In this conversation, Pastors Erik, Cody, and Gavin discuss the Old Testament book of Numbers. Read chapters 1-9 (they are a tough and slow go – but stick with it), listen to the audio of the conversation, and chip in on the comments section below with your own thoughts on the Scripture and to these three questions:
- What word, phrase, or theme most resonated with you personally as you read this section of Scripture?
- What does this portion of Scripture invite us to as a community of disciples?
- If you’re sitting down with these chapters, what drink or snack would pair best with the reading?
Next week we will explore Numbers chapter 10-14! Read it!
Winnipeg Covenant 
Well, now all I can think about is sea cows.
While you were down that rabbit trail, I was stuck on 3:41-53. “As the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, you shall take five shekels per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs), and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.
If we take this with chapter 8: 17 where it explains that “all of the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that i struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel.”
A couple of thoughts:
1. I don’t know what 5 Shekels translates to in modern dollars, but it feels like a good exchange for death
2. Those who didn’t get a Levite definitely seemed like they got the short end of the straw.
3. An idea for increasing tithing? Oh wait, I think the Church tried that, lol. It didn’t go well.
4. It feels like there is a long rabbit trail here to figure out all this ancient language of the firstborn. It makes me grateful for my middle child status.
5. In terms of this all this judgment and mercy in these first 9 chapters, this seems to be the most extreme example of that- the killing of all the the firstborn in Egypt being the measure of mercy offered to the Israelites for a sum of 5 Shekels. This is a hard one to understand.
In terms of food, flatbread would definitely cater to the spiritual symbolism. And our modern day version is kind of delicious.
Said as I down my fifth cup of the true bitter water to get through these 9 chapters… coffee!!!!
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