Scripture Reading: Num. 1:1-3, 18, 24, 45-46; 2:1-2, 17, 32; Exo. 12:41, 51; 13:18

DAY 1 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 2 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 3 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 4 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 5 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 6 Outline　MorningRevival

«　WEEK 1　DAY 1　»

　　Num. 1:1-3 Then Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting,...saying, Take the sum of all the assembly of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, every male, head by head. From twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go forth for military service in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their companies.

　　Most expositions of Numbers give the impression that it is a book of wanderings and repeated failures. This is not quite accurate. Properly speaking, Numbers is not a book of failures but a book of victory and glory. Is it not glorious that on this earth God not only has a dwelling place but also a camp with an army? (CWWL, 1964, vol. 4, "The Vision of God's Building," p. 245)

　　In Numbers 2 we read, "Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, The children of Israel shall encamp each by his own standard with the ensigns of their fathers' households; they shall encamp facing the Tent of Meeting on every side" (vv. 1-2). Each tribe had a specific place in which to pitch its tents round about the Tent of Meeting. The tribes on the east were Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; those on the south were Reuben, Simeon, and Gad; on the west were Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin; and on the north were Dan, Asher, and Naphtali (vv. 3-31). In the very center were the Levites, who cared for the tabernacle (1:50-53; 2:17). The priests could never be separated from the tabernacle; they were one with the tabernacle and always with it. This picture of the twelve tribes encamped on the four sides of the tabernacle with the Levites in the center is a preview of the coming New Jerusalem. That city portrayed in Revelation has twelve gates, three on each of its four sides, containing the names of the twelve tribes (21:12-13). That means that the New Jerusalem in Revelation is not a new concept. It was revealed many centuries before, in the book of Numbers. Thus, we see again that the whole of the Scriptures is of one line, related to one thing—God's building. Even as the tabernacle in the Old Testament was the center of the twelve tribes of Israel, so God and the Lamb are the temple in the center of the New Jerusalem.

　　From beginning to end the book of Numbers is a glorious book. In the beginning God formed the army, and at the end we have a record of the dividing of the land conquered by this army. In the beginning the camps were arrayed in preparation for battle.

　　The book of Numbers presents a glorious scene with the standards and ensigns, the formations and the order. All these things are full of application for us today. The army consisted of twelve tribes in four divisions, with three tribes in each division....We see the numbers, three and four—the Triune God mingled with man. The principle of mingling is represented by three times four, which equals twelve. God is not only added to us but also is mingled with us. The book of Revelation begins with a record of the seven churches, which are divided into one section of four plus another section of three. This signifies that the Triune God is added to the creature, as three is added to four, equaling seven. But Revelation ends with the New Jerusalem, where all the numbers are twelve; that is, three times four, signifying God's mingling with us. The real building of God is this mingling of God with man. (CWWL, 1964, vol. 4, "The Vision of God's Building," pp. 245-247)

　　In the picture portrayed in Numbers, God's move was in the Ark with the tabernacle, that is, in Christ, the God-man, the mingling of God and man (see footnote 1 on Exo. 25:11), as the embodiment of God (Col. 2:9), with the church, the enlargement, the increase, of Christ...as God's dwelling place on the earth (1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:21-22; 1 Tim. 3:15). The picture in Numbers shows the Triune God and His chosen people mingled together as one entity that God may move on the earth and conquer His enemy in order to regain the earth for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose (cf. Acts 1:8). (Num. 1:1, footnote 1)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1964, vol. 4, "The Vision of God's Building," ch. 9

«　WEEK 1　DAY 2　»

　　Col. 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

　　1:27 To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

　　The general sketch of Numbers is that the redeemed and sanctified Israelites were formed into a holy army of God, which was to proceed by following God's leading and was to fight for Him.

