Scripture Reading: Num. 17:8; 19:2, 9; 20:8; 21:4-9; 35:6-7; 24:17

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 10　DAY 1　»

　　Num. 17:8 And on the next day Moses went into the Tent of the Testimony, and there was the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi: it had budded; it even put forth buds and produced blossoms and bore ripe almonds.

　　16:5 And he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, In the morning Jehovah will make known who is His and who is holy, and will bring him near to Himself...

　　A rod is a piece of dead wood that has not only been cut but is also dried up. Yet [in Numbers 17] such a dead and dried-up piece of wood budded! A bud is something organic, something of life. The budding rod of Aaron typifies not a dead Christ but the resurrected Christ, the budding Christ, who not only buds but also blossoms and bears fruit to maturity. Such a Christ imparts life to others (John 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:3). Today He is still budding, and we are the fruit, the almonds, of His budding. (Num. 17:8, footnote 1)

　　The root of this rebellion [in Numbers 16] was ambition, the struggle for power and for a higher position. Ambition undermines God's plan and damages His people. Throughout the centuries many problems among Christians have been caused by ambition (cf. Matt. 20:20-28; 3 John 9-11). (Num. 16:3, footnote 1)

　　Although Moses was humble in falling on his face (Num. 16:4), he did not give up his God-given position as God's deputy authority (vv. 5-11, 16-18). Moses did not fight back; rather, he brought the rebels and the ones against whom they rebelled to God. As God's deputy, or delegated, authority, Moses referred this case to God as the highest authority, for His speaking, exposing, and judging. In a struggle for power the only One who can judge and expose the real situation is God Himself. (Num. 16:5, footnote 1)

　　Korah and the others went down to Sheol alive. They went there directly; they did not need to die first (cf. Rev. 19:20). This was something new that Jehovah brought about (Num. 16:29-30). (Num. 16:33, footnote 1)

　　God's judgment of these two hundred fifty men signifies the judgment of the cross on all of man's service to God that is according to man's opinions, by his flesh, and in rivalry with others. (Num. 16:35, footnote 1)

　　Since the rebellion of Korah and his company in Numbers 16 was related to the priesthood (vv. 3, 8-10), the budding of Aaron's rod was a vindication indicating that Aaron was the one accepted by God as having authority in the God-given ministry of the priesthood. (Num. 17:8, footnote 1)

　　The principle to every service lies in the budding rod. God returned all the eleven rods to the leaders, but kept Aaron's rod inside the Ark as an eternal memorial. This means that resurrection is an eternal principle in our service to God. A servant of the Lord is one who has died and resurrected. God testifies again and again to His people that authority to serve God lies in resurrection, not in a person himself. All services to the Lord must pass through death and resurrection before they will be acceptable to God. Resurrection means that everything is of God and not of us. It means that God alone is able and that we are not able. Resurrection means that everything is done by God, not by ourselves. All those who think highly of themselves and who hold a misguided judgment of themselves have never realized what resurrection is....If a man continues to think that he is able, that he can do something, and that he is useful, he does not know resurrection. He may know the doctrine of resurrection, the reason for resurrection, or the result of resurrection, but he does not know resurrection. All those who know resurrection have given up hope in themselves; they know that they cannot make it. As long as the natural strength remains, the power of resurrection has no ground for manifestation. As long as Sarah could beget a child, Isaac would not come. What we can do belongs to the natural realm, and what is impossible for us to do belongs to the realm of resurrection. (CWWN, vol. 47, "Authority and Submission," pp. 248-249)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1960, vol. 1, "Synopsis of Numbers," chs. 21-22; CWWN, vol. 47, "Authority and Submission," ch. 15

«　WEEK 10　DAY 2　»

　　Num. 19:2 This is the statute of the law which Jehovah has commanded, saying, Tell the children of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which is no blemish and upon which a yoke has never come.

　　9 And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and place them outside the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the assembly of the children of Israel as water for impurity; it is a sin offering.

