A Suyrvey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 8 (Part 2)

Numbers 8:5-7—5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 6 “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially. 7 Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.” This begins the actual act of consecrating the Levites to God. When a Levite was consecrated to God, it was not an easy task, and certainly not one to be undertaken lightly. But did they have any choice in the matter? No. If a son was born to the tribe of Levi, they were set apart to God to do the work of ministry. Well that’s not fair, is it? “Just because someone is born into a certain family, they have to go into the service of the Tabernacle?” Yes. Well, what if a daughter is born in the tribe of Issachar? Why can’t she go into the service of ministering to God? Well, the answer is real simple. Because that is what God wants. And, as I have said before and will continue to say ad infinitum, be glad that God isn’t “fair”!

The ceremony begins with the cleansing with water. All these steps were symbolic of their inward state. Washing the outside of the man symbolized that the inward man was being cleansed. When God has to remind the people of Israel of these their early days, He tells them, in Ezekiel 16:9—“Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil.” As God washed His people from their sins with water, so the Levites were to be washed as a symbol of that washing. When He was telling them that He would scatter them among the Gentiles, He promised them that He will once again bathe them and cleanse them when they return to Him. Ezekiel 36:20-27—20 “When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD, and yet they have gone out of His land.' 21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. 22 Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

And, as is so often then case, we see this act referenced in the Pauline Epistles, namely Ephesians 5:25-26—25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word. For so long I read that passage and thought that was a rather clumsy way of phrasing something. But then I came across this passage, and the light bulb came on and I said “hey, it makes sense now!” The English “washing of water” is translated from the Greek λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος (loutro tou hudatos). Λουτρῷ is from the same root word we find in John 13:10—Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed (λελουμένος, from the root word λούω (louo)) needs only to wash (νίπτω (nipto) his feet, but is completely clean..." This word λούω (louo) refers to bathing as opposed to νίπτω (nipto), which refers to washing the hands or feet. It is a thorough bathing. That is the washing Paul says Jesus wants to use to cleanse His bride—to thoroughly bathe her, immerse her, cleanse her. How? By the word. He wants to make her clean by imparting to her His word, that it may saturate her. And that is the bathing, the immersion, the cleansing that is symbolized by the sprinkling of water on the Sons of Levi to set them apart to God.

We see in Leviticus 8 that he was also to put the blood of the ram that was sacrificed to set them apart to God on their right ear, their right thumb, and their right great toe. Leviticus 8:22-24—22 And he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 23 and Moses killed it. Also he took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Then he brought Aaron's sons. And Moses put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses sprinkled the blood all around on the altar. Why the ear, thumb and toe? Well, the ear so that they would remember to hear justly, that they may not be partial to either the poor or the rich, their brethren or the stranger, and that they would deal justly with all. The thumb, so that everything they did would honor God, and that their hands would be set apart to do God’s work. The toe, so that they would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord that set them apart to Himself.

Numbers 8:8-15—8 “Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering. 9 And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel. 10 So you shall bring the Levites before the LORD, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites; 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD like a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the LORD. 12 Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them like a wave offering to the LORD. 14 Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. 15 After that the Levites shall go in to service the tabernacle of meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering.” If these men were going to minister to God for the people, they had to have their sins forgiven first so they would be fit to perform their duties. But they couldn’t just say “Forgive me” and *poof* their sins were forgiven. Sin required death, and the shedding of blood. Hebrews 9:22—And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. So what happened was, the Levite brought a bull as a Sin Offering, he laid his hands on the head of that bull, transferring his sins to that bull, and the bull was killed. What did that bull do to deserve death? Nothing. It was just living its life, being a bull, doing bull things. And then it is picked out, a guy lays his hands on its head, and it is killed. An innocent animal died because of sin. In the New Testament, we have—not a bull, not a sheep—but an innocent shepherd being put to death because of sins, none of which were His. Because He never sinned. And yet the sins of so many were placed upon Him, and He bore them to the Father. 1st Peter 2:21-24—21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

There are some who want to make it out that our Great High Priest sinned, or that at least He wanted to sin. My friend, even the desire to sin is a sin (Matthew 5:21-22, 26-27). You see, the biggest problem with sin is not the sin itself—although that is a problem. And rules do not do anything to control desires. They only deal with the consequences of the actions. That is why Jesus—and Paul—fought so hard and worked so tirelessly to make the people know that they could not do enough to become righteous. For it is not the doing of things that makes one righteous, but rather having a heart that is geared toward God and pleasing Him. Because, quite frankly, no matter how perfect the Law is, it can make no one perfect. Galatians 3:21—Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. Acts 13:39—By Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Romans 3:30—Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. You see, there can be a sign by the side of the highway that says “Speed Limit 55”. You can see double solid yellow lines down the middle of the road. Or a “No Trespassing” sign on a fence. But can those things prevent you from speeding, or passing, or trespassing? No. All they can do is tell you that you will be punished summarily if you disobey them. Likewise the Law, and all 613 commandments held therein, cannot change your heart, or prevent you from sinning. All they can do is let you know there will be punishment for anyone violating them.

