(Numbers 10) The Words that Accompany Us
(adapted and translated based on a Chinese version 中文版 http://mijiale.mypressonline.com/2021/05/23/民10）伴随我们的话语/)
“Graduation毕业” in Chinese means “end”. But for the American doctoral students who have studied for five years, their graduation ceremony is called “Commencement”, which means “start”, not “end”. It means that you can now “start” and apply what you have learned to your work. You can leave school. Is there anything similar to a “Commencement” in the Bible?
Let’s take a look at the story of the Israelites studying Gd’s Words at Mount Sinai, and first look at their “Academic Calendar”. In their calendar, all the months are lunar months used in the Bible, with the first month starting from the spring season around the month of March.
A. The “Academic Calendar” of the Israelites at the “University of Mount Sinai”
The day when Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai was the first day of the third month in the year of Exodus (Exodus 19:1), and the day when Israel left Mount Sinai was the 20th of the second month of the second year (Numbers 10:11). They stayed for about a year and less than ten days ([1] Rashi Num 10:11). The Bible uses the lunar cycle to calculate the month. Unless there is a leap month, the year is twelve months with about 354 days. From this point of view, the time the Israelites stayed at Mount Sinai was about ten days less than one year, not counting the days of arrival and departure. The complete number of days may be 343=7×7×7, which can symbolize completeness. Below is their detailed chronicle at Mount Sinai.
3/1-3/6: Israel went to Mount Sinai and purified herself to receive the Ten Commandments.
3/6-4/17: On 3/6, the Israelites received the Ten Commandments at the foot of Mount Sinai, and Moses went to Mount Sinai for 40 days to learn how to build a movable sanctuary (the tabernacle).
4/17-7/10: On the 4/17, Moses took the tablets of the Ten Commandments down the mountain, but broke the tablets because the Israelites worshiped the golden calf. Moses went up the mountain again for 40 days and asked the Lrd not to destroy the Israelites in anger. On 5/29, the Lord forgave the Israelites. Moses studied the Bible again at Mount Sinai for 40 days, and brought a second set of tablets, which was on the Day of Atonement, on 7/10.
7/10-1/1: The Israelites began building the movable sanctuary and tabernacle in the manner Moses had learned at Mount Sinai. On 1/1 of the following year, the sanctuary was built and started to be used. On this day, the L-rd also told them to celebrate the Passover two weeks later.
1/1-2/1: The leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel offered sacrifices sequentially within twelve days (1/1-1/12). On 1/14 they celebrated the Passover to commemorate the Exodus at this time last year. Unleavened bread is eaten from 1/15 to 1/21, and the first and last days are two assembly days.
2/1-2/20: On 2/1, the L-rd asked the Israelites to count the number of people who could fight, and taught them to set up camp and march. The Israelites are divided into four large camps in the east, south, west, north, and the Levites camp in the middle, and the Tent of Meeting are located in the middle of the Levites. When they march, the east camp marches first, followed by the south camp, the middle camp, the west camp, and the north camp. On 2/14, some Israelites who missed the Passover due to uncleanness made up the Passover. In terms of the directions of their marching, the Israelites followed the movement of the Cloud on the Tent of Meeting. The L-rd also taught Moses to make two silver trumpets to direct the march and assembly. On 2/20, the Israelites left Mount Sinai and headed for the land of Canaan that the L-rd had promised them.
B. What inspiration do these historical records have for us who study the Bible today?
The L-rd did not allow the Israelites to stay at Mount Sinai for only one week, accept the Ten Commandments and go away. The L-rd let them stay for forty-nine weeks, built a movable sanctuary to host His words (as represented by the Ten Commandments hewn on the two stone tablets), and taught them in detail how to march, offer sacrifices, and celebrate festivals, so that the L-rd’s words could always accompany Israel’s journey and life. Likewise, when we study the Bible, only when we learn Gd’s words so that they can accompany all our actions forever, can we truly have our “commencement”.
As an application, we don’t settle for an intellectual understanding of the Bible and nor do we read it and set it aside. Read it over and over again, learn its applications, and integrate it into every journey of your life.
Personally, I was not baptized when I read the Bible for the first time. I mainly wanted to understand this book and use it to encourage my life. The second time I read the Bible was after I was baptized. At that time, I paid attention to the consistency of the Bible and whether there were any contradictions. I later joined this Bible reading schedule following the Jewish tradition [2], reading one portion per week, and finish reading the Pentateuch in one year. It has been going on for more than ten years in a blink of an eye, and it is still going on, and I began to teach the Bible and write Bible reading notes. I feel that this has become my life, and it is a good portion that the Lrd has given me.
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Footnotes:
[1]Pentateuch with Rashi’s commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934
https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Numbers?lang=bi
[2] Wikipedia, Weekly Torah portion