I’ve been harping on reading plans for the past few reviews, and I’m going to continue on it again. Pretty soon many of you will be coming up to the book of Numbers. The first ten chapters deal with how the Israelite camp and their many clans and families will be gathered around the tabernacle. Then you get some interesting thoughts sad stories of rebellion, at least until you get another census and texts about offerings. Exciting stuff. Not really. But maybe?
Jay Sklar is Professor Old Testament and VP of Academics at Covenant Theological Seminary. His doctoral research was completed under Gordon Wenham and focused on the theology of sacrifice. He has recently written a longer commentary on Leviticus too (my review).
The Story of God Bible Commentary series revolves around three sections:
- Listen to the Story: the Bible text is provided along with background, a look at any earlier Scriptural passages, and any possible ANE literary connections.
- Explain the Story: Sklar explains each passage in light of the Bible’s grand story, starting with the OT context. The emphasis is on providing an accessible explanation of the passage.
- Live the Story: the intent of this series is “to probe how this text might be lived out today as that story continues to march on in the life of the church” (xvii). As in Christ’s words in Luke 24, Sklar suggests ways the book of Numbers anticipates the gospel.
Authorship
Sklar places himself within the traditional camp of authorship which understands Moses to have authored at least the majority of the Pentateuch. He notes the existence of the historical-critical camp and their general view of the Pentateuch (getting into the weeds brings up many, even conflicting, views in this camp). In favor of the traditional camp is the fact that Numbers identifies Moses as writing down Israel’s travel itinerary (33:2–49). Numbers states more than sixty times that the Lord spoke to Moses. Deuteronomy tells us that Moses wrote down what the Lord spoke to him, and we can surmise that this includes at least Exodus to Numbers.
Literary Structure
Numbers highlights and “alternates between the heights of obedience and hope and the lows of rebellion and despair” (1). The heights open and close the book. Numbers open with the organization and preparation of the camp (1:1–10:10), and it ends with a new start with the second generation who are prepared to enter the promised land (26:1–36:13). Sklar doesn’t illustrate it this way, but one way this structure could be viewed is like this:
…….A Obedience and Hope (Num 1–10)
…………..B Rebellion and Despair (Num 11–25)
…….A’ Obedience and Hope (Num 26–36)
In between these two peaks is the deep valley of rebellion, unfaithfulness, and judgment. Israel complains against God, challenge the priests’ authority that he established, and they turn to other gods. God judges Israel for their rebellion, and Sklar notes that when judgment doesn’t result in death, then its purpose is for discipline (14). The goal is Israel’s instruction (Ps 94:12; Hos 5:14–15) so that they will follow and obey the Lord both for their benefit and for his glory. These sections highlight Israel’s need for a mediator, atonement, and mercy.
Themes
Sklar shows how the three themes of the Lord, people, and land that were given to the patriarchs are found in the book of Numbers and how they stretch out throughout the whole OT. Sklar writes, “These promises focus on the Lord calling a specific people (Israel) to himself and promising them a land (Heb. erets) where they could walk in fellowship with him (Gen 12:1-3; 17:1-8)” (21).
- The Lord is present with his people, faithful to his covenant promises, and he shows patience, mercy, and justice.
- Israel (as well as we Christians today) was meant to be in unity together, obeying the Lord, respecting each other’s callings, and ridding themselves of disobedience. When they didn’t do that, like I wrote above, they needed a mediator—Moses, Aaron, or a priest. The land of Canaan was a future inheritance (due to Israel’s repeated rebellion).
- The land was sacred space, functioning in the world like the tabernacle did for Israel. As Sklar notes, “The land was to be a place where the nations could see the life the Lord intended for his creation: a holy people, enjoying covenant fellowship with their Creator and King, extending his kingdom of mercy, love, purity, and justice in all the earth” (26).
Finally, before I look deeper at a few sections of Numbers, Sklar picks up a few important themes for preaching and teaching from Numbers. He looks at how the law functioned for Israel and how it continues to be relevant to us believers today, as well as how we should ask in what ways whole narratives teach us about the Lord’s character and how we should live. He briefly handles the interpretive challenges of large numbers in the book of Numbers and ritual purity and impurity.