　　Whatever is written in the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses, is a type. In particular, in these books we see that the entire nation of Israel was a type of the church. As Israel was formed into an army, so the church should be formed into an army. Concerning this, we should not look at the present situation, at the outward appearance....Although we may have doubts about the existence of a church army, Satan knows that there is such an army. We need to believe that today there is an army formed with all the faithful ones, journeying and fighting all the time that God may have a kingdom with a house. (Life-study of Numbers, p. 3)

　　In a general way, we may say that the central thought of the entire Bible is Christ, for the Bible is focused on Christ as the center. But what is the central thought of the book of Numbers? The central thought of Numbers is that Christ is the meaning of life, the testimony, the center of God's people, and the Leader, the way, and the goal of their journey and fighting.

　　In Numbers Christ is revealed as the meaning of life for God's people. It seems that during the forty years in the wilderness, the two million Israelites were doing nothing. They did not engage in industry, commerce, or farming. But day by day they were busy with one thing—the Ark of God's testimony (Num. 7:89). The Ark of the Testimony was the center of the tabernacle, which was called the Tabernacle of the Testimony (1:50, 53). For forty years the Israelites worked for the keeping of the Ark with the tabernacle. The Ark with the tabernacle was the meaning of their life. If there had not been an Ark, the life of the Israelites would not have had any meaning. Both the Ark and the tabernacle were called God's testimony. Since the Ark typifies Christ, the meaning of the Israelites' life was to take care of Christ as the testimony of God. (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 3-4)

　　We were created in the image of the Lord Jesus. This means we were created in a way that matches Him so that He can enter into us. This is the meaning of the universe. The meaning of the universe is for God to be expressed. Wherever God is expressed, the universe has meaning. God gains His expression in a subjective way, not in an objective way. Since God desires to enter into man and be expressed through man, God created man in His image. This is very special. Every light bulb emits light for the sole purpose of expressing electricity. However, if electricity is not transmitted into the light bulb, the light bulb loses its meaning of existence. The meaning of our human life is for God to enter into us and be expressed through us. The meaning of the universe is for a group of people to receive God into them to be their content. Hence, to be saved means to be rescued by God out of a human life that is void of meaning into a life that is full of meaning. Now that we are saved, we have the meaning of our human life. Our life is meaningful because the Lord Jesus is in us. (CWWL, 1971, vol. 1, "The Meaning of Human Life and a Proper Consecration," pp. 142-143)

　　Before you were saved, did you know the purpose of the universe, and did you know the meaning of human life? Certainly you did not know these things. You did not know the purpose of your life on earth or what your destiny would be. Both the purpose of the universe and the meaning of your life were a mystery. Only when we receive a vision concerning Christ and experience God's salvation can we understand the mysteries of the universe and of our life on earth. (Life-study of 1 Corinthians, p. 160)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1971, vol. 1, "The Meaning of Human Life and a Proper Consecration," ch. 2

«　WEEK 1　DAY 3　»

　　Matt. 23:10 Neither be called instructors, because One is your Instructor, the Christ.

　　John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way and the reality and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

　　Rev. 1:5-6 ...Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom...

　　This Christ, who is the meaning of the life of God's people, is God's testimony. In the Old Testament, the Testimony refers to the law. The two tablets on which the law was inscribed were called the Testimony (Exo. 25:21) and were placed in the Ark. Because the Testimony was put into the Ark, the Ark was called the Ark of the Testimony. (Life-study of Numbers, p. 4)

　　A law is always a testimony of the one who made it. In keeping with this principle, the law of God is a testimony of what God is; it tells us what kind of God our God is. The law tells us that God is love and light and that He is holy and righteous. Love, light, holiness, and righteousness are four of the divine attributes. The law, as a portrait of what God is, typifies Christ as the embodiment of God in all His divine attributes. In Christ we see that God is love and light and that He is holy and righteous. Thus, the New Testament tells us that Christ is the embodiment of God (Col. 2:9). For Christ to be the embodiment of God means that He is the portrait of God, and as such He is the testimony of what God is. Because Christ is the testimony of what God is, He is called "the faithful and true Witness" (Rev. 3:14; 1:5). As God's Witness, Christ bears God's testimony to show us what kind of God He is.