　　The heifer, the principal component of the water for impurity (Num. 19:9), signifies the redeeming Christ. The color red signifies the likeness of the flesh of sin, which is for the bearing of man's sin outwardly. The heifer being without defect signifies that although Christ was in the likeness of the flesh of sin, He did not have the sinful nature (Rom. 8:3 and footnote 3). That the heifer was without blemish indicates that Christ was perfect....The heifer having never been under a yoke signifies that Christ was never used by anyone, especially by or for God's enemy, Satan (cf. Exo. 12:5 and footnote 1). (Num. 19:2, footnote 1)

　　Christ was crucified outside the camp (Heb. 13:12-13), on Calvary, a small mount outside the city of Jerusalem (Matt. 27:33 and footnote). (Num. 19:3, footnote 1)

　　In Numbers 19:6 cedar wood signifies Christ in His dignified humanity, hyssop signifies Christ in His humbled humanity, and scarlet signifies redemption in its highest significance....The high and dignified Christ and the lowly and humbled Christ in His redemption were elements for the composition of the water for impurity (v. 9). (Num. 19:6, footnote 1)

　　The impurity in Numbers 19 does not refer to sin but to death (vv. 11, 13-16). Death issues from sin, and sin is the root of death (Rom. 5:12). From the sin of rebellion (Num. 11—14 and 16), death became prevailing among the children of Israel (16:49). Thus, there was the need for the water for impurity. Only the working of Christ's redemption, through His dignified and humbled humanity, with His death and the Spirit of His resurrection (19:17 and footnote), could heal and cleanse the situation from the uncleanness of death. (Num. 19:9, footnote 2)

　　The living water in Numbers 19:17 signifies the Holy Spirit in the resurrection of Christ....In the water for impurity, there is the efficacy of Christ's redemption with the washing power of the Spirit of His resurrection. (Num. 19:17, footnote 1)

　　Ashes signify Christ reduced to nothing (Mark 9:12). These ashes were kept for the water for impurity; it was a purification of sin, or a sin offering. (Num. 19:9, footnote 1)

　　In verse 9 the ashes refer to the remains of the red heifer, signifying that the Lord's redeeming death in resurrection is eternally efficacious. This eternal efficacy is what remains after the Lord's death and resurrection; in other words, the eternal efficacy of the Lord's redemption is in His resurrection (cf. Rom. 4:25).

　　The ashes of the heifer being placed outside the camp in a clean place [Num. 19:9] signifies that the efficacy of the Lord's redemption remains in the place of sinners, whereas the redeeming blood being brought to the front of the Tent of Meeting signifies the efficacy of the Lord's redemption before God.

　　The running water typifies the Holy Spirit. Whenever we, the people of God, are defiled, we need to allow the Holy Spirit, who is compounded with the eternal efficacy of the Lord's redemption, to be applied to us in order to remove our uncleanness. This corresponds to 1 John 1:7, which says, "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin." This means that if we realize that we have sinned, we should take the blood of the Lord Jesus in order to wash away our sins for the purpose of restoring the fellowship between God and us. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 1, "Synopsis of Numbers," p. 295)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1960, vol. 1, "Synopsis of Numbers," ch. 24

«　WEEK 10　DAY 3　»

　　Num. 20:8 Take the rod, and gather the assembly, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, so that it yields its water. Thus you shall bring forth water for them out of the rock and give the assembly and their livestock something to drink.

　　1 Cor. 10:4 And all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ.

　　The rock in Numbers 20 typifies the crucified and resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 10:4b), and the water that flowed from the rock typifies the Spirit (v. 4a) as the living water that flowed out of the crucified Christ (John 19:34...)....This rock was a spiritual rock that followed God's people in their journey through the wilderness. This signifies that Christ has been crucified to become a rock that follows His people. This following rock is the resurrected Christ as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45), who is always with the church to supply His believers with the water of life.

