One of the toughest and most rewarding sermons in Numbers came in chapters 7:1–9:14 (“He will bring us into this land”: Which Calls For Continual Celebration!)

Except for familiarity with the concept of tithing, most people know little else of an OT perspective on giving. Preaching through Numbers is a great way to inform your congregation.

Plan on taking huge chunks of material. My breakdown was:

1. We bring our gifts and offerings (vv. 7:1-88)
2. We bring our best, separated selves (vv. 8:5-26)
3. And we celebrate our redemption (vv. 9:1-14)

You’ll give your folks an opportunity to worship God by participating in worship just like Israel did when the tabernacle was dedicated/consecrated.

In the first section what stands out is that all tribes participated and tons of stuff was sacrificed. I strongly suggest resisting any urge to cover the details of what was given and how much. The sermon can easily bog down here due to so much information.

The second section focuses on God’s people being clean enough to worship God. This is shown through the Lord’s instruction about the Levites. They had to be clean in order to do their job well. None of the sacrifices would mean anything without ceremonial cleanliness at this level. Atonement has to be made for them in order for ministry to occur.

The final section of the sermon sets all this celebration in the context of Passover and the Lord’s redemption of His people from Egypt. So important is this celebration that the death penalty was incurred by anyone who was clean and in town, but not present for the celebration.

Finally, anyone wanting to interpret Numbers for the Church through the lens of Christ-crucified will find ample opportunity through the Passover Lamb connection. You might also choose to highlight Christ through John’s language (“tabernacled among us” in John 1:14). We worship God by faith in the One God sent to save us. We gladly give because of what God has graciously given to us. We give as an act of worship just like they did.

And just like back then, God continues to receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as His people follow the patterns set in Numbers 7-9.

Randal