March 20th, 2021

This Sunday is the last Sunday in Lent before Palm Sunday, the Sunday of the Passion. And this year it is the first Sunday in Lent when the Old Testament text is not from the first five books. The text is still an important one, since it is from the prophet Jeremiah [31:31-34]. And the book of Jeremiah is a good reminder that the message of salvation is more important than a lesson from history.

In other words, it is a good thing to remember that the oracles of Jeremiah are not in chronological order. The Concordia Self-Study Bible even makes a point of this in its introduction to the book—see page 1120 for more detail. This Sunday’s text from Jeremiah is an important part of the so-called ‘Book of Comfort’, and this is placed near the middle of the entire book. This importance of a middle point is especially seen later in time with the Gospel according to Matthew. It may also be seen earlier in time with the first five books of the Old Testament.

To be more specific, there seems to be a significant midpoint and an endpoint within some of these important books. The structure of a book is, by all means, a very multi-faceted thing, but there are certain similarities among these books, and a certain message may be given from their texts, but one may also be gleaned from these structures. After sin came into the universe, God still seems like he wants to get involved with his people in some different and truly significant ways. And can you believe that he sometimes even wants to be in the middle of things? So, it might be helpful to have a somewhat broader view of some of these books, rather than simply have a closer look at a small text within these books.

Within the book of Genesis, when the family of Jacob was getting bigger, Rachel his wife was still unable to have a child, and so she pleads with her husband, and he responds, in Genesis 30:2, with the words ‘Am I in the place of God?’ This is echoed by Joseph near the very end of the book when his brothers come to him, regretting what they had done, in Genesis 50:19 (although you may wish to note that the Greek translation at this point is significantly different).

Within the book of Exodus, the glory of the LORD is mentioned for the first time in Exodus when the children of Israel start to receive the manna from heaven in chapter 16. But they see the glory in a very significant way the second time in chapter 24, near the middle of the book, when the glory ‘settles’ or ‘dwells’ on Mount Sinai. At that time, the glory looks like a ‘consuming fire’ [Exodus 24:16-17]. And at the very end of the book, the cloud and the glory of the LORD fill the ‘tabernacle’—the ‘settling’ or ‘dwelling’ place. Then the fire of the LORD is there at night and the cloud of the LORD is there during the day, to lead the children of Israel in their travels [Exodus 40:34-38]. That the LORD settles and dwells with his people is certainly significant.

Within the book of Leviticus, there are two very negative events, the deaths of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu [chapter 10], and the one (whose name is never mentioned) who ‘blasphemes the Name [chapter 24]’. These two events are more at one-quarter and three-quarter points within this book, but in their special placement they bring the reader/listener into a closer relationship with God who is responsible for all things. This closer relationship may be seen in the descriptions of how and when the LORD says something. This is especially seen in the middle of the book with that very special Day of Atonement, and this chapter starts with this somewhat-literal description: ‘And Yahweh said to Moses after the death of two of the sons of Aaron when they approached the face of Yahweh, and they died [16:1].’ A special phrase of Yahweh speaking is also seen near the end of the book with this unique description: ‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai [25:1].’ Although Yahweh speaks many times to Moses within this book, this is the only time that description is given in that way. Through the events of this book, the reader/listener in a way joins Moses on Mount Sinai.

The book of Numbers is often divided geographically, by the location of the children of Israel as they make their way to the Promised Land. But a somewhat-better way to see the events of the text may be to see the connections between what happens in the middle and near the end, in somewhat the same way as the tabernacle is laid out with the place for offering—where something is sacrificed—and then that special place where the LORD would meet with the priest, and this is a way in which the previous books have been somewhat laid out as well. One of the problems is that, in the book of Leviticus, there were only two negative events, but in Numbers there are lots more!

In Numbers 14:22 the LORD numbers TEN times that the children of Israel tested him, but it seems like this list goes back even to the book of Exodus [the Concordia Self-Study Bible also has a note about this]. After the children of Israel make the significant move of leaving Sinai in Numbers 10, there seem to be several (perhaps seven?) ‘test-like’ events which approach the middle of the book:

11:1-3 the people complaining/fire

11:4-35 the ‘rabble’ [literally ‘the gathered ones’] wailing/elders/quail & plague

12 Miriam and Aaron talk against Moses/leprosy

13-14 the people rebel after Canaan is explored

15:1-31 Offerings for sin

            15:32-36 Sabbath-breaker put to death

            15:37-41 Tassels on garments to remember the commands

16:1-35 Korah’s rebellion with the Levites

16:36-50 The rebellion after the rebellion and the making of the censers

17 The budding of Aaron’s staff

These last three tests seem to be connected to the priests. And after the budding of Aaron’s staff, there is talk about the priests and their duties and how they are supported.

The above events could probably be organized in a variety of ways, but a significant test seems to be the one in the center, the fourth one of the seven, with the punishment being to wander in the desert for forty years. And it would make sense that other important things which should be mentioned come up after this significant event.

It does not seem, though, like those three indented things that follow should fit together. How can offerings, a sabbath-breaker, and tassels be connected? In Leviticus, two bad events brought people closer to the LORD. In the same way, in the tabernacle, it was often the death of an animal that brought people closer. (And, in the New Testament, it was the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross that brings us closer.) Offerings have something being sacrificed, the sabbath-breaker dies, and I also think that the tassels fit in well here because of their visual similarity to the flame of a fire at a sacrifice.
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Offerings are also mentioned again, in the first part of chapter 28, near to the end of the book, and this includes offerings for the Sabbath. These two special placements of offerings may point out that special theme that something bad leads to something good. And our Lenten theme for this year has supported that: ‘It’s a Matter of Death and Life'.