Select Interpretations
Leaders in the King’s Presence (Numbers 3–4)
The priests were at the top of the authority chain with the Levites being right behind them. Normal Israelites would have been at the bottom. However, over and over we read that the priests carried out their actions “on behalf of the Israelites” (Num 3:38) and and Levites performed duties “for [Aaron] and for the whole community” (3:7). Those who have spiritual authority serve others on their behalf so that they can worship God and do so uninterrupted. Power is not concentrated at the top in only a few privileged hands but is established “to ensure the community can continue in relationship with [God]” (85). We see this in the New Testament in John 13 and 1 Peter 5:3.
As well, Israel lived in the midst of God the holy King. They needed to enter his holy place in the ways he prescribed. Sklar notes, “Indeed, the Levites could not even look on the tabernacle’s holiest items only the priests could (4:18-20). To cross these boundaries not only shows you think little of the King’s holiness, it can expose you to a deadly demonstration of his power” (88).
We might think that due to Jesus’ sacrificial death that cleared us of all sin, we can easily be forgiven of any sin we either intend to commit (intentional) or do by accident or ignorance (unintentional). However, Jesus’ death did not negate “the need to show respect to God as a holy King” (88). Hebrews exhorts is to “worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:28-29). Sklar encourages us to reflect on our lives and how we might show we respect the Lord’s holiness in every aspect of life. We can ask if those who watch me live my life get a sense that we follow the God of blazing holiness? How does that lead us to practical differences in how we live? As we understand which areas need improving, we should repent—not despair—for we have the ultimate substitute!
Caught High-Handed (Numbers 20)
Later in Numbers 20, Moses gets so angry at the rebellious people that he strikes the rock twice for water after asking, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” (Num 20:10). A few things are important to note here. First, Numbers 15:30 the person who sins defiantly literally sins with a raised arm. In 20:11 we read that it is Moses who “raised his arm”! And instead of speaking to the rock as God commanded, Moses strikes it twice.
But why was his and Aaron’s punishment so severe? He and Aaron had done so much for the Lord for so long, and now all of a sudden they weren’t allowed to enter the promised land because of one sentence and a few knocks on a rock?
Sklar writes, “If we can imagine the blasphemy of a pastor celebrating communion in his own name, claiming that the bread and wine represent his body instead of Jesus’s body, we are beginning to understand the severity of what Moses is doing here (and Aaron along with him). He is denying the very heart of who the Lord is the powerful redeemer of his people” (272). Moses is acting like the Israelites did in Num 14 when they “refused to believe the Lord could deliver them in the promised land. In each case, the sinners have strongly denied the covenant Lord and are thus denied the covenant promise (the land). The punishment fits the crime exactly” (272).
One takeaway for us Christians is that we should be asking God and ourselves, “In what ways might I be treating sin too lightly? In what ways am I making decisions that ultimately show a lack of faith in God and his promises?” This will help prevent sin from taking root in our hearts and causing them to harden.
Recommended?
This is a very good commentary. I am impressed over Sklar’s attention to detail without making the exegetical sections a burden to read, as well as his care and concern for God’s holiness as the Creator-King and for our worship of him. He does this without moralizing the OT or taking the “easy way” to get straight to Jesus to make easy applications (what he elsewhere calls “allegorical leapfrogging”). He does the hard work of exegesis, shares with us the good nuggets we need to know of literary design and what is going on in the text, and draws out the gold nuggets of application for today. He reminds us that God is always the same. He is who he always was, a good and holy King deserving of our utmost respect and who loves us with a burning love. Highly recommended.
Pair this with other evangelical commentaries like Timothy Ashley’s NICOT volume or C. John Collins’ upcoming ZECOT volume. Sklar couldn’t fit everything into this commentary, so he has a supplementary book on Amazon with information he couldn’t fit into this volume.
Other reviews in the SGBC series
Lagniappe
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- Series: The Story of God Bible Commentary
- Author: Jay Sklar
- Hardcover: 496 pages
- Publisher: Zondervan Academic (October 24, 2023)
Buy it on Amazon or from Zondervan Academic
Disclosure: I received this book free from Zondervan Academic. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
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