And even the Levites had sins to be forgiven of. I mentioned a few chapters ago the two different sins of the two different Levites in the Book of Judges (Judges 17, Judges 19). Now, we may not consider the sins of these Levites at Sinai as being as bad as those in the Book of Judges, but they were still sins, and they still had to be atoned for. So they were put on this innocent animal, which was killed so those sins could be forgiven. And when our Sacrifice cried out “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani” (Mark 15:34), it was then that God put His hand on the head of that Sacrifice, placed all of the sins of all God’s elect on that Sacrifice, and that Sacrifice died.

Because we sinned.

‘Til on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live

(“In Christ Alone”, Stuart Townend)

Jonathan Edwards, in his treatise “Christ exalted”, writes thus:

Christ appeared above all the corruption of man, in that hereby he purchased holiness for the chief of sinners. And Christ in undergoing such extreme affliction, got the victory over all misery; and laid a foundation for its being utterly abolished, with respect to his elect. In dying he became the plague and destruction of death. When death slew him, it slew itself. For Christ, through death, destroyed him that had the power of death, even the devil (Heb_2:14). By this he laid the foundation of the glorious resurrection of all his people to an immortal life.

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

Jonathan Edwards taught "Salvation by Works"

Yes, it's true. All those people in the "easy-believer®" crowd were right. Jonathan Edwards was a "Closet Catholic®" who taught "Salvation by Works." Here's the evidence, from one of his own writings!

Verse-by-verse through Philippians (3:17-3:19)

In our last installment, we ended by talking about those people who are enemies—not only of Christ, but also His cross. They go around saying that salvation is by Jesus AND—Jesus AND baptism; Jesus AND good works; Jesus AND the Book of Mormon; Jesus AND the Pope. And we saw, as we skimmed through Galatians 5 real quick, that if anybody adds anything to the cross of Christ, they have, as it says, separated themselves from Christ (Galatians 5:4). Listen to what that word “separated” (καταργέω, katargeo)—or “estranged” in the KJV—listen to what that means: “To cause a person or thing to have no further efficiency; to deprive of force, influence, power; to put an end to, do away with; to be severed from, separated from, discharged from, loosed from any one; to terminate all association with someone.” Those people who say that the cross of Christ was not enough to save us, and who say that we need to help God save us by doing anything--those who say we need Jesus AND anything--they have caused the cross to have no effect on them; they have separated themselves from Christ, they have terminated all association with Christ.

Now, at the other end, there are those who say, “Well, that’s OK, I'm saved, said my little prayer back in 2000, I can go ahead and do whatever I want because I'm saved and God loves me.” These people are also enemies of the cross because now they are saying that Jesus died on that cross so that a person can live a sinful life, full of all kinds of wickedness—and walk up to the gates and hand over their decision card that says “I, Pastor Smith, do hereby declare this person to be saved!” That’s not what the cross was about. The cross was about God the Son offering Himself as a perfect sacrifice for us, so that instead of living our lives as enemies of God, we could be set free from slavery to sin and now we can live the life that God wants us to live—we are now free to worship God and to love His Law. John 8:31-32—“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Romans 8:1-2—There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Oh, and we go to Heaven when we die. In our old lives, when we were walking around this world, drinking and partying and so on—that’s how badly Satan has blinded us. Doing all kinds of wickedness, thinking we're free—that’s not freedom! That’s slavery! That is slavery to sin!

We are not free until the Son sets us free. Those of us who know Christ are truly free because we can do what they can't—and that is, worship God. Last week I read a little of Psalm 119—which is 176 verses of a man pouring out his heart in delight over the Law of God—because that Law shows how desperately wicked we are, and it points to the One who would come to save us. Now, whether the person is adding to the cross—or taking away from it—they are truly enemies of the cross. And we’re going to see FOUR ways of describing the wickedness of these people. Why would someone make themselves an enemy of God? We’re fixin’ to find out.

Philippians 3:17-19—17 Bethren, join in imitating me, and mark those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things.

