Numbers, numbers, numbers. This is one of those sections of the Bible most of us skim over if we bother to read it at all. Apart from a few historians, who really cares how many fighting men were in the tribes of Gad and Simeon? Who cares about the names of the census takers? Well, I admit that it all seems a little obscure, but, as I’ve said before, every detail included in the Torah was included for some enduring reason. There is Pshat in every word of the Torah, Remez in every passage, Drash and Sod in every name and number. (See Ohr Somayakh’s Ask the Rabbi.) As pointless as it might seem to the casual reader, there is meaning in the Bible’s long lists of names and numbers.
Here is a bit of Remez from B’midbar, last week’s Torah portion:
The right to count, number, and name a thing is derived from authority. You do not have authority over your neighbor’s possessions, therefore you do not have the right to see his bank statement, name him or his children, or inventory his collection of rare coins. The exact measure of his strength, his family, and his wealth are none of your business. However, God owns everything, and everything is God’s to count.
In Numbers chapter one, God ordered Moses and Aaron to count the fighting men of twelve of the tribes of Israel. However, they weren’t to do it on their own. God chose one man from each of those tribes to count along side them. They were not initiate their own count, but could only do so at the command of God. The implication is that the army did not belong to its two supreme human leaders. It belonged to the nation as a whole, and was subject to God’s Law and direction.
The tribe of Levi was not counted by these men, but by Moses alone, who was God’s personal representative. Earlier, God had required the firstborn males of the nation to be dedicated to him. Rather than form another pseudo-tribe out of those men, he substituted the tribe of Levi. They were separated out for service to God, and so could not count as an asset of the nation. The twelve leaders had no part in counting them.
Those twelve men were not elected by the people, appointed by Moses, nor approved by any human agency. God chose them for their character and informed the nation of their identity, no paperwork required. Echoing Paul’s criteria for church leaders, they were already leaders among their people, whether by reputation, age, or some other currency. Together with Moses and Aaron, they formed a counsel of tribal chiefs of fourteen men.
Eventually, the government of Israel would be divided into three branches, much as that of the United States. The three branches were the tribal chiefs headed by both Moses and Aaron as mentioned above, the executive-judiciary embodied by the sanhedrin and the system of judges headed and appointed by Moses, and the Levitical priesthood headed by Aaron. Moses served as president and commander-in-chief, with a great deal of discretionary power. After Moses’ death, Joshua, as senior member of the senate, took his place as the executive. That role came to be known as the Judge of Israel and was never hereditary. Its holder was chosen from among the tribal chiefs until the accession of King Saul. Notice that not one official was elected. The judges, priests, and even the kings were all appointed. God does not appear to be a great proponent of democracy, despite the preaching of our modern day republocrats.
Despite the non-democratic nature of Israel’s government, the rulers were not simply autocrats. They were not allowed to count the nation or even the army without God’s blessing. They were not allowed to change borders, confiscate property without cause, or unseat one another. The nation still belonged to God and limited authority was only delegated by him. When we count our income, we count his income. When we name our children, we name his children. We have only been made stewards. Like Moses who was denied entry to the Promised Land, David who lost his sons, and the Israelites who were removed from the land, we will be held accountable for our treatment of his people and assets.
05/23/2007 update: Doug Newman posted an article on democracy. “Not only was democracy an anathema to the Founders, it should be abhorrent to every follower of Jesus Christ. In Luke 23, Pilate declares that he found Jesus not deserving of death. However, he caved into the roar of the angry mob and sent a totally innocent man to die an excruciating death.”
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