Read | Numbers 6:22–27, Numbers 9
The LORD spoke to Moses: “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. You should say to them,
“May the LORD bless you and protect you;
may the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
may the LORD look with favor on you
and give you peace.”’
In this way they will pronounce my name over the Israelites, and I will bless them.”In the first month of the second year after their departure from the land of Egypt, the LORD told Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, “The Israelites are to observe the Passover at its appointed time. You must observe it at its appointed time on the fourteenth day of this month at twilight; you are to observe it according to all its statutes and ordinances.” So Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover, and they observed it in the first month on the fourteenth day at twilight in the Wilderness of Sinai. The Israelites did everything as the LORD had commanded Moses.
But there were some men who were unclean because of a human corpse, so they could not observe the Passover on that day. These men came before Moses and Aaron the same day and said to him, “We are unclean because of a human corpse. Why should we be excluded from presenting the LORD’s offering at its appointed time with the other Israelites?”
Moses replied to them, “Wait here until I hear what the LORD commands for you.”
Then the LORD spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites: When any one of you or your descendants is unclean because of a corpse or is on a distant journey, he may still observe the Passover to the LORD. Such people are to observe it in the second month, on the fourteenth day at twilight. They are to eat the animal with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; they may not leave any of it until morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover according to all its statutes.
“But the man who is ceremonially clean, is not on a journey, and yet fails to observe the Passover is to be cut off from his people, because he did not present the LORD’s offering at its appointed time. That man will bear the consequences of his sin.
“If an alien resides with you and wants to observe the Passover to the LORD, he is to do it according to the Passover statute and its ordinances. You are to apply the same statute to both the resident alien and the native of the land.”
On the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and it appeared like fire above the tabernacle from evening until morning. It remained that way continuously: the cloud would cover it, appearing like fire at night. Whenever the cloud was lifted up above the tent, the Israelites would set out; at the place where the cloud stopped, there the Israelites camped. At the LORD’s command the Israelites set out, and at the LORD’s command they camped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they camped.
Even when the cloud stayed over the tabernacle many days, the Israelites carried out the LORD’s requirement and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud remained over the tabernacle for only a few days. They would camp at the LORD’s command and set out at the LORD’s command. Sometimes the cloud remained only from evening until morning; when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out. Or if it remained a day and a night, they moved out when the cloud lifted. Whether it was two days, a month, or longer, the Israelites camped and did not set out as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle. But when it was lifted, they set out. They camped at the LORD’s command, and they set out at the LORD’s command. They carried out the LORD’s requirement according to his command through Moses.
Click here to listen to the Scripture in ESV.
What does the cloud and pillar of fire residing over the tabernacle represent? Why were God’s people not to move unless the cloud moved?
Focus
When the term behold is used in Scripture it means to fix the eyes upon, to see with attention, to observe with care, as when John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said “Behold.”
View or behold this work of art, titled The Tensions of Beauty and Brokenness, from Restless Yearnings, Delro Rosco, connected to Sunday’s sermon passage.
Visio Divina, or “divine seeing”, is a way of praying and reflecting through art. As you look at this week’s piece, take a few quiet moments to go through a three-step process. First, observe what you see in the image, from colors to composition to recognizable elements, without trying to understand what it is supposed to mean. Then read about the work, using these details to help you interpret the work of art. Ask God what he might be saying through the image, and listen for his insight in your thoughts, feelings, or prayers. Finally, take a moment to respond, through prayer or journaling, to what God showed you in this image.
Commentary:
Delro Rosco creates abstract paintings inspired by observation, memory, human connection, and the rhythms of everyday life. He seeks to show traces of hope within human brokenness, imperfection, and the fragility of existence. Each piece emerges through a meticulous, layered process, incorporating materials such as pulverized mineral pigments, sand, glass, hand-beaten mulberry fiber, and metal leaf.
In this work, thickly built-up textures rise from the surface as shifting shadows weave through veils of gold and pale orange. Amid the looming darkness, the first quiet promise of a new day begins to break through.
Rosco says this about Restless Yearnings:
This series is inspired by a visit with my elderly aunt, who has dementia. While taking a drive to the coast, she mentioned that driving towards the beautiful blue sky was like going to another country. It made me think of how C.S. Lewis describes this desire for our own far-off country as an inconsolable secret in all of us. That the elusive things longed for are not the thing itself but rather only the scent of a flower we have not found.
Scripture also says that those who live by faith are all “longing for a better country, a heavenly one.” (Hebrews 11:16) Just as the blue sky awakened something in Aunty, I too am drawn to beauty found in nature. Layer by layer, day by day, the works are compilations of yearnings for that far-off country yet to be found.
Art Source: The Tensions of Beauty and Brokenness, from Restless Yearnings, Delro Rosco, 2023. Used by permission. delroroscoart.com
Pray
O Lord, you see that all hearts are empty unless filled by you, and all desires are frustrated unless they point to you. So give us light and grace to seek and find you, that we may be yours, and you may be ours, forever.
-Christina G. Rossetti, from Prayers Ancient and Modern
Going Deeper
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.