Four marks of the enemy of the cross of Christ:
--Their end is destruction
--Their god is their belly
--Their glory is in their shame
--They set their mind on earthly things.

Let’s start with the first part of verse 19. They are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction. When this body dies, is that it for me? My body may die, but my spirit will still exist, but in one of only two places—either in Heaven, or in Hell. Anyone who knows Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord will not spend one second in Hell. But there’s a flipside to that. If someone does NOT know Christ Jesus as Savior AND Lord, they will not spend one second in Heaven. Guess who is going to be among those who will not spend one second in Heaven? The enemies of the cross of Christ.

The word “end.” Does not mean what we usually think it means. We usually think of “end” as “END”—where something stops. But what it really means here is a goal or a fate. Their fate is destruction. It could best be described as being a “fulfillment” or “culmination.” Jesus Christ is mentioned as being the “end”—the fulfillment—of the Law. Romans 10:4 says that eternal life is an “end.” Romans 6:22--But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. Does eternal life ever stop? No. Eternal life is "the end"—the culmination, the fulfillment—of our life in Christ.

However, there are those people who are enemies of the cross. These either add to the cross with legalism and law-keeping, or they take away from the cross of Christ by their sinful lifestyle, all the while claiming to be saved, and turning the cross into some golden ticket that gets you in the front door. But what is going to happen to both of these groups? Their end is destruction. And by “destruction” I don’t mean they're **POOF** wiped out. It is eternal destruction because it is a destruction that lasts all eternity. It will be the most horrible, dreadful, ghastly—I don’t think there are even words that could describe it—it will be far more horrific than anything they could ever imagine.

So here is one group, who thinks that by adding to the cross they are somehow becoming more worthy of being saved. And another group thinking that just because they mouthed some prayer and went to church for a while that God would look past all the sin and wickedness in their lives. And both groups will stand outside the gates and bang on the door and scream for mercy. Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)—“Not every one that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?’ And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.’” These people are going to be standing there calling out, “Hey, now, wait a minute! We did stuff! We told people we loved You! After everything we've done for You, how about showing us a little gratitude?” Their end is destruction. 2nd Peter 2:1-3—But…there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction…By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

Now, why would someone add to or take away from the cross of Christ? Next phrase. They are the enemies of the cross of Christ…whose god is their belly. A fellow named Steven Cole once wrote,

“They live for selfish and sensual pleasures, rather than denying self in order to live for Christ. The Bible does not promote...self-imposed denial of all pleasure as a means of purifying oneself and getting right with God. Rather, it teaches that God has richly supplied us with all things to enjoy (1st Timothy 6:17). But if we remove God from the center as the chief object of our joy and replace it with some earthly pleasure, we are guilty of idolatry.”

Their god is their belly. They worship their appetite. They sacrifice everything in pursuing all those things which bring them pleasure—even if those things are sinful. Those enemies that add to the cross. Who is the only One who can save us with an eternal salvation? Christ Jesus, by the blood of His cross. So, if we say that we are saved by the cross AND our works or by the cross AND baptism or by the cross AND anything—then who are we really saying is the one who saves us? Yeah! We’re saying that we are responsible for our salvation. Taking a step back in time, we are buying into that very first lie ever told, which was? “Hath God indeed said?” (Genesis 3:1). "Hath God indeed said you're saved by faith apart from the Law? (Romans 3:28) No, you're saved by faith AND the works of the Law!" And basically, they are putting themselves in the place of God, declaring that whatever they add to the cross makes them worthy of salvation.

The reason that adding “good works” to the cross is a sin, is because it grows up from a root called “pride.” The person says, “I can do it! I can be good enough! I can do so much that when God looks at me He’ll have to save me!” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)—For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. If we say that we are saved by works, then we are boasting about our own sinful flesh.

Now, for the one who takes away from the cross, it’s easy to see that they worship their appetite. They want to go to Heaven when they die, but they don’t want to give up their old desires—they don’t want to stop drinking, they don’t want to stop doing drugs, they don’t want to stop sleeping around—so they say, “Yep, I'm saved! I love Jesus!” And all the while they're living a lifestyle that is as corrupt and depraved as it was before they claimed to “love Jesus.” But being saved does not give us the license to go and just do whatever, whenever. Galatians 5:13—For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. In other words, don’t abuse the grace of God. If we are saved, we should a new person. We should have new thoughts and a new heart and above all a desire to stop sinning. 2nd Corinthians 5:17—Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. We are NOT that person that used to go out drinking and drugging and sleeping around. We are a person who looks at the Word of God and holds it in our heart and uses it to guide our thoughts and actions. Hebrews 4:12—For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. When someone says they “love God” but you look at their life and you kinda compare to the word of God, and the two just don’t seem to jive—it may just be that their god is their belly.