　　Since Christ has been crucified and the Spirit has been given, there is no need for Christ to be crucified again, that is, no need to strike the rock again, that the living water may flow. In God's economy Christ should be crucified only once (Heb. 7:27; 9:26-28a). To receive the living water from the crucified Christ, we need only to "take the rod" and "speak to the rock." To take the rod is to identify with Christ in His death and apply the death of Christ to ourselves and our situation. To speak to the rock is to speak a direct word to Christ as the smitten rock, asking Him to give us the Spirit of life (cf. John 4:10) based on the fact that the Spirit has already been given. If we apply the death of Christ to ourselves and ask Christ in faith to give us the Spirit, we will receive the living Spirit as the bountiful supply of life (Phil. 1:19). (Num. 20:8, footnote 1)

　　To sanctify God is to make Him holy, that is, separate from all the false gods; to fail to sanctify God is to make Him common. In being angry with the people (Num. 20:10) and in wrongly striking the rock twice (v. 11), Moses failed to sanctify God. In being angry when God was not angry, Moses did not represent God rightly in His holy nature, and in striking the rock twice, he did not keep God's word in His economy....Thus, Moses offended both God's holy nature and His divine economy. Because of this, even though he was intimate with God and may be considered a companion of God (Exo. 33:11), Moses lost the right to enter the good land.

　　In all that we say and do concerning God's people, our attitude must be according to God's holy nature, and our actions must be according to His divine economy. This is to sanctify Him. Otherwise, in our words and deeds we will rebel against Him and offend Him. (Num. 20:12, footnote 1)

　　In being angry, Moses did not represent God rightly in His holy nature toward His people. In striking the rock twice, he represented God wrongly in God's action. Hence, he and his brother were punished by God by not being allowed to enter into the good land (Num. 20:12-13, 24; 27:12-14).

　　In Numbers 20 God was not angry with the people, but Moses was angry with them....In his anger, Moses might have thought that the time had come for God to consume the people. God, however, realized that the problem in Numbers 20 was caused by the people's thirst. Just as a mother is not angry with a child who cries because of thirst but instead cherishes the child, so God was not angry with His thirsty people but rather assumed the responsibility of supplying them with water.

　　[In Numbers 20:24] God seemed to be saying [to Moses and Aaron], "You did not obey Me. Instead of doing what I told you to do, you did something else. The people were not reviling Me. There was nothing wrong with them. They simply needed water, and only I can provide water for them. The people were not at fault for being thirsty, and they were not rebelling against Me. You condemned them as rebels, but you are the ones who rebelled against My word." (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 212-214)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Numbers, msgs. 29-30

«　WEEK 10　DAY 4　»

　　Num. 21:7-8 And the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned...; pray to Jehovah, that He may take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people. Then Jehovah said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.

　　John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

　　Bronze signifies judgment. The bronze serpent is a type of the Lord Jesus, who was crucified in the likeness of the flesh of sin as our Substitute and Replacement that we might "look at" (believe into) Him and have eternal life. (Num. 21:9, footnote 1)

　　In Genesis 3 Satan, the serpent, injected his nature into man's flesh. When the children of Israel sinned against God, they were bitten by serpents (Num. 21:4-9). God told Moses to lift up a bronze serpent on their behalf for God's judgment, that by looking upon that bronze serpent all might live. That was a type. Here, in John 3:14, the Lord Jesus applied that type to Himself, indicating that when He was in the flesh, He was in "the likeness of the flesh of sin" (Rom. 8:3), which likeness is equal to the form of the bronze serpent. The bronze serpent had the form of the serpent but was without the serpent's poison. Christ was made in "the likeness of the flesh of sin," but He did not participate in any way in the sin of the flesh (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15). When He was lifted up in the flesh on the cross, by His death Satan, the old serpent, was dealt with (John 12:31-33; Heb. 2:14). This means that the serpentine nature within fallen man has been dealt with. When a man is regenerated with the divine life in Christ, his satanic nature is annulled.

