Numbers 1-10 articulates YHWH’s construct of the Camp of Israel according to the three-tiered pattern He gave Moses on the Eden mountain. In the first four chapters, Moses took a census of Israel’s tribes and arranged them under their fathers, situating them in four cardinal directions. He set the priests and Levites (as a substitute for Israel’s firstborns) to duty around the centrally placed Tabernacle. After YHWH assigned the three sons of Levi to do the work of service and work of bearing burdens in the Tabernacle of meeting, He commanded a census of all Levites who were thirty years old to fifty years old, numbered by the hand of Moses, each according to his service and his task. Chapters 5-6 present five of YHWH’s utterances to Moses on maintaining the holiness of the camp He dwelt in. In Chapter 7, the scene regresses to Tabernacle construction on the first day of Abib, followed by the twelve tribes’ offerings, one per day for twelve days. Then, YHWH spoke to Moses three commands in Chapters 8-9, one to each of the three holiness tiers, regarding positioning the menorah lights to shine forward on the twelve showbreads in the sanctuary, the cleansing and dedication of the Levites, and making sure all Israelite households kept the Passover (sign of YHWH’s purchase of Israel). The rest of Chapters 9 and 10 pertain to YHWH leading Israel’s militia by cloud on the sojourn to the Land, each tribe moving in order according to their standards at the command of the silver trumpets. As Israel leaves the Wilderness of Sinai, there is a mention of Moses’ father-in-law, Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, just as there was mention of him in Exodus 18 as Israel entered the Wilderness of Sinai. YHWH ordered and readied Israel to march to the Promised Land following the Shekinah above the Ark. Moses recited a psalm whenever the Ark set out and when it rested. All that YHWH had commanded to Moses Israel had done. This blog focuses on YHWH’s four commands given to Israel on sustaining a holy camp in Chapters 5-6, followed by one directive to Aaron to bless Israel with YHWH’s Name, as they pertain to Sukkot.

YHWH’s five utterances in Numbers 5-6 form the purity framework He gave the hosts of Israel to maintain the camp’s holy state. The first four verses list three conditions Israel was to put outside the camp: every leper, everyone with a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a dead body. If YHWH dwells in Israel’s midst, all contact with people or things touched with death’s defilement must be removed to outside the camp. The camp must maintain holiness because YHWH walked among His people to protect and deliver them from their enemies.

Forming the core of holy life, the next three edicts YHWH gave to Israel deal with relationships. When anyone commits any sin that Adam committed in unfaithfulness against YHWH, that person must confess it, cast it out (unlike Adam), and make restitution to the wronged/offended/injured party by adding a fifth (20%) to the full value. The offender must also bring an atonement ram to the priest to make an atonement for him. Even if the wronged person died, the restitution must go to that person’s nearest relative, and if there is none, then it belonged to the priest. These actions restored Israel’s society to the unity of holiness.

Of the three purity laws central to Israel’s existence, the decisive middle law concerned a strayed wife (5:11-31). If a jealous husband suspected his wife’s infidelity, he brought her to the priest to stand before YHWH with a barley flour reminder offering. To determine the woman’s faithfulness or lack thereof, the priest loosened her hair, and while holding the clay jar with its bitter water, she took an oath and drank holy water mixed with Tabernacle dirt and the washed-off curse writing. The entire ordeal focused on the woman confirming an oath before YHWH with a reminder offering in her hands (drawing attention to the guilt of an impure heart). To determine the truth, she and YHWH met together. If she was innocent of her husband’s jealousy, she bore children, and if not, by YHWH’s hand, she abrogated her role in covenant multiplication and bore the shame of childlessness. Holiness in marriage was foundational to Israelite life within the camp, as were physical purity and upright relationships with fellow Israelites. Israel’s first generation bore no fruit but died in the wilderness, and the second generation failed through the enticement of Moab’s women. By Ezekiel and Hosea’s time, Jerusalem (as was Samaria) proved to be the unfaithful wife of YHWH through her alliances with Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon and was outside the Holy Land.

The Law of the Nazirite vow was the third purity law YHWH gave to the Camp of Israel. If a man or woman wanted to dedicate themselves to drawing near YHWH, they vowed to separate themselves in three ways: abstain from wine and vinegar (fermenting drink) or anything derived from the grapevine, refrain from cutting their hair, and not go near a dead body. If the person who had taken a Nazarite vow became defiled, he must shave his head and go through ritual purification to restart the vow. At the end of the vow, the Nazarite, with the priest, did another ritual and could drink the wine of blessing after that. In contrast to the unfaithful wife, the Nazarite’s separation vow to YHWH symbolized a willingness and dedication to fully belong to YHWH by depriving the self-will in order to access and do God’s will, illustrating Israel’s wilderness journey with YHWH to the Land.

The ideal Sukkot sojourn with YHWH climaxed in a three-tiered blessing in Numbers 6:22-27. From His sanctuary to the camp’s outer limits, YHWH put His name upon His people, shining His light, His holy way of living, upon the Camp of Israel. “YHWH bless you and keep you, YHWH make His face shine upon you, YHWH lift up His face to you and give you peace.” The Shekhinah’s holiness permeated all aspects of society to the edges of Israel’s camp with life and fruitfulness. And those outside the camp, God cleansed with water and given re-entrance into YHWH’s holiness. Every individual, every family, and the entire community that belonged to YHWH was to be holy.

Takeaway:
The covenant telos, stated as “I will be your God, and you will be My people,” finds fruition in Chapters 5-6 of Numbers, defining the holy life of Israel’s Eden-like camp. To receive the blessing of life with YHWH, no impurities were allowed inside Israel’s camp where YHWH dwells. All things that have anything to do with death were put out of the camp. Inside the camp, Israelites must maintain holy relationships with each other, have a pure heart toward YHWH, and separate themselves as belonging to the holy YHWH, intensifying one’s commitment to Passover’s marriage proposal. The Sukkot reality of YHWH’s blessings of life and abundance, His name, is sure.

Fun Factors:
Numbers 1-10 has 20293 letters, 7 × 13 × 223, or 223(3³ + 4³) in 5187 words, 3 × 7 × 13 × 19, or (5² + 2⁵)(3³ + 4³), totaling 1446357, 33(4² + 5²)(13² + 30²). Amazingly, the letter count points to the cubic reality of Ezekiel’s temple squares of three and four, 3² + 4² = 25 of holiness based on seven (2 + 2 + 3 = 7). The word count does the same, pointing to 25 in 5² and 2⁵. The total word sum is also marked by 5² and threes and fours, maintaining the holiness square symbolism.

Numbers 5-6 has 3051 letters, 3³ × 113 or 3³(7² + 8²) in 882 words, 6 × 137 or 6(4² + 11²), totaling 212770, 10 × 21277 or 10[(3³ + 4³) + (6 × 19)²].  These chapters follow the same numeric theme as above but bring into it the midpoints, 4 and 11, of the perfect Human’s atoning sacrifice, 137, attached to the lunar festival cycle.