　　God's people should not only take Christ as the meaning of life but also live a life of testifying Christ. When God's people have this kind of living, Christ becomes their testimony. In Numbers we see Christ as the testimony of God's people.

　　Christ is also the center of God's people. This is portrayed by the way the children of Israel were encamped around the tabernacle with three tribes on each side. The four camps, each composed of three tribes, and the three families of the tribe of Levi all took the tabernacle with the Ark as the center. The children of Israel thus took Christ as the meaning of life, the testimony, and the center. This shows us that as the church today we should take Christ as our meaning of life, our testimony, and our center.

　　The book of Numbers reveals that this Christ, who is the meaning of our life, our testimony, and our center, is One who is moving, acting, and always proceeding onward. In His proceeding onward, He is our Leader (Matt. 23:10), our way (John 14:6), and our goal (Phil. 3:12-14). To take the lead is to proceed on the way. Today we are taking Christ as our Leader, and we are following Him. He is leading us on His way and toward His goal, both of which are actually Himself. Worldly people have neither a way nor a goal, but we have Christ not only as our Leader but also as our way and our goal.

　　In the New Testament there is a revelation of Christ in all these aspects, but it is not given there in detail. If we had only the New Testament and not the Old Testament with all its types, we could not see Christ in such a detailed and fine portrait. For a complete view of Christ as the meaning of life, the testimony, the center, and the Leader, the way, and the goal, we need the portrait in the book of Numbers.

　　For the journey of God's redeemed people and for their fighting, Christ is the meaning of life, the testimony, the center, and the Leader, the way, and the goal. If Christ were not all of this to us, there would not be a way for God to gain the ground on earth to build up His kingdom with His house, which eventually will consummate in the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem will be the consummation of God's kingdom and God's house. (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 4-6)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Numbers, msgs. 1-2

«　WEEK 1　DAY 4　»

　　Exo. 12:51 And on that very day Jehovah brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

　　13:18 Thus God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up arrayed for battle out of the land of Egypt.

　　Chapter 3 of Philippians indicates that Christ should be our goal, our aim. We who love the Lord and seek Him are not aimless. Our aim is Christ Himself. He is the goal toward which we press. (Life-study of Philippians, p. 8)

　　In Numbers we see God's redeemed people being formed into His army and their journey in fighting for God. The army is for God's people to fight so that God can gain the ground on earth to build up His kingdom with His habitation.

　　At this point, I would like to make a comparison between Numbers and Leviticus. Leviticus stresses the redeemed's worship and living. Numbers stresses the redeemed's journey and fighting. In Leviticus God's redeemed were instructed in how to worship God and live a holy life. In Numbers God's redeemed were formed into an army and fought for Him throughout their journey.

　　In Numbers we can see three things: the formation of an army, the journeys of that army, and the fighting of the army. The formation of the army was for fighting, and the fighting required the army to journey, not to stay in one spot. Always the children of Israel were going on from place to place to gain ground that God might have a people to be built up for His kingdom and His house. For this reason, in Numbers we have the army, the journey, and the fighting. (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 2-3)

　　Chapters 1 and 2 of the book of Numbers reveal that the children of Israel were formed into an army because they were surrounded by enemies. This army was necessary for the protection of God's testimony. Around the church as God's testimony today, there are many enemies. Because we are an anti-testimony, there are many enemies to the Lord's recovery. Hence, there is the need of an army to protect the testimony. We have seen that this army does not take care of the Tent of Meeting directly. Rather, according to the picture in Numbers, the army was encamped around the tabernacle to protect the sphere, the realm, in which the tabernacle was erected. For the keeping of the Tent of Meeting, there was the need for a peaceful sphere. Because the twelve tribes camped around the Tent of Meeting, wherever the children of Israel went, there was a peaceful realm in which the tabernacle could be erected. Today in the Lord's recovery we need the young people to be an army encamped around the church life.

