THE RANSOM (ATONEMENT) MONEY AND
THE TWO TRUMPETS OF SILVER
The
LORD also spoke to Moses, saying,
"When
you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them
shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you
number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them.
"This is what everyone who is numbered shall
give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is
twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a contribution to the LORD.
"Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old
and over, shall give the contribution to the LORD.
"The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall
not pay less than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the LORD to make atonement for yourselves.
"You shall take the atonement money from the
sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of
meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD, to make
atonement for yourselves." (Exodus 30:11-16 NASB)
In part 2 of this study we looked at all of the gifts
that were given in the freewill heave offering. I want to make a clarification
here. Silver wasn’t one of the gifts though it was used as a material in
building the tabernacle. Later we will see how this ransom money was used in
the making of the tabernacle. For now I want to show you something awesome
about this passage of scripture.
In verse 12 the word census is literally the word
‘sum’ and the phrase ‘to number them’
literally means ‘for their being mustered.’ And again at the end of that verse
‘number’ means to ‘muster.’ This is very important. Moses wasn’t just counting
these men just to be counting them, as we read further down, we see that their
age plays an important part. Moses was counting all the males from the age of
20 years old and older, and they were being mustered to serve in the army of Israel, the army of God.
It is the same for the Christian today, when we
recognize that we are unable to obey the laws of God, our incapability and need
of One who could and did pay that atonement price, and we accept the free gift
of salvation, then we too are numbered and counted as part of the army of God.
Everyone who was numbered was told to give half a
shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary. A shekel was about 0.4 ounces or 11.5 grams for the common shekel. A royal shekel was about 0.8 ounces.
All males age 20 and older were the ones who were
numbered and they were the ones who gave this contribution to the Lord. It
didn’t matter if they were rich or poor, each man was to pay the same price for
their atonement.
Henry Soltau said, “When the question of ransom came
to be one of ransom; the poor and the rich, the foolish and the wise, the
ignorant and the learned, the immoral and the moral, stood on the same level.
Each person was estimated by God at the same price.”[1]
Moses was to take the atonement money that was given
and give it to the service of the tent of meeting. It was to be a memorial for
the sons of Israel, to make atonement for themselves.
Let us take a moment to look at this word
‘atonement’. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English
Language, atonement means:
1.
Amends or
reparation made for an injury or wrong; expiation.
2.
a.
Reconciliation or an instance of reconciliation between God and humans.
b. Atonement
Christianity The reconciliation of
God and humans brought about by the redemptive life and death of Jesus.[2],[3]
I could list other dictionary meanings, but they are
virtually the same. So we will go with this one.
Now I want us to look at ‘ransom’, we will use the
same source.
1.
a. The release
of property or a person in return for payment of a demanded price.
b. The price or payment demanded or paid for such
release.
2.
A redemption from sin and its consequences.
Ah, now we are getting to the heart of the matter, redemption.
1. The act of redeeming of the condition of having been
redeemed.
2. Deliverance upon payment of ransom; rescue.
3. Christianity Salvation from sin through Jesus’ sacrifice.
The children of Israel were given the picture of redemption through paying
the atonement price. By paying the half-shekel of silver, an unalloyed, unadulterated
metal, they were paying a ransom price that would ultimately be paid for by the
shed blood of Jesus Christ, the pure and spotless One.
“knowing
that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, … but with the precious blood of Christ, as of
a lamb without blemish and without spot.” I Peter 1:18-19 (NKJV)
“Oh the
blood of Jesus, oh the blood of Jesus, oh the blood of Jesus, it washes white
as snow.”
In Romans 3 we read that all of man is guilty, “there is none righteous, not even one…There
is none who does good, there is not even one….for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:9, 23 NKJV) But, we are told that
apart from the law, the righteousness of God was manifested, through the
redemption which is in Christ, whom God displayed publicly as propitiation in
His blood through faith. This is for the “demonstration
of God’s righteousness for this present time, that He might be the just and
justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26 NKJV)
There is so many marvelous and wonderful things to discover
and learn about the subject of Atonement and Redemption, however I really can’t
take the time right now to delve into it. If you are interested in this subject
I suggest you read the book of Ruth and chapter 5 of the book of Revelation. In
Ruth you will see Boaz as a type of Jesus Christ who redeemed Ruth and in
Revelation 5 Jesus was the only one who could pay the atonement price in full,
who fully satisfied the price that God required, and; who was the only one in
heaven or earth who could open the book and look in it.
Now back to Exodus 30, the Ransom Money.
Look at verse 12 again, especially the last portion:
“…,when you
number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them.”
This is important, because later in the Bible, we
read of the time when God allowed satan to tempt David into “numbering” the
Israelites. Not to glorify God, but so that he, the king, might congratulate
himself on the number of his subjects. The conclusion of that particular story
was that David, afterward, became contrite and sought God’s forgiveness and in
humility preferred being dealt with in chastisement immediately from the Lord.
Accordingly, the plague which had been threatened in Exodus 30:12 broke out
against the people and the destroyer didn’t stay his hand until God, listening
to the humiliation of David, and appeased by the burnt offering presented on
the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite said “it is enough.” (2nd
Samuel 14, 1st Chronicles 11.)
This numbering that took place in Exodus, the ransom
money that was paid by the individual person, was to place each person into the
army of God. Each one was assigned a position and place in that army. It was
all done to glorify God and to show the plan of redemption He had and has for
each one of us.
This takes us to the silver trumpets. There was an
additional numbering of the Israelite. The first time all the males 20 years
old and older paid the ransom price of half-shekel to be numbered into the army
of God. That offering was lifted up to God and counted so they wouldn’t suffer
a plague.
