Números 3

Números 3

Meyer - Our Daily Homily - Numbers 3:45 Take the Levites instead. Each firstborn son was God’s. On the day of the Exodus, as the firstborn of Egypt were stricken, so the firstborn of Israel were hallowed. God claimed the right of their service in his Temple, to serve there as priests and attendants. But instead of them, He accepted the whole tribe of Levi; and for the overplus of firstborn sons above the number of Levites, He accepted redemption money, which went to maintain Aaron and his family. Thus, each firstborn son was represented, either by a substitute, or by a money payment. An Appeal to Parents. — Would it not be a blessed custom if, in all our churches, the firstborn child was, in a special sense, regarded as God’s, and trained for some branch of his holy service in the home and foreign field? What a blessing would rest on our homes if this were the custom! It would lead to very definite prayer, that the young soul might be truly converted and led to realize the parents’ ideal. An Appeal to firstborn Children. — Either go yourself into the service of God, at home or abroad, or send a substitute. Consider yourself under obligation to do some special work for Christ and his Church. And if you cannot, earn money to support your representative. This is laying up treasure in heaven. An Appeal to Families. — Why should not each Christian family become a missionary society, sending one of its members forth in the name of the rest, who should bind themselves solemnly to “hold the ropes;” and thus obey the Master’s parting commission, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”? Numbers 3:46 "For the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites, redeemed): Nu 18:15 Ex 13:13 which are): Nu 3:39-43 Numbers 3 Resources - Multiples Sermons and Commentaries For the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites - Thompson - What God commanded Moses to do here was to total the number of firstborn from all the tribes of Israel, who were one month and older. The total number was 22,273. So there was an excess of 273 unredeemed firstborn males over the number of Levites. There was to be some form of substitutionary surplus redemption payment made as a ransom price. Numbers 3:47 you shall take five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), five shekels): Nu 18:16 Lev 27:6 the shekel): Nu 3:50 Ex 30:13 Lev 27:25 Eze 45:12 Numbers 3 Resources - Multiples Sermons and Commentaries you shall take five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs) - The price of redemption was 5 shekels which was the valuation of boys up to age 5 in Lev 27:6 and amounted to about a year's salary "for a herdsman." (ESV Note Thompson - The price was to be “five shekels” (v. 47) per head. It has been estimated that this would be about two ounces of silver for each person and the total for all 273 would be about 35 pounds. Now an ounce of silver is worth $16.68 and there are 12 troy ounces to a pound. So one pound of silver is worth $200.16. Thirty-five pounds of silver is worth $7,005.60. Currid - Our present passage speaks of ‘the shekel of the sanctuary’ in order to differentiate it from the economic currency. The latter has one weight for purchasing and another weight for selling. HCSB - The substitutionary aspect of the ransom price theme in the Pentateuch has its ultimate fulfillment in the work of Jesus Christ as the paschal lamb and the final sacrifice for sin—a lamb without blemish (1Pe 1:18-19+). knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. William Coker -When the Israelites were numbered at Mount Sinai, it was ordained by divine direction that the Levites should be exempted from enrollment and separated unto the Lord in place of the firstborn of the people and their cattle in the place of the cattle of the people (Numbers 3:44ff.). The number of firstborn in excess of the number of the Levites were then redeemed at the price of five shekels apiece, and the money was given to Aaron and his sons. According. (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) NET Note - The sanctuary shekel was first mentioned in Exod 30:13. The half-shekel of Exod 38:26 would then be 10 gerahs. Consequently, the calculations would indicate that five shekels was about two ounces of silver for each person. See R. B. Y. Scott, “Weights and Measures of the Bible,” BA 22 (1951): 22–40, and “The Scale-Weights from Ophel, 1963–1964,” PEQ 97 (1965): 128–39. Numbers 3:48 and give the money, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons." Numbers 3 Resources - Multiples Sermons and Commentaries and give the money, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons Ransom (06302)(peduyim from padah = to ransom) "The basic meaning of the Hebrew root is to achieve the transfer of ownership from one to another through payment of a price or an equivalent substitute. The root occurs in Assyrian with the meaning "to spare," and in Ugaritic it is used in the sense "to ransom (UT 19: no. 2013).....peddûim, pidyôm. Ransom. The former is a plural abstract form of the passive participle (which is used substantively in Numbers 3:49; Isaiah 35:10 and Isaiah 51:11 with the meaning "the redeemed"), occurring only in Numbers 3:46, 48. The latter is found only in Numbers 3:49, 51." (TWOT) Allen - The redemption of the firstborn is a marvelous expression of the grace of God. Never since the story of the binding of Isaac (Gen 22) has God demanded the firstborn son of any of his people as a sacrifice to his majesty. Nor does God demand that his people enslave themselves to him (cf. Rom 12:1–2). Nevertheless, the firstborn sons are the special possession of the Lord. God does not demand the life of these sons; such would be abhorrent to the Hebrew faith. God does not demand their enslavement; such would be a slight on his mercy. But he does demand their redemption—and provides the means for bringing that to pass. Numbers 3:49 So Moses took the ransom money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Levites; Numbers 3 Resources - Multiples Sermons and Commentaries So Moses took the ransom money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Levites - NET Note on "money" - The word used is “silver.” Coins were not in existence until after 700 B.C. (starting with Lydia). Currid applies this section - God claims not only the Christian, but all that the Christian has. God is the owner of all that the Christian is and all that he has; the Christian is merely a steward of those things that belong to the Creator. A major duty of the Christian is not to withhold anything from him. But does the Christian give over all things to Christ? There is a Christian company in the States that studies many of the larger companies trading on the stock market, and it looks primarily at the stance of those companies on moral issues. Based upon whether a company supports abortion, same-sex benefits, or other such immoral causes, it may be flagged as one that a Christian should not support, or own stock in. But the reality is that most Christians are not interested in knowing these things. When it comes to money, often Christians put their head in the sand. The attitude is: ‘When it comes to my money, leave me alone!’ Yet the truth is that a Christian cannot serve God and mammon! All things are to be brought under the lordship of Jesus Christ for, in fact, all things belong to him. (EPSC-Nu) Numbers 3:50 from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365. Nu 3:46,47 Mt 20:28 1Ti 2:5,6 Tit 2:14 Heb 9:12 1Pe 1:18 3:18 from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365 Numbers 3:51 Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons, at the command of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Moses): Nu 3:48 16:15 1Sa 12:3,4 Ac 20:33 1Co 9:12 1Pe 5:2 as the Lord): Mal 4:4 Numbers 3 Resources - Multiples Sermons and Commentaries Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons, at the command of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.