　　As a descendant of Adam, Nicodemus had been poisoned by the old serpent, and the serpent's nature was within him. He needed the Lord not only to be the Lamb of God to take away his sin (John 1:29) but also to be in the form of the serpent that his serpentine nature might be dealt with on the cross and that he might have eternal life. (John 3:14, footnote 1)

　　The bronze serpent first signifies the Lord Jesus. Second, it signifies the children of Israel, because they had sinned and should have been hung on the pole to be cursed and judged. Third, it signifies the serpent Satan. It was not that the children of Israel wanted to sin, but rather, the serpent in them caused them to sin. In judging the children of Israel, God actually was judging the serpent; therefore, the one hung on the pole was actually the serpent. Man sinned, but the serpent received the judgment. This shows that the one who sinned was actually the serpent in man, that is, the devil. In God's eyes the serpent and the children of Israel were one. Therefore, God's judging the serpent on the pole was also His judging of the children of Israel.

　　We also need to see that ultimately a Substitute, not the children of Israel themselves, was judged by God. This Substitute, Christ, was judged by being identified with the people for whom He was substituted. The cross of Christ indicates two identifications: the people redeemed by Christ were identified with Satan, and Christ was identified with His redeemed people.

　　Numbers 21:8-9 says, "Everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live....If a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived." This means that everyone who sees that he is inwardly serpentine, condemns Satan in him, and receives the cross of Christ will have life.

　　The principle of regeneration is that we see that we were identified with Satan as a part of Satan, and we see that the Lord Jesus has dealt with this identification on the cross; thus, we condemn this identification and receive the Lord's salvation with the result that we live and have the resurrection life operating in us. Only in this way can we enjoy resurrection and the resurrection life and live in the eternal life. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 1, "Synopsis of Numbers," pp. 312-314)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1960, vol. 1, "Synopsis of Numbers," ch. 26

«　WEEK 10　DAY 5　»

　　Num. 35:6-7 And the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to; and besides them you shall give forty-two cities. All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, they and their pasture lands.

　　The cities of refuge typify the all-inclusive Christ as the embodiment of the redeeming God, into whom mistaken sinners can flee for refuge. Christ was delivered by God into the hands of sinners (Acts 2:23; Rom. 4:25), who mistakenly put Him to death (Luke 23:34; 1 Cor. 2:8). If any sinner repents, God will regard him as a mistaken sinner and will forgive him (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38). Such a one may flee into Christ. But if anyone refuses the gospel and does not repent, God will regard him as a willful sinner, one who is destined to perish (Num. 35:16; John 3:16-18).

　　There were six cities of refuge, three on each side of the Jordan (Num. 35:14). The number six signifies mistake-making man, who was created by God on the sixth day (Gen. 1:26-27, 31). The number three signifies the Triune God as the refuge for the man who makes mistakes. The number two (the two sets of three cities each) signifies a testimony standing in the universe, testifying and declaring to the universe that the Triune God is living on earth among human beings to be their city of refuge. (Num. 35:6, footnote 1)

　　The forty-eight cities given to the Levites were to be scattered among Israel, changing Jacob's curse on Levi in Genesis 49:7 into a blessing. (Num. 35:8, footnote 1)

　　That the cities of refuge were to be not only for the children of Israel but also for the strangers and sojourners among them signifies that the Triune God as the refuge for mistake-making man is for all mankind. Furthermore, the distribution of the six refuge cities...indicates that Christ, the embodiment of the Triune God, is near and available. The Triune God has spread among men, to the very place where we are, to be a city of refuge for all those who make mistakes. (Num. 35:15, footnote 1)

　　If we mark out these cities of refuge on a map, we can see that they are evenly distributed. Six is composed of two times three. Three is the number for God. In His Trinity God reaches us and has a relationship with us to become our salvation....The gospel is to baptize man into the name of the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit [Matt. 28:19]. Luke 15 also shows that this Triune God reaches sinners to bring them back to God: the shepherd typifies the Lord Jesus (v. 4), the woman typifies the Spirit (v. 8), and the father typifies God the Father (v. 20). Second Corinthians 13:14 also speaks of the three aspects of God's blessings to us: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." All these verses reveal the Triune God coming to be our Savior and as grace to have an intimate relationship with us. In addition, two is the number for testimony. This indicates that in the good land, there is always a testimony of the Triune God coming among man to contact him and be his security.

