Hey Reader,
We are only a couple weeks away from the release of Count the Stars and I am so excited for you to see it. One of my greatest joys as a pastor is to see people grow in the love of God and in their ability to read the Bible. Count the Stars will help you, your Bible study, or your church learn to read the Bible with confidence by tackling some of the more confusing sections of the Bible -- the numbers.
As the release day approaches, expect a few extra emails with bonus content related to the book. We want you to be as excited about this book as we are. Enjoy this section from the book below.
The Lord Added To Their Number: Death and Salvation
When God brings the people out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, he leads them through the wilderness to the foot of Mount Sinai. Moses goes up on Mount Sinai to meet with God, while the people waited at the foot of the mountain. God gives Moses detailed instructions about the construction of the tabernacle as well as the basics of how Israel was to live before God as his covenant people. Chapter after chapter is filled with instructions as God establishes his relationship with his people through a covenant.
However, all this takes a long time. The people grow impatient waiting for Moses. They go to Aaron and say, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know that has become of him” (Ex. 32:1). Aaron tells them to take off their gold rings, forms a mold and makes the image of a calf, saying, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” (Ex. 32:4). Aaron also makes an altar and the next day a festival is declared. The people bring sacrifices and begin to revel.
God is not pleased. He threatens to destroy the people for their idolatry and build a new nation through Moses. Moses intercedes and the Lord sends him down the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant with God. When Moses sees what the people have done, he breaks the tablets (a visual sign that the covenant has been broken), destroys the calf, and makes the people drink the powder mixed with water (Ex. 32:19-20). Aaron blames the people and claims that the calf miraculously walked out of the fire when they threw in their gold (Ex. 32:22-24). As the events unfold, there is a curious detail — a number — that will connect with another story in the Bible:
“Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. He said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side, each of you! Go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill your brother, your friend, and your neighbor.’” The sons of Levi did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand of the people fell on that day. Moses said, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought a blessing on yourselves this day.” (Ex. 32:25-29, emphasis added)
This should have been a day of celebration. God had brought his Law, established his covenant with his people. Yet, on that very day, it was already broken by the people worshipping false gods. To add to this tragedy, three thousand died at the foot of Mount Sinai as God’s judgment on the people.
Three thousand are killed. Where else in the Bible do we find the number three thousand?
The day God gave the Law on Mount Sinai was commemorated down through the ages in the feast of Pentecost. It was not only a feast of the first fruits of the harvest, but a reminder of the gift of God’s Law. On one Pentecost, after Jesus had died and risen from the grave, something amazing happened.
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (Acts 2:1-4)
As God gave his Law long ago on Pentecost, now he pours out his Holy Spirit upon the church. People are confused, wondering if they are drunk (“reveling” like back in Exodus 32). Peter responds with a powerful sermon tracing how the events of that day were the fulfillment of God’s Word and proclaiming Jesus as God’s promised Messiah. Those hearing the sermon are cut to the heart and wonder how they should respond to this message.
“Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves form this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:38-42, emphasis added)
On the first Pentecost, the covenant of God was broken by the people and three thousand were killed. The first Pentecost was a day of tragedy and death. However, on the later Pentecost, God poured out his Spirit and three thousand were saved. The second Pentecost is a day of salvation and life. At the first Pentecost, the people ate and drank and began to revel. At the second Pentecost, they are not drunk on wine, but filled with the Holy Spirit.
The same number appears in both stories, which is a clue to read them side-by-side. When we set Pentecost and Sinai next to each other, we see how Pentecost reverses the earlier story. The festival itself experiences resurrection as the Spirit brings salvation where there had once been death. In both stories, three thousand people are changed. In the former, they are moved from life to death. In the latter, they are moved from dead in sin to alive in Christ by the Spirit.
The number three thousand serves as the connecting point that shows God’s redemptive work among his people.
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From the desk of
Stephen C. Shaffer
Author, Pastor-Theologian
www.penielpress.com
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