Numbers 9:1-231And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. 3In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 4And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. 5And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. 6And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: 7And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel? 8And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you. 9And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the Lord. 11The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. 13But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the Lord; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land. 15And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. 16So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. 18At the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. 19And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed not. 20And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the Lord they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. 21And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed. 22Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed. 23At the commandment of the Lord they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed: they kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses. (Numbers 9:1‑23)
When the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sinai, the Lord commanded them to keep the Passover, but there were some men among them who had been defiled, and were therefore unable to keep it at the appointed time. They wanted to keep it, however, and so they came to Moses, asking if any provision could be made for them. The Lord said that they could observe it on the fourteenth day of the second month, instead of the first month, and this they did. We know that the Passover pointed on to the cross, just as the Lord’s supper looks back to it. And so, even as there was a gracious prision of the Lord for these defiled men, no doubt if there were due exercise on the part of a good many who have “excuses,” they would find how the Lord could, and would, open the way for them to be present at His table to remember Him in His death. It is always good to see a willing heart, for where there is such the Lord always comes in.
There is another point of interest and warning here. If an Israelite who was clean, and not in a journey, failed to keep the Passover, lie was to be cut off from his people. This was, of course, law, and now we are under grace, but this is a solemn consideration for one who, either willfully, or through neglect, fails to keep the Lord’s supper. Surely it would show a lack of affection for the Lord, who instituted this blessed feast on the night of His betrayal, to be absent or hold back from responding to His dying request. If one who had taken his place at the Lord’s table continued in such a course, it would be necessary for those who have the care of the saints of God upon their hearts, to bring it before him. If such carelessness continued, the assembly would undoubtedly have a principle here upon which to act in dealing with him. Would it not lead us to question whether there were any true affection for the Lot it all, when one continually absented himself or herself from the table of the Lord without any good reason?
When the tabernacle was pitched, the glory cloud rested upon it, as the Lord had promised. It was like a pillar of fire by night, and a cloud to hide them from the hot sun by day, and when the Lord wanted them to move on, then the cloud lifted and went bore them. Then, whether it were in the daytime or at night, they must take their journey. How good it was for the people to have such a sure, unfailing, and loving Guide who always “led them.. by the right way” (Psalm 107:77And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. (Psalm 107:7)), and yet how often they murmured! We know, too, that we now have tile same loving Guide, not in a pillar of fire, but a living Man at God’s right hand who leads us by His Spirit through His Word. May we ever wait upon Him, being careful that we do not stand still when He wants us to go forward, or go forward when He wants us to stand still. Whether it were for two days, or a month, or a year, the children of Israel were never to journey without this Divine guidance (the moving of the cloud), and the same principle applies to us today. Even in the smallest matters, as well as in the greater things, we shall always find One whose loving heart is interested, and who delights to have us look up and say as Saul of Tarsus, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” He has a definite path for us each step of the way, but like the children of Israel we will have to “look up” to know it. May the Lord keep us all, young and old, looking up.
ML 08/19/1951