　　Following Leviticus we come to Numbers, a book of service. The Hebrew word service in Numbers 4:3 has the meaning of military service and thus refers to warfare. God viewed the children of Israel in the wilderness as an army fighting for His testimony. Apparently, the children of Israel were fighting for themselves. Actually, they were fighting for God's testimony on earth, for among them was the Tabernacle of the Testimony, God's dwelling place on earth. In this warfare there were two main functions: the function of fighting the enemies and the function of maintaining the tabernacle, which represented God's testimony in the universe. Only those between the ages of thirty and fifty had the privilege of doing the work in and around the tabernacle. Those between twenty and thirty, however, were qualified for the military service, that is, for fighting the enemy. Numbers 1:3 says, "From twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go forth for military service in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their companies." This indicates that those over the age of twenty were qualified for military service. (CWWL, 1977, vol. 2, "All Ages for the Lord's Testimony," pp. 11, 4-5)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1977, vol. 2, "All Ages for the Lord's Testimony," chs. 1-2; CWWL, 1986, vol. 2, "Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord's Recovery, Book 1: The Vision and Definite Steps for the Practice of the New Way," ch. 14

«　WEEK 1　DAY 5　»

　　Eph. 6:10-11 Finally, be empowered in the Lord and in the might of His strength. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil.

　　In the forming of the house of Israel into a fighting army, we again see the principle revealed in Genesis 1: God desires a corporate man to represent Him in subduing and regaining this earth from the usurping hand of Satan. God had given Israel a good land called Canaan, but the Israelites had to take this land from the usurping hand of God's enemy. They could not gain the land easily; they had to fight inch by inch, defeating all their enemies. The purpose and goal of the fighting was to possess the land.

　　The book of Numbers is a book of vital principles for us to apply today. Where is the army now? Are you in the army? This is the problem. There is no army, because there is no building. If the church is not built, there is no priesthood, and if there is no priesthood, there is no army. (CWWL, 1964, vol. 4, "The Vision of God's Building," p. 246)

　　The kings of Arad, of the Amorites (Num. 21:21), and of Bashan (v. 33) were the "gate guards" on the east of the Jordan, guarding the land of Canaan, the kingdom of darkness, for Satan. In order for the children of Israel to enter into the good land, they had to pass through the territory controlled by these kings and had to fight against them, destroy them, and take over their territory. This signifies that in order to enjoy the unsearchably rich Christ, the church must defeat and take over the territory of the enemies signified by these kings. (Num. 21:1, footnote 2)

　　In their fighting together with God and for God, the children of Israel defeated the king of Arad and destroyed his people (Num. 21:1-3). By doing this, they overcame the first enemy among the Canaanites.

　　God's people also defeated Sihon king of the Amorites with his people and Og king of Bashan with his people (21:21-35). This means that they overcame Canaan's two gate guards.

　　The children of Israel also defeated the Midianites with their five kings (31:1-12). By defeating the Midianites, the people overcame Canaan's gate army.

　　The kings defeated by God's chosen and redeemed people signify the spiritual powers, rulers, and authorities in the air. Today we need to fight against these powers and defeat them.

　　The fighting of God's people against the kings was for the entrance into the God-promised good land that the kingdom of God might be spread and established there. The principle is the same with us today. When we defeat the rulers, powers, and authorities in the air, the kingdom of God surely is spread and established.

　　As the priestly army carrying out the holy war, God's chosen and redeemed people bore with them God's dwelling, the Tabernacle of the Testimony with the Ark of the Testimony. This indicates that in the church life today we are bearing God's testimony with God Himself. Upon our shoulder we not only have God's dwelling place but also the Dweller, God Himself. As long as the church bears the testimony of God, the church is God's dwelling place. Actually, the dwelling place of God is the testimony of God. Today, this testimony of God, this dwelling place of God, is upon our shoulder.