　　Numbers 35 shows that in the matter of the distribution of the good land, God wanted the children of Israel to offer up some of their inherited possessions. This resulted in the producing of the cities of the Levites, from which some were separated out as cities of refuge. The cities of the Levites can signify the local churches; the cities of refuge signify Christ as our Savior, sparing us from the judgment of death and delivering us so as to recover our spiritual possessions. This means that the local churches need to function in preaching the gospel so that man may receive Christ's redemption, be justified, receive the spiritual inheritance, and thus gain a dwelling place in Christ and so that God may gain a dwelling place among them. God has made these arrangements so that God and man, man and God, may be built up together to become a mutual dwelling place for both to find rest. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 1, "Synopsis of Numbers," pp. 377, 379)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1960, vol. 1, "Synopsis of Numbers," ch. 33

«　WEEK 10　DAY 6　»

　　Num. 24:17-19 I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. There shall come forth a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel....His enemies shall also be dispossessed—while Israel does valiantly. And One from Jacob shall have dominion and destroy the remnant from the city.

　　Numbers is a book that presents the history of Israel, and the history of Israel is a type of the history of the church. Strictly speaking, the only portion in Numbers that is a prophecy is the portion in 24:14-25, which Bible expositors call "Balaam's prophecy." This prophecy speaks of the things that will happen at the Lord's second coming, as indicated by the phrase in the last days in verse 14. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 1, "Synopsis of Numbers," p. 385)

　　[In Numbers 24:17] Star and Scepter both refer to Christ....The star has several denotations: first, it appears in the night; second, it is heavenly; and third, it is bright. In speaking of the Lord Jesus' two appearings, the Bible refers to Him as a star. His first appearing was at His birth. The pagan magi saw His star from the east. They came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star at its rising and have come to worship Him" (Matt. 2:2). The Lord's second appearing will be at His second coming. In Revelation 2 the Lord said to the overcomers of the church in Thyatira, "I will give the morning star" (v. 28), and in chapter 22 the Lord said again, "I am...the bright morning star" (v. 16). Both of these portions speak of the Lord as the morning star at His second coming.

　　In this age, between His two appearings, He also rises as the morning star in the hearts of those who belong to Him (2 Pet. 1:19). Every saved one has Christ as the star rising in him. He appeared to us the first time as our Savior, and He will rise in us again and again until His second appearing in glory. His rising in us today as the morning star points to His second coming.

　　The scepter in Numbers 24:17 refers to Christ's ruling. The one who has the scepter is the one who is on the throne and has authority. For example, Psalm 2:9 says concerning Christ, "You will break them with an iron rod; / You will shatter them like a potter's vessel." Psalm 45:6 says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; / The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom." Psalm 110:2 says, "Jehovah will send forth / The scepter of Your strength from Zion: / Rule in the midst of Your enemies." Genesis 49:10 says, "The scepter will not depart from Judah, / Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, / Until Shiloh comes, / And to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples."...These verses show that the scepter refers to Christ's being on the throne and obtaining the kingship to exercise His authority of the kingdom. If we put the verses concerning the star together with the verses concerning the scepter, we will see that at the Lord's second coming, He will exercise His authority on the throne and in His kingdom.

　　Balaam's prophecy indicates that the present age is altogether dark; it is an age that is ruled by darkness and that does not submit to God's authority. Nevertheless, the Star and the Scepter came forth out of Jacob and will rise out of Israel. Christ is the bright morning star to illuminate this dark world, and Christ as the scepter will rise out of Israel to rule over this lawless earth. Today this earth is dark, without the shining of light; it is also chaotic, without authority. When the Lord Jesus comes, He will appear as the star to be the light of the universe, and He will also appear as the scepter to be the authority of the universe.

　　The history of Israel in the book of Numbers signifies the history of the church. At the end of these histories, Christ will appear as the Star and the Scepter. He will come to shine on all the peoples and to rule the whole earth. At that time the Moabites, the Amalekites, and everything on earth that harasses God's people will be removed, and God's people will no longer suffer. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 1, "Synopsis of Numbers," pp. 385-387, 389)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1960, vol. 1, "Synopsis of Numbers," ch. 35