Next. They are the enemies of the cross of Christ…whose glory is in their shame. If we read through the gospels, whenever we read about the Pharisees, what was their attitude? They were very smug and very self-righteous. Luke 18:11—“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.’” And what did they believe was their salvation? Right. They thought that because they were sons of Abraham that they were automatically entitled to Heaven. John the Baptist squashed that thought. Matthew 3:7-9—But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.’” These men were not only glorying in their genealogy, they made sure that people knew “You must keep the whole Law—just like us!” They were very proud of their knowledge about what the Law of Moses said, and in the fact that they knew what the Scriptures said—but they didn’t know what those Scriptures meant.

Jesus tells the Pharisees in John 5:39-40—“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” See, the Pharisees had a problem. They KNEW the Law, and they tried to keep that Law. But what problem did they have? Yeah, they couldn’t keep the Law! Matthew 23:1-5—Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe that and do it, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men.” And these people that like to say we are saved by Jesus AND anything are exactly the same. They like to go around bragging about how they are saving themselves, and memorizing Scriptures that seem to say that a person needs to be baptized to be saved. Problem is, by adding those things to the cross, they are actually making themselves enemies of the cross. They glory in their shame.

Now, on the other side of the coin, people that glory in the shame of sin. It’s pretty safe to say that just about everybody involved in the entertainment industry hates God. And they're proud of it. In fact, if a celebrity’s career is in the tank or, as they say, circling the drain, what’s the easiest and quickest way for their career to get a boost? Go out and say something outrageous, something controversial, that will get your name in the headlines. Kathy Griffin is a no-talent hack—but she is more than happy to blaspheme the name of God. So, Hollywood loves her, and loves people who think and act like her, and Hollywood more than happy to give those people a high-paying job. They glory in their shame, because they have convinced themselves that God is not real.

Know what the children of Israel did when Moses didn’t come down from the mountain for 40 days? They made their golden calf, and they worshipped it. They made a god for themselves, just like Hollywood does. They throw off any restraint because they don’t think God exists. And if God doesn’t exist, then He doesn’t see, and there is nothing to be afraid of. Psalm 10:4, 11—The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts…He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.” These people go around saying, “We’re gonna do whatever we want because even if there is a ‘God’, He doesn’t really care!” Psalm 2:2-5 (NASB)—The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Christ, saying, “Let us tear their chains apart and cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury.

The celebrities that mock God. The actors who make movies and TV shows filled with sleaze and disgusting. The singers who make songs filled with filth and drugs and drinking. Who make it known that they don’t care what God thinks because “He doesn’t see”—right now God is laughing at their arrogance. And He is preparing death for them. Psalm 7:11-13—God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts. I’d sure hate to be in their shoes and try to tell God to His face that He isn't real.

So, finally, They are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, and it all comes down to one overall reason, they set their mind on earthly things. Fame. Power. Money. Wealth. All these people care about is what they can get in this world. Because they have convinced themselves that after they die, there is nothing. Just go out and do whatever you want, whenever you want, every day if you want—because when you die that’s it! Or, if there is a Heaven, it must be the most boring thing ever created. Listen to the words of some famous people and what they thought about Heaven:

Isaac Asimov—“I don't believe in an afterlife, so I don't have to spend my whole life fearing hell, or fearing heaven even more. For whatever the tortures of hell, I think the boredom of heaven would be even worse.”
Billy Joel—“They say there's a heaven for those who will wait. Some say it's better, but I say it ain't. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. Sinners are much more fun.”

But now, listen to what some great men of God have said about Heaven:
Jonathan Edwards—“To pretend to describe the excellence, the greatness or duration of the happiness of heaven by the most artful composition of words would be but to darken and cloud it; to talk of raptures and ecstasies, joy and singing, is but to set forth very low shadows of the reality, and all we can by our best rhetoric is really and truly, vastly below what is but the bare and naked truth...To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here.”
Matthew Henry—“He whose head is in heaven need not fear to put his feet into the grave.”

Heaven isn't boring and Hell is not a party. The one who sets his mind on Christ will live eternally with Him. Revelation 21:3-4—I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” But for those who set their minds on earthly things? They won’t even get a glimpse. And we’re gonna see next time that if we know Christ and love Him and worship Him, we can say with all gladness—“That’s MY King!”

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.