　　The Tabernacle of the Testimony signifies God's chosen and redeemed people built up with Him as His dwelling on the earth (the church in the New Testament).

　　Here we would point out that, spiritually speaking, the history of Israel and the history of the church are one. The history of Israel is a prefigure, and the history of the church is the reality of the prefigure. This means that what is recorded in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers prefigures what is recorded in Acts and in the Epistles.

　　The Ark of the Testimony signifies Christ as the center of God's economy among His chosen and redeemed people. Today we have the Ark among us; that is, we have Christ with us in a personal way. (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 355-357)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Numbers, msgs. 32, 50

«　WEEK 1　DAY 6　»

　　Eph. 6:12 For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies.

　　Rev. 11:15 And the seventh angel trumpeted; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.

　　In the typology of the Old Testament, Canaan has two aspects: on the positive side, Canaan, a land of riches (Deut. 8:7-10 and footnote 1 on v. 7), typifies the all-inclusive Christ with His unsearchable riches (Col. 1:12; Eph. 3:8), and on the negative side, it signifies the aerial part, the heavenly part, of the dark kingdom of Satan. As the ruler of this world (John 12:31) and as the ruler of the authority of the air (Eph. 2:2), Satan has his authority (Acts 26:18) and his angels (Matt. 25:41), who are his subordinates as principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world (Eph. 6:12). Hence, he has his kingdom (Matt. 12:26), the authority of darkness (Col. 1:13). The Canaanites typify the fallen angels, the rebellious angels who follow Satan (Rev. 12:4, 7), who have become the powers, rulers, and authorities in Satan's kingdom (cf. Dan. 10:13, 20). The fighting of the children of Israel against the Canaanites that they might possess and enjoy the good land typifies the spiritual warfare of the church as a whole, including all the members, against "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies" (Eph. 6:12) that the saints may enjoy Christ as the all-inclusive land. (Num. 21:1, footnote 1)

　　The church must be such a corporate warrior, fighting against Satan's aerial forces so that God's people may gain more of Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ, establishing and spreading the kingdom of God so that Christ can come back to inherit the earth. (Num. 21:1, footnote 1)

　　The entire Bible shows us one thing—that God's intention is to have a people formed into an army to take Christ as their meaning of life, testimony, center, Leader, way, and goal and to proceed on and fight for God that He may gain the ground on earth and have a people built up as His kingdom and His house, which will consummate in the New Jerusalem.

　　The book of Numbers has three sections: being formed into an army (1:1—9:14), journeying (9:15—20:29; 21:4-20; 33:1-49), and fighting (21:1-3; 21:21—32:42; 33:50—36:13).

　　The fulfillment of God's intention to gain a people and to have them formed into an army was not a simple matter. This army was formed with twelve tribes. It is wonderful that Jacob had exactly twelve sons, who became twelve tribes. Among these twelve tribes, Levi was consecrated to God for the service of the tabernacle. As a result, there was the shortage of one tribe. However, this shortage was made up by Joseph's receiving a double portion through his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who filled the gap to keep the number of tribes at twelve. Furthermore, within the consecrated tribe of Levi was the house of Aaron, the priestly house. Levi had three sons who encamped around three sides of the tabernacle. Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons encamped at the front of the tabernacle. Such a camping of the children of Israel in array was marvelous.

　　Before the children of Israel were formed into an army, the whole earth had been taken over by God's enemy. But in Numbers we see that one race, the race of Israel, was saved, sanctified, and formed and arranged into an army. This was a shame to the enemy.

　　No human mind could have written a book such as Numbers. There are many other records of the formation of armies, but there is none like the record in Numbers. Only God could write such a record and provide the persons needed to form such an army. The persons in this army take Christ as their everything—their meaning of life, their testimony, their center, and their Leader, their way, and their goal. (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 6-7)

　　Further Reading: The All-inclusive Christ, chs. 12-13