the cloud above the tabernacle.

• 1-14 In verses 1-14 we are told how God spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai in the first month of the second year after they came out of Egypt and told him to Have the Israelites celebrate the Passover at the appointed time. As in the previous year when it was celebrated the first time, it was to be celebrated at twilight on the fourteenth day of that first month, in accordance with all its rules and regulations. We read in verse 5 that The Israelites did everything just as the LORD commanded Moses. This was the first festival following the erection of the tabernacle. There was a problem though. Some were unable to celebrate on the day as they were ceremonially unclean on account of a dead body. These people came to Moses and Aaron to ask what to do. They felt they shouldn't be kept from presenting the LORD's offering with the other Israelites at the appointed time just because they happened to be unclean that day. The answer given was that in such a situation or, if unable to keep the festival because away on a journey, for example, they are still to celebrate the LORD's Passover. In such case they are to do it on the fourteenth day of the next month in the normal way. This was not to be turned into an excuse for keeping Passover when one fancied. If you didn't keep the festival at the right time without good reason then you must be cut off from your people for not presenting the LORD's offering at the appointed time. They will bear the consequences of their sin. Verse 14 adds that A foreigner residing among you is also to celebrate the LORD's Passover in accordance with its rules and regulations. You must have the same regulations for both the foreigner and the native-born.

• 15-21 In verses 15-21 Exodus 40:34-38 is more or less repeated and we are told how On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. The cloud it seems was not just over the tabernacle but over the Holiest place in the tabernacle. At night the cloud looked like fire and during the day like a cloud. Verses 17 and 18 say that Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. Sometimes the cloud remained in one place a long time and at others only a few days or even only from evening till morning. Long or short the Israelites always stuck with it. 21b-23 Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. 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 through Moses.

So these are the two things here. It is quite interesting I suppose but what has it got to do with us today? Are we supposed to keep the Passover still? Should we expect to see a pillar of cloud over our meetings? Surely not. So what is there to learn? There are at least two things.

1. Remember to keep the festival with the bread of sincerity and truth

There is an interesting New Testament reference to the Passover in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8. There Paul says Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new batch without yeast - as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the bread of sincerity and truth.

Passover is very much connected with the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Paul says their boasting is like yeast the yeast of malice and wickedness. Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed so fulfilling what the Passover pointed too. The right response for his people is now to turn from boasting, malice and all other wickedness.

Here the Israelites are reminded of how certain things may prevent them from celebrating Passover. They are to be determined still to celebrate it, however. Nothing is to be allowed to get in the way. They are also reminded that it is not just for Israelites either. Any foreigners with them are to celebrate it too.

That raises some questions for us then. Christ our Passover Lamb has already been slain, are you determined to keep the Festival by living lives of sincerity and truth? We must not let anything stop us doing that. We must also encourage such sincerity and truth in others who live with us or who we come into contact with in other ways. We must point them to Jesus Christ the Lamb of God in whatever way we can. Remember how John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and he said Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! We also must seek to draw attention to him and let nothing else get in the way. Remember to keep the festival

2. Remember to walk in the Spirit and keep in step with him wherever he leads

Then what about this phenomenon that the Israelites were led through the desert by God's presence manifest in this pillar of cloud and fire? May be you find such a thought very attractive. “I wish we had a pillar of cloud and fire guiding us every step of the way through the desert of this life” you say.

But before we are too quick to envy them let's take note of what Paul says again in 1 Corinthians, this time in Chapter 10. The chapter begins

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.

And so Paul takes opportunity to warn against idolatry, sexual immorality, putting Christ to the test and grumbling. So, he concludes (12) if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

So we are unwise to envy the Israelites the cloud and their other blessings!

When it comes to the matter of how we should live then, when we come to the New Testament there are also again some very interesting verses, this time in Galatians 5:16-26, where Paul talks about walking by the Spirit, being led by the Spirit and keeping in step with the Spirit.

So I say, live (lit walk) by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Now the connection is not immediately apparent but I think that it can be established that Paul has at the back of his mind the exodus from slavery in Egypt. In 4:8 he says Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. His point is (4:3) that It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Having left Egypt, they are now free to walk in step with the Spirit.

This view would seem to be confirmed by verses like these

Isaiah 63:11-14 Then his people recalled the days of old, the days of Moses and his people - where is he who brought them through the sea, with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them, who sent his glorious arm of power to be at Moses’ right hand, who divided the waters before them, to gain for himself everlasting renown, who led them through the depths? Like a horse in open country, they did not stumble; like cattle that go down to the plain, they were given rest by the Spirit of the Lord. This is how you guided your people to make for yourself a glorious name.

Nehemiah 9:19, 20 Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them.

Perhaps you noticed in the hymn we sang

Come, Holy Spirit, fire by night,

pillar of cloud by day

lead for I dare not take a step

unless you show the way.

 

So here is a second point. Having said that we must keep the festival with the bread of sincerity and truth, we can also say that we must be determined to walk in the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit and to keep in step with him. The Israelites would not so much as move if they were not led to it by the pillar of cloud and fire. We need that same sort of commitment too today to the leading of the Spirit. We are not talking here about knowing what to do in the sense of guidance as we usually think of it but of the matter of obedience. To keep instep with the Spirit is to obey him, to do what pleases him, unwilling to grieve him or quench his work in our lives. We are going through a desert and we do not know the way as we have never passed it before. We need the Spirit of God to lead us. We must look to him. We do not have visible signs like those Israel had but we know we have the Holy Spirit within and he gives us every encouragement to obey the Word of God of which he is the author in every way. We should increasingly be seeking to do that. The key to that is knowing God's Word and putting it into practice.