His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. (Numbers 7 NIV)
These words are repeated 12 times in chapter 7 of Numbers, one of the more intriguing books in the Bible. Most people struggle to get through the book of Numbers when reading through the Bible. The book is filled with names that are difficult to pronounce and list after list. I’ve never participated in a Bible study on the book of Numbers, but I believe it must be in our Bible and included in the Torah for a reason.
The names are difficult to pronounce, and they are also intriguing. In Hebrew every name had a meaning. The meanings below come from Strong’s concordance. I’ve listed the three names associated with each tribe below with the tribe first, the representative who brought the gift second, and his father third.
- First day
- Judah (praised)
- Nahshon (enchanter)
- Amminadab (my kinsman is noble)
- Second day
- Issachar (there is recompense)
- Nethanel (given of God)
- Zuar (littleness)
- Third day
- Zebulun (exalted)
- Eliab (my God is father)
- Helon (strength)
- Fourth day
- Reuben (behold a son)
- Elizur (my God is a rock)
- Shedeur (darter of light)
- Fifth day
- Simeon (heard)
- Shelumiel (friend of God)
- Zurishaddai (my rock is almighty)
- Sixth day
- Gad (troop)
- Eliasaph (God has added)
- Deuel (they know God)
- Seventh day
- Ephraim (a son of Joseph)
- Elishama (my God has heard)
- Ammihud (my kinsman is majesty)
- Eighth day
- Manasseh (causing to forget)
- Gamaliel (reward of God)
- Pedahzur (the rock has ransomed)
- Ninth day
- Benjamin (son of the right hand)
- Abidan (my father is judge)
- Gideoni (my hewer)
- Tenth day
- Dan (a judge)
- Ahiezer (my brother is help)
- Ammishaddai (my kinsman is Almighty)
- Eleventh day
- Asher (happy)
- Pagiel (occurrence of God)
- Ochran (troubled)
- Twelfth day
- Naphtali (wrestling)
- Ahira (my brother is evil)
- Enan (having eyes)
I would like to have the name Shelumiel (friend of God), but why would someone name his son Ahira (my brother is evil)? I’m glad the meaning of a name caught my eye while reading through this section in my software concordance. The names made this chapter much more interesting.
The other thing that I have observed in reading through Numbers is that God is a God of order. There is nothing chaotic or haphazard about His relationship with His people. They may be wandering through the wilderness, but their camp is laid out and organized better than most cities. Their acts of public worship are carefully described in detail. This reminds me of Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians regarding their gatherings.
But all things should be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:40 ESV)
This verse has often been used to remove any possibility of spontaneity from a gathering of believers. I think that what God is trying to communicate both in Numbers and Corinthians is the importance of keeping God at the center of our gatherings. Every time a priest offered a sacrifice, he should have been thinking about the God who cared enough to provide instructions on how to do it. Every time we prepare for a gathering, we should be striving in what we do and how we do it to reflect the character of God. Chaos is very uncomfortable for me. I am grateful for a God of order. Order and structure provide me with a sense of security that enables me to express myself in ways I never could in the middle of chaos.
For my grandchildren:
God is in the details.