The silver they paid was given to the service of the
tabernacle and was used to make the hundred sockets, hooks and capitals of the
court pillars. (We will look at those later.)
I want to show you something real quick: every
sacrifice on which the hand was laid, attested to substitution; the Burnt
offering, the Sin offering and the Silver atonement money.
This additional numbering was so the Levites would be
substituted for the firstborn among the sons of Israel. Take a look at the passage.
Then the
Lord said to Moses: “Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a
month old and above, and take the number of their names.
“And you
shall take the Levites for Me – I am
the Lord – instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the
livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of
the children of Israel.”
So Moses
numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel, as the
Lord commanded him.
And all the
firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and above,
of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and
seventy-three.
Then the
Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
“Take the
Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the
livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine:
I am the Lord.
“And for
the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the
children of Israel, who are
more than the number of the Levites,
“You shall
take five shekels for each one individually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of
the sanctuary, the shekel of twenty gerahs.
“And you
shall give the money with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron
and his sons.”
So Moses
took the redemption money from those who were over and above those who were
redeemed by the Levites.
From the
firstborn of the children of Israel he took
the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the
shekel of the sanctuary.
And Moses
gave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the
Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses. (Numbers 3:40-51 NKJV)
The Levites were the ransom for the firstborn sons of
Israel. And the ransom for the 273 of the firstborn sons of
Israel who were in excess beyond the Levites was five
shekels apiece.
We learn that money was to be given to Aaron and his
sons to be used in the service of God. So what did they do with that additional
silver?
To find the answer to that question we have to go to
chapter 10 of Numbers. Moses is told by God to make two silver trumpets. They
are to be made of hammered work and they shall be used for calling the
congregation and for directing the movement of the camps. Remember, there was
approximately 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 people encamped around the soon to be
built tabernacle. They had just given their freewill heave offerings and paid
the ransom price for all males 20 years old and older, and an additional ransom
price for the Levites.
And the
Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
“Make two
silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work: you shall
use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the
camps.” Numbers 10:1,2 NKJV
The two silver trumpets of silver were each made of
one piece of hammered silver so they would give out the same sound when blown.
There is some symbolism in regards to the trumpets I
want to take a moment to share with you.
The symbolic interpretation of the trumpet is a
prophetic voice and utterance. Scripture reference given for that is: Numbers
10:1-10; Isaiah 58:1; Revelation 1:10; 4:1
Also it is a symbol of gathering, the coming of
Christ, judgment and blessing. I Corinthians 14:8; Exodus 19:13-16; Joshua 6:5;
I Samuel 13:3; 2 Samuel 2:28;
15:10; 18:16; Hebrews 12:19; I Corinthians 15:52; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Numbers
10:1-10
When Solomon dedicated the temple, the ceremonies
included “120 priests blowing trumpets in unison…” 2 Chronicles 5:12-13.
The note blown from the trumpets was to be precisely
the same sound in unison.
The trumpets would have been formed as long narrow
tubes flaring out into a bell at the mouth, so they could produce loud piercing
notes. With a skillful player, these trumpets could make up to four different
musical notes.
There were four ways the trumpets were to be used.
(Numbers 10:1-10)
1. a. When both trumpets were blown all of the people
were to gather together and meet Moses at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
b. If only
one trumpet is blown then the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel shall assemble before Moses.
2. a. When the alarm was sounded from the trumpets the
camps pitched on the east side headed out.
b. If the
alarm was sounded out the second time then the camps pitched on the south side
headed out.
c. Only the
priestly sons of Aaron could blow the trumpets and this was a perpetual state
throughout their generations.
3. a. When they went to war in their land against the
enemy who attacked them.
b. There
were only two occasions recorded when these trumpets of silver were used in
war. The first was Numbers 31:6 – when Israel avenged themselves on the Midianites. The second was
2 Chronicles 13:12 – this was when a portion of Israel opposed to Judah. Abijah the king, who preserved the worship of the
true God arrayed in battle against Jeroboam, who relied on his idols of gold
and the multitude of his host.
c. The
sound of the silver trumpets were to be sounded so they would be remembered
before the Lord their God and be saved from their enemies. (Numbers 10:9)
4. The silver trumpets were to be sounded:
a.
in the days of
their gladness
b.
in their
appointed feasts
c.
on the first
days of their months
d.
over their burnt
offerings
e.
over the sacrifices
of their peace offerings.
Not
a day would pass without the Israelite being re-awakened to that fact that he
had been redeemed to God. As the burnt offerings and peace offerings presented
on God’s altar preserved a constant odor of a sweet savor to the Lord, the very
sound of those silver trumpets reminded them that the value of these offerings
was their own. And the very fact that they were God’s own people, redeemed at a
price, numbered as His own, delivered from the bondage of Egypt, to be servants and soldiers of the Most High.
Believers
today when they hear the gentle call of the Holy Spirit, are also reminded that
they are God’s, redeemed at a price (the blood of Jesus Christ), numbered and
delivered from the bondage of sin (For
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord. Romans 6:23
NKJV). And they too are called to be servants and soldiers of the Lord God.
The
silver trumpets “shall be a memorial for
you before your God: I am the Lord
your God.” Numbers 10:10 NKJV
Praise
the Lord for the free gift of salvation. I am going to stop here as this is a
wonderful place for us to pause and reflect on the wondrous redemptive work of
the cross, the atonement price Christ Jesus paid for our sins, and the incredible
awesomeness of our Lord.
Next
time we come together, we are going to begin building the tabernacle in the wilderness.
So until then, may the Lord bless you dearly, my beloved brothers and sisters.
May He give you ears to hear His sweet, tender voice, eyes to see His wondrous
works, a voice to speak of His gift of salvation, hands to do the work He has
given you, and feet to walk after Him, only. Amen.
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